Expert: Diane Cheryl - 11/20/2011

Question
Hello Diane,

I am 39 years old and am on the birth control Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo.  I chose to be on this Lo dose pill because of my age, and the fact that I always get yeast infections every month when I am on the regular dose of Ortho Tri-Cyclen.  I do not smoke.  So I think the lo dose should be safe for me.  In the past I tried another birth control that raised my blood pressure too high.  The Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo makes my blood pressure perfect 120/80.  I have horrible heavy periods when not on the pill that last 2 weeks and sometimes drag on for 2 and 1/2 weeks(14 to 18 days), and they come about every 25 days.  So I hardly have any days when not on a period, and it was making me so tired all the time.  When on this pill my periods are much shorter about 4 days.  They still are not light, but are a medium to heavy flow at least though a shorter time period of 4 days.  My question is:  Can I start my new pack after the 5th day of green pills instead of waiting the full 7 days of green pills to help cut off my period sooner?  I start my green pills on a Sunday, and my period usually doesn't start until Thurs. or Fri.  In the past, I tried taking pills 3 months straight, and it made me have heart palpitations.  I tried it with the pills I'm on by taking from lowest dose to highest dose, and with 2 other brands of 3 month type pills all made my blood pressure high with heart palpitations, and with constant spotting after the first 8 weeks, so it didn't work for me.  So I am stuck with taking the pills the normal conventional way.  As soon as I took them the right way, my heat palpitations went away.

Thanks,
Camille

Answer
Hi Camille,

Sorry I was not able to answer sooner. I have been sick and then my internet connection went out and had to wait for repairs. So I don't know what you ended up doing about your situation.

I'm glad that you have done some research about the pills and how they affect you. I don't usually recommend birth control pills or any kind of hormonal birth control methods. I feel that the pill could cause side effects and risks to a woman's health.

I'm glad you decided not to take the pills straight to avoid a period. In my opinion, this can be dangerous as you have decided personally. Do you need to be on the pills or any kind of birth control method. Just wondering but I don't know you personally. Let me know what happens. You can email me privately at CHERYL51@aol.com and hope to hear from you soon.

Sincerely,
Diane Cheryl