At the tender age of 16, I took the leap and went on the birth control pill, and have continued with it since with a small six month break during first year. I have been through two types of pills and two very different experiences.
The first pill I went on was a disaster. This is not to say that this will be the case for everyone but if it is the case for you, I suggest switching pills like I have done.
The first pill I went on was Loette 28 and was a high-hormone, both estrogen and progesterone, pill that I used both for protection and for regulation. At first, I thought everything was fine and that this was great! That’s when it started.
For the next year I became moody, depressed and generally more emotional and sensitive than I have ever been before. The slightest thing was enough to make me burst into tears and hole up in my room for a few days. At this point my then boyfriend just got to thinking I was a particularly high maintenance girlfriend but stayed with me regardless.
This is not an unusual reaction to a high-hormone pill. Other reactions involve weight gain, bad skin (or sometimes better skin), and many more.
I went off the pill when I broke up with my boyfriend and after six months of irregular periods and needing to carry around tampons everywhere, I decided to get back on it. This time I researched relentlessly about different types of pills and the hormone levels in each, even going so far as to read reviews and asking all my friends if they were happy on their respective pills. That’s when I found Yasminelle.
I have been on Yasminelle for almost a year and have never been happier. My skin has cleared up, my periods are regular, I have had no noticeable weight gain (other than the classic freshman 15 that has rolled on over to second year) and I’ve been happy mentally and emotionally.
I urge anyone who feels like they can relate to these reactions to their pill to research alternative birth control pills and don’t give up on it! There are so many different kind of pills and so many different kinds of hormones and hormone levels in each, it’s all about finding the best one for you, even if it takes a while.
We’re all in this together.