I switched to Yasmin from the mini-pill Cerazette because I couldn't cope with the bleeds every 14 days and terrible mood swings.
I had initially been given Cerazette because I have a migraine history and the progesterone only mini-pills don't aggravate the problem, however due to the reasons mentioned above, I had to give up on it, so my doctor suggested Yasmin as the oestrogene is low-dose, so the hope was it would give me contraceptive cover, without causing migraines.
I used Yasmin for 8 months and have to say, it was quite good, except for one side effect that I really couldn't deal with - severe eczema on my hand.
I did get more migraines while using Yasmin, usually in the run up to my period and they were very nasty but I would have been willing to put up with them. The eczema, however, was another matter.
I have had eczema in the past but my doctor failed to warn me that this was a known side effect (affecting 1 in 1000 women, according to the booklet that comes in the pack). In fairness however, I suspect that the doctors are generally unaware of this, as when I went to my surgery this month to see about changing, I saw a new doctor who had never come across it as a problem.
Usually in the past, I have been able to treat eczema myself, without resorting to medical assistance, however this time, all my tricks failed. I don't like the idea of steroid ointments, which is what doctors tend to prescribe, so even tried some Chinese herbal tablets & cream (they helped while I was using them but it came back as soon as I stopped).
The eczema started within days of me starting to take Yasmin - at first I put it down to the stress of wedding preparations but when it continued, I started working things out and realised that it tied in with the new contraceptive. Instead of starting to clear as my body got used to it, it actually got worse as time went on until I realised that I had to do something about it, hence my decision to switch - I have now just started Microgynon and await developments!
Another side effect was weight gain - I have put on about a stone while using this tablet. I could deal with this, as I am still not overweight (though much more and I will be) but some women may not appreciate this.
In its favour though, my mood-swings were virtually non-existant, which my husband was very pleased about!
Also on the positive side, it is very easy to take and you have a twelve hour window to remember the tablets. My periods became very regular - I would take my last tablet on a Friday morning and my period would start some time on the Sunday.
The downside was that my periods now lasted a full seven days instead of the 4 or 5 that I was used to before I started taking oral contraceptives but that was just a minor niggle. I also found that my periods were heavier than pre-contraceptive.
In summing up then, I would say that I would recommend this to women, as long as you don't have a history of eczema. If you do, it might still be worth trying but be aware that it could aggravate the problem. It is certainly easy to take and if you can cope with the minor side effects, it's worth giving it a try.
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Advantages: Lighter/regular periods, no pregnancy, no side effects. Disadvantages: Can be difficult to remember to take it, other than that no problems.
lindtoholic 13.01.2009 (13.01.2009)
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Review of Yasmin Contraceptive Pill
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