[Riley55]

Hey! I am 17 and am planning to start an oral contraceptive for the first time. I was planning to start on Yasmin, would you recommend that? Also the instructions say to start the pill on the first day of my period but I just got done with my period today on May 18th, it started on May 13th. Is it okay if start taking the pill from tomorrow? I don't plan on any sexual activity during my first cycle on he pill however i can't wait till my next period to start taking th pill because that's when my boyfriend comes back into town.I was thinking to start the pill from tomorrow, and take it for 21 days and instead of taking th 7 inactive pills , start the next pack immediately, thus skipping my period while my boyfriend is in town. My question is since I'm not starting the pill on the first day of my period, is that okay? If i start it tomorrow, have no sex for the first whole pack (21) days, immediately start the next pack without waiting for withdrawl bleed and have sex while in the second week of third pack, will I be safe as we dont plan on using condoms? Also as this is my first time on the pill, is it okay to use 2 packs in a row? Are there any major side effects?

[rosekitten]

Skipping the placebo won't necessarily skip your period. Also, I believe contraceptives say to wait 3 months (read the packet) before having unprotected sex. I don't know though, as I've been on BC for 8 years straight. lol Taking two packs in a row, along with not starting them in line with your cycle will probably cause some dramatic effects on your body. Why not talk to the Dr. you got the prescription from? The packet from your BC will give you a lot of info, but if you just got the script, why not ask your Dr.? I'm by no means an expert, so I could be wrong on some of my info. Hopefully someone else will step in, but I still think asking a medical professional is better than going to people on the internet when it comes right down to it. Advice is great here, though, but I always take what I find online and confirm with my Dr.

[Ashlee T.]

I hope you still plan to protect yourself from STD's.

Some women get on bc and adjust quickly. Other's don't. If I recall, my doctor told me to wait one full cycle before truly considering it effective. Even then I was a bit paranoid because my cycle seemed so screwed up, so I think I waited 2-3 months. Either way, I eventually choose to go off of it due to the undesirable side effects. I tried "skipping" a period one month due to a four wheeling camping trip and though it worked, i spotted and was miserable for the next month until my next period. I never did it again.

You definitely need to develop a good rapport with your doctor. ESPECIALLY if you plan on making the very very serious decision to have unprotected sex. Me? I'd require a std test for any man who intends to have unprotected sex with me. And even then there's no guarantee he won't cheat and still bring something back to me. Your health, your life is more important than sex without a condom....trust me.

[edawn]

Your doctor should be able to provide a good recommendation for which birth control you use. Also, when I first started oral contraceptives I took the first pill on the Sunday after my period... not on the first day of my period