These side effect stories seem scary, but I have heard the same stories about any birth control pill discussed on the Net'.
Birth control pills are a very tricky issue, and I think most women experience physical changes of some sort while on them. As one poster wisely pointed out, people who are LESS satisfied are liekly to be MORE vocal about it.
I started Yasmin after doing a lot of research, and being sick of feeling like a wacko on LoEstrin Fe 1/20. I was on the LoEstrin for almost two years and it made me:
a) lose my sex drive entirely
b) experience vaginal dryness
c) lose my period altogether
d) bloat me up with water weight
e) made my cellulite look a lot worse
f) made me moody as all get-out
g) the only "normal" days of my life occured about 2 days into my 7 off days
h) have difficulty losing weight
i) experience unyielding acne around the mouth and chin
j) experience dry hair when I always used to have thick healthy hair
Sound familiar?
Bottom line is that birth control pills are by their nature EVIL, but they are our best hope unless we want an IUD or surgery. The whole birth control issue stinks, which frustrates me to no end. I think right now Yasmin is taking a beating because it is VERY popular and more people are talking about it.
I will try to remember to keep posting here to report my future experiences on Yasmin.
Oh, and btw, I had higher blood pressure from LoEstrin, which has less estrogen than Yasmin. My blood pressure was always normal, shooting up to 120/80 when nervous. Now I'm lucky to get 120/80 at any time. I work out doing vigorous cardio 4-5 times per week for 50 minutes at a time. I'm a vegetarian, health nut, pilates-loving California fruit, LOL. I'm a non-smoker, non-drinker.
I'm convinced that for many of us, the pill is just plain wrong.