I need Ladies help

[Ladylethal 12]

In Brasil we start the pill on the first day of the period, and after the box is over we wait a week and start again.

[Chicken_Little 0]

[i think that is the one my doctor prescribed for me, sounds familiar at least (don't have the package near me to look) I'm glad to hear people like it!

Ok, now another BC related question that I don't want to make a whole thread over -

When do you start your first pill? My doctor just said oh start it on Sunday even if you're on your period. I read the package and it said you have to start it the sunday after you've started (even if you're still bleeding), not just any Sunday like my doctor said. Also, when you do start it how long until you're "covered" and I don't have to worry about any little Miranda's or James' appearing too soon! I'm gonna call the pharmacist and ask as well but I trust the ladies of VJ to give me good advice as well!

You can actually start on any day.

However, if you start your pills in the middle of your cycle, you will very likely have spotting or breakthrough bleeding.

The reason doctors say Sunday is that then theoretically you shouldn't have your period on weekends. Works for some ladies, not for others. It depends on how long after you take your last "active" (hormone-containing) pill your period starts. For some women it's the next day, for others, three or four.

If you take your first pill on the very first day of your period, you are protected immediately. All 99.9% worth (provided you take your pills perfectly). If you start on any other day (including the first Sunday after you start to bleed) then you must wait seven days before you are protected.

After seven days of perfect pill use (on time, same time daily, no missed pills, no vomitting shortly after taking the pill, no interfering substances), you are as protected as you will ever be.

Doctors say "a month" sometimes to give women a chance to get used to taking it. They figure that after a whole month, there's less chance the women will be forgetting pills, taking them late, etc.

But medically, after seven days of perfect use a woman is protected and can rely on the pill alone for contraception.

Again, it's not 100% effective, but then NO method is!

Rules to remember to ensure you're getting the most protection:

- Take pills on time, every day.

- If you miss a pill, check your pill packet's insert (the little bit of paper that comes in the pack with all the info on it) or look up your pill online. MOST combined pills (ones containing estrogen and progestin) such as Yasmin, Demulen, Ortho-Tricyclen, Alesse, etc do NOT require back-up to be used in the case of one missed pill, unless it is the first or last of the pack.

- If TWO pills are missed, take two pills when you remember, and two the next day, so that you are caught up. So if you miss Wednesday and Thursday's pills, then on Friday you would take those two pills. On Saturday you would take Friday's pill along with Saturday's. If you miss TWO pills, you must use back up such as condoms or abstain from sex until you've taken the seven consecutive active pills perfectly (ie you've taken a week of pills on time each day, missing none, no vomitting, no interfering substances, etc).

- If more then two pills are missed, then take one pill a day until Sunday and then throw out the remaining pills and start a new pack. This means you may not get a period this month. Or, due to the missed pills, you may start early and/or spot all month. You must use back-up such as condoms or else abstain from sex until you've taken seven consecutive pills perfectly or you could become pregnant.

On the "mini" pill (pills containing ONLY estrogen), a pill is considered "missed" if it's three hours or more late, and back-up must be used for 48 hours.

- If prescribed antibiotics, check with your doctor or pharmacist if they interact with your pill. SOME antibiotics lessen the effectiveness of the pill. Others do not effect it. Ask your doctor. IF the antibiotics you are on do lessen the effectiveness of the pill, then use back up or abstain for the entire time you are on the antibiotics and for seven days after you finish them.

-The first and last pill in a pack are the most important, since any time you go more then seven days without a pill, you put yourself at risk of pregnancy. To avoid this, start each new pack on time.

-You must take at LEAST 21 active pills in a row before taking the week off or you risk pregnancy. But if you want to push your period back by a week, it is fine to take four weeks of active pills rather then three. Just be sure that you start a brand new pack after your break, becasue you will need 21 active pills in a row before your next break.

- If you throw up one or two hours after taking your pill, it may not have been broken down. If you have a spare pack, take an extra pill. If not, follow the instructions for one missed pill.

There! I think that about covers it.

WOW thanks! I should start again around the early part of May and the wedding is May 20th so hopefully things will work out good with being protected! I am wondering about a couple things though...

If I start my first pill on the first day of my period (or the Sunday after) won't that mean I'll be on active pills that week, then two more weeks with no bleeding, and then do the placebo ones, and as a result have my period only two weeks after I finished my last one?

Another thing, if I decide to "skip" a period and take four weeks of active pills, where do I get that last week of active pills? The pack only has three, do I steal a week from a new pack, then take the two more weeks in the new pack, and then start the placebo and get my period? So, a total of 6 weeks then with active pills and then a period?

BOY this seems confusing to me.......it's tempting to just get the shot!

When do you start your first pill? My doctor just said oh start it on Sunday even if you're on your period. I read the package and it said you have to start it the sunday after you've started (even if you're still bleeding), not just any Sunday like my doctor said. Also, when you do start it how long until you're "covered" and I don't have to worry about any little Miranda's or James' appearing too soon! I'm gonna call the pharmacist and ask as well but I trust the ladies of VJ to give me good advice as well!

James is arriving in less than 2 weeks right? And you haven't started dosing yet - is that right?

I'd call the nurse at the doctors office and ask when you can start 'trusting' your pills. I bet she's going to say at least one full cycle - maybe two.

Back about 30 years ago when I first started on the pill, insurance NEVER covered them. Hell, most people didn't even have a prescription plan back then. When prescription plans started becoming more commonplace, the pill was never covered. That never made sense to me - it's a great improvement that insurance is covering them now.

I got my period when I was 10 - I had my son at 31 - and I had my tubes tied at 42. I'm 48 now. After dealing with 'femaleness' for nearly 40 years, my opinion of birth control is this - do the easy thing.

If there had been a ring, patch or shot back when I was of childbearing age, I would have chosen that over a pill I had to remember each day.

But that's just my lazy ####### talking.....

He does but we're gonna refrain from anything until the wedding, want to make it all fresh and special!

Yes, if you take the first pill on the first day of your period, then there's a chance you may have two periods in one month. But after that, your period will come every 28 days pretty much on the dot. Many women on the pill (myself included) can predict the day, down to the time of day that their period will arrive. For me, I take my last active pill on Friday, since I start on a Saturday, and I get my period Monday morning.

If you want to skip a period, you can take two packs back to back -- six weeks of active pills -- and then take a week long break, or you can simply take four weeks. Just steal a week from a different pack and label that pack as "extras" that way, if you lose a pill, or drop it down the sink, etc, you can take one from there.

Just be sure to take at least 21 active pills before you take your break, and make sure your break is no longer then seven days.

Also, how well skipping will work depends on what kind of pill you are on. If you are on a monophasic pill (all the pills contain exactly the same ingredients in the same exact doses -- examples include Demulen, Desogen, Ortho-Cyclen, Alesse, Yasmin, Ortho-Cept and Mircette) then you have far less chance of spotting then if you are on a tri-phasic pill. A tri-phasic pill's amounts of hormones vary through the month, and the pills are often different colours from week to week (placebo week not included). Examples of tri-phasic pills include Ortho-tricyclen, Estrostep, Tri-Norynyl.

With tri-phasic pills, if you try to skip your period, you may spot or have breakthrough bleeding because of the hormone fluctuations. If you know you want to skip your period, you can ask your doctor about how best to proceed.

If you want less periods a year, you can also take Seasonale, which has extended pill cycles, so you only have four placebo weeks a year. Some women have breakthrough bleeding and spotting, some do not, and most who have it find it goes away after six months or so.

Hope this helps!

[bucknekkid 0]

Do you know why they make birth control pills so small?

Because you are supposed to hold it between your knees not eat them....

[Miranda&James 8]

[i think that is the one my doctor prescribed for me, sounds familiar at least (don't have the package near me to look) I'm glad to hear people like it!

Ok, now another BC related question that I don't want to make a whole thread over -

When do you start your first pill? My doctor just said oh start it on Sunday even if you're on your period. I read the package and it said you have to start it the sunday after you've started (even if you're still bleeding), not just any Sunday like my doctor said. Also, when you do start it how long until you're "covered" and I don't have to worry about any little Miranda's or James' appearing too soon! I'm gonna call the pharmacist and ask as well but I trust the ladies of VJ to give me good advice as well!

You can actually start on any day.

However, if you start your pills in the middle of your cycle, you will very likely have spotting or breakthrough bleeding.

The reason doctors say Sunday is that then theoretically you shouldn't have your period on weekends. Works for some ladies, not for others. It depends on how long after you take your last "active" (hormone-containing) pill your period starts. For some women it's the next day, for others, three or four.

If you take your first pill on the very first day of your period, you are protected immediately. All 99.9% worth (provided you take your pills perfectly). If you start on any other day (including the first Sunday after you start to bleed) then you must wait seven days before you are protected.

After seven days of perfect pill use (on time, same time daily, no missed pills, no vomitting shortly after taking the pill, no interfering substances), you are as protected as you will ever be.

Doctors say "a month" sometimes to give women a chance to get used to taking it. They figure that after a whole month, there's less chance the women will be forgetting pills, taking them late, etc.

But medically, after seven days of perfect use a woman is protected and can rely on the pill alone for contraception.

Again, it's not 100% effective, but then NO method is!

Rules to remember to ensure you're getting the most protection:

- Take pills on time, every day.

- If you miss a pill, check your pill packet's insert (the little bit of paper that comes in the pack with all the info on it) or look up your pill online. MOST combined pills (ones containing estrogen and progestin) such as Yasmin, Demulen, Ortho-Tricyclen, Alesse, etc do NOT require back-up to be used in the case of one missed pill, unless it is the first or last of the pack.

- If TWO pills are missed, take two pills when you remember, and two the next day, so that you are caught up. So if you miss Wednesday and Thursday's pills, then on Friday you would take those two pills. On Saturday you would take Friday's pill along with Saturday's. If you miss TWO pills, you must use back up such as condoms or abstain from sex until you've taken the seven consecutive active pills perfectly (ie you've taken a week of pills on time each day, missing none, no vomitting, no interfering substances, etc).

- If more then two pills are missed, then take one pill a day until Sunday and then throw out the remaining pills and start a new pack. This means you may not get a period this month. Or, due to the missed pills, you may start early and/or spot all month. You must use back-up such as condoms or else abstain from sex until you've taken seven consecutive pills perfectly or you could become pregnant.

On the "mini" pill (pills containing ONLY estrogen), a pill is considered "missed" if it's three hours or more late, and back-up must be used for 48 hours.

- If prescribed antibiotics, check with your doctor or pharmacist if they interact with your pill. SOME antibiotics lessen the effectiveness of the pill. Others do not effect it. Ask your doctor. IF the antibiotics you are on do lessen the effectiveness of the pill, then use back up or abstain for the entire time you are on the antibiotics and for seven days after you finish them.

-The first and last pill in a pack are the most important, since any time you go more then seven days without a pill, you put yourself at risk of pregnancy. To avoid this, start each new pack on time.

-You must take at LEAST 21 active pills in a row before taking the week off or you risk pregnancy. But if you want to push your period back by a week, it is fine to take four weeks of active pills rather then three. Just be sure that you start a brand new pack after your break, becasue you will need 21 active pills in a row before your next break.

- If you throw up one or two hours after taking your pill, it may not have been broken down. If you have a spare pack, take an extra pill. If not, follow the instructions for one missed pill.

There! I think that about covers it.

WOW thanks! I should start again around the early part of May and the wedding is May 20th so hopefully things will work out good with being protected! I am wondering about a couple things though...

If I start my first pill on the first day of my period (or the Sunday after) won't that mean I'll be on active pills that week, then two more weeks with no bleeding, and then do the placebo ones, and as a result have my period only two weeks after I finished my last one?

Another thing, if I decide to "skip" a period and take four weeks of active pills, where do I get that last week of active pills? The pack only has three, do I steal a week from a new pack, then take the two more weeks in the new pack, and then start the placebo and get my period? So, a total of 6 weeks then with active pills and then a period?

BOY this seems confusing to me.......it's tempting to just get the shot!

When do you start your first pill? My doctor just said oh start it on Sunday even if you're on your period. I read the package and it said you have to start it the sunday after you've started (even if you're still bleeding), not just any Sunday like my doctor said. Also, when you do start it how long until you're "covered" and I don't have to worry about any little Miranda's or James' appearing too soon! I'm gonna call the pharmacist and ask as well but I trust the ladies of VJ to give me good advice as well!

James is arriving in less than 2 weeks right? And you haven't started dosing yet - is that right?

I'd call the nurse at the doctors office and ask when you can start 'trusting' your pills. I bet she's going to say at least one full cycle - maybe two.

Back about 30 years ago when I first started on the pill, insurance NEVER covered them. Hell, most people didn't even have a prescription plan back then. When prescription plans started becoming more commonplace, the pill was never covered. That never made sense to me - it's a great improvement that insurance is covering them now.

I got my period when I was 10 - I had my son at 31 - and I had my tubes tied at 42. I'm 48 now. After dealing with 'femaleness' for nearly 40 years, my opinion of birth control is this - do the easy thing.

If there had been a ring, patch or shot back when I was of childbearing age, I would have chosen that over a pill I had to remember each day.

But that's just my lazy ####### talking.....

He does but we're gonna refrain from anything until the wedding, want to make it all fresh and special!

Yes, if you take the first pill on the first day of your period, then there's a chance you may have two periods in one month. But after that, your period will come every 28 days pretty much on the dot. Many women on the pill (myself included) can predict the day, down to the time of day that their period will arrive. For me, I take my last active pill on Friday, since I start on a Saturday, and I get my period Monday morning.

If you want to skip a period, you can take two packs back to back -- six weeks of active pills -- and then take a week long break, or you can simply take four weeks. Just steal a week from a different pack and label that pack as "extras" that way, if you lose a pill, or drop it down the sink, etc, you can take one from there.

Just be sure to take at least 21 active pills before you take your break, and make sure your break is no longer then seven days.

Also, how well skipping will work depends on what kind of pill you are on. If you are on a monophasic pill (all the pills contain exactly the same ingredients in the same exact doses -- examples include Demulen, Desogen, Ortho-Cyclen, Alesse, Yasmin, Ortho-Cept and Mircette) then you have far less chance of spotting then if you are on a tri-phasic pill. A tri-phasic pill's amounts of hormones vary through the month, and the pills are often different colours from week to week (placebo week not included). Examples of tri-phasic pills include Ortho-tricyclen, Estrostep, Tri-Norynyl.

With tri-phasic pills, if you try to skip your period, you may spot or have breakthrough bleeding because of the hormone fluctuations. If you know you want to skip your period, you can ask your doctor about how best to proceed.

If you want less periods a year, you can also take Seasonale, which has extended pill cycles, so you only have four placebo weeks a year. Some women have breakthrough bleeding and spotting, some do not, and most who have it find it goes away after six months or so.

Hope this helps!

It really helps a lot! I really appreciate your help

[Chicken_Little 0]

No problem, glad to help!

[Miranda&James 8]

No problem, glad to help!

If I end up with a rugrat too soon I'll blame you! Lol just kidding I want kids very badly, just not yet, so I hope I do my BC right!

[Chicken_Little 0]

No problem, glad to help!

If I end up with a rugrat too soon I'll blame you! Lol just kidding I want kids very badly, just not yet, so I hope I do my BC right!

LOLOL

Just follow the directions that come with your pills and you should be fine.

You can ask your doctor about skipping periods, too. If you want to do it continuously (ie take six weeks on, one week off) then you'll need more packs anyhow.

[JenT 0]

I take BC pills to control migraine frequency, so I know what you mean... I take three months in a row with no off weeks... due t hormone levels, I have an actual period 'maybe' twice a year.

I'm done 'birthin' babies', so it's of no matter to me whether I have a period or not.

But isn't there a concern nowadays about how long someone can be on the pill without having adverse heart-related effects... 10 years, or something like that?

Jen

[djcess 0]

yup you need a prescription before taking another pill.. I took gynera before.. it was good. My boobs became bigger (hehe) and a gained a lil weight which was good for me cz i was too thin before. I also heard that Yasmin is so far one of the best yet.

by the way, i also read in some magazine that you should rest every after 6 months before resuming to take your pills again, no?

[ivona 0]

I`m taking a five month dose from Croatia so I don`t have to bother with gyno checkup right when I get there....

babies are great and all, but I want to have them when we choose to, yes sir

Luis& Laura, even if it`s the same pill in US that you were taking in Brazil, I would still check with the gyno first....just to be on the safe side with the hormonal content of it.....

I would like to continue with the same pills I am on now just to avoid whole body adaption period to a new one, but as mine exist under one name in EU and the same chemical name is sold under a differnet market name in US I will deffinatelly do a gyno check up before I start on aynthing "new"....

djcess, as far as I know the pause between takings should be made but after being on them for a while and not right after you start taking them