Switching Birth Control

[blue-cassandra.livejournal.com]

I have endometriosis and am worried about messing with my current birth control, Yasmin, but it has gotten to be much too expensive. Are there any birth controls similar to Yasmin? Has anyone switched from Yasmin to another different one without much trouble? Thank you so much! 

Comments

[frolicnaked.livejournal.com]

I'd definitely be interested in accessing that report if possible. Do you think you could possibly scrounge up a link?

In the US at least, neither Yasmin nor Yaz have generics available. I'm not sure, but I think it's because the progestin those pills contain -- drospirenone (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drospirenone) -- is a newer one.

[syducingfate.livejournal.com]

What about a Mirena IUD? I've read that they're helpful for endometriosis. They tend to stop or at least lighten your periods after a few months and if nothing else, most women report lessened PMS symptoms, like cramps and bloating. They're a little expensive up front ($300-400) but you can do a payment plan through Mirena and also, if you use Planned Parenthood, they sometimes use a sliding scale depending on your income. The best part? They're 99.9% effective (which is more than a tubal ligation) and last for 5 years! That's under $7/month!

I can't use hormones and so I got the Paragard (non-hormonal/copper IUD) which is 99.4% effective (same as a tubal ligation) over 10 years.

Just a warning, there are alot of out-dated opinions online that IUDs are bad because of the Dalkon Shield (an IUD model from about 35 years back) fiasco that will tell you they're bad for women who haven't had children. This is simply not the case anymore. I'm 28, no children and a small cervix/uterus and I've had no problems whatsoever, same with many other women with IUDs.

You can check the community iud_divas for more info.

Good luck, whatever you choose!