Oral Contraceptives
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Oral contraceptives, otherwise known as birth control pills, are also approved to treat acne. They work by regulating male hormones in the female...

Oral contraceptives, otherwise known as birth control pills, are also approved to treat acne. They work by regulating male hormones in the female body. Less male hormones normally lead to less acne. 

Oral contraceptives contain an estrogen component (ethinyl estradiol) that is combined with progestin hormones, such as drospirenone (Yasmin® or Yaz®), norgestimate (Ortho Tri-Cyclen®) or norethindrone (Estrostep®). 

Oral contraceptives are taken once a day with a meal. Make sure to take the pill at the same time every day.

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3.5
1015
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Compare To Other Treatments
5
22.7%
4
34.3%
3
21.2%
2
13.1%
1
8.8%

Used Oral Contraceptives? Rate It:

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April 25, 2012

Pros:

No babies!
Predictable period
Bigger breasts (although this is more of a con for me, haha)

Cons:

Acne got worse/oily skin
Slightly more moody
Tender breasts
Achy
No help with cramps
Cramps even after period is gone

*I'm writing this after my first month so some people have a general idea of what could happen/what to expect* I would actually give this two stars, but I gave it an extra because I have hope in the month to come. Based on reviews, the first month is the hardest because your body is adjusting to it. My acne got worse, I got moody,, my breasts were more tender and it was just generally not a great experience. I haven't had my period for two days, and I still feel some *slight* cramping, and it didn't help with cramps during my period. My back has also been achy this month, and I've had more headaches than usual. I'm neutral about my breasts growing half a cup size, but I'm sure that's a pro for most. It was a bit hard at first to take it every day and I thought it would be a lot more inconvenient, but it's not. I have an alarm on my phone and my boyfriend has one on his, so between the two of us, I remember. It's not that bad anymore; it's become a part of my routine. Another thing worth mentioning is that I used to have a 5-day period that was light the first day, very heavy the next two, medium, then light. I still have a 5-day period, but this made things more... even? I'm now light/medium, heavy, heavy/medium, medium, light. I guess that's good. I'm not pregnant, which I'd say is a good thing. It's also nice to have a predictable period down to the exact day because before it was kinda a week-long window for me and I could get it any day. I might be writing another review after I take it for a few more months to see if any of my cons go away and to (hopefully) add more pros to the list. I'd still recommend it because it's worth a shot. Everyone's body reacts differently and it's just 3 months out of your life to get the full effect. If you don't end up liking it, switch. Simple as that. c:
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April 24, 2012

Pros:

Clear Skin!

Cons:

Takes time to see results
Must remember to take at same time daily
Minimal weight gain

Girls, dont give up on these pills just because it doesnt work right away! It took about 2-3 months for me to see the results. I used to have a lot of cystic acne all over my cheeks that left nasty scars :( im soo glad found Ortho Tri Cyclen.
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March 24, 2012

Pros:

--Clearer skin, less breakouts
--Less oily skin
--Predictable cycle
--No pregnancies

Cons:

--Initial breakout

I just finished my third month on Ortho, and I am finally having more clear days a month than days with acne. I did get a pretty bad initial breakout the third week in during my first month, but after that cleared I haven't got a horrible breakout since. I do get a few pimples the week before my period, but my skin is usually breakout free the rest of the time. My boyfriend has been complimenting me on my skin lately, so I can tell it's working. Also, I've noticed that my skin is less oily throughout the day which is nice because I don't have to reapply powder as much. I didn't have any side effects that the other girls on here seemed to have trouble with. No nausea, bad cramps, headaches, weight gain, etc... I am a little disappointed my boobs didn't get bigger, but oh well, at least my skin is looking nice :)
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March 20, 2012

Pros:

Not pregnant
Only slight weight gain
Appetite that bearly increased
Only occasional breakdowns
Increase in breast size

Cons:

Horrible, horrible cystic, initial breakouts
Horrible PMS when it happens
Taking it everyday at same time
Slightly nauseous at first

I am going into my second month of taking Ortho Tri Cyclen. For the first few weeks, I started getting more acne than usual, but they were only small bumps. A few weeks later, the small bumps turned into huge, painful cysts all over my mouth, chin and cheeks. Because they were hormonal, no beauty skin treatment could fix it so I just had to hope that it would clear up soon. Now that I am going into my second month of taking OTC, I am getting very few breakouts and the cysts are now drying up and dying down. I do, however, now have gigantic, dark scars in the areas that broke out. I just have to hope that they clear up soon because I feel so hideous right now. I don't want to wear makeup because I am scared it will slow down the healing process. I took Ocella before and while it cleared my skin up right away with no initial breakouts, I gained almost 20 pounds and was always emotional and stressed out. I have decided to stick with OTC for a few more months and observe the results. I am pretty sure that the worst is over. Can't give my full opinion on it yet, because I haven't taken it long enough to get full results. It has prevented pregnancy and I haven't gained any weight or had constant, extreme PMSing.
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March 13, 2012

Pros:

clearer skin no breakouts
increased sex drive

before using ortho tricyclen i had severe cysts..every other day i would wake up to a painful cyst that would eventually bleed and leave scaring on my face...using ortho tricyclen for the first week i noticed less cysts and the ones i had already decreased in size...its been 3 weeks now and i am completely cyst free... i have had no noticeable side affects so far..i love ortho and hope it doesnt stop working..
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March 11, 2012

Pros:

Stopped breakouts! only three zits this month! (compaired to 20)
Breasts grew half a cup size

Cons:

Contraceptive part doesnt work because I also take Minocycline (an antibiotic)
Heavy Spotting

I'm 18 years old, and I would defiantly recommend this to anyone, I actually already have! I had tried EVERYTHING for my acne and my derm wanted to put me on accutain, but I already have super dry skin so I knew that wouldn't be a good idea for me. So I did this as a last hope kind of treatment, and it has worked wonders!!! I am so happy I tried this. I only have two little baby zits, as opposed to 10 all over my chin and mouth area. I'm much more confident and happy! I have noticed no weight gain or mood swings, but I felt super nauseous the next morning after I took it the first time (I take it every day at night before bed) but I have been 1005 fine after that!
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March 8, 2012

Pros:

No acne
Breasts grew!
decrease in oily hair

Cons:

Risk of blood clot
slight weight gain
long periods

I had terrible acne before taking ortho tri cyclin low. i was covered in it. had severe cystic acne all over my back. this has been a miracle drug for my acne. within a week it was almost all gone. although this helped me, i wish i could go off it. there is a risk of blood clots. also, i tried to stop taking it for 3 days and just 3 days without it made me have insanely greasy hair (which i never had before....) and a bunch of acne. tbh, id try this medicine if nothing else has worked. its worth a try... but be aware of the risks.
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March 7, 2012

Pros:

Lighter Periods
Shorter Periods ( 2-3 dyas)
Very Min Cramps
Breast Enlargement (for women with smaller breast, pro..already large..maybe a con.)
Less Acne

Cons:

It is so hard to remember to take everyday at the same time. Most of the time I just set an alarm on my phone to remind me.
Slight weight gain but nothing a little exercise cant help.

It is a great product.
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March 6, 2012

Pros:

Clearer skin
Skin less oily
Not pregnant
Slightly larger breast

Cons:

Having to rememeber to take it daily.

I'm using OTC to help clear my face and so far it's been doing a great Job, I don't have any weird symptoms so far and I'm on my second pack.
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March 2, 2012

Pros:

Not Pregnant
Shorter, lighter period
Boobs slightly bigger
Acne cleared up
No weight gain
Greatly reduced cramping

Cons:

Crave food (which caused me to eat a bunch of chocolate and my chin broke out severely for a week)
More emotional

I'm pretty happy I started taking Ortho :)
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