Oral Contraceptives
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Side Effects

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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Compare To Other Treatments
5
19.7%
4
30.4%
3
21.8%
2
16%
1
12.1%

Used Oral Contraceptives? Rate It:

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March 10, 2009

Pros:

Nothing

Cons:

Caused me to have anxiety and break out in cystic acne

This pill may not work for everyone.. It can cause acne in some! My skin was pretty clear until I switched over from regular Ortho to this pill. I broke out in cysts which I haven't had in YEARS. I thought it might just be because it was the first month.. So here I am on Month 4 and now on a month into Accutane also. Switching back asap!
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February 20, 2009

Pros:

Controlled Acne, Larger Boobs?, Slight Weight Gain? ,

Cons:

Tender Breasts

I am a girl who hasnt begun her period yett, so i cannot sat how this has helped my period. My acne is not as inflammed as it used to be, but i have not been on that long so my skin has not cleared quite yett. Unlike everyone else, i did not get bad mood swings, or nasea, im not sure weather ive had my breasts grow or weight gain wich it a plus at this point. I am very pleased so far
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February 13, 2009
Product used: YAZ (Oral Contraceptive)

Pros:

prevents pregnancy

Cons:

where do I start?...I have the worst complexion I have EVER had with deep, painful, under-the-skin acne always on my chin, MAJOR break-thru bleeding for 4-5 days, horrid moodiness around my period, very expensive $30 per pack, can't lose weight

DO NOT give in to the tempting claims of the commercial for YAZ (which Bayer is actually being sued over because the claims are false). It has done nothing but the opposite of what it says it does for you. I was quite happy with the RING but decided to switch it up as soon as YAZ came out because of the benefits it promised. I have been on YAZ for about 2 years now (or however long it's been out). It worked well at first, very light and short periods. After about 6 months I began spotting in between periods and the spotting got longer and heavier as the months went by. This month (last month i'm on this btw) I have literally been spotting for a week straight and my period is still 2 weeks away. This is killing my sex life too because I feel like I have my period 3 weeks out of every month. I have no self-confidence because of the horrible and painful acne marks on my chin...so embarassing. Dont wait to give this pill the benefit of the doubt!
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February 6, 2009
Product used: Yasmin (Oral Contraceptive)

Pros:

NIL

Cons:

Skin becoming rough and whiteheads started coming out frm underneath the skin!

Im on it for a week , will finish one cycle as see whether it improves the skin or not.It makes my skin go worse
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February 5, 2009

Pros:

No babies (but then again I wasn't taking it AS birth control, but as a cure for acne, so i can't rightly say it prevented any pregnancies for me).
predictable period (wasn't any lighter or shorter.)

Cons:

didn't fix my acne, even after a year and a half of being on it. and i think i got 5 pound weight gain.

well even the nurse at the doctor's office was singing ortho tri cyclen's praises when i went to inquire for birth control as a means to cure my acne. however i was on it for a year and half and there was zero improvement. i think after 3 months my face got clear for about a week and then it was back to being awful. and i'm meticulous about my skin care and i never wear make-up. a huge disappointment, and i've still got acne. :(
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February 5, 2009

Pros:

im actually on ortho tri cyclen lo but it prevents preganancy, helps my acne, very LITTLE weight gain, short & predictable periods(3-4 days)...only $15 for 3 packs at a time

Cons:

none that i can recall

i've been on the pill for about a year and a half and i havent had any pregnancy scares....I used to have bad acne which subsided before getting on the pill but i havent had a pimple since....i gained a little weight (10 pounds in 18 months) thats not bad.
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February 1, 2009
Product used: Yasmin (Oral Contraceptive)

Pros:

Minimal side effects (I had terrible side effects on OTC and NuvaRing), no weight gain, nice complexion

Cons:

Broke out first month, but seems to reduce the severity of my already bad breakouts

I finished my first month with disappointment but I am still hopeful that after 4-6 months I will see that improvement that is supposed to happen. I am 23 and have been battling worsening cystic acne since I was 21. Before that I never had these kinds of breakouts so I very much believe it is a hormonal problem. I am hopeful about my next month on Yasmin, but for now I have to say... ladies DO NOT FORSAKE THE WATER. I'm on my no-pill week and I have started drinking 4+ litres of water a day and my skin has cleared and my scars are fading rapidly. This is the longest I have been without a breakout in 2 months. Even though it is embarrassing, I stopped wearing makeup on my skin, and I wear my scar-treatment all day to speed up healing/fading of scars. It is Derma-E Scar Gel. It's an all-natural clear gel that works really well on my acne scars (the dark red spots) but is a little less successful on icepick marks unfortunately. Good luck!!
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January 31, 2009

Pros:

prevention of pregnany

Cons:

terrible bouts of nausea, highly emotional

i've been taking this pill for a few days now, and i've had terrible bouts of nausea. i talked to my cousin, and she said she was the same way, and it soon goes away. luckily, when i took my pill today, i didn't have my usual nausea. but i have been extremely emotional, and i'm unsure if it's because started taking it a week before my period was supposed to start, or if it's the pill in general.
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January 21, 2009
Product used: YAZ (Oral Contraceptive)

Pros:

barely any pms or acne.

Cons:

severe migrane all three days of period ( i have long since been a monthly period migrain sufferer ), sore boobs, slight nausea if I don't eat when taking pill.

I like this MUCH better than Seasonale (constant bleeding/migraines/depression) and Nuvaring (sore boobs!!)
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January 19, 2009

Pros:

cleared acne, very few cramps, smaller mood swings, regular period

Cons:

gained 11 pounds

so i gained 11 pounds. big deal! i gained it in a years time and thats all i gained over the 3 years i have been on it....now that im off i lost the weight and my acne returned and have an irregular period again. I DONT LIKE BEING OFF IT. on bc my face was very clear. i had cramps that i could live with, unlink when i was off it. i would be able to control my mood swings better, instead of being a mess when i was close to my period. and i had a regular period...instead of one week on one week off. then start over again (if u didnt get that...2 PERIODS A MONTH!)
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