Expert: Diane Cheryl - 7/20/2010

Question
I have had difficulty picking birth controls although I have not been on it for very long. I went on birth control for the first time December of 2009. I was prescribed yasmin but I took ocella (the generic version). I was prescribed birth control partially for its protection against pregnancy but also for its additional health benefits. I have moderate-severe acne (no cysts), severe menstrual cramps, and potentially PMDD.

After being on yasmin for 3+ months I had significantly reduced acne and menstrual pain. Yet I experienced the typical weight gain (which could be a result of being in college), fatigue, irritability, vaginal dryness, and severely decreased libido. At times, I was afraid I was becoming depressed as well.

After seeing my OB/GYN I was prescribed Gildess FE 1.5/3.0 (which is the generic version). I took it for one month before I accidentally lost my prescription and had to take a month off of birth control. In total, I have had one month on, one month off, and I am currently on my second month of Gildess. My acne has increased somewhat and I have started to spot and my periods have been more severe (most likely a result of the on-off bc problems). I have also been much more prone to mood swings and irritable. I have been away for the summer (and for the duration of my switch to Gildess) so I do not know the effect of the birth control upon my libido.

Is there a better birth control for me to switch to or should I stick to the one I'm on? If I could name the three things most important to me they would be acne, libido, and menstrual pain. These are the things I value the most in birth control.

Thank you so much!

Answer
Dear Ashton,

I don't usually recommend any kind of hormonal birth control method. The reason on this is because I don't think the hormones used are healthy for a woman's body. Some side effects are short-term and some are long-term. Also, there are still lots of studies going on about the effects of birth control methods, pill, etc because these really have not been around that long.

I don't like the side effects of the pill or other hormonal methods. So anyway, I can't recommend these. I only recommend Natural Family planning and condoms. But the problem with these is effectiveness. In fact, any kind of birth control is not 100% effective in preventing pregnancy.

I know some brands of the pill help you with certain things but to me, it's not worth what the other side effects are. My private email address is CHERYL51@aol.com if you want to discuss more with me.

Sincerely,
Diane Cheryl