[snow white]

bottleblack, i've never even heard of it. keep on researching and perhaps you can come up with something you think works for you to suggest to your dr. haveing to use another form of birth control while already on one doesn't make much sense to me.

i researched the pill again and finally it makes sense to me. it's designed to make the cervix produce more mucous (inhibiting sperm) along with other methods. but this explains why ive been having to wear a panty liners *every day* due to harmless yet mysterious vaginal discharge. this was not listed as a normal side effect so i'm wondering if it's just me?

[bottleblack]

Has anyone been on Diane-35? If so, how was your experience with it? My doctor just put me on it...but I'm reading horrible things on the internet, and the insert in the package says not to use it solely as birth control..

[snow white]

nuvaring sounds like a good deal. i've been thinking about it.

do you guys ever think about what you would do if your birth control ever did fail? that's why i've been so obsessed over my pill schedule lately. i need to take it seriously, it's so easy to forget. just a little pill. but i've been exactly on time since i really noticed how lazy i'd gotten.

i know lots of women say they are pro-choice but would never get an abortion them self (like my girlfriend who got pregnant by forgetting her pills). it's a really hard choice to make. there is something that's wrong about it. i don't ever want to be in that position b/c i've already made the desition to get an abortion if i get "knocked up". i don't ever want to have to do that... when it comes down to it, it's all on me, even though i have my boyfriend i'm really close to and i know he could handle it, it would still be my "fault".

anyone else think about this stuff?

[Stone]

i was on Yasmin for a good 6 months but it made me an absolute wreck i was crying ALL the time over EVERYTHING..it was bad- so i got switched to Ortho-tricyclin low- im not freaking out 24/7 anymore but i must admit my sex drive is pretty low as is my natural lube production [img]http://lounge.bust.com/discus/clipart/sad.gif[/img] <BR>i was thinking about kicking the pill and downing a box of Midol in its place - anyone having the same problem? <BR>

I have been using Yasmin for years without any problems.

[jsmith]

My eyes have been insanely dry for a while now. They've never been this bad. I was looking up information on dry eyes, and the article I read said that birth control pills can cause chronic dry eyes. I'm taking Loestrin, has anyone else had this problem? It's only really a problem when I'm wearing my contacts. I would blame the contacts, but like I said, this is the worst bout of dry eyes I've ever had, and I've been using the same brand of lenses for years.

[kittenb]

I just started the Nuva Ring last week. I've had no side effects, that I know of, which is great b/c the Pill gave me a one-way tix to Crazytown. However, I noticed yesterday that I have a slight earache that has lasted till today. I know that BC can lead to headaches. Could there be any connection? I don't even know how to treat an earache, other than with a hair dryer (it did feel good but the ache is still there.) I never get them.

[foryoursplendor]

I just did a search in this thread for Depo, and I was amazed at the amount of negative side effects people had. I've been on it for about 7 years and have never had any problems. I must just be really lucky.

Anyway, how long should one stay on depo for? It is cool to stay on it for another 7 years? How old do you have to be to have a tubal ligation? Geez, I just wish I was sterile. I really don't want kids, and if I change my mind on that in the future, I'd be fine with adoption.

[snow white]

i guess i'll have to sit tight 'til i get the alarmed pill popper. this why i hate this stuff...

[candycane_girl]

snow white, 3 hours is actually a pretty big deal if you are using the pill as your only method of birth control so that would definitely explain the spotting. If you aren't using any back up then you should definitely be trying to take it at the exact same time everyday.

Also, plan B can be kind of bad for the body. I was fine when I took it but I had a friend who took it and ended up with the most severe cramps of her life.

[p_176]

i think anytime you change the time when you take the Pill, you get spotting as your body adjusts? are you using condoms as well as the Pill? The Plan B pill is not birth control.

[snow white]

oh, what i'd also like to add is that even if i'm only 3 hours late on a pill i still get spotting the next day. is this normal?

(ok, i'm done)

[snow white]

thanks for the replies, busties. i've read through everything on the box but you know how that stuff is, it's like you need a second opinion that you read it correctly. sometimes i just stop and think after my bf and i "express our love", that omg, this is how babies are made! which my bf just caught me posting on this thread and he keeps asking me if i'm pregnant. i just want to know what to do IN CASE. i'm not ready for the pitter-patter of little feet.

i've been seeing alot of commercials for Plan B. i'm tempted to stock pile it just as a security blanket, lol. i have problems.

a good friend got pregant when she was on the pill because, even though she was taking it fine, she threw up one night after drinking. She carried on taking to pill for a month or so before she realised she was pregnant - which was too late for her to get an abortion.

omg! maybe i'm right to be so paranoid. esspecially since i'm seem to be slipping up on it lately. i've been taking it about 2-3 hours late almost every other day for the past week. i was thinking of splurging on that alarm clock birth control case* they sell here at the bustie girft shop.

*just looked it up and it goes for $23! they must think i'm made of money. so i looked it uo on e-bay and found a very utilitartian version for a dollar. i just hope it fits my brand though, b/c i just eye-balled it.

[PosieRider]

Thanks Chacha, it's the hormone thing that worries me and the way if I take a pill late in the day I start to bleed a little the next day, but I suppose the excess hormone thing is quite a relief as there's 'more to go around', so to speak, if you miss one.

I'm not sure if it's been posted before (sorry, such a long thread!) or if this is right forum but I thought I should mention a good friend got pregant when she was on the pill because, even though she was taking it fine, she threw up one night after drinking. She carried on taking to pill for a month or so before she realised she was pregnant - which was too late for her to get an abortion. Her boy is perfectly healthy (thank god!) but obviously it was a massive shock and not something people are often aware of.

[chachaheels]

Missing a pill makes pregnancy more possible, but it doesn't necessarily mean the odds are increased exponentially, so worrying and anxiety isn't necessary. You just need to get back on schedule as soon as possible and take extra precautions against pregnancy during sex. The pill actually imposes its hormones on you in doses far greater than your body can ever make for itself--so it's not like just missing a day will "undo" the hormonal state you're in. The pill actually mimics pregnancy--stops ovulation (so you technically can't have an egg to fertilize). Some women will produce a large number of ova when they stop using the pill (and often, if they become pregnant, they bear twins or triplets--it's not the rule, but it does happen quite a lot)...but it takes most women a long while to get back into their body's own rhythm before they can ovulate again.

You're not going to die a violent death, you're not going to explode, you're not going to become superpregnant. So just get back on schedule, remember to use other methods as well, and go about your business. It shouldn't stop you from doing anything else you need to do.

It's far from perfect, and millions of women have become pregnant while using the pill despite sticking to the dosing schedule religiously. You need to stop taking it if you become pregnant because continuing its use will interfere with your body's own pregnancy state (and it can get in the way of carrying the fetus to term). I don't think there are any solid statistics on this for a lot of reasons, but the most logical one is that so many pregnancies normally end in miscarriage anyway, for the vast majority of women (that's what happens in nature, not just for us but for all animals). There's no way to connect a pregnancy that ends in miscarriage directly to the use of the pill, since it happens so often in nature anyway. However, it is a very powerful drug that does alter your body's ability to carry out its natural cycle--so it stands to reason it will be yet another challenge in a pregnancy.

[PosieRider]

I am so bloody sick of my pill. I forgot to take one, I realised the next day. I'm a slightly irratic kind of gal and this happens more than I'd like. I know that I have to use birth control for the next week (obv) but what else could this do to me? Will I bleed to death internally from the sudden break in the birth-supressing oestrogen levels? Will I suffer violent mood swings, how long will they last, will they damage me in the long-term? Will it effect my reproductive system or does it make me more susceptible to cancer?

I thought I'd check online on the pill company's website. "Use extra protection for sex!" they screamed. OK, but I'm not just planning on having sex next week. There are other things I need to do. Like move around. When I'm not fucking like a mindless automaton there ARE other things that missing this pill might threaten, like living a healthy life.

Obviously I could find no information either from my pill company, medical websites or on discussion forums. Plenty of women take the pill to improve their skin (friends at school took it to reduce their acne) or to control abnormal period cycles (my friend who hadn't had a period in 3 years now menstruates normally thanks to the pill). Surely patting us on the head and telling us not to go and get knocked up becauses, silly us, we forgot our pills (just like women!) is patronising and irresponsible. Plenty of guys I know forget to wipe the toothpaste foam from their beards until lunchtime, or until I point it out. If it was up to them to control the birth rate by taking a tiny, infinitely forgettable pill every single day, there'd be more people than ants.

[bottleblack]

Whew turns out the irritability and sore boobs was just from going off the pill after all.
As for missing a pill, I believe you're supposed to take one as soon as you remember, but then use back up birth control for a week afterwards, because missing a pill does increase the chances of pregnancy.
I think the effects of birth control pills on a "fetus", I like to say baby, are not 100% known. I have known girls who didn't know they were pregnant and were still taking the pill for a few weeks and their doctors said not to worry about it. But of course it's best to stop as soon as you might think there's a possibility, since it is a medication that is messing with your hormones and that can never be good for baby.

[rogue]

snow white, as far as I know there is a risk of a woman getting pregnant if a pill is missed but I don't know how much it would be; I was actually looking for this information online recently because I tend to forget to take mine at least once a month. I know that you are supposed to take it as soon as you remember and that you can take two together but you are definitely not supposed to take three together.

Also, and please anybustie correct me if I am wrong, but I don't believe that it is known whether or not the pill can damage a fetus; I don't know if it has actually been proven, although the instructions do say to stop using it if you do become pregnant. If a home pregnancy test would come up positive because you are on the pill to be tested for pregnancy you would probably have to go to your doctor for a blood test to prove it.

If you are on the pill now there should be all this information on the package insert; I think that what I am saying is accurate but I definitely wouldn't hold me to it because I am no expert. I don't entirely trust birth control either but (knock on wood) I have been using it for seven years and never had a scare yet; I've been lucky. Hope this helps!

[snow white]

bottleblack, as far as i know that's a normal side effect, but better safe than sorry. that being said my girlfriend ran out of her birth control a year and a half ago and ended up pregnant within a month, so if your still having unprotected sex i would definatly check it out.

i also have a question about the pill, sometimes i feel like i'm getting cramps in the middle of my cycle and once in awhile i get spotting. i know this happens when you miss a day or are alittle late but what i really worry about is what if you miss a day or are late, can you get pregnant in that time and then what happens when i take the pill again? how would i know if i actually am pregnant b/c if i take a pregnancy test i would come out positive anyway. does it mess up the fetus to be on the pill while prgnant? i'm just over thinking everything but i don't entirely trust birth control methods. i keep expecting them to flake out on me and leave a messy moral life crisis on my hands.

[bottleblack]

I ran out of pills a while ago and so have been BC free for a few weeks. I've found that recently I have been very irritable and emotional and my boobs are hella sore! Anyone else found this when coming off of pills or should I be taking a home pregnancy test............

[sassy]

If you look in the IUD thread, a lot of the ladies have gotten IUD's without having children first. I know I have checked into it locally, and my doctor said it wasn't a big deal to get an IUD without having kids first...it just makes insertion a little more challenging.