Changing emotional effects of cycle over time?

[vvalkyri.livejournal.com]

Got a couple questions more for the older women in this group:

1) have you noticed your periods getting worse over the years?
2) more specifically, have the emotional effects gotten worse?

I don't think I started getting any particular pain with my period until my late 20s, and it's increased a bit since, but still to a level easily managed with an alleve or a couple advil. I was past 30 before the emotioanal magnifier I suppose is usually labeled PMS started to make an appearance, and it's still a new enough thing for me that I have no idea how to prepare and I often only realize what's going on in retrospect. Calendars are likely now my friend, but I'm wondering whether this is something a lot of people have.

So this brings me to 3) suggestions?
One friend has reported good experience with evening primrose oil as a way to tame hormonal emotional volitility.

bleeding for 11 days now while stacking alesse

[fun-tabulous.livejournal.com]

Hi everyone! I come to you with a very annoying problem...

I've been on Alesse since Sept. 2011. The last 3 packs, I have stacked, meaning I have taken continuously, with no breaks in between. Starting the first week into the third pack, I have started bleeding, at first light spotting, gradually getting heavier and redder with clots. I thought this might go away, but I am on my 11th day now with no signs of it letting up. What should I do? Should I just stop taking it, giving myself the seven day break? If so, what then? Or should I just put up with it until the end of the pack and go on my break (I really would rather not do this, the bleeding is starting to wear me out)? In the future, should I just stack for 2 months at a time?

Thanks so much for reading and (hopefully) responding! :)

article on recent gonorrhea drug resistance

[eatswithfork.livejournal.com]

Here's an interesting article on recent gonorrhea drug-resistance that I thought would be a good heads up for everyone here and perhaps be a reminder to keep up with safer sex practices given this new information.
Here's a brief summary: The US Centers for Disease Control has found that gonorrhea is developing a resistance to the current drug used to treat it in the US (not sure if it applies to other countries as well). It has developed resistances in the past and treatment switched to other drugs but it seems this current drug is the last available option... ( cut for link )

Chewing vs. swallowing Generess pills

[agentscuiy.livejournal.com]

I posted a few weeks ago about crazy bleeding on Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo. Well, the crazy bleeding never stopped, so I went to my gyno today and she decided that triphasic pills are not for me. She gave me Generess FE, a pill I'd never heard of. I was on Femcon FE for 5 years, which I loved, but the estrogen dosage was unnecessarily strong for my size. Generess is basically a lower-dose Femcon, with the same active ingredients, just in different amounts.

When I got home and read all the packaging, I realized these, like Femcon, are chewable. My doctor didn't mention that to me, which is where my question lies. The prescribing information says to chew and swallow the pill without water. It says nothing about swallowing the pill whole - either that it's okay or not okay. Femcon has detailed directions to chew and swallow with a LOT of water, or to just swallow it whole. When I took Femcon, I always swallowed it whole. I have no desire to chew my birth control, so I'm wondering why - if it's practically the same pill - the ingestion methods are so different.

I'll have to wait until Monday to ask my doctor and I want to start taking the pills tomorrow, so I figured I'd ask here... Does anyone else take Generess and have a straight answer? Will the effectiveness be compromised if I swallow it whole?

Thanks!