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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February 4, 2011

Pros:

Not pregnant
Face cleared up
Lightened my period

Cons:

Moodiness
Bloating
Appetite change
Remembering to take it everyday

I only took this for 2weeks works alright. At first my chin had broken out soooo much the first week omg! But I was ok with it because I was on my period so it was normal for me to get like a few pimples. So I didn't stress out about it. However because I get very hormonal and my mood swings are high on my periods, the pills like doubled it! My bf suffered so much one minute I'm yelling at him then crying, then like very sex crazed. Then after my period I was back to normal. My face cleared up nicely feeling soft too. Although my appetite changed. I started to like pig out and bloat like crazy! I'm underweight but still it is not normal for me to eat this much. I wonder what other surprises will this bring. These contain too much hormones for me to handle.
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January 13, 2011

Pros:

not pregnant
improved cramps

Cons:

terrible breakouts

I never had bad acne but as soon as I started ortho I broke out TERRIBLY. My doctor told me to wait a few months but it never got better. I finally switched birth control bills and now my face is back to normal...
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January 2, 2011

Pros:

lighter period
less menstrual cramp pain

Cons:

serious health risks (I almost died)
spotting
expensive without health insurance

It had no visible effect on my acne, aside from the week of inactive pills, when I would get breakouts. Birth control pills carry serious but rare risks including: heart attack, stroke, pulmonary embolism (blood clot in lung), and deep vein thrombosis (blood clots) If you decide to use birth control primarily to control acne, please ask your family about any possible coagulative disorders in your family history. I took birth control for a little over a year and ended up in Intensive Care. And I was lucky to be there.
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December 24, 2010

Pros:

-cleared forehead acne
-boobs grew a little
-not pregnant
-regulates acne, so i know when ill be breaking out

Cons:

-increased chin acne

ive been on the pill for five months, still have breakouts on my chin and some on cheeks but my forehead is very clear. i started using BP and AHA and this is getting my hormonal acne under control. I also realized that I am breaking out at the same time each month and my skin is clearer at the same time each month.
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December 23, 2010

Pros:

I only felt nauseous the first week or so
No babies
No weight gain so far

Cons:

Tired
Made my acne worse!
Lessened my sex drive
Break-through bleeding

I got off Apri last January because I had gained 25lbs during the two years I was on it. I almost instantly lost the weight. However, I started breaking out for the first time in my life. I got back on birth control in November, hoping it will help with my acne. I've been on Ortho Tri-Cyclen for about a month now and have had the worst acne of my life. Literally a nightmare. I am hoping it will change in the next few months, and that I can hold out until it does! My mood seems fairly normal which is why I really want to give OTC a change before switching to something else.
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November 11, 2010

Pros:

-never got pregnant
-acne cleared up amazingly
-less mood swings

Cons:

-a ton of weight gain (130-145 lbs in 2 years), already lost at least 5 since i went off it 2 months ago
-acne is coming back almost as bad and i'm 18
-worse cramps during + before periods than before
-period more irregular, and missed periods

i didn't get pregnant, but this might not have been the right BC for me. i'm off it for the first time in 2 years and i've already lost a fair amount of weight without changing ANY diet or exercising habits. also, the acne is terrible and it came right back. it was free through my local community clinic.
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October 7, 2010

Pros:

-no babies!
-no decrease in sex drive
-no noticable weight gain
-no noticable change in breast size
-didn't cause acne
-no hair loss
-very cheap with benefits plan ($2.50 with and $15 without)

Cons:

-breakthrough bleeding

I was on the Tri-Cyclen Lo birth control pill for about 5 months. The first three months were awesome. I was on the 28 day pack which allows seven days of bleeding and my 'period' would usually be about 4-5 days all within the placebo pill week. It didn't lighten my period or change the length at all. The last two months of this pill were hell for me though and I have just changed my pill this week. I had my regular 'period' when I was supposed to, then stared my new pill pack and after having only 6 days without bleeding, I started bleeding again. I bled heavily and constantly for 12 days. When I say heavy, I mean bleeding through a super plus tampon in 1-3 hours. I had about another week without bleeding and then got my 'period' again like I was supposed to. This repeated itself for the next month. I was so emotionally drained by the end of those two months from crying at silly things and feeling practically bi-polar but I'm not sure if that was the hormones or if I just couldn't mentally deal with bleeding that often. I'm not sure if my hormones were just overriding the low dosage of this pill or what was going on, but I wasn't willing to deal with having my 'period' that often. I didn't experience any of the other horrible side effects that always scared me from taking birth control though. My body remained very regular, I was horny as ever and I didn't get pregnant! If it had stayed like the first three months, it would have been a pretty perfect pill. I don't know how it is for missing pills, as I was really consistent with remembering. I don't ever get zits at all and that remained the same throughout the whole time I was using it. My sister started at the same time as I did and she has not had a problem with it. She noticed that her breasts were extremely tender at the start of her second week every month for about 3 months but it is not bothering her now. Her breasts also grew in size about half a cup size if not a little mo
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October 4, 2010

Pros:

- very light periods. Lasts only 2 days and I barely fill up a pad
- associated with the lighter periods is no cramping. I had moderate cramping before I went on the pill
- weight loss. I can't say this is due to the pill but over the year I was taking OTC I lost 8-10lbs and have yet to gain it back
- no mood swings

Cons:

- the worst acne I've ever had in my life
- one bout of nausea in my second month

I believe my acne was caused by the fluctuating hormone levels in the pills. The pill I'm on now, Yasmin, has a steady concentration throughout the month and has cleared this problem right up.

This was my first pill and I think it's the one that doctor's recommend first if you have no major concerns because of it's relatively cheap price and low amount of estrogen. I really would have happy being on this pill as it mostly had great side effects; however, after a year of taking it I can now definitively say that OTC caused my consistent and tremendously painful hormonal acne. This was an extreme self-esteem killer, as the only reason I was on BC was to have safe sex with my bf. It seemed ironic that he's the only one that ever gets an HD view of my face yet he was indirectly the reason for my breakouts... I've always had a couple blemishes pop up around that time of the month but they were small and manageable with a little makeup. From the first month I started taking OTC, I started to get unsightly pimples on my chin area. I remember the first half of last year going by always having to deal with a pimple - it's like I never got a break from them. Once one pimple deflated another one sprung up somewhere else. Then, this summer I went on a 2-month vacation to Europe and completely went off birth control. Within a week, my skin had never looked better. I went everyday without makeup. Then, my bf met up with me on the trip and I started to take OTC again. The first couple of weeks went beautifully but as soon as I started the third week of pills, I had the WORST breakout I've ever had. I had 4 cystic acne pimples on my chin and even Retin A wouldn't calm them down. Retin A, btw, will not help with hormonal acne. The acne got much worse after that. They changed to cysts, which we all know take much longer to go away and are also very painful. It wasn't until I made the connection between OTC and my acne that I decided to switch to Yasmin, and within two weeks it has ALL cleared up. The Retin A works wonderfully to diminish the scarring and my skin is starting to look like it did on vacation!
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September 30, 2010

Pros:

not pregnant but main reason for taking this is to cure my acne.

Cons:

bloated, gained some weight.

I am starting my 3rd month. Those of you who had a positive reaction and skin cleared up...how long did it take? Should I start seeing results toward the end of my 3rd pack? I think I've seen results, but every time I think it gets better I get another pimple. I would like to hear from those who had positive reviews. Thank You so much. I have been fighting acne for years! and i am praying this helps!~
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September 20, 2010

Pros:

No acne?

Cons:

Nausea first day or two of taking sweaty, dizzy, vomiting ect , weight gain (5-10lbs) and no it is NOT laziness, I am very phyically active and eat well. Being on bcp's does cause weight gain.

Just ok, I've tried several brands all I seem to get the same symptoms each time, some take a few months to kick in, like this one. I'm going to try another kind.
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