Women's health: experiences from women who take progesterone only birth control pills

[Pixie Dusted Snow]

I'm going to my gyn on Tuesday so don't worry I'm not seeking medical advice just hoping for some experiences.

I'm in my early/mid 30's

I had been on the same combine birth control pill between 2012-2018.
In 18 months between 2016 and 2017 I lost 60lbs through changing my lifestyle.
After having maintained that loss for 8 months I changed birth control pills to an extended cycle pill.
Unfortunately I had some breakthrough bleeding which was annoying but I was dealing with it to have less "periods".
In the 18 months I was on that pill I gained 12lbs even though my lifestyle had not changed.
January of 2020 I asked to switch back to the other birth control and my gyn agreed but also insisted that the extended cycle pill was not the cause.
After 1 month I lost 3lbs and then another 2lbs by July 2020.
In November I decided to see what would happen if I just stopped taking them.
In this short of time I lost the rest of the weight and yes that was with Thanksgiving/Christmas/NYE in which I had cookies etc which I had not allowed myself in 2019 because my weight was really bothering me and made me feel like I was doing something wrong.

Now that I've done a lot of research and found out that higher estrogen levels causes water retention and was likely the reason I gained weight and was swollen/puffy and not fitting into clothes that were actually a bit lose on me prior I've decided that I'd like to go on either a low estrogen combination pill or a progesterone only pill.

I'm curious to hear from those who have taken or are taking a progesterone only pill.
As mentioned I had breakthrough bleeding on the extended cycle pill and I know progesterone only pills are taken continuously without a placebo week.
So the main things I'm wondering is if you had breakthrough bleeding on the progesterone only pills? If so how long did it last and eventually did you stop bleeding completely?

 

[DisneyMommy77]

Hi!
First congrats on your weight loss!

I have used Progesterone only pill and then Mirena IUD which is Progesterone only for the last 1.5 years.

I have not experienced any weight gain from it, but have not stopped bleeding. Much lighter, but now much longer and more often. My Dr. said it could take a full year on the IUD. This month is one year.

Also, has not alleviated any PMS symptoms, unfortunately. I was hoping for more relief.

I cannot take estrogen birth control. Makes me very nauseas.

Best of luck!

 

[Christine]

Okay, it's been a long time for me but due to not tolerating estrogen, I was put on progesterone only pills. The lightened my periods a bit (they were always very heavy) and I got ZERO side effects from them. Unless you call "children" side effects!!

The very first doctor to prescribe them to me NEVER told me that they had a very narrow window with regard to taking them. That every day the pills should be taken at the EXACT same time and if you varied more than hour, your protection was gone. Never told me. Now, I'm a very "scheduled" person, so for the most part, I was doing that, with the exception of here and there on a weekend. They worked for me for 2 years and then I got pregnant (still not thinking my actions of not being regimented with the dosing caused it). After my daughter was born, I resumed taking them and again, did well with my routines for almost 3 years. Got pregnant again. During this time, I was moving from my current house to a new place and had to get a new OB/GYN during my second month of pregnancy. When I relayed all of the above to him, he was astounded. He said only prescribes progesterone only pills to breastfeeding mothers who need additional protection or others who take it for different reasons and use back up methods for birth control

Soooo...that's my warning if you are using them for birth control. The progesterone only Mirena IUD works for pregnancy protection because it's constant/steady protection.

Now maybe progesterone only oral contraceptives have changed and work better now. I was taking brand name Micronor so you can look at that compared to what you'd be prescribed.

Based on my experience, I'd go with the very low dose estrogen pills, although they have that breakthrough bleeding side effect in many cases.

 

[Christine]

I cannot take estrogen birth control. Makes me very nauseas.

Glad to know I'm not the only one in the world who experiences this. I was SO nauseous on estrogen birth control. My daughter now is also. She has had luck with Nuva-Ring though.

 

[easyas123]

I am 48, and just started my second month of a progesterone pill called Slynd. Put on them from regular BC pills, LoLoestrin. My (new) Dr. wanted me to transition to them as my perimenopause continues. I was on regular BC for probably 15=18 years now due to issues surrounding my cycle, not for birth control, although I did get pregnant with my second child while ON birth control, as did my mother!
This is the first time, with the exception of my two pregnancies, that I haven't had a period. So - about 24 years. But I've had very low grade on & off cramping and just that 'feeling" I usually get when it's about to start, but never did.
I've also carried a fair bit of extra weight for many, many years now , but lost about 20 lbs. 18 months ago. I'm not sure if the pills had anything to do with it or not, but I've heard that they can cause it. I'm interested in seeing if I can shift a bit more now that I'm off the old pills.
Other than no period and that feeling that I was getting ready to start, but not - no other side affects that I've noticed. No spotting either.
Dr. did mention it was important to take them the same time every day for the purposes of using them for BC, but my husband had a vasectomy 2 weeks after youngest was born, so while I do keep the habit of taking them every night prior to bed, I don't sweat it if I take them earlier or later or won't worry about it if I was to forget one.
I haven't been able to find much about it's use for women my age/treatment of perimenopause symptoms, but I did find a bit about it for use specifically as BC, so I'm afraid I can't offer any more info on it that the above. Like I said, I'm early into it - just started second pack. I'll say, oddly enough, didn't gain more than 2 or 3 lbs. over the holidays, and I really ate & drank more than I should!

 

[mom2rtk]

It's been quite some time, but my try at using progesterone only pills was a disaster. Bleeding all the time.

 

[Pixie Dusted Snow]

Thanks everyone!

Don't worry I know that there is a 3 hour window for most progesterone only pills. Some are 12 hours though.
I've learned this through my research.
I have never had a hard time remembering to take my BCP especially because I take it at night as part of my bedtime routine (I too felt terribly sick when I first started and was told by my gyn its common and if you take it and then go to bed its much less likely to make you feel sick).
I also take eye drops before I go to bed so its become very easy to remember.
Out of the 10ish years I've been taking BCP I've missed a pill maybe 3 times.
I'm also not currently using it for birth control purposes but rather for predictability.

My sister had a terrible experience with hormonal IUD and her body rejected it. It was nearly out of her body at the 1 month check up so I'd rather not try that route.

I also don't like the thought of the arm implant.

I am allergic to adhesive so the patch is not an option.

I considered the nuvaring as the hormones are more localized however I am a non tampon user and feel like the ring may be uncomfortable.

So pills seem to be my best option.

 

[sonnyjane]

Thanks everyone!

Don't worry I know that there is a 3 hour window for most progesterone only pills. Some are 12 hours though.
I've learned this through my research.
I have never had a hard time remembering to take my BCP especially because I take it at night as part of my bedtime routine (I too felt terribly sick when I first started and was told by my gyn its common and if you take it and then go to bed its much less likely to make you feel sick).
I also take eye drops before I go to bed so its become very easy to remember.
Out of the 10ish years I've been taking BCP I've missed a pill maybe 3 times.
I'm also not currently using it for birth control purposes but rather for predictability.

My sister had a terrible experience with hormonal IUD and her body rejected it. It was nearly out of her body at the 1 month check up so I'd rather not try that route.

I also don't like the thought of the arm implant.

I am allergic to adhesive so the patch is not an option.

I considered the nuvaring as the hormones are more localized however I am a non tampon user and feel like the ring may be uncomfortable.

So pills seem to be my best option.

Out of all the BC options I’ve tried, Nuvaring is the one I liked the most, and actually I’d say loved. I ended up being on that one for about 8 years until DH got his vasectomy. Prior to that I had tried at least six different pills, including Seasonale which was intended to be 90 days of use then a period (so 4 periods a year). That was a disaster. Not only did I have breakthrough the entire time, but my skin took YEARS to recover long after I went off it. I could cry just thinking about how horrible that time was. My body has never been able to skip periods, much to my dismay. No matter the usage, that period was coming. The most I could get away with was with Nuvaring I could push it back a week if I had a vacation or something coming. I didn’t feel it and it wasn’t uncomfortable for me, but a friend recently tried it for 6 months based on my glowing recommendation and didn’t like it. BC is really such a personal thing for each woman’s body! You just never know. Now I’ve been off BC for almost three years and I’m still learning what that’s like, since I had been on BC nonstop for 17 years.

 

[Pixie Dusted Snow]

Out of all the BC options I’ve tried, Nuvaring is the one I liked the most, and actually I’d say loved. I ended up being on that one for about 8 years until DH got his vasectomy. Prior to that I had tried at least six different pills, including Seasonale which was intended to be 90 days of use then a period (so 4 periods a year). That was a disaster. Not only did I have breakthrough the entire time, but my skin took YEARS to recover long after I went off it. I could cry just thinking about how horrible that time was. My body has never been able to skip periods, much to my dismay. No matter the usage, that period was coming. The most I could get away with was with Nuvaring I could push it back a week if I had a vacation or something coming. I didn’t feel it and it wasn’t uncomfortable for me, but a friend recently tried it for 6 months based on my glowing recommendation and didn’t like it. BC is really such a personal thing for each woman’s body! You just never know. Now I’ve been off BC for almost three years and I’m still learning what that’s like, since I had been on BC nonstop for 17 years.

Same!
I've never been able to completely skip.
I used to get 5 weeks out of the pill I was on from 2012-2018.
I was then on the generic for Seasonale and never made it to the 13th week blood free. That's also the one I gained 12lbs on.

I had considered nuvaring because of the localized hormones but fear that I may feel it or that when going to the bathroom or jumping around exercising it will slip out. (any issues with that happening to you?)
I've read that nuvaring has 35 days of hormones so you can actually attempt to extend or skip the bleeding but I wonder how well it would work for me.

The fact that I seem to not be able to skip is what also makes me worry about progesterone only pills since its a continuous pill.

 

[mom2rtk]

Same!
I've never been able to completely skip.
I used to get 5 weeks out of the pill I was on from 2012-2018.
I was then on the generic for Seasonale and never made it to the 13th week blood free. That's also the one I gained 12lbs on.

I had considered nuvaring because of the localized hormones but fear that I may feel it or that when going to the bathroom or jumping around exercising it will slip out. (any issues with that happening to you?)
I've read that nuvaring has 35 days of hormones so you can actually attempt to extend or skip the bleeding but I wonder how well it would work for me.

The fact that I seem to not be able to skip is what also makes me worry about progesterone only pills since its a continuous pill.

You can take other BC pills continuously with a doctor's direction (mine was for endometriosis). I did for many many years. It was lovely. On odd occasion I'd have a bit of breakthrough bleeding, but it was rare.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I've only been on combination ones. First one was Ortho-Cyclen (for a few months) before switching to its generic MonoNessa. It's been a good 10 years since I've been on one so I couldn't tell you what effects I would have if I started now.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I also don't like the thought of the arm implant.

Sister-in-law has that one. Last year when it was time to take it out and replace it..COVID got in the way. They pushed it off for at least 6 weeks. By the time she got in, the implant had moved and they had to try and get it out by an incision...that didn't work as it had migrated away. They were able to finally get it but honestly that always made me concerned with the arm implants. I don't think that issue necessarily is high in occurrence but it's just not one I'd like to risk.

 

[Pixie Dusted Snow]

You can take other BC pills continuously with a doctor's direction (mine was for endometriosis). I did for many many years. It was lovely. On odd occasion I'd have a bit of breakthrough bleeding, but it was rare.

Maybe I was unclear.
I WAS taking monophasic combination birth control pills that could be taken continuously and also tried the extended cycle pills specifically designed to be taken continuously so that you only took a break week every 3 months and I would always start bleeding well ahead of time and it would not stop until I took a break week.

 

[MrsJackSparrow4Life]

I never took them because birth control and myself do not get along in any form (this is why I got my tubes tied) but I have friends that have taken it in the past. Every single one of them have a “whoops” child. I would only use it as birth control if you are okay with an accidental pregnancy occurring.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I never took them because birth control and myself do not get along in any form (this is why I got my tubes tied) but I have friends that have taken it in the past. Every single one of them have a “whoops” child. I would only use it as birth control if you are okay with an accidental pregnancy occurring.

That's a bit of a stretch there. I mean yes accidental pregnancy in so much as accepting it can happen is different than warning someone away from something like that.

If every single one of your friends had a whoops baby they are defying the statistical probability based on just the birth control itself.

Keep in mind that the usual cautionary wording is "when taken correctly" and is 99% effective when done that way (at least for the pill). If you're on a pill taking it everyday at the same time is important, skipping a pill or being widely off of timing can affect it, antibiotics can affect it and so can other medications, if you throw up too soon after taking it, etc.

Statistically speaking it's usually something else than the actual birth control itself that interacts increasing the odds of the birth control failing. Back up contraception should be used in those cases.

 

[DisneyMommy77]

Same!
I've never been able to completely skip.
I used to get 5 weeks out of the pill I was on from 2012-2018.
I was then on the generic for Seasonale and never made it to the 13th week blood free. That's also the one I gained 12lbs on.

I had considered nuvaring because of the localized hormones but fear that I may feel it or that when going to the bathroom or jumping around exercising it will slip out. (any issues with that happening to you?)
I've read that nuvaring has 35 days of hormones so you can actually attempt to extend or skip the bleeding but I wonder how well it would work for me.

The fact that I seem to not be able to skip is what also makes me worry about progesterone only pills since its a continuous pill.

I tried the Nuvaring many years ago. I couldn’t stand it. I could feel it and it bothered me. I was concerned about something similar with Mirena IUD, but haven’t noticed it at all. I am horrible at remembering to take pills, so this has been my best option. Periods are light now, but I just wish they didn’t last so long.

 

[Pixie Dusted Snow]

I never took them because birth control and myself do not get along in any form (this is why I got my tubes tied) but I have friends that have taken it in the past. Every single one of them have a “whoops” child. I would only use it as birth control if you are okay with an accidental pregnancy occurring.

FYI tubal ligation is not 100% effective. Its 99% just like an IUD and implant. Pills, the ring, and the patch are also 99% effective if used properly and 91% with "typical use" meaning if you forget to take a pill, vomit/have diarrhea within a couple of hours

 

[sonnyjane]

Same!
I've never been able to completely skip.
I used to get 5 weeks out of the pill I was on from 2012-2018.
I was then on the generic for Seasonale and never made it to the 13th week blood free. That's also the one I gained 12lbs on.

I had considered nuvaring because of the localized hormones but fear that I may feel it or that when going to the bathroom or jumping around exercising it will slip out. (any issues with that happening to you?)
I've read that nuvaring has 35 days of hormones so you can actually attempt to extend or skip the bleeding but I wonder how well it would work for me.

The fact that I seem to not be able to skip is what also makes me worry about progesterone only pills since its a continuous pill.

Definitely no problems with it falling out. You mentioned tampons - it’s much smaller than a tampon. It’s the exact size of a simple rubber hair tie. My husband said he could feel it a little during sex but that was all. You can remove it for the act of sex per the instructions, I would just be too afraid of forgetting to put it back in. The hardest thing about Nuvaring for me was that I had to set an alarm to remember to take it out when I was supposed to (in other words, I forgot about it).

You mentioned weight loss/gain. I’m not obese but am a bit above normal weight. When I was first crying to my doctor about the continuous stuff not working, or about the fact that I had such a tight time window on the pill that if I was 45 min late, I’d get my period, she told me that birth control pills are designed for normal weight women (she said up to 150 lbs. at the time for 5’7” me, now I’m reading up to BMI of 30 which would give far more leeway). Anyone above that weight may have reduced efficacy. That may be why the continuous steady stream from Nuvaring was so helpful for me.

 

[Pixie Dusted Snow]

Definitely no problems with it falling out. You mentioned tampons - it’s much smaller than a tampon. It’s the exact size of a simple rubber hair tie. My husband said he could feel it a little during sex but that was all. You can remove it for the act of sex per the instructions, I would just be too afraid of forgetting to put it back in. The hardest thing about Nuvaring for me was that I had to set an alarm to remember to take it out when I was supposed to (in other words, I forgot about it).

You mentioned weight loss/gain. I’m not obese but am a bit above normal weight. When I was first crying to my doctor about the continuous stuff not working, or about the fact that I had such a tight time window on the pill that if I was 45 min late, I’d get my period, she told me that birth control pills are designed for normal weight women (she said up to 150 lbs. at the time for 5’7” me, now I’m reading up to BMI of 30 which would give far more leeway). Anyone above that weight may have reduced efficacy. That may be why the continuous steady stream from Nuvaring was so helpful for me.

Thank you. You've been very helpful.
I will ask my gyn if she thinks nuvaring would be a good fit.

 

[MrsJackSparrow4Life]

FYI tubal ligation is not 100% effective. Its 99% just like an IUD and implant. Pills, the ring, and the patch are also 99% effective if used properly and 91% with "typical use" meaning if you forget to take a pill, vomit/have diarrhea within a couple of hours

And I’m okay with an accidental pregnancy if that happens.