Perimenopause and Lo Loestrin Fe (low dose BCP)

I was on lo loestrin fe for one month but I did not feel well . I had migraines and muscle spasms all over the body . But it helps some people . It all depends on how your body will react . I always had problems with birth control pills . They always made me feel bad but some people are perfectly fine .

Jackie, here's the simple BCP info you need to know.  All BCP are synthetic hormones.  They put both estrogen and progersterone (in synthetic form) into your system daily, as long as you are on the active pills.  The final 7 days of pills are just dummy pills and that's when you have a period.  

 But all BCPs have a different synthetic hormone, and also, different amounts of the combinations of estrogen and progesterone.  Synthetic progesterone (called progestins) also have different profiles, meaning that some have a lower or stronger testosterone effect.  So what I'm trying to say is that different pills can have a very different effect on your system. One BCP can work and feel really good to one woman, and simply horrid to another, all based on the hormonal activity for that specific pill.  

Not trying to scare you in any way, but Loestrin was simply horrid for my system. While taking it, every single afternoon my hands would shake uncontrollably and I go into these bad crying spells.  But that pill also works really well for many women.   I did better once they moved me to a pill that had a higher estrogen content.  

What I'm trying to say, is don't give up if the first pill doesn't fit and feel right to you.  There's actually a doctors manual, which goes through each pill and the content/systemic effect.  Doctors use this manual to switch brands based on specific pill problems and issues for individual patients.  Just know that it's not a one size fits all kind of thing.  Sometimes it takes several trials before you find one that feels right.     

I have been on Lo Loestrin FE since Dec 2016.  I do have to say that it def helped me.  Each month got better and for the most part I felt like myself with just a few bumps along the way.  I could deal with that since I knew there was no magic pill that was going to make everything go away.  This month was the 1st time in about 6 months that I really felt bad.  For about the past  4- 41/2 days all my old symptoms came back, now I have to admit they didnt come back as strong, nor stay as long as before the pill but they were unmangeable.  Then I had these issues at what would be the end of my period in which Im taking the "dummy pills" so I dont know if that did something this month.   I am going to give these pills another month and if not then I may change to something else...     HUGS