I have an appointment to see my doctor today and have always been against the idea of birth control; no offense to anyone on it but I don’t like the idea of a pill regulating my cycle and the hormones aren’t always good for someone who has a mental illness such as depression like I do. I am at the point that my periods are kind of ruining a good portion of my month each month and often times I am getting them twice a month. if it’s a longer month and I start it the first week I will almost always get it again towards the end of the same month. additionally, I can not use tampons because I will bleed through them and find them painful. my cramps are very heavy and I typically can not get up the first 24 hours of my period. I bleed for 6 full days. I do not want kids and if I ever changed my mind I would adopt. my question is what is a birth control that I can take that does not have a crazy amount of hormones? a light birth control that will give me some lighter periods? I just want to feel like my life isn’t scheduled around when I’m going to get my period next. thanks in advance!
never been on birth control. 28 (f). periods are painful. don’t love the idea
- Thread starter darrin71
- Start date
@darrin71 Hi, OP! I would recommend that you talk through some options with a healthcare professional you trust that ideally knows about your mental health conditions. There might be a really great option for you that you didn’t know about.
Since you are not comfortable with the hormones, I would have suggested that you look into the copper IUD (Paragard), but it sounds like you already have a heavy flow and my understanding is that Paragard can sometimes make you bleed more.
I have tried a number of bc methods: different types of oral contraceptives, Nuva ring, Paragard, and Mirena (hormonal IUD).
I loved the IUD but my uterus did not, so I am currently on a pill that works really well for me. I have also tried a pill that made me super nauseous even with 1 alcoholic beverage.
Sometimes it takes some trial and error to find what works for you, but hopefully you have access to a good doctor that you can trust to work through some options until you find the right fit for you.
“Hormones” aren’t all bad and medicine is there to help people live their lives a little bit more easily. You just have to find the right thing that works for you.
Since you are not comfortable with the hormones, I would have suggested that you look into the copper IUD (Paragard), but it sounds like you already have a heavy flow and my understanding is that Paragard can sometimes make you bleed more.
I have tried a number of bc methods: different types of oral contraceptives, Nuva ring, Paragard, and Mirena (hormonal IUD).
I loved the IUD but my uterus did not, so I am currently on a pill that works really well for me. I have also tried a pill that made me super nauseous even with 1 alcoholic beverage.
Sometimes it takes some trial and error to find what works for you, but hopefully you have access to a good doctor that you can trust to work through some options until you find the right fit for you.
“Hormones” aren’t all bad and medicine is there to help people live their lives a little bit more easily. You just have to find the right thing that works for you.
terrylmoran
New member
@darrin71 I take Lo Loestrin. I had all your symptoms when hormone free and it turned out to be endometriosis. After 2 excision surgeries, I'll now be on the pill the rest of my life. I was terrified of the hormones impacting me. But Lo Loestrin hasn't been a problem for my mental health or overall well being. Sex drive is lower, but boobs are bigger. Mental health is stable (and I have OCD and Anxiety). The estrogen part of Lo Loestrin is the part that helps regulate my Endo and ovarian cysts properly.
Edit: forgot to mention that the Mirena IUD was good to me for quite a while too. Had no periods. But it messed with my hormones and PH and caused other issues. Might be a good option for you to consider.
Edit: forgot to mention that the Mirena IUD was good to me for quite a while too. Had no periods. But it messed with my hormones and PH and caused other issues. Might be a good option for you to consider.
), you can even get POP without prescription.@darrin71 Its hard to say which one wont have side effects for you. Each person reacts differently and some people dont have major side effects to any while some may react differently to different pills. I took a few different brands over the years and i only had side effects to one brand. Blisovi fe 1/20 (generic for loestrin). For some reason i had bad cramps with it when i only got mild cramps on occasion suddenly i would be in so much pain. Also i had constant breast tenderness that happened pretty much daily it would just get worse closer to the placebo week. Also had nausea during the placebo week. But none of the other pills caused it. My doctor was surprised because its supposed to help those symptoms not cause it. When i got off the pill it all stopped i later went on a different pill and didn't have any of that also the pills i had before that didn't cause it either. Nothing wrong with the pill i had because many people take it and it works great for them just for some reason my body had that reaction.
So its going to be hard to say which brand will work for you. The only thing is to talk to you doctor and try what they prescribe and if you have bad side effects after you have been on it a few months you may have to switch but there is a glld chance you won't have side effects.
So its going to be hard to say which brand will work for you. The only thing is to talk to you doctor and try what they prescribe and if you have bad side effects after you have been on it a few months you may have to switch but there is a glld chance you won't have side effects.
bluecheese
New member
leepad5050
New member
@darrin71 Hi, i too am/was struggling with the same. Since first period i got,i had the worst pain for the first 2 or 3 days where i would pass out and could not walk. My periods were long(7 to 10 days) and heavy. I went to the er a lot and literally got laughed in my face each time. Went to gyno for the first time 2 months ago. He put me on axira 35 which are like diane 35(as i read in articles...). I was worried it would make my depression and anxiety worse(i was diagnosed when i was 14) but in these 2 months everything got better. My period(i had one since i started bc) was light and not painful at all. My depression is under control(or atleast the same as it was before i started taking bc).
I would recommend you ask your doctor for similiar pills. I was given those because my gyno also saw i had cysts on my ovaries and he told me it would keep everything under control(plus,it should help with acne and body hair is what he said).
Here is a link to see specifications of those birth control pills so you could ask your gyno for similiar ones or you could search by yourself because i cannot find full specifications in english but only my language.
https://pillintrip.com/medicine/axira
I would recommend you ask your doctor for similiar pills. I was given those because my gyno also saw i had cysts on my ovaries and he told me it would keep everything under control(plus,it should help with acne and body hair is what he said).
Here is a link to see specifications of those birth control pills so you could ask your gyno for similiar ones or you could search by yourself because i cannot find full specifications in english but only my language.
https://pillintrip.com/medicine/axira
@leepad5050 thank you very much!
@darrin71 I was nervous about taking bc too. I heard so many stories from my friends were taking it and were sexually active. But I wasn’t not even interested in dating at the time so I was able to put it off and just stick thru the pain but shortly after high school my periods did get worse to point where I was starting to think I had PMDD because I had soo many similar symptoms.
My doctor prescribed me a low dowse to get introduced to the bc and to just try it. Almost all my symptoms went away and my period flow was SOO much lighter. I loved it!
I ended up switching to a higher dose cause it wasn’t working enough and I’m so much better! Period symptoms are still there but def not as bad as before.
It’s your body and your choice at the end of the day. Nobody can force you to take Bc but coming from a woman myself who does have GAD, I totally get it. It’s a trial and error process as there’s so many pills and different types of contraceptives like iud or patch but if you are up for it it’s definitely worth it in the long run.
My doctor prescribed me a low dowse to get introduced to the bc and to just try it. Almost all my symptoms went away and my period flow was SOO much lighter. I loved it!
I ended up switching to a higher dose cause it wasn’t working enough and I’m so much better! Period symptoms are still there but def not as bad as before.
It’s your body and your choice at the end of the day. Nobody can force you to take Bc but coming from a woman myself who does have GAD, I totally get it. It’s a trial and error process as there’s so many pills and different types of contraceptives like iud or patch but if you are up for it it’s definitely worth it in the long run.
@darrin71 The hormonal IUD is the method with the lowest dose of hormones.
Then there are, in order, minipills, the implant, low-dose combined methods (with 20-25 micrograms of estrogen or less), standard dose combined methods (30-35 micrograms of estrogen) and Depo.
That said, the lowest possible hormone dose isn't what works best for a lot of people.
For example, if someone tries a birth control method and they have vaginal dryness or breakthrough bleeding they would probably benefit from more estrogen.
And if you want to stop your periods entirely IUDs with more progestin are more effective.
The type of progestin and route of delivery (e.g. ring vs pill) can also make a difference.
Then there are, in order, minipills, the implant, low-dose combined methods (with 20-25 micrograms of estrogen or less), standard dose combined methods (30-35 micrograms of estrogen) and Depo.
That said, the lowest possible hormone dose isn't what works best for a lot of people.
For example, if someone tries a birth control method and they have vaginal dryness or breakthrough bleeding they would probably benefit from more estrogen.
And if you want to stop your periods entirely IUDs with more progestin are more effective.
The type of progestin and route of delivery (e.g. ring vs pill) can also make a difference.
@darrin71 i recommend the kyleena iud! i know iuds seem daunting at first but ive had kyleena for a few months now and its AMAZING! super light periods if i even get any at all. in the beginning my cramping was pretty bad, but after a few months they subsided. kyleena also has a really low dose of hormones. i love it!! i hope you find something that works for you