Yaz/Yasmin birth control pills?

[february2003bride]

I just got a prescription today for Yaz birth control during my yearly gyn appointment and I just wanted to see if anyone else has used it? I''m still breastfeeding my 14 (almost 15) month old baby and my OBGYN said that the pills could dry up my milk or at the very least, decrease it.

I''m also worried about any side effects that anyone had? She told me to try it for 3 months to see how my body reacted to it. What''s funny is, I was on the pill for years as a teenager and early 20s and never gave any "what ifs" a second thought. I''ve been off of it for so long and now I''m older (29) I''m completely freaked out about blood clots, strokes, etc on the pill!

Thanks!

Carrie

 

[KimberlyH]

I took Yasmin for a year, it made me batty. I took PMS to knew extremes. I was mean, combative, over-emotional etc. I think switched to ortho-trycclin low (sp?) and am much better. I know people who have had the opposite experience. Try it and see how it works, if you don''t like the changes after three months call your MD and switch. We all react differently to different meds.

Good luck! It''s really difficult exploring with such things and putting foreign hormones into the body but I can''t imagine not taking birthcontrol (so not ready to be a mom!).

 

[asscherisme]

I took ortho tri cyclen for years and years with no problems. After my 4th child I wanted a lower dose pill and tried it.

It made my already larger chest HUGE (and orth did not do that)

Plus it sent my high/normal blood pressure through the rough. Scary high numbers. So my doctor took me off it.

 

[appletini]

I''ve taking Yasmin for 3.5 years and love it. I tried ortho tri cyclen lo for a months before Yaz and I hated it...I was spotting all the time...very annoying and gross. In college I used ortho cyclen and was happy with that one. Everyone''s body is different and reacts different ways...if it doesn''t work for you keep trying other brands until you find one you like.

 

[ladykemma]

please keep in mind that estrogen passes thorugh breast milk to your child and you don't want a three year old with breasts.....

 

[diane5006]

There are specific guidelines for prescribing oral contraceptive (or others) to post partum or breast feeding women...some pills can alter breast milk production/etc...but since this is not the main source of nutrition for your baby it might not be an issue...you should discuss with you health care provider about this more fully if you still have question...one thing you want to think about is how much longer are you planning to BF...

Everyone reacts diffently to different pills...what works for one may not work for another...

Best of luck

 

[Tali]

Date: 12/7/2006 7:54:05 PM
Author: ladykemma
please keep in mind that estrogen passes thorugh breast milk to your child and you don't want a three year old with breasts.....

Uh, this is just plain not true. Or, I should say the latter part is not true. Yes a VERY small amt of estrogen can pass thru the breast milk, but the amount is negligible, and the AAP and AAFP and the ACOG have listed combo ocp's (those with estrogen and progesterone) as safe for informed use in breast feeding. And then there's this info from the La Leche League:


Controversy surrounds the use of hormonal birth control methods in breastfeeding women, particularly regarding when they should be started and whether or not combination oral contraceptives should be used. Resarch has not shown that the estrogens and progestins used in oral contraceptives (OCs) ingested by the mother are harmful to human infants, but it is known that estrogens can reduce milk supply in some women. Croxatto et al. and Peralta et al. have shown that combination oral contraceptives have a “moderate” inhibitory influence on lactation even if instituted after milk supply is well established.(4,5) Tankeyoon noted a 41.9 percent decline in milk volume with combination OCs.(6) The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists states that the use of combination pills is acceptable if women are informed of the risk of a decreased milk supply.(7) It is prudent to avoid their use in women who are committed to continued breastfeeding since many other choices are available.

The progestin-only oral contraceptives, injectable progestins, and progestin implants (presently unavailable in the US) have been studied and found to have no adverse effects on breastfed infants.(8,9) When to start progestin-only methods is also a cause for considerable discussion. Initiation of lactation is stimulated by the withdrawal of progesterone that occurs after delivery. Kennedy et al. suggest that one should wait at least three days before administering a progestin.(10) However, there are many anecdotal reports of milk supply being affected by the administration of a progestin-only contraceptive. Although Koetsawang noted an increase in milk supply with progestin-only contraception, Tankeyoon noted a 12 percent decline in supply with oral progestin-only contraception compared to placebo.(6,11) Waiting until at least six weeks postpartum to prescribe progestin-only contraceptives may avoid such effects.

webpage for further reading
http://www.llli.org/ba/Nov01.html

 

[monarch64]

OMG I am so confused reading this thread. About 2 years ago, I had to switch from BC pills that were progesterone/estrogen blends to a progesterone only form that was usually prescribed to breast-feeding moms because I suffer from migraine headaches with aura (my vision is affected). I took them for one month and was completely unhappy with them for various reasons. When I read F&I's post I am just lost. I'm 29 now and wanting to get pregnant with what will be our first, and even though it will be a long way off, what CAN I take after having a baby, as I plan to breast-feed???? Sorry to thread-jack, but haven't seen anyone here discuss this before.

ETA again: sorry Tali, had you mixed up with someone else who has a very similar avatar!

 

[flutterby]

i was on yasmin for years, i actually lost some weight when i first started taking it. my gyno said it could work like a water pill. I went off it last month, and i have put on a few pounds.....

there was a thread about this on the knot and some women said it affected their sex drive......i never had that problem.

 

[Blenheim]

Monarch -- www.plannedparenthood.org mentions that IUDs are good options for women who are breastfeeding. (I did a bunch of research before I had one inserted earlier this week -- none of the hormonal methods I''ve tried have worked particularly well with my body.) I''m not sure about various BC pills, but I''m sure that your gynocologist has experience with this.

 

[bee*]

Im on yasmin at least three years and Ive had no side effects from it at all. I was on a different pill before hand, cant remember its name, and Ive found yasmin to be better for me

 

[kcoursolle]

I''ve been on yasmin for a couple of years and have been generally happy with it. I had tried other bc pills such as ortho tri, othro low, low estrin, and another one. All of the other ones gave me really bad bloating and weight gain and mild depressive symptoms. I didn''t gain weight with yasmin at all or suffer the strange mental health side effects.

The one negative side effect I do have on it though...is that I have to use the restroom every hour or so since it acts as a mild dieretic (sp?), and I have a small bladder already... Another thing I''m a bit frustrated about is the high cost of yasmin, I''m eagerly waiting for the patent to expire so they can come up with a generic already.


Good luck finding a pill you like, it sure can be a difficult task.

 

[MakeMinePink]

I am currently on Yasmin, and have been for about a year. I have had no problems with it, in any way. However, about two years ago, I was prescribed Ortho Tri Cyclin-Lo, and was not informed that it would interfer with other medications I am on, and ended up getting pregnant. My current doctor (not the one who prescribed OTC-L, I switched after that!) has said that it could have been due to the lower hormone dosage, mixed with my other medications that made it not as effective.