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 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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5
19.7%
4
30.4%
3
21.8%
2
16%
1
12.1%

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December 15, 2010
Product used: YAZ (Oral Contraceptive)

Pros:

- cleared up acne after a couple months
- boobs grew bigger
- not pregnant

Cons:

- horribleeee mood swings
- feels like no blood is circulating in my left lower leg
- decreased sex drive

I have been on Yaz (recently switched to the generic Gianvi in october) for a little over a year. I always had moderate acne on my forehead and t-zone area. It cleared up most of the acne very well. Of course its not perfect, but there was definitely a big improvement. My boobs also grew a whole size (B to a C). I have not become pregnant. On the other hand, the mood swings and breakdowns for me are really bad. I actually feel bad for my boyfriend, who has to put up with this. I will get mad over the littlest things. Sometimes I am sad for no reason at all. I cry and get anxious and start freaking out for no reason. It's as if someone is taking over my body and I have no control over it. I know the mood swings are from Yaz because I have never experienced these occurrences before starting the pill. Also, within the last three weeks I have had this strange feeling in my left lower leg, as if there is no circulation going to it. 2 days out of the week I am on my feet for 8 hrs, but once again, before starting Yaz, I ran cross country, track, and I danced for 15 yrs of my life and have never experienced this sort of feeling. My sex drive has also decreased drastically and it is much harder to "get in the mood" . I am 19 yrs old and I don't want to be having these problems so young. I am going to make an appointment to try to switch to another pill.
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October 20, 2010
Product used: YAZ (Oral Contraceptive)

Pros:

Cleared up cystic acne
No weight change
Lighter / shorter periods

Cons:

Breasts got bigger (already big enough lol)

I started on Yaz to clear up my cystic acne. When I started I had 10 cysts on my chin alone. By the end of the first pack all the cysts had gone! I have gone up a bra cup size, which I didn't want... but the pros of taking Yaz far outweigh the cons for me!
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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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August 10, 2010
Product used: YAZ (Oral Contraceptive)

Pros:

- Clearing skin!
- Better for period-related stuff
- No side effects as of yet

Cons:

- Sex drive down

Birth control pills should take 3-4 months to kick in, but my skin is already clearing up and I'm only on my third week! I'm taking this for PCOS, so the acne part was just a benefit - my skin is mostly very red around the cheeks and nose (highly sensitive skin, ruled out rosacea), with a few bumps here and there. Now, it's a lot less red and those bumps that wouldn't go away FINALLY have heads so I pretty much popped those. My skin isn't as clear as I'd want it yet, but I am happy with it after such a short period of time! Oh, I did have a breakout-y thing in the second week, where my skin was PARTICULARLY ruddy and bumpy. So that was pretty awful, but now it's much more manageable. And I do think my sex drive is down, I'm feeling very....asexual these days, although I do love my boyfriend.
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April 16, 2010
Product used: YAZ (Oral Contraceptive)

Pros:

No weight gain
Shorter/lighter periods
Improved acne
Greatly lessened cramping

Cons:

Expensive (my insurance sucks though)
Took about 3 months for my body to adjust to it
Light spotting

The first 2 1/2 months of use were very rough and painful (constant severe cramps and bleeding) but after I finally adjusted it has been great. My acne isn't gone but it is much better, I didn't gain weight like I have with other pills, periods are now only about 3 days long with occasional light spotting the week before (not a big deal to me) and most importantly to me, my cramps are almost completely gone, which is the reason why I am taking this in the first place. I also love that if I miss one, I can take two at a time without getting naseous like I have with other pills. I definitely think it is worth trying. If you don't like it at first, please keep in mind that it takes your body a few cycles to adjust to the medication properly.
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April 13, 2010
Product used: YAZ (Oral Contraceptive)

Pros:

Little to no weight gain
Fewer breakouts
Bigger boobs

Cons:

Aches
Bigger appetite

The first week I was on it was kind of rough. I felt nauseous after taking the pill and was very irritable. Also, my appetite increased quite a bit. Now I've been on it for a month and those side effects have almost completely gone away. I do get aches though, which I didn't before. My skin has cleared up a little bit, and it keeps getting better! Worth a try. I've read a lot of good and bad reviews so I think it definitely has different effects on each individual.
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November 11, 2009

Pros:

Haven't gotten pregnant, less acne, and less cramps

Cons:

For the first month or so I was a little irritable. Other than that, It's been great.

Great Product.
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November 2, 2009
Product used: Yasmin (Oral Contraceptive)

Pros:

No weight gain

Cons:

Bad break outson my cheeks only, first week. Bit moody.

I hear that your skin clears up after the first 3months, so I'm hopeful that it will because I can't stand these big painful zits. It makes me feel moody, and ugly.
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October 1, 2009

Pros:

it hasnt made me gain wait and my skin is getting better not prego yet so thats good

Cons:

i havent been on the pill for too long but it has had some bad side effects on me... it makes me super moody...
i cry for no reason.. get ticked off about pretty much everything and get deppressed very easily... some nausea but not alot..

its not worth it... when you cry almost every 3 days and spend most of ur time in a confused and blaah mood.!
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September 26, 2009
Product used: YAZ (Oral Contraceptive)

Pros:

Yaz worked miracles for my skin. I had terrible acne and i mean terrible it was red and painful and everywhere. Now my skin is absolutely flawless. I tried everything before and finally something worked. I love this product... seriously!

Cons:

I gained a little bit of weight but nothing major. like 5 lbs and I think it was more attributed to an increase in appetite and not the pill itself directly. Just eat healthy and you will be fine :)

I know Yaz does not work for everyone with skin problems but it had drastic impact on my skin. I tried every product.. literally. Oral and topical antibiotics, proactive, everything! The first month I didn't notice a big difference so you have to stick with it. The second month when I got my period my skin just started to clear up like magic and within three days into the second month I had nothing on my face. I don't even have to wear makeup its seriously amazing and I love it and it can work for you.
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