Finding the right BC

[dragon2656]

I was on the combined pill for roughly 25yrs and was absolutely fine with it. I had to come off it as I have high blood pressure. I have since tried two minipills (cerazette and noriday) and had constant spotting/breakthrough bleeding on them. I dont want the IUD, implant or injection and cannot have anything with combined hormones. I am at my wits end as nothing seems to be working as well as the combined pill which is now no longer an option. I had heavy painful periods which is why i went on the pill and am worried that they will be the same if i come off pills altogether, not to mention the withdrawal of coming off hormones after such a long time. Has anyone had similar problems and found a minipill that worked?

[Alison H.]

Hi Dragon,

I have not ever been on the minipill so hopefully someone on the forums who has can weigh in on this.

What has your doctor suggested in terms of other minipill options, beyond the two you've tried? Or is the spotting/breakthrough bleeding just common with those in particular?

I'm wondering too, is the combined pill an option IF your blood pressure is brought down (whether through medication or lifestyle changes)? Because even though the spotting from a minipill is irksome, if there's an end in sight to it (meaning you'd eventually be able to back to the combined pill that worked for so long), it might be only a temporary inconvenience.

I can completely understand not wanting to get off of hormones altogether; I have to imagine there'd be considerable withdrawal or at least some pretty significant hormonal shifts in the process.

[Guest]

I think it's better for anyone who have find themself of high blood pressure should consult the doctor for better advice and medication prescription ..

[Space-Traveller]

I took the mini-pill, which caused me many problems, including possible blood clots. But it's very rare for someone to develop them on progestin-only birth control, so don't take it as a suggestion.

There is also the mini-pill Slynd, but from my research, it isn't any better in terms of uncontrolled bleeding than the other mini-pills. However, maybe the bleeding would subside after some time? The mini-pill is a lower dose of hormones after all, and withdrawal causes bleeding. When I went off borth control, I bled for about a month constantly and it eventually ended when my body started to produce more hormones on its own. The mini-pill should cause lighter than normal menstrual bleeding if it occurs, when the withrawal symptoms settle, obviously, because progesterone thins the uterine lining.