Femcon FE and estrogen

I have been on Fem Con for 2 weeks.. I have no side effects that I know of except depression. I don't want anything to do with anybody, I don't want to DO anything, I want to cry all the time and my life is better than it has ever been. I have noticed nothing else but this has been bad enough.

The first few days I think I was a little hungrier than normal but I think that has tapered off. I am on them for menopausal symptoms, regulating periods,
ceasing painful ovulations.

I am going to stick it out as long as I can because my symptoms are HORRIBLE without something, pain, pain bleeding, more bleeding, bloating.. at least with this, I am only depressed.. If I live THROUGH this maybe I'll be ok...MAN!! The things we have to deal with.

Ugh. I'm so glad I found this list and that everyone has been so candid!!! I am in my 2nd pack of Femcon and the symptoms are only getting worse. Toward the end of the first week I began spotting and did so on and off for 2 weeks. When I took the brown pills, I had my classic day-later start of a true period, as I have done with the Ortho versions I used to be on. Naturally, the period was very light--actually it never did go to red, only icky brown for a whole week. Then I started the first 2 pills of the 2nd pack before seeing my doctor for the pre-op appointment before my Esure procedure. (He put me on this pill when I told him that I didn't trust condoms alone in the 3 month waiting period while the procedure takes--I don't trust the Divine Sense of Humor this close to finally being sterile.) He told me to stop taking them for 5 days while they put me on something else that would thin out my lining so they could better see the entrances to my tubes, then continue them like I had never stopped. Great. I did that and the procedure has healed nicely. I went back on the pills--much to my dismay. I'm back to all-month-long PMS, tender breasts and spotting. I have been baffled and attributing the constant headaches, cycles of insomnia & exhaustion, lack of motivation, depression, acne breakouts, weight gain, dehydration even though I'm guzzling water, bloating, mood swings, and decreased sex drive to the stresses of everything BUT this pill, because I have never had this problem before. In fact, previous ones helped alleviate mood swings, cramping, irregular and heavy periods, acne, and bloating, but I've been experiencing the opposite for nearly 2 months now. The other day, in addition to the cramps and spotting, I started having major stabbing pains in my lower abdomen--where the Esure could be possibly causing pain--except that they didn't do it on that side because my fallopian tube is blocked naturally. My breasts have been getting more and more sore, and tonight they hurt terribly without touching anything except clothing! The cramps are continual, as are the headaches, and I wake up with my hands completely numb. I haven't been able to get to sleep well for weeks (it is 3:05 a.m. now) and I'm dragging all day. Trying to wake up from a nap is like waking from the dead, and then I'm disoriented and out of it. I'm having dizzy spells too. I can't focus and every little thing sets me off--my poor friends and boyfriend! I'm up and down like a toilet seat!! I don't know if the sore throat I've had for the past couple days has anything to do with this, but I don't feel sick. Could be allergies...??? The last couple days I've had diarrhea and an upset stomach, and with how quickly the breast tenderness level rose to horrible, my insomnia and anxiety rose to an all-time high as I feared I was pregnant. So I bounded out of bed to start looking up pregnancy side-effects, only to see that many of them could be caused by birth control--particularly this birth control--and hence I found this list. THANKFULLY! Grrrrrrrr. Needless to say, I'll be making a phone call to my doc tomorrow. Thanks again for sharing your experiences. I hope mine helps others!

Some of you have been referencing severe upper abdominal pain, esp during the night, while on Femcon; this is likely gallstones, as that fits the description, and the pill increases your risk for gallstones because of the increased estrogen; talk to your doctor about this even if you have gone off of Femcon or hormonal b/c altogether. I have experienced this twice since starting Femcon several weeks ago. I am not a fan of hormonal contraception and experienced severe depression after 1 week on Mircette a number of years ago, and decided never to use it again. However, I am now considered at high risk for ovarian cancer which is why I am on Femcon, and my dr chose it knowing the history w/ depression on Mircette, and felt Femcon would be a good fit. Emotionally it has been a good fit, and i have had no problems in that respect- it really depends on how each person's body reacts to the specific progestin in whatever pill you are taking. However, digestive wise, I am not happy on Femcon, and will not be pleased if I have to have my gallbladder removed because of a month or two on it!

I am finishing up my 4th week on Femcon and it's been hell. I have polycystic ovarian disease and i'm used to taking bc, I have been for almost 10 years but recently started missing periods and having random breakthrough bleeding so my doc switched me to femcon since it's a higher dose of estrogen... I've had headaches, bloating, water retention, nausea, vomiting, severe acne, nose bleeds, mood swings, cramps, the heaviest period i have ever experienced, night sweats, heartburn, rapid heart beat, trouble breathing, fatigue and the list goes on... basically what everyone else has said i have had too. my doc won't take me off until i've tried it for 3 months but i don't think i'm going to wait that long... this is just horrible... it should be taken off the market. i'm going to look into filing a complaint with the fda about this pill.

I've been taking Femcon for about three months now, and while I haven't noticed 'typical' side effects i.e. weight gain (I've actually lost weight), moodiness/PMS, breast tenderness, etc., I've had my period THREE times in one month. They've been true periods, too, complete with cramps and fatigue. It's so frustrating.

I've also experienced a severe UTI while taking this pill; I thought it was due to sex, but upon reading an earlier post I can't help but wonder if it was from this pill. The pain was horrific, and I have a high pain threshold. I went to urgent care and had to have my boyfriend drive because I was in such severe pain. It felt like I had thrown my back out (pain was centered in my lower back).

I've been on and off birth control since I was 17 - for 6-7 years I took Ortho Tricyclen with no side effects, then the patch (which I absolutely HATED), and now have been trying different pills (Tricyclen, Tricyclen Lo and Femcon) to see what works best for me (I'm now 29) since I plan to take the pill continuously again.

Overall, I'd highly recommend Ortho Lo. I felt great, didn't appear to gain any weight and it made my period very light and as pleasant as possible (if that is possible!). Unfortunately, there is no generic for Lo and with insurance it's still $50/month. However, it's worth the extra money....I mean, who wants to perpertually bleed and feel like crap? Not me.

I have been taking femcon for 3 weeks so far and have been spotting ever since the first day. My period is supposed to be next week sometime. I know I have to give my body time (3 months) to adjust to this pill but is it normal to be spotting like this plus itch like crazy?

My daughter has just started taking Femcon FE. On the second day she took the pill she thought she was starting to get a urinary track infection. By the fourth day she had a pain in her lower back, vomiting feeling terrible. The doctor is saying the pill has noting to do with it. Has anyone else had these symptoms with this pill?

Surprisingly i have been ok on this pill. i was on yasmin, then switched to yaz (which was the worst pill ever! i had my period for over 3 weeks on that pill). I've just started on Femcon, and it immediately stopped my breakthrough bleeding. the only side affect i think im experiencing is the headaches! i've been really stressed lately so i dont know if it has to do with that or the pill. also i have been REALLY tired a lot. i seem to wake up, do something then want to crawl back to bed for a few hours. anyone else get tired on this pill? other than that, the pill is actually working. now if we could just fix these headaches...