4 periods per year birth control? i have questions?

Question

so i'm going for my annual gyn exam. i want to go on a birth control pill that you only get your period 4 times per year. seasonique or what ever brand it doesn]t matter to be able to help me. as long as you have had experience with the pill.

questions:

1. how long does it take to adjust to? like do you still get your period the first month taking and then you start getting used to it or does it stop your period the first month using it?

2. is the flow any heavier when you get it after not getting it a couple months or is the flow normal to what you had before begining it?

3. does your period last any longer or shorter number of days when you do get it?

4. have you had any good or bad side affects from it?

like:

-feeling sick

-dizzy

-cramps(better or worse than usual

-mood swings(better or worse then usual

-pimples(better or worse then usual)

-just any side affects in general.

please help me.

thanks in advance.

i'm going tomorrow so i'd like to have some imput today.

Answer 1

I have never done Seasonique or Lybrel but have used other birth control pill brands in the same way that these brands are designed for.  I have used them for helping to treat endometriosis.

I did have some issues with nausea on some of them but I did find that changing the time of day that I took the pill helped a lot.

I did notice a bit of mood issues on one brand but I found that taking B6 as part of a bottle of B complex was helpful.

I didn't notice any pimples while taking them.

It took me about 6 months to fully adjust to taking just the hormone pills only.  The reason is because of only taking just the hormone pills and not taking the full pack and having the adjustment in 3 months that comes with a full pack.

I did have issues with breakthrough bleeding not only because of adjusting to the way of taking the hormone pills only but also some brands were too low in estrogen for me for taking the pill this way.  Breakthrough bleeding is bleeding that occurs which can act a lot like a menstrual period but isn't.

I did find that the breakthrough bleeding would be as heavy as my normal period including having clots.

I did notice good results in that I found that taking the pill this way helped to keep my endometriosis under some control.

If you have other questions please feel free to e-mail me off site any time.

Answer 2

I used to take regular pills and discard the sugar pills, so I would just continually take active pills, which is essentially what Seasonale and Seasonique do.

1. No, you won't get your first period. As long as you start taking it at the beginning of your first period, and take it every day at the exact same time, you won't get your period til you take the sugar pills.

2. Mine was never heavier than normal. The body doesn't accumulate much of a lining when on the pill.

3. It'll last maybe a little longer than your standard monthly pill cycle, but generally shorter than your normal cycle off pills.

4. Your side effects are all the same as normal BC pills. Bloating is common, but I've never felt sick or gotten dizzy from them. If you check out their website you'll see common side effects, just google them.

Hope that helped. The BC pill experience is different for every woman.