Thread: Longer, Heavier Periods on BC

I started taking Nordette about five months ago - this is the first brand of BC I have taken. My experience with Nordette has been mixed - overall I have not had drastic physical effects, but I have become very hormonal, stressed, and moody...Just to name a few. These side effects have become slightly more bearable, but I still consider them an issue. But my primary complaint is my period - I started Nordette as a birth control option, not necessarily to regulate my period. I had a normal 3-5 day period every 30 days every month for forever, with no complications. Now on birth control, I have my period every 21 days (which is regulated by the pack) and it lasts for at least 5 days, usually until I start my new pack on Sundays (and sometimes it even lasts until Monday). In addition to them being longer, they're also a lot heavier - for the first 3 days I experience a very heavy flow with a lot of clotting. Even worse, I get awful cramps, stomach aches, back aches, etc during this time. All of these effects are uncharacteristic of my "non BC" period, which is pretty normal and the side effects are not nearly as bad. I take my pill every day at the same time and I have never had any other health issues/illness.

I was just wondering if this gets better over time, or will it improve it if I were to switch to a new brand? I was considering switching to a new brand anyway, the hormonal effects I am experiencing with Nordette were becoming very stressful.