[FlamingoThePink]

I am scedualed for an appointment to start taking birth control this Tuesday. I am 18, I have never been on birth control and I have never had an exame of any kind before and I'm a little nervous. I have been reading up on this forum to see if there were any discussions about the side affects of birth control, but there was nothing vaguely described. I know there are many different prescriptions of birth control so I can understand why my question may be hard to answer.

I would like to know what the general side affects of taking a oral birth control suppliment would consist of. Increased acne, weight gain, loss of lebido, etc.? Is it possible to become pregnant while taking birth control?

I would also like to ask about the weight gain (if that is a side affect,). When females say they "gained a ton of weight on the pill," is this because they had an increase in appetite or did the suppliments actually cause an involuntary weight gain?

I also have exremely short, light and irregular periods and I'm not sure if this is normal. Today was the last day of my period that lasted three days and I want to say my last period was about six weeks ago. Sometimes I go over three months without a period. Is this normal? Is it possible that birth control will regulate my cycle more frequently?

Thank you for your help

[x.st.angel.x]

Hello and welcome to the forum, have a look at the reply i wrote on this thread:

https://www.womens-health.com/boards/birth-control/20575-non-hormonal-birth-control-iuds-whats-low-down.html#post137163

Hope it helps

[FlamingoThePink]

I'm not sure if this makes a difference or not but my appointment is through a local clinic. I'm not certain if they generally perscribe a generic form of birth control to anyone that walks in for a visit or if I am able to express my concerns reguarding side effects. Will I have different options of birth control brands to choose from or will they automatically place my on one and call it a day? I ask this because I am not sure if clinics are different than a doctor's office.

[ItsASecret]

I know there are many different prescriptions of birth control so I can understand why my question may be hard to answer.

Pill forms will be offered in 4 forms. Monophasic, bi-phasic, tri-phasic, and mini-pill. Each 'phasic' portion represents how the main ingredients in the pill are delivered. Mono means only one concentration of ingredients for the entire pack, bi-phasic means for the first 2 weeks it will be concentration x then the last few pills will be a little higher concentration, tri-phasic will mean 3 different concentrations of pills every week-this method most closely mimics the natural body as concentrations of the same chemicals in the body increase over time before your period just like the tri-phasic pill does. And the mini-pill is offered for women who do not do well with regular birth control, it is less effective than the normal brands but it does offer a method for those who cannot stomach the estrogen-mimicing chemical in regular birth control.

I would like to know what the general side affects of taking a oral birth control suppliment would consist of. Increased acne, weight gain, loss of lebido, etc.?

Side effects can be considered good or bad. Example, birth control has been prescribed to control the spread and development of acne and in other patients it has caused acne. Some patients note they gain weight, some patients notice they lost weight. Some note hair loss. Growth of pre-existing tumors or cysts has also been noted. Libido increases and decreases are noted. No symptom other than the desired birth control effects will be able to be predicted. What happens to one woman many not happen in 10,000 others. The negative side effects are rare. Some of the more common side effects include breast tenderness, nausea, headaches, and vomiting.

When you get the prescription your doctor will ask if you have a history of blood clots, history of breast cancer in the family, heart kidney or liver issues in the family, and if you smoke. If you smoke they may be hesitant to prescribe you the medication as it increases the risk of blood clots.

Is it possible to become pregnant while taking birth control?

Yes. Birth control is about 98-99.xx% effective if taken exactly as directed. That means no missed or skipped pills and no consistent late pills. You have about a 3 hour window to keep the effects of the pill as high as possible. Any later than that and the pill begins to lose its birth control effects.

I would also like to ask about the weight gain (if that is a side affect,). When females say they "gained a ton of weight on the pill," is this because they had an increase in appetite or did the suppliments actually cause an involuntary weight gain?

Weight gain is possible. Many will exaggerate the gain because they want something to blame other than bad eating/exercise habits. However there have been cases when a person can gain 2 lbs in a year or 50 lbs. There is no way to predict how much or even if it is going to happen.

I also have exremely short, light and irregular periods and I'm not sure if this is normal. Today was the last day of my period that lasted three days and I want to say my last period was about six weeks ago. Sometimes I go over three months without a period. Is this normal? Is it possible that birth control will regulate my cycle more frequently?

Birth control is frequently prescribed as a method to regulate cycles. They become predictable to the body because they are used to seeing x amount of the pill in the body until the inactive placebo pills. Once those placebo pills are started it is the signal for the body to start the period. So it is quite possible once your body is used to the pill, could take upwards of 3 months for some women, to mark on the calendar the exact weeks for the entire year you will be having your period based entirely on when you will be taking the placebo pills.

I'm not sure if this makes a difference or not but my appointment is through a local clinic.

Keep in mind some local clinics will offer birth control and some will not. This is because of a lack of a medical history of that patient oftentimes. This is why seeing your GP is a better choice. But it is still worth the appointment to ask questions.

I'm not certain if they generally perscribe a generic form of birth control to anyone that walks in for a visit or if I am able to express my concerns reguarding side effects.

Generic version will be offered by the pharmacist when you pick up the prescription. All the generic brand means is it is cheaper than the name brand. You will be free to ask some questions to your doctor when you go in for the appointment.

Will I have different options of birth control brands to choose from or will they automatically place my on one and call it a day?

You will likely be prescribed the one that they prescribe the most as these days everything is considered 'low dose' to minimize any potential side effects. But I am sure you could simply ask the doctor which brand they would recommend.

[Guest]

Generic means more than just being cheaper than the name brand but since you haven't had either one, it won't effect you.

[FlamingoThePink]

Thank you for all of your responses. It looks like there is not much I can do except give it a try and hope for the best. Thank you ItsASecret for taking the time to reply to my post. Much appriciated and very helpful.

[KaytiC]

One side effect I noticed when I took oral BC was a sever drop in my sex drive. This happened with any type of BC I used, not just the pill.

Also, and this one is much weirder, I experienced shall we say... Mood issues. To be blunt it made me friggin crazy in the head. There are ways I acted and reacted to stuff while on oral BC that makes me go "WTF?!" now. Now out of everyone I know I have only heard of this happening to one other woman besides myself. It is a very rare side effect, but please watch out for it. The doctors might say you are bi-polar or manic depressive and try to give you an Rx for one of their many "happy pills." Before taking those please try and see if it your BC by giving yourself a break from it. I went through over a year of "happy pills" that did nothing until I finally stopped taking my BC, and then poof! Back to normal for me.

While I know this is different for everyone I just want you to be aware of a slightly more rare side effect.

[FlamingoThePink]

Wow those are other people's bad experiences that make me a little nervous. Thank you for sharing, and I will be sure to pay attention to any side affects.