*deep breath*

[zerogirl29.livejournal.com]

OK, I FINALLY made my 1st ever appointment with the vagina doctor. I'm doing it at my school's health center cuz for $100 they give you a full exam AND a year of BC pills. And my insurance won't cover it ad when my parents find out I'm on BC I'm dead (I'm still on their insurance). But of course, I have a few questions...

They have OTC, OTC-Lo, Nordette, and Allese. Any personal experiences? I remember reading good things about Allesse, so I'm considering asking for that one.

Also, I'm taking his mainly for period control cuz my cramps are bad and I receive comments a while back about the pill helping tons with that. Any certain one better than the other? Is it that worth it?

Something in me feels like I'm almost rejecting a part of being a woman by going on the pill and controlling my cycle - like I don't like the way my body does it naurally. ANd I think it's great, I just can't stand the pain.

just so you know ahead of time - You're awesome!

Comments

[es-skwared.livejournal.com]

i went to the gyne to get some pills and was going to be placed on Alesse given my family history...clotting, smoking, heart attacks blah blah...Alesse is the lowest dose of something you can get. The problem with that is it's ineffective for birth control purposes...so i was informed by my gyne. I know you mentioned that you're taking it for controlling your cramps. There are some medications out there specifically geared to addressing your cramps and they don't control your cycle like the pill...if that's a concern. My sister is on one of those meds and she raves about it. The name of the med slips my mind. Though I'm sure if you were to head back to the doctor to discuss other options you'd be surprised by the things out there.

Good luck with your journey :)

[kixxy.livejournal.com]

Alesse is not ineffective for birth control purposes -- if it was, what would be the point of its existance? They couldn't and wouldn't call it that, and no doctor would prescribe it. Mine gave it to me, and he knew I was sexually active.

It's every bit as effective as any other kind of BCP, if taken correctly. Because it's a lower-dose pill, you have to be more careful in taking it at the same time every day, and it might not be the best choice for all body types.

I used it as my only form of birth control while in my relationship and had no problems with it -- if you're taking it right and the doctor thinks it's right for you, it's every bit as good as OTC and the others.

[es-skwared.livejournal.com]

i was just repeating what my gyne told me.
sorry if i've offended :)
My gyne suggested to me that i take it in conjunction with other methods of BC.

[strand3d.livejournal.com]

You're gyno is crazy, honestly. If you do any reserach on Alesse, its a very effective form of birth control. I once had a clinic gyno tell me Mircette was only a form of birth control that protected breast feeding mothers from pregnant.

You can't always trust your gyno, sadly.

[loanwords.livejournal.com]

I once had a clinic gyno tell me Mircette was only a form of birth control that protected breast feeding mothers from pregnant.

What kind of ridiculous.... why would they prescribe it to teenagers then? Oh well.. you know what they call a doctor who got a 'D' in med school? ...A doctor.

[rusty-sunshine.livejournal.com]

my GP told me that ALL mini-pills were only for women who were breast-feeding and wouldn't prescribe them to me. Then I told her that my sister was currently taking one (Microgestin FE), was not breastfeeding and never had, and she said "well I just don't know then." I said "screw this" and made an appointment with a GYN instead. *sighs*

[kixxy.livejournal.com]

Sorry if I sounded snarky! Not my intention whatsoever. Typing can be hard. :) I can't believe that she would say that! I can see some doctors saying that all sorts of BCP should be used with backup -- they don't have to be, but they aren't 100% effective, especially when they're not taken very well. But to single out Alesse seems really weird. It's the same as any other kind: becomes active after a week of taking it correctly, and with perfect use, is 99.7% [or whatever the statistics are currently set at] effective.

[es-skwared.livejournal.com]

thanks no worries..
maybe she said it to me...because i've got a melange of other nonsense going on inside of me that may screw with the effectiveness...who knows...in the end...i didn't end up taking it for too long...

you rock...
out

[xxprovocativexx.livejournal.com]

i took alesse for over a year and never had a problem with it. it's very effective for birth control purposes (i'm a walking example...lol) and i had very little problem with weight gain or anything like that. i actually started it, originally, to control my migraines...and that worked very well...

good luck :0)

[of-wings.livejournal.com]

I've been on Alesse for the past four years- I'm a bigbig fan. I haven't had any side effects whatsoever and no pregnancies! I actually started taking it to relieve my monstrous cramps, which it totally took care of in less than two months.

I can understand the whole 'rejecting a part of being a woman' thing, but seriously, after your second period on the Pill, when the major cramps are gone and you barely know you have your period, you'll be veryvery thankful for a bit of added control. Your funnaughtybits will thank you!

Also, I've been told that Alesse is a good pill to do the 'seasonal' thing with. Where you take the active pills continuously for three months at a time, get your period and then wait for the next season to hit before getting your period again. That's what I've been doing for the past couple of years and it's been great.

[ladyandthetramp.livejournal.com]

i'm on nordette and i love it...
i have absolutely no side effects. no spotting, no mood swings, no weight gain. it's perfect!

oh, and your school rocks...that's a good deal!

[katlynel.livejournal.com]

Something in me feels like I'm almost rejecting a part of being a woman by going on the pill and controlling my cycle - like I don't like the way my body does it naurally.
No way. Why suffer when you don't have to? We make and use medications for headaches, muscle cramps, short height, weight, and acne. Menstrual pain isn't any different, is it? (To me, that sounds like the argument a coworker of mine heard from a pregnant 12-year-old who said that she wanted to have an abortion but felt that maybe she should continue the pregnancy so she would "face the consequences of her actions.")

I'd recommend Alesse or Nordette.

[sadiedecayed.livejournal.com]

medications for short height? whaaat?
i have never heard of this.
what is it, how do you get it, etc?
i'm pretty tall, but i'm pretty curious about this.
i've never heard of such a thing.
(perhaps i'm just sheltered.)

---
& i've read (& heard) that many women have a lot of success with Alesse. i've never tried it, but from what i've read i'd try that out.

[katlynel.livejournal.com]

Children with growth hormone deficiencies have been able to take HGH (human growth hormone) for years, and a medication called Humatrope was recently approved for children with no appreciable growth hormone deficiency who're nonetheless abnormally short. Very controversial, for obvious reasons.

[obfuscate.livejournal.com]

Regarding helping cramps and whatnot.. you never know. You can find lots of women testifying for every different birth control pill that it worked best for them, so you really just need to find what works best for you.

[prettynpink106.livejournal.com]

i took OTC Lo and it made me really depressed. i am already suffering with depression so it made it a million times worse

[loanwords.livejournal.com]

I'd consider looking into going to Planned Parenthood (or a similar type place). From what I understand, they are sometimes cheaper. That, and they might keep the confidentiality agreement better than yor school might.

A good suggestion. Here in VA, a complete exam is only $58 for students and $88 for non-students, and they'll give you birth control too for an additional price (a year is $184). They'll also write you a prescription too if you want to go elsewhere (I can go to the naval clinic and get mine for free. They'll take you with or without insurance (I claimed none because I dont want my Dad to find out since all bills are sent to him) and I think the only time they're break confidentiality is if it's a rape case, in which case they are required to report it by law.

Your school's price is pretty nice though!

[stellalunatic.livejournal.com]

I have been on Nordette for a bit over a year now, and I really like it. No wacko side-effects or anything, and I am a tiny sized chiclet (5 ft, 100lb). No babies yet, and the debilitating menstrual cramps, 7 day/4 super heavy period, and big endometrial clots are a thing of the past.

And I had better add my 2 cents about "rejecting womanhood." You are actually asserting your womanhood and denying your socially prescribed role as baby-maker. Sound the trumpets, you are TAKING CONTROL OF YOR REPRODUCTION!!!

Not to mention, historically (like caveman historically), women were supposed to be either pregnant or nursing all the time, or in estrus about to get pregnant. Now by not being pregnant all the time, your poor little ovaries are pumping out eggs way more than mother nature really wanted to happen, which plays hell on ovaries, and which is why they say that being on the pill lowers chances of ovarian cancer/cysts, lowering chances of having to get them removed... so you are PROTECTING your feminity. This is a little incoherent, but I am hung over. muh.

good luck. and nordette is totally the way to go

[ex-tinker-be53.livejournal.com]

Hey, thanks for posting this...I was gonna ask the same things.

I'm actually currently on NuvaRing for birth control, but I wanted to switch to the Pill. :)

I was also a little nervous when I first considered birth control...I thought of it as unnatural and I thought I was defying my own body. But I talked to everyone/doctors/my boyfriend also did research and it's not as scary as you think. Plus it is way convenient! You will probably love it when you try it...I did :)

Good luck! :)