Taking a break from HBC

[allons-y42.livejournal.com]

Hello lovely VPers,

I've been on ortho tri cyclen lo for over two years and have had a pretty good experience with it.  Before I went on the pill my periods were irregular and heavy (in retrospect my symptoms seemed indicative of PCOS).  Currently I'm not sexually active, nor do I plan to be any time soon, so I don't need them for actual birth control.  Lately, however, I've been wondering whether I should take a break to see what life and my period would be like without hormones.

I'm just starting the placebo week right now.  What should I expect to happen in terms of hormone withdrawal if I don't start another pack next week?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Comments

[knittinggoddess.livejournal.com]

When I stopped my NuvaRing the first time (after being on it for 4 months), I didn't notice any changes at all. I was already sort of depressed and moody, so any emotional changes probably got wrapped up in my baseline state.

The second time I stopped the NuvaRing (after a year of use), I was switching to a Mirena. So I had a little bit of hormone, but not nearly the amount from the Ring. I had a week of severe, scary, depression, and then no more mental issues. (Obviously, I have a history of depression, but this was very clearly due to the estrogen withdrawal due to timing of onset and disappearance.) I got more acne for a while, though this could have just as easily been from the Mirena adjustment. My body hair stopped being fine and unobtrusive, and returned to its thicker, darker, pre-hbc conditions.