Yasmin pill vs Loestrin 30 pill

Don’t listen to everyone fear mongering about the combined pill . As a young adult , I’ve had zero issues with taking it . I was at first so so scared of the side effects but I have had zero !! Literally no changed whatsoever. I have endometriosis and pcos and the pill so far hasn’t made a huge difference but then again I don’t have very many symptoms or pain for either of the conditions . No mood swings , no anxiety depression or anything . I feel exactly as before , more balanced maybe ? No weight gain at all , didn’t kill my libido either . Actually I would say it made my libido a bit stronger . No change in personality , sense of smell taste or anything else . I’ve had literally zero effects and feel just like before . So honestly if you’re thinking of going on it , try it for a month , you can always quit if you don’t like it . Remember everyone’s body is different though and may react in a different way.

At first I spotted almost everyday but after 2 months the spotting stopped. I noticed that I started having mood swings, 😔. The most uncomfortable though is the breast enlargement. My breasts have grown bigger. They're mostly feeling tender and sore. It's uncomfortable. Other than that the pill didn't change my menstrual cycle.

As soon as I started taking it, my first period whist on this pill came after a week and it was the most horrible period I’ve had in my entire life (it was a longer period then I ever had before (with really heavy cramps constantly) that was the first step in the negative journey. After that, I continued taking it and my acne got worse especially on my back. I had thought it would improve but was much worse event at month two. After two months of taking this pill, I’ve also gained weight which I noticed straight away but had put down to temporary water retention but seems to not budge and have had extreme weight fluctuations like never before and been feeling very off and not myself ever since taking it/depressed, also have lost all sex drive. I am at the point where it’s either stick it out for another month to see if symptoms ease up or stop and cut my losses. I’ve decided to stop.

I was put on Loestrin as an early teen post chemo/radiotherapy when my body didn't develop naturally. I was never really told at that age what side effects there were. I already suffered with migraines and regular headaches which always occured in the week before the break. I stayed in this till my late 20s when I first began to notice the thinness of my hair. It was only then that I was told it has a lot of testosterone in it that does lead to hair loss. Sadly my hair is now very thin but I was able to switch off this brand and stabilize the loss.

I took this pill for 3 years total with a year’s break after the first year of taking it. Finally made my period bearable for the first time in my life. The withdrawal bleed was lighter and much less painful. It made my anxiety worse and I gained around 3 kilos but it was worth it. I’m gutted it is no longer available. I’ve been searching for a suitable alternative for 4 years but have not been successful yet.

Although taking it on time was a bit of a chore. It was the best method I ever used. After a couple of years it stopped my periods entirely which was great and any bleeding I did have whilst on this pill was very minimal and over in 3 days or less. It cleared up my skin beautifully and I never had any issues with it which was a relief as I had to try many different pills to find this one. I stopped taking it for a bit because although it had no negative impact on my mood I did feel like it dulled the highs and lows of my emotions a bit and I wanted to see what I would feel like off it. Sadly, while I was on that break they discontinued this pill. I am so sad about it. Currently back on the hunt for an alternative and it's not going well. Really wish they'd bring it back!

Context: I was put on Loestrin in 2014 as an attempt at controlling my endometriosis. I'd had a tubal ligation a few months prior so wasn't using it for birth control. Within a month of starting it I wound up in the ER with severe abdominal pain. When I say severe I mean it felt like a cross between gallstone attack and labor pain. A CT scan showed that my small intestine was severely inflamed and the docs said it looked like Crohn's disease. I was given antibiotics, steroids, potassium, and pain meds and it started to get better. Two weeks later I was back in the ER again with the same symptoms and was asked if I had recently made any changes to my diet or taken anything new that could have caused it. I never even suspected it could be the pill until I realized that was the only change I'd recently made. I stopped taking it and started researching and found that there is a link between hormonal birth control pills and intestinal issues and Crohn's. My gyno said it was a very rare side effect and agreed I shouldn't take it anymore. Lo and behold, I don't have Crohn's and haven't had any issues since, nor have I bothered with trying to control my endometriosis with any kind of hormonal birth control after such a miserable experience. It's just not worth it.

Overall I thought this pill worked really well for me however for years didn’t realise that my dwindling sex drive was due to it. This actually caused ongoing difficulty between myself and my partner as we slowly mis-matched in drives which could be upsetting and confusing for both of us. I’ve been with my partner over 8 years and knew it wasn’t because I wasn’t attracted to him. Coming off the pill has confirmed that as I’m nearly a year off and am very nearly back to what I was like pre-pill which is amazing. I had to stop taking it because of supply issue and moved to Yasmin as after researching a lot it seemed most similar. I reacted so badly to that one though it finally gave me to push to stop using contraceptives (apart from condoms) and I’m so glad!

Great pill had no issues, very sad its been discontinued, have found Gederal 30/150 to be next best thing but not as good.

Can sometimes be difficult to take them at the right time, making them less effective. Slightly inconvenient to have to keep collecting new packs every 3 months.

I found this combined pill great. I had no side effects to note other than lighter periods when I took the break.

Absolutely devastated that they've discontinued Loestrin 30. Mission to find a new pill that works for me as well as this one did. Worked well for my moods although in hindsight, at times felt a little lost and like my mood was dull for periods of time. Weight gain was an issue but skin was great, my skin was fairly clear before starting it and there were barely any problems while on it. BRING IT BACKKKK!!!! it was perfect for me.

Worked much better for me than my previous pill, less menstrual cramps, lighter periods and better mood. However, the acne I have got from using this pill is awful! Painful, cystic spots around my jawline and chin.