Hello everyone. I am in desperate need of some help.

I am nearly 25 and slightly overweight (working on that currently) and have had my menstrual cycle for almost 11 years now. it started out fairly regular but in the last several years it has been more and more erratic. I started birth control pills 5 years ago and have tried several different kinds. At first they worked fantastically but then I began to have a lot of breakthrough bleeding. I've changed pills at least twice, I think three times, due to breakthrough bleeding.

In the last 8 months to a year though, my periods have been a major problem. One to two weeks before I'm set to start my period, I bleed a fair amount for about a week to 10 days. Then I don't bleed on my placebo pill days! I know that there are women out there who have periods every two weeks, but isn't the pill supposed to normalize that?

I've talked to my OBGYN about this several times, had my usual pap-smear done, blood work done (especially to see if it was thyroid), and have been looked at many times with ultrasound. Everything comes back normal every time. My OBGYN's suggestion was to take the highest dosage (which he was reluctant to prescribe) and an additional small dosage of estrogen on days that I bleed when I'm not supposed to.

I took a couple of months off from the pill to try and reset my body (yes, I checked with the doctor and got approval) and everything returned to how it was supposed to be... except for the fact that during my period, I couldn't move due to pain (and I have a fairly high tolerance of pain.)

The problem is that when I started back on the pill, it became erratic again. Can anyone tell me why this is happening? I've talked to my OBGYN, family practitioner, and nurse practitioner and all of their responses are, "Huh. I wonder why you're doing that." I'm wondering too, which is why I'm asking for any help I can get. Please! Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance!