Contraceptive pills - medical history

[Amanda F]

Hi Juliaho90,

Of course - it makes complete sense you're feeling upset about the situation of the world, and that the stress and change in your ability to get your medications would be disrupting your cycle. It's really responsible and resilient of you to continue taking charge of your mental and reproductive health. We're rooting for you - let us know if we can help with anything else! <3

[Juliaho90]

I am so sorry, I think I have another question.

I am currently taking Yasmin, and when I stop for a while until I get my pack refilled, will my body still react the same way as it is now? I have no problems at all with yasmin, the first month I had a bit of spotting, but that cleared up pretty quickly within a month/the first pack.

I am worried that if I take a break, and go back to the pills, will my body “reject” the pills and cause more side effects than it previously did? I am doing perfectly well with yasmin now, no side effects or spotting at all and I love it. Will that change?

[Alice O]

Hi Juliaho90,

Without the ability to tell the future, there is unfortunately no way for us to know for certain how exactly your body will respond. There will be a period where your body adjusts to being back on the Yasmin pills -- like when you first starting taking them, but what exactly that will look like will be specific to your body during that time. Given that you have tolerated the medication well without side effects, it is likely you will continue to do so. But if that is not the case, you will have options -- to ride it out and see if/how quickly uncomfortable side effects pass, to go on a lower dose, to try a different form of medication...

I hear you wanting clarity. I also hear you wanting to be prepared. Both of these things make a lot of sense! Always, but especially during this pandemic-period where there is so much uncertainty. From reading through the rest of your thread it sounds like right now it is just about waiting and taking as good care of yourself during lockdown as you possibly can. And when the time comes to go back on Yasmin, you will have much more information then you have now -- you will know how your body is responding -- and you will be able to make an informed decision from there.

As the saying goes, you will "cross that bridge when you come to it." Until then, I am wondering if you would be interested in coming up with a mantra to carry you through? There seems to be worry and anxiety coming up for you around this subject, and maybe (understandably!) more generally during this time. Sometimes mantras can be compassionate, helpful reminders to ourselves Some potential examples -- but I would love to hear any of your ideas!

"I am responsible and thoughtful and take good care of myself. This is true for me now, in this present moment, and will continue to be true for me in the future."
"I can't know exactly what the future will bring. And that is OK. When the future comes, I will have more information, and so I will be able to think everything through, ask for help if wanted, and make an informed decision."
"There is a lot that is unknown about the future right now. But I can count on my mind, my body, and my heart. I can trust in myself and my resilience to tackle each day as it comes."

What do you think? Do any of these resonate for you? How would you want to alter it? Or what new ones can you think of?

[Juliaho90]

Perhaps my mantra could be like “everything will be fine, I will be fine”

So we just had an announcement a couple of days ago that our lockdown will be extended for the entire month of May, and the tentative end date would be on 1 June.

This means that I won’t be able to get my packs refilled until then. I am currently having my withdrawal bleed, and am supposed to take the next pack of pills on Saturday. But I am not able to refill them until 1 June because we aren’t allowed to leave our homes. I kind of blame myself for not anticipating this and not refilling my pills in advance.

This is making me really upset and anxious and worried. I hate that this is disrupting my schedule and I would then need to re-schedule my pills again. Also I don’t know if my body will “accept” the pills without too much side effects. I am worried that I will not get a withdrawal bleed if I stop the pills for a while and then go back on to the pills after I get them. A lot of “what ifs” and it’s not good for my anxiety...

[Amanda F]

Hi Juliaho90,

I can certainly understand feeling anxious about how the pandemic is affecting your ability to access medication. I don't think you should blame yourself, though - this is all something that none of us could have anticipated.

It sounds like you've done a good job of identifying the things that are making you anxious, here. That's a wonderful first step. Like Alice said, there's not much we can do to actually get rid of the situation that is causing you anxiety, but we CAN work on dealing with those anxious thoughts. I'm wondering what kind of things you do when you're feeling anxious or upset? Do you have some activities that you know help you to calm down or feel grounded?

[Juliaho90]

I watch tv mostly to help me copy with the anxiety.

But as everyone knows, there isn’t much anyone can do with the situation and the fact that I can’t get access to medication until June. It annoys me because I am someone who loves to stay on schedule and because so far the pill has been working so well for me, I hate to change that.

[Siân]

We get it - lockdown is proving tough for many people in a lot of ways. I hope you manage to get hold of them soon and in the meantime find some ways to manage the anxiety that this is causing.