Eff You, Birth Control

October 2, 2008 - 1:30 pm By CC Staff

birth05.jpgI’ve been on birth control since I was 17 years old. For a few years I was on Ortho Tri Cyclen, then I changed to Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo because my body reacts crazily to any kind of drug. The Pill has served me well over the years; keeping my periods semi-regular, keeping them relatively short and light, and you know…keeping the babies away. But here’s the thing: I’m kind of tired of it.

The biggest reason I’m tired of my Ortho Lo is because whenever I miss two pills in a row, no matter what freaking color they are, I don’t just get spotting — I get my period for two whole weeks. It’s just about the opposite of fun, and it happens a lot. Oh yeah, and additionally? Sometimes even when I don’t miss a pill, I’ll get my period early. No warning. Just BAM, welcome to cramps and have a great day!!!

I haven’t had a long term relationship for a while and I’m really over my hook-up days, so the only reason I’m still on BC is to keep my periods regular and short, and if that isn’t really happening…why the crap am I even bothering?

After doing a little research online, it seems like getting off birth control can be a tricky thing. It can throw your body wayyy out of wack, give you headaches, and possibly cause your face to break out — something I am never ever going through again.

So here I am, stuck at work, pissed off that my period is almost 2.5 weeks early, but scared to actually do anything about it. This is where you come in, lovely readers. Are any of you going through this? Have you gone through this in the past? Do you recommend taking a break from birth control?

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to satisfy my second chocolate craving in three weeks.

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20 Comments on "Eff You, Birth Control"

  1. Christy says:
    Thu, 2nd Oct 20081:42 pm 

    Going on Yaz was the best decision of my life- and I’m not having sex. Look into it- cramps are non-existent.

  2. Rachel says:
    Thu, 2nd Oct 20081:56 pm 

    I’m on yaz too and my period is max three days… and definitely no cramps.

  3. LucyInTheSky says:
    Thu, 2nd Oct 20082:13 pm 

    Agree with others who suggest trying a different prescription. Also, are you taking it at the same time every day? Because for someone whose ovulation cycle isn’t as “easily synced” as others, just a few hours off the schedule can cause your body to try to follow its own pattern instead- and boom, period.

    However- I haven’t been on the Pill in years, and I don’t miss it. If I was in a serious relationship where I was having sex everyday, maybe I would go back on it. But for now, I’m enjoying being free from hormonal birth control- and my periods aren’t extremely heavy or long.

  4. Stephanie says:
    Thu, 2nd Oct 20082:40 pm 

    Yaz makes me sick.

    Literally, vomiting..all that good shit.

  5. Leah says:
    Thu, 2nd Oct 20082:51 pm 

    I was on the pill for almost 2 years while i was in a relationship but stopped taking it after my ex and i broke up. I hated being off it because my periods got longer and they were unpredictable so i went on it again. Almost a year after I forgot to refill my prescription when I went home (I live out of province) and didn’t realize until I went looking for my pills one day, and haven’t been on it since (that was 6 months ago) and did not have any problems, I think if you give it a few months it no longer becomes a big deal and I’ve entirely stopped thinking about it.

  6. Hilary says:
    Thu, 2nd Oct 20082:54 pm 

    You should probably try a different pill then, I’m on Yaz and I love it.

  7. Lauren, University of Michigan says:
    Thu, 2nd Oct 20083:21 pm 

    Yaz didnt work for me. ANd being on the pill for no reason worries me. I definitely think you should try ditching it. It really isn’t as bad of an adjustment as you’d think. I went off of it last December and only noticed a positive difference!

  8. Red says:
    Thu, 2nd Oct 20086:49 pm 

    TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR! That’s the best way to figure out the best option for you. You’re obviously not getting what you want from your current BC method, and your OB/GYN will know all the options, pros/cons, side effects, etc.

  9. C says:
    Thu, 2nd Oct 20088:02 pm 

    I went off the pill with no problems whatsoever too.

  10. Allie says:
    Thu, 2nd Oct 20088:48 pm 

    I went on BC in high school because of bad cramps and long periods and kept taking it for several years because of a long term boyfriend. After we broke up, last year, I decided to take a break from it. My periods have stayed short and I rarely have cramps. I recommend talking to your doctor of course, but being BC free has been great for me!

  11. Molly says:
    Thu, 2nd Oct 20089:15 pm 

    I am currently on my third different method of bc. The first was Depo-Provera, the shot. I liked not having to remember to take a pill every single day at the same time. It mostly got rid of my period for the three months it was supposed to work for, but didn’t have a completely normal period for probably a full 6 months.

    Then about 2 years later I tried Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo and HATED it. I swear on my life it made my face break out HORRIBLY. I stopped after two months because I couldn’t take it anymore.

    Now, on my third go-around, I’m trying Yaz. I’m hoping since it’s a monophastic pill with a lower dosage for the time I’ll get my period, I won’t have as much of the hormonal fluctuations that I feel caused my breakouts and weight gain (yuck). Plus, it’s supposed to HELP with acne.

    It hasn’t even been a week yet so I can’t really say whether it’s working or not. I can only keep my fingers crossed!

  12. Laura says:
    Thu, 2nd Oct 20089:39 pm 

    I have been taking continuous BC for almost three years. The last time I had a period, I was 15. I’m planning on staying like this until I want to have kids! I feel great, no weight gain,no sickness, no acne problems. I’m on a generic form of Lo Estren.

  13. Hannah says:
    Fri, 3rd Oct 200811:20 am 

    I went off Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo last fall after using it for 2 years and at first I didn’t experience any side effects. Then slowly, about 2 months later, my skin broke out a little bit more, but not enough to make a difference. HOWEVER, 5 months later my skin got worse than it ever had before, even than high school. This has prompted me to recently start taking it again.

  14. Melody says:
    Fri, 3rd Oct 200811:46 pm 

    Ive been on birth control for about 2 years now. i recently started taking yaz a couple of months ago and i love it more than my old birth control. i think you should go talk to your doctor about whats going on with ur period and your birth control and try another prescription. i think thats your best bet.

  15. melanie says:
    Sat, 4th Oct 200811:36 pm 

    i had the same problem…i was on alesse and it worked, but i missed a pill ONCE and ended up with my period a week early, and for a whole other week. this is BAD because i already have low iron, my doctor just put me on the tricylen lo because the progesterone increases each week, which prevents break throgh bleeding. but he also said that missing a pill, even once, makes a huge diff, no matter what pill your on.

  16. Ellie says:
    Sun, 5th Oct 20082:56 pm 

    I’m on the nuvaring and it’s been great so far. No side effects for me and my periods are shorter and lighter. 2-4 days of period for me and it’s really light too.

  17. Belle says:
    Mon, 6th Oct 20081:11 am 

    I would definitely recommend nuvaring or something like that for someone who is “cycle sensitive”. This way, the hormones are constant so your body won’t freak out if you’re an hour or two days off. But certainly talking to your ob/gyn is best.

  18. Godlesscupcake says:
    Sat, 1st Nov 20089:40 pm 

    Wow. This sounds familiar. I have the sad reality of being unable to take any hormonal birth control at all. My body cannot handle any form of it and I’m allergic to copper and the main ingredients in spermicide so aside from condoms, I’m pretty much fucked. (Haha). I feel you on your complaints about about Ortho Lo, I also took it after my doc prescribe regular Ortho and I had migraines on and off for a whole week with extreme breast tenderness, fevers and vomiting at all times of the day, this culminating in my blacking out in the warehouse at my work (nearly cracking my head on the cement floor). So I tried the Othro Lo and I had the same experience you had for the two months I took it along with the vomiting, fevers and inability to keep down food. I told my doc I wanted something else but she was convinced that I “needed to let my body adjust”. Bull sh*t! So the nest thing she prescribed was a progesterone only form of Ortho, which aside from keeping me fro getting pregnant for eight months made me completely miserable. I acted as though I were pregnant the entire time I was on it. My breasts were sensitive all the freaking time, I gained 80 pounds in the first four months and I was profoundly depressed and suicidal. I also had acne for the first time since I was fifteen. I took it against my better judgement because of my fear of getting pregnant. I was hyper crazy about taking it everyday at 6pm no matter what and I think I only messed up twice in the frist month I was taking it. Low and behold, I got pregnant anyway. My docs response? Well, this happens to about 8% of the women who take the p-only pill regardless of their mindfullness about taking it everyday.

    So, that aside I rely on condoms again. I don’t know what I’ll do if one breaks again…After taking emergency Plan B several years ago and having it make me black out behind the bar at Starbucks and literally nearly kill me, I will never take it again. It also had prolonged effects on my cycle which I experienced with all forms of b.c. I hate how both versions of combo Ortho caused me to bleed randomly and longer than I do normally and that P-only Ortho caused me to have incredibly painful cramps and super heavy bleeding. It very much seems like my body has it out for me!

  19. shellbell says:
    Wed, 31st Dec 200812:19 am 

    OMG I WILL NEVER EVER GO ON BIRTH CONTROL AGAIN.

    I was on the pill for about a year and when I got off of it I did not have my period for OVER A YEAR I totally broke out, and I had weight gain issues until my period returned. My hormones were thrown way out of whack it was miserable =(

    After not having my period for a several, I went to the nurse at my school’s health center and her solution? GO BACK ON BIRTH CONTROL!? WTF. I did not due it, and soon enough my body fell back into balance. If you’re happy with your hormones don’t throw them out of whck with BC its not worth it.

  20. Sarah says:
    Thu, 5th Nov 20096:48 pm 

    Ugh so I am on Ortho Regular and i just started taking it. I just had my period a week and a half ago and took the white pills for a week and Hlf and now im on my period again.wtf. this is stupid i have gained weight and have bad acne. plus my cramps are horrible

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