Great birth control pill for me OR NOT
I have been using Bayer Yasmin birth control pills for several years (I started on brand, switched to generic, then switched back to brand). The Yasmin pills have worked excellent for me. They have done their job (I haven't become pregnant). In addition, since going on the Yasmin, I have enjoyed lighter periods. I did gain a little weight (about 5-10 lbs) when I first went on the pills, however, it dropped away (with no effort on my part) after about 3 months. I have had the Yasmin in two types of packaging over the years. One has 4 rows of 7 pills each (the first 3 rows were pale yellow active pills and the last row had white dormant pills), the other has 21 pale yellow pills running around the edge of a small rectangle. Both are small and fit easily into my purse, makeup bag, or bedside table. However, I prefer the package with the 4 rows (although I never took the white dormant pills). I liked the rows over the oval, because sometimes in the morning I am so groggy I take the pill from the wrong direction. Then it messes up the day labels on the rest of the pills. I've done it more than once, so I see it as a real annoyance (I'm really not a morning person). Like most pills, you have to take it every day (well, every day for 3 weeks, then you take a week off). I don't mind this as it keeps me in a routine. I do have a period every month, but I am a bit uneasy about the ones that cause you to skip- seems too unnatural and I am sceptical that it doesn't harm you. Plus those ones seem to cause more weight gain. But that's just my opinion. UPDATE: At the start of 2012 my doctor insisted I switch pills since Yasmin significantly increases your risk of blood clots. I ended up switching to a natural form of birth control and it wasn't until I stopped Yasmin that I realized it was harming me more than I realized. It had caused me to become very sun sensitive (I'd burn after 5 min in the sun) and my skin would sometimes hurt for no reason. I also started to feel very disconnected from my emotions. I would feel sad for no reason and other times when I should feel happy or sad I would feel nothing at all. But worst of all, over time these pills almost completely killed my libido and caused dryness 'down there'. All of these things significantly improved after I stopped taking Yasmin so I have to say I wouldn't recommend them any more.
j9j
San Antonio, TX