Perhaps I should start with a bit of a request: let's not have a repeat of what happened in Ultima's menses thread. And let's try to remain somewhat serious. Men are certainly welcome to comment if they have actual experience in these matters, but I'll primarily be interested in anecdotes/suggestions/recommendations from other women. Humor is welcome, but try not to let it get out of hand or veer into disrespect. Funny BC related comics are welcome as long as they adhere to the same guidelines.
As I've said before (although not in any great specifics), I'm essentially on hormonal birth control for reasons related to hormone balancing, subsequent need to prevent osteoporosis, and to affect/accentuate a more feminine appearance. It has also cleared up my acne, helped me with moods, dropped my aggression, and generally just made me a happier person over all. I have no uterus, so it's not actually for pregnancy prevention, but millions of women take BC for other reasons, including some of the reasons I have mentioned.
I'm looking at some modification of my regimen, and I was considering Yaz/Yasmin or an alternative, but I've been distinctly concerned about what I'm hearing in the media. Most notably this article from Ms. Magazine. Any BC I'd be interested in would need a progestin/progesterone in it, and I'm really trying to stick with the pill as opposed to patches or injections. I'm also trying to debate between multi-phasic examples, either bi-phasic or tri-phasic, or just go with the very simple non-phasic types.
There's only just so much doctors are willing to discuss, as they don't like comparing anecdotes both for issues surrounding confidentiality, but I also think because of liability, should they be seen as guaranteeing some specific result. Also, while I can find a bunch of random stuff on the internet, most of it is no different than what is described by my doctors. Very generic or overly statistical. And while there are various forums with threads/posts, and I might be wrong to do so, I generally put more faith in the denizens of the Org than I would in some community I haven't been a part of at all and am just randomly surfing for one specific reason.
Further disclaimer, nothing said here by myself or others constitutes any kind of medical advice whatsoever. There are risks in starting or changing any kind of medication, and you shouldn't be making medical decisions based on some forum on the internet anyway!
So ladies (and gents?) please commence with the talking.
