Lovelyish

I was on the pill for about a year. I will never, ever go back on it.

I ended up suffering from severe depression as well as some serious hormonal imbalances that took nearly a year for me to recover from.

My experience with birth control – half my hair fell out. The end.

Whoa, well, mine isn’t severe like the guys up top! I was lucky because I didn’t have any side effects, I didn’t see any difference physically or emotionally. 

Although I’ve heard some bad stories from friends that it made them emotionally unstable, easily annoyed/angry, depressed, made them bigger, made their chest smaller… etc.
The only thing I don’t like about birth control is how tedious it is, ya know, taking it everyday at the same time but, I think it’s pretty beneficial for us ladies overall!

I guess I have had both positive and negative experiences with birth control, and I have been on 7-8 different types over my lifetime. It is good for some and not so good for others. I am thinking I will try an IUD after I give birth. 

i loveeee my birth control. it cleared my skin up and got rid of my pmdd. i was on a couple different ones i will NEVER go back on seasonique though that one caused horrible problems for me

I’ve been on birth control on and off since I was 9 (my period started that young, and it was BAD, so that was the only way to regulate it). The times I’ve been off BC pills, my acne just gets insanely bad, but when I’m on them, I have gorgeous skin and get a bit skinnier to boot. Some BC pills, like Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo and Alessa gave me SERIOUS suicidal just horrible depression, but then I switched to Yaz and it’s excellent. 

I also have pretty severe endometriosis (that, untreated, fucks up not only with my period, but my face, and gives me bad stomach problems problems… sometimes I feel like writing a “Lovelyish dish” about my endo) so I pretty much have to be on BC pills forever, unless of course I want kids.

In short, I love BC pills and couldn’t live without them.

i went on birth control because of acne, and it cleared it up right away. i didn’t really noitce a weight gain or breast growth, but i did start to grow some thick black hairs on my chin/neck and sideburn area. apparently it was because there wasn’t enough estrogen in my pills to balance out the testosterone (it varies from person to person) and i’ve just recently switched to a new type to see if it clears that up.

as far as sex drives goes, i can’t really comment. i got on birth control when i was still swimming in virgin waters, so i can’t say whether it makes mine increase or decrease. i feel like im satisfactorily horny at the appropriate times. lol

My boob grows, I’m only in half the pain I was before taking them, I’m not a raging bitch. I have more cravings though during my period. I want to stay on the pill for a long time.Oh and perfect skin is the best

The only negative this is I’ve gained 20-30 lbs from it. It sucks, but there’s more benefits.

I got put on the Pill for horrible cramping (see Aliens when the thing comes out of the guy’s stomach for an example of what my cramping would feel like), and it really worked. I started out on Loestrin and then switched to Seasonale after several years. Works fine for me. The only issues I ever really had was when my pharmacy switched over to giving me a generic brand.

I prefer NuvaRing to the pill. I’ve also tried the patch, but the amount of hormones it puts out has been called unsafe by a few fairly reputable health sources, & it was a lot like having an old Bandaid on me all the time. The ring is perfect – doesn’t require me to remember to take a pill, so it’s low-stress, & I haven’t experienced any negative side effects.

people have stress post-sex?wawhattttttttttt?

i thought sex is the stress obliterator 

<<– has implanon. (my second one!)
i haven’ had a period in going on 4 years.
i gained a little weight (all in my boobs and butt!)
i have like no acne.
no babies, obviously.
and my sex drive is pretty much the same. i always wanna doooo eeet.

i love bc.

hey that’s the brand i use! i feel nothing! no weight gain, no bigger boobs, etc. i guess my acne got better but i never had any to begin with. 

I LOVE my birth control. 
I’d have 4 kids without it! lol.

my tits literally grew 2 cup sizes after i started using it. ( i had been having my period for a good 4 years before then ) so it was very noticeable. 

my skin is almost completely clear because of it too!

but i did notice, even if i ate the same and kept steady workouts i gained ten pounds…

I’ve been on the pill for a few years now and haven’t had any side effects, good or bad. I was hoping it would help clear up my acne, but it didn’t.

I was on the Depo shot for a few months though and HATED it. I gained weight, and when I decided not to get a second injection, my body started having all kinds of nastiness going on. Basically, I bled for over a month. I think I’ll be sticking to the pill from now on.

I used it for about 4 months then just quit. I’m not sexually active enough for it to make any difference and there weren’t any other positive uses for it, so I just stopped. I didn’t want to risk gaining any weight (that shit matters a lot to me) and my period was regular/short, anyways. 

I gained a ton of weight, most of which I lost rapidly after I stopped taking it, so I have no idea why she would say that’s a myth. Plus it made my anxiety much worse. And yes, a woman can get pregnant even when taking birth control correctly. It’s just much more rare.

@skylar_rose@xanga - I had the exact same problem. I was just constantly severely depressed. My bf said it wasn’t worth it. He’d rather us not have sex and me be happy than us have sex and me be depressed all the time.

Currently, I’m using the Mirena IUD. Of course, the doctor only told me all the wonderful things about it…but look up any women’s health forum and you will see that it is HORRID. I have been getting the worst pains/cramps of my life, I have been spotting constantly, and I got sent to the ER once because of the pain/bleeding. My body may be rejecting it so I may have to get it removed and try something else. =/

@skylar_rose@xanga - That was probably the specific pill you were on– different pills affect people in different ways. Either way though, it’s good that you’re not on it anymore!

As for the original post, I went on cryselle when I was 16 for period problems, stopped it for about a year (my periods got better and I wasn’t having sex so I didn’t see the need), then went on it again in January… my periods are a lot shorter now, and otherwise I haven’t noticed any changes. My boyfriend uses condoms when we have sex even with me on birth control, we don’t want to take any chances

I take it so my testosterone doesn’t skyrocket
that’s PCOS for yah
but I have no sex life yet. I’m a plant :/

oh, I forgot
yeah, my skin looks pretty good
I’ve been on it for 4 years
I’ve taken yasmin, ocella, and zarah
I don’t really take it at the same time every day
oh look, I was supposed to take it 45 min ago.

Birth control effects vary so much per person that there really is no way to decide if it is for you unless you go on it and find out for yourself. Of course, under the advisability of your doctor.

@bass_chick57 - I tried two different types of pill, and neither worked. My doctor and I talked, and she was the one to say that it was a no-go.

I’m fortunate to be with an understanding man, though. My fiance was very willing to accommodate the change.

Mine is fine except I have zero sex drive

I started taking birth control at the age of 19, last July. I started with Ortho Tricyclen Lo as well, and I loved it. It made me a little moody at first, but it wasn’t bad, and it evened out eventually. In September, I switched to Velivet because it was cheaper for my insurance. I have much lighter periods, and they only last three to four days now (last time, it was more like two!), and if I skip the sugar pills, I can skip my period any time I want (although that doesn’t work for long because I don’t take them at EXACTLY the same time every day, so I end up spotting later on if I skip too many periods).

My boobs grew from C to DDD/F from July up until now. At first, they only grew to a large D or small DD, but then I gained weight after an injury (not because of the bc), and it went almost exclusively to my boobs, bringing me to a DDD/F. I also enjoy what I think is actually a HIGHER sex drive, if that’s at all possible.
So yeah, my bc is amazing. Now if only I could be more responsible about taking it on time!

Birth control saved me from blacking out every month.

I’ve been on two types of bc (both oral) one was a higher dose and made me hysterical. I was always a hot mess on that stuff, but then I bitched out my doctor and got on a low dosage. I’m on Junel Fe now and have been for longer than a year. It’s perfect! It matches my hormones perfectly it seems like. I’ve had no problems whatsoever. I don’t black out anymore or get really long, painful periods. Sex drive is the same. I’ve actually had weight loss.. not weight gain. I’m not complaining about bc at all. I feel bad for the ones who don’t have the patience to find the right bc that matches their body. 

I liked being on the pill. After 2 years I could predict when my period would start to the hour. It would last for 2 and a half days (woooooo!). Sadly my doctor thinks I’m a fatass and now refuses me them. I know a girl who’s 20kg heavier than me and still gets them. Sadface.

i have taken three brands of pills, last one the one you are on. i had been on the pill for 8 years and when my dr tried to get me to use the patch, i decided to forgo birth control for the first time in a long time. while on the pill i did gain weight, boobs got lil bigger but prolly cuz weight gain lol, and my acne cleared up a lot. also i was more emotional and depressed. i noticed now that i have been off iit for six months, i feel better now.

@unPREDICTABLEE@xanga - Same here. I didn’t have any side effects and I guess I was lucky because of that. I guess it is different for every girl and not to mention there are a lot of bc out there, not just one. So, it takes time to find the right ones for everyone. 

no! Super scared too– My friend totally went emotionally unstable because of it. 

i’ve been taking the pill for the last few years, and its helped me no end. i used to get very emotional, extreme tummy pains tothe point i had to stay curledup all day. was notenjoyablein the slightest. the only thing i would say is that it can clear up skin a little by regulating the hormones, but in the end its all up to you with your own skin care.

I fucking hated birth control pills… it was terrible.
I used it for a month… because I couldn’t take the side effects. I was constantly bloated and depressed and moody. I gianed ten pounds but my boobs got bigger… my acne got worse. i stopped taking them.. but it’s hard to lose all the weight i gained and my hormones are now fucked up. it’s so weird. i hated it and i vowed to never take birth control pills again.

For me, the negatives outweighed the positives. It sorted out my period pains and cleared up my skin, but I was so miserable when I was on it. I got severe mood swings, I burst into tears over every little thing and it was just horrible. I’d rather put up with a couple of days of cramps and a few spots than spend my life feeling miserable.

Mine is cool for the most part, it just zaps my sex drive…which kind of defeats the purpose of my being on it at all…but yeah. I wanted to switch to an IUD, but my doctor said it’s only for women who’ve had a baby.

That was my experience when I first started on Ortho Tricyclen Lo, at 18.

After 6 years of being on and off it, and put on different brands and getting tired of feeling tired and having no sex drive and, horribly, being unable to orgasm for a couple of years, I finally got a non-hormonal IUD, which was great, except for the general pain and severe monthly cramps. Now I’m on nothing and thinking of what to do, since condoms are so irritating, I don’t like hormones hijacking my sex life, and the IUD hurt awfully.

Maybe I’ll go back to the original pill I was (OTL) and see if that works a little better. Or continue with pull out and pray.

Birth control is arguably the greatest invention ever.

It makes my period way shorter (mine only lasted ONE day this month!) but the cramps are way worse (I felt like vomiting one time they were so bad) and I get moodier. But for the rest of the month I’m fine.

I think my only issue is that I’m not good at taking pills on a strict schedule. I’ve gotten used to it and have been doing well lately but sometimes I forget and take my pills 5 or 6 hours late! So I really want to get a IUD one day.

I’ve taken a lot of different kinds and they all affect me differently, mostly in the mood department. 

I used to use birth control pills, have used them for several years (about 8).  There were good and bad with it all, but I would have to say that my weight gain and increased bust size is not related to the usage of pills.  I would say it was a combination of poor eating habits and lack of exercise.  But I would have to say that the pills did cause me to be super emotional most of the time and decreased libido.  I never got pregnant during the period in which I was on the pill, cycles super regular and periods were light and short.  Cramps still occured but they were more managable than without.  Also, note that I’ve tried 3 types of pills, 1 didn’t make me moody but 2 of them did.  I used the same pill that you’re using, that was the one I had the least negative side effects.  Best of luck.

As much as I love not having terrible cramps, mostly clear skin, lighter periods, and NO BABIES

I’m still unsure if it’s worth it due to

the way it fucks with my sex life and moods :-/.

@skylar_rose@xanga - Right?!  I’d take birth control if the hormones didn’t turn me into such a psychotic basket case.  However, I’d rather just wrap up with a condom then feel like a certifiable crazy person.

I pretty much refuse to take birth control.  My roommate last year kept saying I should ’cause it’d help my acne (she’s on it) & I was like, “Uh, no.”  And she kept saying it throughout the year.  It made me really mad because she’s (well, we both are now) Catholic, so you’re not even supposed to be on it.  I’m not saying that’s why I’m choosing not to (it’s because I hear you can gain water weight or have depression, among other [emotional] things), but especially hearing it didn’t help your acne, I have absolutely NO desire to go on it.

Also, I don’t need to be relieved of stress after sex ’cause I don’t have any

I haven’t had any problems with my birth control. It has worked really well for me. I also had really bad skin in high school, but the pill (and probably just a maturing complexion) really cleared up my face. It works for me. 

@floralfiesta@xanga - Do you only have one boob?

I’ve been on 4 different types of pills for the last 6 years.  I was off of them for a year or so.  I’ve never really had any negative side effects.  My weight has always fluctuated about 10 lb, so I can’ really blame it on the pill.  My skin did get better because I used to get a few zits right before my period, but now I don’t anymore.  I’ll get mood swings around my period when I stop taking the pill, but they go away after a few days.  I’m also on the 3 month one, and I get really light periods every few months, so it’s pretty awesome!  And I hate condoms, so the pill is definitely for me ^^
I had a friend that went from a B cup to a D cup.  She went back to a B cup after she got off of it

i’ve never taken birth control
but seeing as how itll prolly be part of my future,
all this negatively is scaring me to death.

i really dont want to gain weight & be moody. everyones experiences are stressing me out lol

@Ni_Shi_Wo_De@xanga - It was a typo >.> Was that necessary to ask?

I’ve been on Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo. On and off for the last 4 years. The first year I went on it I staid the same weight,but when I got off of it I gained a little weight. I don’t think it was the pills fault though,me and my boyfriend broke up that’s why I stopped the pill,and started eating more. The second time I went on it my weight staid the same also I lost weight,but i’m pretty sure that was because I was running 6 miles a day.
-With birth control. It all depends on your eating. Birth control tricks your body into believing that you’re pregnant, so you won’t be able to release any more eggs. That prevents pregnancy. Since your body thinkings your pregnant you TEND TO EAT MORE. Then you gain weight while your on birth control. Don’t blame the pill. I’ve noticed myself that sometimes I just keep eating like a pregnant women. I keep eating,and eating and eating. I was going to blame the birth control pills, until I started reading more about it. Then I found out I eat more because my body is thinking that i’m pregnant. 

i was thinkin bout gettin on BC bcus my period is so irregular. one time i went half a yr without a period. and i was not sexually active at all. but my mom got a plant that u brew tea with and it helps make ur period come. i think i need some more of that cus i skipped last month. 

I didn’t have bad skin to begin with, but I did get one or two once in awhile.
Since going on birth control, I have not had ANY acne, and my boobs went up a full cup size.
I haven’t gained any weight at all.

However, I went on birth control to help my extremely heavy periods and awful pain I experience with it, and I have not noticed a difference. I recently switched to a new, stronger one, so we’ll see. Everyone’s experience is definitely different.

I’ve been on the pill for almost a year now and I love it. I love to know when aunt flo is coming and that she’s only gonna be visiting for a few days. I love the decreased cramps, even though I still get them horribly.

@WaitingToShrug@xanga - Try other pills. They’re not all the same. I also had issues with OTL, Yaz has been wonderful for me. Condoms are hell too.

I’ve been on the pill since i was 10 because I have dysemenorrea [sp? lol] aka PAINFUL, WORST PERIOD OF YOUR LIFE periods lol I’m 20 now and recently stopped taking them because I wanna know how my body feels without being manipulated; it’s only been a few weeks but I can see certain changes already, my depression is less intense n things like that. I’m gonna give it about 6 months and see how I feel. I wanna stay off them but if I go back to always suffering, I’ll probably go back on =/

Birth control pretty much gave me my life back. I have PCOS, and once I went on birth control, I lost close to fifty pounds and cleared up all of my acne. I owe a lot of my current happiness to it. 

I just started birth control… three days ago.  No noticeable issues thus far, but we will see.

@MangoWOW@xanga - Have you ever heard of the Nuvaring? It works like the pill, but you only have to remember to take it once a month. Very convenient

@MoonFaeEyryan@xanga - you’re on yaz too? i love it so much

it’s a pain in the ass… i sometimes forget to take it at the same time

I’ve never been on BC as I’ve never felt the need for it.
I am lucky enough to have an extremely accurate period that last 6 days… no cramps… I went to a dermatologist for my acne… and I don’t have enough sex ( D: ) to need it.
I just feel like I’m throwing away a perfectly good chance, as you do not require a doctor’s note to be able to buy BC here in Mexico.

My best friend’s lil sister went on birth control and she had a stroke from it. I REFUSE to go on since that happened. I don’t know what happened, but that’s what the doctors discovered was the cause of her stroke. She was 21.

The pill affects every girl in different ways. Just because some people gain weight on the pill, does not mean everyone will, and so on. I personally love the pill, the only downside I’ve had is decreased sex drive. Different pills do different things, so if you change pills, you could and probably will experience completely different effects. Just because one pill makes you feel bad does not mean all pills are evil.

i had some mood swings with orthro tri cyclen, but nothing too severe. i’ve never really had any weight gain, and i’ve never had problems with acne anyway. i love being able to predict my period, and not having to worry (as much) about getting pregnant if i do decide to have sex. i’m on loestrin now, and no mood swings at all  

I have only just started taking birth control for a couple months and my experience with it has been nothing but an emotional mess. Mood swings, cramps, very bad headaches and very sore boobs. And I also tend to feel slightly depressed. The only upside is that it has made my boobs bigger. But then again they’re sore so it’s no fun. Oh, and it has totally killed my sex drive. Birth control indeed.

I went on the pill for a year and I will NEVER EVER take it again.  I got depressed so badly and lost all interest in sex at all and I gained weight.  Its taken a year and half to just be me again.  My fiance and I almost called things off because of the depression. 

My Human Sexuality teacher told our class that you don’t even need to take it at the same exact time every day. You’re just told that so you get into the HABIT of taking it daily.

Used to be on the pill. My skin cleared up a lot, my periods were lighter and shorter. Sadly, I gained weight and my cramps got worse. The extra shot of estrogen from the pills help even my body out so that my insomnia went away and I felt healthier in general.

Then I got off the pill. No period for three months. Then I had three periods in one. O.O Then my period was longer and ten times heavier afterwards, but I was regulated at last.

Now I’m on the depo shot. It’s only been about a month. No noticable weight gain. My period has yet to start (YESSSS!). My skin is still the same. Thought my sex drive doesn’t really exist? I’m okay with that. Keeps me from running to my ex….. >.>  .>  <.<

@schmeeglee@xanga - I’ve read a few articles on random medical sites that if you don’t take it within the same two hour time frame everyday that you can get pregnant. I don’t remember all the details why and there’s a possibility that it doesn’t apply to all birth control pills or that it’s just wrong. Just thought I’d pass it along.

My birth control has been wonderful for my face & my boobs did get bigger as well but as for the period side, it’s made it worse.

Whatever the generic of yaz is has made my cramps worse and it seems like I get a lot more moody on my period then I ever have been on the past. And even though I’m supposed to get my period for only 4 days, my period usually doesn’t start until the 3rd or 4th day of the white pill and then continues on into the week of the pink. The white pill thing happened when I was taking regular yaz, but the cramps & the moodiness definitely didn’t. And just to say, before I started birth control, I rarely ever had cramps; now I have them constantly when on my period.

@MyBurningSky@xanga - The time frame is however long it takes a woman to ovulate. Otherwise you don’t ovulate at all while you’re taking the birth control. So, it may be two hours. I can’t really remember either. She did mention that it’s not an incredible emergency missing one pill, but two pills is when you should really worry. Again, so not claiming to be a genius.

I actually don’t even use the pill. I use the patch, and to anyone considering it, I have never had any problems with it. May be a good option for you too. It’s a “replace once a week” sort of deal.

@skylar_rose@xanga -  Thats weird.. I heard birth control helps with someone being depressed.. Maybe it just has the opposite effects to someone who isnt depressed?..

I’ve been on birth control since I was 14 to help with mood swings and such.. Took the pill for about a year then went onto depo and Im so happy about it I didnt gain weight from being on it, and ive never actually had acne before so I obviously didnt notice it lol.. Sure I get a couple occasional pimples but not acne but knowing you have a really good chance that your not going to get pregnant is a good enough reason for me to take birth control

Yeah, my sex drive is pretty minimal, but I can’t tell if it has to do with my pill or the fact that I’ve been sleeping with the same man for 4 years now. Don’t get me wrong I am still very attracted to my spouse, but for some reason I just can’t be bothered to be pleasured. It’s a bit frustrating for both of us. I often feel bad that I don’t have a desire for it. To be honest, I would love to come off it. We want a kid eventually, though not just yet, but I’d rather just get off it now and use condoms. If I happened to get pregnant it would be a surprise, but not unwelcome. I’m not really benefiting from it in ways other than preventing pregnancy. I still experience cramping, tender breasts, emotional symptoms of PMS and if it’s ruining my sex drive, then what’s the freaking point?

Wow, some of those effects sound kinda cool. Not the breast growth, because I don’t want that. The stress relief, definitely good. I don’t have sex enough to need it, but it’s still good because this kinda thing is unpredictable….
I still know I will most likely not go on the pill because i do not want to mess with my hormones. I already have anxiety, probably slight depression, kinda low sex drive, and I don’t want to increase my risk of breast cancer by taking birth control pills. I also don’t have a doctor, so I couldnt get them even if i wanted to…

If your pill works out badly for you in any way…go switch it.  There are thousands of combinations of hormone levels, resorting in many, MANY types of birth control.  What helps one person will totally backfire for another.  The first pill I was on was killing me, so I went to the doctor, told her what was happening, and she knew exactly which changes to make to fix those problems.

Don’t give up on it because of one bad experience (although it really does suck sometimes).

 I’ve been on the generic brand of ortho tri cyclen lo for about a year, and I went on it for acne. At the same time I went on some prescribed acne cream because my face was that bad. After about two months my face cleared right up, it was hard to tell if it was from the pill or from the cream, but then I realized my back cleared completely too, and I wasn’t using the cream on my back, so I can attribute the clear skin to the pill. It also made my boobs grow half a cup. It eased my cramps, but did nothing for the length or flow of my period, which I guess were both pretty normal to begin with. So overall I have a positive association with the pill, I gained no weight and don’t have any unusual food cravings or mood swings. I can predict down to the hour when my period comes, and the only negative side effect I have is that my boobs get really sore about a week leading to my period, which used to happen before the pill most times anyway. 

I had been starting with my birth control when I was 15/16 years old. Now I am 21. 

The first reason because I started with it is to get my acne under control and it really very helped a lot. Well, most of my acne went away because of another pill I had been using two summers ago, but also only the birth control pill helps a lot. Even, if it is not every birth control pill which helps against acne. My pill is called “Valette”, this one I am taking since the beginning and I never had any problems with it. I cannot say wether I gained weight because of it or wether my cup sizes increased. I dunno! 
But, lastly, I think it is a pretty important thing to take the birth control pill. 

I’ve been taking Yaz for about 9 months now. I haven’t really noticed any side effects. Moods seem to be the same, boobs are the same size. I have gained a little weight, but I also just went through my freshman year of college. I also don’t have acne to begin with. It has however helped my period timing and length. I started using Yaz due to my period being out of whack last summer, I had it almost every other week. Now it is coming regularly.

I do have friends that the pills have changed their moods (for the worse) and clear their acne up.

@katethoughts@xanga - she said that they are stressed bc they are scared about getting preggers.

@welcome_to_wendys@xanga - ok. that makes sense now 

After being on the Pill for seven years due to severely painful, crippling menstruel cycles I had a stroke at the age of 19. Many female caucausians have a blood mutation, Factor V Leiden (Thrombophilia), that causes blood clots in the legs that can travel. Many women do not have issues with the pill and Factor V Leiden, I was not so lucky.

I woke up one day and was unable to use my left arm and leg for anything, a local doctor found nothing wrong (saw that I was 19 and ruled out stroke immediately) and sent me home. The next day another physician decided whatever was happening was harmful and sent me to the ER; I never made it, instead had a seizure in the parking lot.

I am 21 now, still struggling with the pain of never being able to use my left side and the damage to my brain. I deal with depressive thoughts and drink constantly. Most of my absurd, drunken adventures take place on my Xanga blog.

I think all women should be subjective to blood tests before going Pill happy to determine the clotting factor of their blood. And if they smoke, it definately is a no brainer to put the cigarrette/blunt down or risk clots. Yes, pot can cause clotting.

For me, Nuva Ring was horrible and I experienced chronic pain after. I tried Ortho Tri Cyclin Lo as well and gained about 30 pounds in 5 months. Yaz has worked ok until my body fought back 1 1/2 years later. I currently just started BeYaz (which is basically the same as Yaz.) But, my body may be more sensitive than most. 

I have been on birth control for about three years now. I started on Yaz which i loved and am now on Zarah which is a off brand of some kind of birth control. I recently just started having my period every three months by not taking the sugar pills at the end of each month and i love it!

I originally started using birth control to treat my acne and it worked! Only since last year have i been having minor breakouts around the time of my period. I absolutely love being on the pill and am afraid to try anything else such as the patch and nuva ring because you have a higher change at developing a blood clot. 
The only downside that I have recently noticed is small mood swings a few days before/during my cycle.

@x_colormepretty_x@xanga - 
Be careful when you have it removed – I had mine removed after 3 1/2 years because of the pain/cramping issue, and no one told me about the “Mirena Crash.” You should look that up, if you haven’t read about it already, and just be aware of its existence.

Ive been on birth control since I was 13 because my period is really irregular naturally. ( like once a year). Ive been on several different kinds because I also have severe pmdd, but not once have I had a negative side affect. My boobs are huge, but thats more bc of genetics ( I was already pretty developed when I got on the pill) It didnt increase my depression, or cause me to gain weight but my periods are really lights (like three days) and my emotional/bitchyness is pretty much gone from pmsing. I still get horrible aches and cramps though. I am on nuvaring right now and it is amazingg!

I was on orthotryclin lo (sp?) when I got married and it made my acne ten times worse and made me psycho. I went off of it after 2 months. Never going to use it again. 

@haley1262@xanga - What kind (brand) of BC are you on, if you don’t mind my asking? 

@merry_kiss_kiss@xanga - Mononessa. 

I didn’t have a choice – I have an ovarian cyst of 2 1/2 cm, so blah. Started it today. Yay, me! (sarcasm…)

I was taking some birth control that was low in estrogen i forgot what it was called. It made me puke, didn’t help with my acne and made me way to depressed to have sex. Then I switched to Yaz, which is created for acne. This cleared up all my problems! I really liked it. You should try. You just have to find the right one. I didn’t gain wait till after a year on it…which i don’t think is because of the pill. Cos my boobs also grew around that time to…i think that was because of the weight gain. I’m so excited about that  

No weight gain. No bigger boobs. I have never had bad acne, but being on the pill completely rid me of the occasional blemish. I don’t suffer from PMS anymore and I enjoy knowing exactly when and how long my period will occur. 

I’ve taken BC for almost 4 years now. I’ve been on 3 different kinds because 2 of them were too low dose for me and I’d only get the lighter and less painful periods for about a year and then the heavier ones were back. I’m back on Yaz now (which is the only one I didn’t have an issue with but I decided to stop to try Seasonique) since it’s supposed to be one of the stronger pills. The only issues I’ve had with BC are hormonal migraines and it’s harder for me to lose weight than it was before I started the pill. Oh and I’m not sure how much of my growth from D to DDD in a few months was caused by my pill or how much of it was belated growth or how much was my weight gain caused by inactivity. I don’t like my boobs being that size so I see that as a kind of negative. But it helps me function during that time of the month (I used to faint from iron loss even if I took an iron supplement and they lasted 7-9 days, heavy most of the time) and now I’ve been given the okay to completely skip my inactive pills and only have my period if I have breakthrough bleeding that month (which is rare for me). I should have fewer if any hormonal migraines now. My best friend is on NuvaRing and only had some slight issues with controlling her emotions until she became used to the extra hormones. Since then she’s had fewer issues than I have.