My Girlfriend, myself and The pill.

[Bravehearter]

We spent a long time last night talking about her going on the pill.

We have been using spermacide condoms since we've been together, but we are both VERY commited to each other and she is very interested in starting to take the pill.

But she is nervous.
previous to this she was very weary of taking something that is that unnatural, (grantit condoms arnt natural either but anywhoo).

And to make matters worst she has heard some horror stories from friends, such as putting on weight etc.

And ive heard some myself, like girls getting pregnant of certain brands etc.

So girls who are on it..
What are the side effects..?
How did taking the pill effect you..?
What brand is the best to take..?

She has gone away for a week and I wanted to grab some info for her for when she gets back.

Any help would be greatly apriciated.

[Shocka]

Ok, here's the deal - since there are many brands of the pill, and there are so many brands of girls, the side effects and effectiveness will vary, sometimes significantly. Because the pill is a relatively new drug, fully conclusive tests on the side effects and such aren't available, so the info you get from here might not be too useful. The best thing would be for your girl to go to a doctor and talk to the doc about it, because they'd have more info.

~ Sock

[eqtie]

As for the pill,you don't CHOOSE which brand you want,the doctor does.
I was on the pill for a few years (medical reasons at first) but when I did start having sex I found that I wasn't reliable taking it. I had to go and get the morning after pill once or twice because of accidents. So I decided that wasn't safe and I tried the injection which was good, but now I have the implant which is even better. She should try the pill first just to see how it goes and if she finds she can't take it regularly or she doesn't like it she can try somthin else. It didn't give me any side-effects, but if you ARE gonna be relying on the pill,i would still advise that you you still keep using condoms

[~Fanta~]

I'm on the pill for about 6 months now, and i didn't have any really bad side effects. I gained 1 kg. after going on the pill, but it doesn't really bother me. One weird thing though, is that now every time i'm on my period i have cramps on the first day, which i never had before, and i've heard that for most girls it's the other way around, the pill helps relieving the cramps..So i don't know, everyone's different. Just tell her to give it a try, you can always stop or change the pill if you don't like it.

[Nikster]

I've currently been on the pill for about 8 months. I agree with Shocka. I tried a different kind of birth control when I was first put on it, and it did not work well for me. I am on a different kind and have never been happier. As for weight gain, I don't think I have gained any weight actually and the only side affect I have from the pill is definite changes in mood swings, but not for the worse either. It affects every girl differently. About 95% of girls I know that are on it, love it and can't believe how long they waited to start taking it. Definetely see a doctor and they can help you with any questions. Good luck

[BabyDiva]

The pill isn't that new. My mother was on it for 6 years (between my next oldest sister and myself) and didn't have any side effects from it (I'm 20 now...my mom was on it from the time she was 28 until she was 34). My friend has suggested (I'm assuming it's a well known fact) that you should take it the same time every day.

[Crash Override]

Try the shot. It's once every three months, so you don't have to worry about taking a pill every day, however the side effects can be more severe.

A good pill brand (so I hear) is Orthotricyclen.

[BigJim]

The pill isn't that new. My mother was on it for 6 years (between my next oldest sister and myself) and didn't have any side effects from it (I'm 20 now...my mom was on it from the time she was 28 until she was 34). My friend has suggested (I'm assuming it's a well known fact) that you should take it the same time every day.

actually heather, you NEED to take it the same time each day, otherwise it's not effective at all.

basically the pill contains 24hrs worth of hormones. so if you take one at 8am then the next day at 6pm, you're screwed.

you may not get pregnant, but you're not protected like you should be.

they say the exact same time. make it a time you remember. my fiancee is forgetful, and has trouble with it, but it getting there. she doesn't want to take the implant or shot, but after time she's geting there.

the key is to take it at a determined time that is hard to forget. something you do everyday regularly.

she takes her's at 1pm. during the week that's her lunch break. weekends, normally having lunch then, hard not to forget.

it's all a personal thing.

[hunny]

I take orthotricyclen, it will be 2 yrs in Oct that I started it.
No bad effects at all for me. I gained a couple pounds at first but quickly lost them.
My skin looks great.
My boobs grew slightly. This was good bc I'm not exactly bigbusted to begin with.
Periods are very predictable, almost to the hour, and they're light and short. Cramps are at a minimum.
AND... I'm not pregnant!
I think doctors tend to start you on the most common brands, and only switch you if there is a problem.
Take your pill, take it the same time every day, and you should be fine.
I love it.
I would never get the shot.. more side effects and if you have a severe one, like bad headaches, you're stuck with it for 3 months bc that's how long the shot lasts.

[kuju]

the pill is NOT new. it's been around for decades. since the sixties in fact, and of course, it's progressed from there.

Taken at the same time every day, it regulates the period to a 28-day cycle, and prevents pregnancy with a 99.9% success rate... when used properly.

proper usage include taking it at the same time every day. Also, if you're sick and throwing up, or have severe diarrhea, you need to use a back up method for a week afterwards because the hormones in the pill aren't absorbed properly.

side effects vary from girl to girl. I started on Ortho Tri-cyclin, but found it gave me breast tenderness, and so I switched to Alesse for a year or so, before I went on the shot. (which I'm currently on and am very happy with)
Side effects can be as follows: weight gain, weight loss, breast tenderness, increased/decreased moodiness (PMS), increased/decreased cramps, lighter/heavier periods, longer/shorter periods, body soreness, etc.
If you gain OR LOSE more than 7-8 pounds within a few week when on the pill (And you HAVEN'T been dieting and working out like crazy to specifically lose weight, or eating a lot) you should talk to your doctor and change pills as quickly as possible. If you have pain in your back, chest or legs, see your doctor as soon as possible. If it's a milder concern, like a bit of breast tenderness, wait a few months (these small side effects tend to go away after three months or so) but if they don't go away, change pills.
The pill can increase a woman's risk of breast cancer, although I recently heard of a study that said that it doesn't. As far as research goes, it DOES increase the risk of osteoporosis and women on the pill should get the recommended daily intake of calcium. i.e. drink 3-4 glasses of milk a day, or take ~2 calcium tablets for the lactose intolerant. The pill is not recommended for women over 35, have a family history of breast cancer or osteoporosis, or who smoke.

We have been using spermacide condoms since we've been together, but we are both VERY commited to each other and she is very interested in starting to take the pill.
on a personal note, being committed has nothing to do with taking the pill. If she having sex, committed or not, she should ensure that she is protected against pregnancy. being committed is great, but being on the pill and using condoms is for couples that haven't been tested for STDs. Once committed and tested, a lot of couples rely solely on the pill, and stop using condoms. I'm not endorsing dropping condom usage, I'm merely saying that once couples are exclusive and tested, they tend to rely on the pill alone.

[super_chevy2000]

I was on Ovral and Orthotricyclen. I had some problems with the Ovral so the doctor swiched me over to the Ortho. I like the Ortho and only gained like 3 lbs while I was on it. The 2 of you should go talk to her doctor and see what the doctor recommends. That way you can have all your questions answered. If there's a certain brand of the pill that she is interested in, tell her to ask her doctor if he thinks she could go on that because it can't hurt to ask.

[SoSweetAngel]

I'm on Microgynon 30, jut your standard combined pill!

No side effects...never had any problems....

[wideeyedchica]

When I saw my doctor, he asked me what brand of pill I would like to try. There's a really good website (http://www.helioshealth.com/cgi-bin/birth_control/pillsearch.cgi) that shows all the amounts of hormones in each brand of pill. I asked the doctor if I could try Alesse...which has less estrogen than Ortho-Tricyclen. It has 20 mcg as opposed to 35 mcg, which means that there is less tendency to have estrogen-related side effects (like weight gain/bloating, breast tenderness, moodiness). Anyway I've only been taking it for two weeks, and it's weird - I seem to have no appetite whatsoever. Has anyone experienced that at all? Also...I seem to have gotten a lot hornier. :wink: