First of all, don't abruptly stop yaz because that can freak out your body. If I were you, I would wean off slowly...like, cut the pill in half and keep taking half the dose for a couple of weeks. Then start taking it once every 2 days, etc. That might ease the transition.

If you can find a good naturopath, they might be able to advise you on what to take to keep your hormones balanced. Personally, the main thing that helped me get back on track after bcp was vitex with evening primrose. But it's not safe to take that long term or during pregnancy.

I recommend looking into myo-inositol because it has anti-androgenic properties and boosts progesterone. Many women take it to ovulate and conceive. I'm not sure how safe it is to take it after the 1st trimester, but because it's technically a B vitamin it probably won't hurt. Double check with your doctor to be sure.

Pre-natal vitamins can also be helpful in giving your body what it needs to prepare for pregnancy.

Years ago I made the mistake of coming off of Diane 35 cold turkey and went through a nightmare breakout that was 10x worse than pre-Diane. I agree with WishClean about weaning off; however, I took months rather than weeks to wean off. I'd also recommend you invest in a pill cutter (available in any pharmacy). Your acne will return to your pre-medicated state but, hopefully, not rebound. Good luck!

Also, if you do get break-outs and feel desperate about them, you could get topical clindamycin which should be safe to use during pregnancy.

I am getting ready to come off Yaz for the second time and I am soooo scared. The first time I went off was about five years ago and I am now left with pitted acne scars because of it. I am coming off this time to have a child and I need information about people who have successfully come off birth control and controlled their acne breakouts. I thought about trying The Regimen a few months before I stop but haven't heard anything about this from other people who might have had success. Does anyone have any advice for me? I am so lost right now and my husband thinks I am selfish because I can't stop thinking about my face. Please help!

All of the topicals in my "Topicals for Hormonal Acne" are over the counter products and are safe to take while pregnant (except for topical spironolactone).

I used the regimen when I came off Yaz twice, it worked OK . Actually I had been using BP once a day while I was taking Yaz, because it did not clear me completely. I had to up my dosage after stopping it though ( I never heard of weaning off BC). I would probably start the regimen now once a day and wait until your skin accepts a certain amount of BP well before you stop yaz. You can adjust your dosage when your skin gets worse. Most people I know that come off Yaz ( me included) got pregnant extremely fast, much faster than other BC. So you could also try to come off it quite fast and buy ovulation tests to determine your ovulation and hopefully get pregnant too. You can use BP during pregnancy, as well as antibiotics in case your acne should go crazy

I'd have to disagree about weaning off BC. I came off Yaz and did so much research about it, and I didn't really find much evidence that weaning yourself off would make a difference. I found lots of posts from women who weaned themselves off for 8 months+ and still broke out, so in the end I decided I'd rather get the breakout now and get it over with than spend 8 months weaning myself off only to breakout anyway.

I kept my breakouts pretty under control when I came off Yaz, in fact my skin was better (my skin was never that great on Yaz). I totally cleaned up my diet (no diary, sugar, caffeine), got myself on supplements (zinc, fish oil, vit b, vit d, magnesium, spirulina), drank 2-3 litres of water a day and exercised. I also started using more natural skincare because my skin is super sensitive and I didn't really want to be reliant on BP anyway.

The only problem I really had was body acne (though I did have it on my back and chest before Yaz, so this might not be a problem for you). My neck broke out too.

If you're worried I'd go to a doctor/naturopath

My body does not respond well to dramatic change. Any time I have radically changed my hormones or other factors, I had worse breakouts than if I gradually changed my hormones.

Well , trying to get pregnant, you habe to be careful with any vitamin supplements. This is a bit more complicated than " just" coming off BC. I know many women with acne that had beautiful skin during pregnancy though, so maybe you are lucky.

I have seen spirulina mentioned a few times on here, and wanted to post a warning about that. I am reading a lot of neuroscience stuff bacause of my job and a neuro-disease I have. There seems to be a strong link between exposition to blue- green algae ( including spirulina) and the development of neuro- diseases like MS and ALS.

As evidence for this is growing steadily and those diseases are really fatal or lethal, I would stay away grom blue- green algae.

Well , trying to get pregnant, you habe to be careful with any vitamin supplements. This is a bit more complicated than " just" coming off BC. I know many women with acne that had beautiful skin during pregnancy though, so maybe you are lucky.

I have seen spirulina mentioned a few times on here, and wanted to post a warning about that. I am reading a lot of neuroscience stuff bacause of my job and a neuro-disease I have. There seems to be a strong link between exposition to blue- green algae ( including spirulina) and the development of neuro- diseases like MS and ALS.

As evidence for this is growing steadily and those diseases are really fatal or lethal, I would stay away grom blue- green algae.

Thanks for the heads-up. Am I right to assume that this wouldn't apply to kelp as it's brown algae?

No, as far as I know this applies only to blue green algae. Which is kind of crazy because there's a lot of evidence that spirulina can be used to help a bit with those diseases, once you have them.

I already have stopped using BC pills after 7 months, my face broke out and is still breaking out. Painful zits and cystic acne I am planning to get back to using any BC pills but not Yaz and Diane 35, they are banned in most countries for causing blood clots and death of many women. I am researching of what is the best hormonal BC pills that can help me with my acne. But I am actually scared to use BC again. I have read this article : http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/yaz-yasmin-birth-control-pills-suspected-in-23-deaths-1.1302473 and this : http://www.webmd.com/drugs/mono-5115-ETHINYL+ESTRADIOL%2FDROSPIRENONE+-+ORAL.aspx?drugid=95358&drugname=yaz+28+oral&pagenumber=6 so I decided to stop taking BC pills and will try the BP regimen.

You could try Spiro alone. It is similar to the Drospirenon used in Yaz, and works great for women that responded to Yaz. Without the side effects. I have a blood coagulation disorder (thrombophilia) that causes blood clotting. When this was found out, I had to come off Yaz immediately in the middle of the cycle, because of the thrombosis risks. But I can take spironolactone, it is not linked to blood clotting ( it is also a much better known med than Yaz because it is much older, it was taken by older people in general and there are actually long-term-studies about its safety).

Or you could just get genetically tested for a tendency to blood coagulation disorders before you take yaz. Especially if you have relatives with stroke, infarcts and thrombosis, insurance will probably pay for it ( at least they do here).

But yes, they banned diane 35 here and I think they will ban Yaz and other 4th generation BCP.

You could try Spiro alone. It is similar to the Drospirenon used in Yaz, and works great for women that responded to Yaz. Without the side effects. I have a blood coagulation disorder (thrombophilia) that causes blood clotting. When this was found out, I had to come off Yaz immediately in the middle of the cycle, because of the thrombosis risks. But I can take spironolactone, it is not linked to blood clotting ( it is also a much better known med than Yaz because it is much older, it was taken by older people in general and there are actually long-term-studies about its safety).

Or you could just get genetically tested for a tendency to blood coagulation disorders before you take yaz. Especially if you have relatives with stroke, infarcts and thrombosis, insurance will probably pay for it ( at least they do here).

But yes, they banned diane 35 here and I think they will ban Yaz and other 4th generation BCP.

thanks for the advice but will i need prescription for that? and will my doctor prescribe me that?

Yes, you will need a prescription. Most likely by your derm, not your OB Gyn.

Yes, you will need a prescription. Most likely by your derm, not your OB Gyn.

ok thanks for that.