Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with birthcontrolpill

Loss of libido with Levlen/Levora?

roxie110 — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:32:13 -0800

Has anyone taking the birth control pill Levora/Levlen had a loss of libido? I've been taking this pill for a year now, and (along with some weight gain that kicked in about 6 months later, yuck) I've noticed a pretty steep drop in my libido.

This is the first time I've ever been on the pill, and I'm trying to figure out whether this may be related to the pill itself, or whether I'm just not that attracted to my boyfriend anymore (it's been 6 years)!

Any info or advice would be welcome.

Red States vs Blue Pills

Anonymous — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 17:25:05 -0800

Dumb birth control pill question: why don't I need to use a backup method while taking the sugar pills? I started the pill a week ago. The brochure states that if I miss more than two days of the pill, I MUST USE A BACKUP METHOD OF BIRTH CONTROL OR I MIGHT GET PREGNANT (It really is in all caps). But during the "period" week, when you're missing seven days of active pills, no backup method is necessary. Why? What's the difference, especially when I'm supposedly allowed to reschedule the inactive week anyway?

I'm on Ortho-Cyclen, so there's no funny business with varying levels of hormones - all the pills are the same, except Week 4.

What got me wondering about this is that I inadvertently began taking the pill a week before my actual period, because I was spotting and mistook it for Day 1 (my cycle is super irregular, which I'm hoping to correct with the pill). So now, my actual period is here (I'm still taking the active pills), and I was thinking about putting off the sugar pill week for four weeks so I don't have to deal with this again so soon.

But when I take the sugar pills, how is that different from just missing pills? Are they assuming you won't have sex while you're bleeding?

I really, really, really, really, really don't want to get pregnant.

(Anonymous due to the hysterics that would ensue if by some hiccup of the cosmos my mother were to find out that her 27-year-old daughter is having premarital sex.)

Endometriosis?

miss tea — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 07:47:18 -0800

What kind of treatment have you had for endometriosis, and how were the side effects? I have just been given a tentative diagnosis of endometriosis, pending surgery I have scheduled for late December. I am not that anxious about the surgery. But my doctor is reccomending Lupron for six months afterward, which freaks me out. I don't take the birth control pill because it exacerbates my anxiety/depression, and I am concerned that the Lupron will do so too, if I take the add-back drugs to prevent hot flashes and bone density loss.

I'd also love to hear other women's experiences, about Lupron specifically and endometriosis in general. Although I am happy to have something explain my horrific cramps, I am also very bummed to now have a chronic condition.

Not pregnant, just crazy

ITheCosmos — Tue, 19 Jul 2005 14:07:07 -0800

Best birth control pill for depression? So, I was starting to wonder why I went a little crazy after I started on the pill (Orto Tri-Cyclen). Things were going well in my life, but my tendencies towards depression and OCD got suddenly much worse. I only found out fairly recently, after 4 or 5 months on the pill that it can exacerbate depression. Mental illness seems to run in my family and since my mother committed suicide, I'm pretty concerned about keeping up good mental health.

I'm going to talk to my doctor about this on Thursday, and I know that the pill surely isn't the only relevant variable that I should be looking into, but I'm interested in other people's experiences with this sort of problem.

I'm 18, if that's relevant.