PMS on Birth Controll

[kert96]

Hi!!
So, I'm on my second package of BCP (combined), they are Norgylen, and today I took my last active pill.
These two months that I've been on the pill I've noticed that days before the placebo week I get all bloated, tired and with really mood changes.. it's almost like the PMS from a normal menstruation.
The first month, I thought I was getting all these symptoms because I was stressed about a possible pregnancy. This month I know the symptoms can't be due to pregancy because I've only had sex once (three days ago)...
So this keeps me wondering, is it possible to have PMS while on the pill even though I'm not having hormonal drops? Could it be the brand? Or is it because I'm still a "newbie" on BCP and still experiencing secondary effects?
Thanks for any help!

[Heather]

It's possible to have PMS while using hormonal methods of birth control, yes. Those methods influence the menstrual cycle: they don't eradicate it. You also are still having hormonal shifts while on the pill, particularly around the placebo week when not taking the pill for a week basically mimics what your body would be doing already to have a period were you not on the pill.

And for some people, side effects of those methods -- or of a certain brand/formulation of them -- can very much feel like having PMS.

I'd personally suggest you give it one more month to see if it levels out for you. If it doesn't, then the next step you can take is to talk to your prescribing physician or clinician. They might suggest a different brand/kind of pill for you, or a different method entirely. It's pretty common not to hit a home run, as it were, with a first method of contraception being the right one right out of the gate: more often, you have to try at least a couple different kinds, combos or formulations (when we're talking hormonal methods) to find what's right for you.