I may give up birth control pills. Suggestions, please.

[LoveLiLi]

I've been on birth control for over a decade and I'm considering giving them up. I'm not in a relationship and would likely take birth control pills again once I meet someone and it gets serious.

I'd like to know if you ladies took any supplements once you quit taking bcp's to keep your skin clear, hormones balanced etc.

After Depo my skin was never the same and my hormones haven't been balanced since. I've been on different birth control pills, but they either ruin my skin, mess with my appetite or give me two periods a month instead of one.

I'm so sick of having two periods and I hope I can quit the pills, get my hormones under control - and keep my skin clear :pray:.

[femalegold]

I'm thinking of doing the same Yaz gave me two periods last month I didn't know what was going on. I begin spotting again this week. My last period was the last week of july. So yes I believe today will be my last pill. I'm calling my physican on monday to let her know what happen.

[keykee]

I've never taken BC and Never will. So me being bias would tell you that is good that you're getting off especially if you don't have reason to be on it.
Speak to your doctor and good luck!

[indigodiva]

strangely enough, my skin was doing great off of BCP...I started taking supplements like cholorella and spirulina and drinking a green smoothie...that and exercising regularly improved my skin's condition. I've fallen off the bandwagon with my supplements and working out...and I'm going back on the pills since I now have a reason to again.

Also following the face washing regimen from acne.org makes a big difference (Using my hands to massage the cleanser in and using an astringent w/ a cotton ball, compared to the constant exfoliating effect of using towel. I took a break from BCP but since I'm starting back again tommorow, I'll have to see what happens

[LoveLiLi]

I'm thinking of doing the same Yaz gave me two periods last month I didn't know what was going on. I begin spotting again this week. My last period was the last week of july. So yes I believe today will be my last pill. I'm calling my physican on monday to let her know what happen.

I was on Yasmin for a couple of years and my skin was absolutely flawless, but I always had a week of heavy spotting and then got my period two weeks later. This eventually turned into two periods, one week on and one week off. The last several months on Yasmin it simply went to a 14 day period :nono:.

I then went to Lo Ovra which made the periods worse, and my skin looked horrible! I've been on Loestrin for the past couple of years and my skin is okay overall, but I still have two periods most of the time. That's five years of this crap :wallbash:.

I went to the doctor last week (my third gyno in 5 yrs) and he brushed me off and told me to give it more time :perplexed. I had one doctor completely wash his hands of me after the Lo Ovra disaster. He said I'm one of those women who just can't tolerate birth control.

[ROBOTxcore]

birth control is scary. :nono:

i think a change in your diet and exercise would help with your skin tremendously. you might also look into supplements and natural cleansers/soaps. :yep:

[LoveLiLi]

birth control is scary. :nono:

i think a change in your diet and exercise would help with your skin tremendously. you might also look into supplements and natural cleansers/soaps. :yep:

That's the thing. My diet is good (I have no choice - refer to other thread, lol), I exercise and I've found products that work beautifully - my skin is clear. I just hear so many women complain that when they got off the pill their skin broke out.

I want to get rid of the pills, but avoid the part where my skin goes crazy.

I'm also scared because my struggle with breakouts has been hormonal and I'd be devastated if I made a change and had to deal with cystic acne again. I know from experience that my hormonal acne cannot be curbed through diet or topical products.

[calmsensual1]

You should do a thread search on Maca.
A lot of the ladies on here have reported great results from it.

[alundra]

Try looking over at dherbs and check out earthclinic. The advisor over at EC always suggests not stopping BC all of a sudden, but going off of it slowly.

Edit: http://www.earthclinic.com/latest_questions.html

Go to "Quit the pill after 22 years, not getting period yet"

[ThePerfectScore]

I took Yasmin then Yaz for 2 years... and I quit b/c I had no use for them and it was unnatural. All I did was not take the next pill pack. May was my last month on the pill, and it's august and I feel fine. No break outs, no weight gain or loss, not breast changes....and so far my period and ovulation Mittelschmerz have been going like clock work. So don't worry, your body will adjust! Just drink lots of water... I think that helps with anything.

[Zsugar]

Probably TMI but I have never been on a pill, but I have the IUD copper for about 2 years. The copper has no hormones. It took less than 15 minutes to insert and I'm good for 5-8 more years.

Zsugar

[Supergirl]

Check out the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility for natural birth control methods. I learned about it here on LHCF and have been doing it for over a year and a half.

I am very biased against hormonal birth control, really against anything foreign that you have to put into your body to prevent pregnancy. I was one that DID go through having skin horrors after quitting the pill. They didn't start until 4 or 5 months after my last pill. A few months into the breaking out, I did find that keeping milk products out really helped a lot.

I have heard that a supplement called Vitex is good for balancing hormones. I have also read that spearmint tea is good for controlling hormonal acne.

I wish you the best. I hope you find what works best for you and your body. I always say you'll have to get off the pill sooner or later, so why delay what could be inevitable.

[asuperwoman]

I'm also a fan of natural birth control/fam. You can search natural birth control on lhcf (there are threads about it) to find out more information and i strongly recommend the book mentioned previously, Taking Control of your fertility- even if you don't decide to use natural methods, the book gives you so much insight on what your body is really doing and may help you to self-identify what the problem is.

Since I started it, I know things about my body that I never realized was going on- its awesome.

Good luck.

[manter26]

I was on depo for about 2 years, came off it and it took over a year for my periods to come back. I had my hormones checked and the results said they were normal.

I've been on different low dose pills on and off in the last 4 years. It seems like I never have a prescription when I need it so I've decided to stay on the pill I'm on now cuz you never know when you're gonna need it.

Right now I'm on Junel Fe, it's a low dose with iron. My periods are normal and light (they usually are) and only last about 3-4 days.

[QTPie]

Interesting about the Yaz bit; I'm experiencing two periods also (well one real period and then mainly light/moderate spotting when taking the placebo/inactive pills). It makes me question if the BCs are really working.

[Kerryann]

i took yaz before it was fine but when i had no reason to use it i hopped off of it real quick. I will never take birth control again
It seems that the reason you are on BC is because of ance issues. I say drop the pills and find some natural things to use for you skin do some research

[VirtuousGal]

Probably TMI but I have never been on a pill, but I have the IUD copper for about 2 years. The copper has no hormones. It took less than 15 minutes to insert and I'm good for 5-8 more years.

Zsugar

ZSugar have you had children yet? I know its recommended that a woman have at least one child before this procedure, but I really want something rather reliable without going to birth control, which I've never been on. Please share your experience!