Yasmin and body hair

I have been on Yasmin for about 5 years. I have never had an issue. I am worried that everyone on this site is making Yasmin look bad. You all need to remember that not everything will work for every person, everyones hormones are different to begin with so when you add the pill to these different levels of hormones you will get different side effects. To the people with low sex drive, did you perhaps think that this could be due to depression or the aging process? Many women suffer from low sex drive, those on and off the pill. Your sex drive will not be consistent throughout life, mine dropped in my early 20s and now is rising again, it may drop again, it can also be due to stress. All that said if you're suffering side effects that you think are attributed to Yasmin, or any other pill, stop taking it! Not everyone's body will handle it.

I have been on Yasmin twice now, with a 6 month break while using Yaz (got free samples). The first time was for about 2 years. Now it's been 5 or 6 months. Both times, I have had the following side effects, but did not realize they were the pills fault, until I started taking it again -- and noticed the trend. These side effects are particularly bad the first 3-4 months of Yasmin, and then my hormones seem to level out...

1. Weight gain. I have gained 5 pounds since restarting Yasmin this summer. I am dieting and exercising, and I think that if I weren't fighting as hard as I am, my weight gain would be significantly higher.
2. Facial and random body hair. Ok, gross and embarrassing. I have had random chin hair pop up, and one strange chest hair that comes right before my period. These were not an issue while on Yaz, or after my body became accustomed to Yasmin last time. I am not normally a hairy woman. Seriously!
3. Pimples. These were the worst pimples I have EVER gotten, and had to visit a dermatologist for serious medicine to counter my acne. I literally have ACNE SCARS from the huge, severe cystic acne that I have while on this pill. I do not normally wear makeup, but no makeup could cover these HUGE zits! This is awful for the first 3-4 months, and my skin flairs up on the 3rd and 4th week of the pill still. People didn't even know they were pimples, as they were so big and red. Beyond pimple size. I don't know how to explain this well enough -- literally quarter sized. I am currently on my last week of pills for the month (week before period) and have a large cystic pimple that doesn't even look like a zit, because of it's size!
4. Heavy, inconsistent periods. My period last month lasted 4-5 days (about average for me). I bled through tampons and actually had to double up. For example, I changed my tampon right before I left the house for work one day. I got to work (30 minutes) and had bled through my heavy tampon, panty liner, underwear, and into my jeans. This is NOT acceptable!
5. Grumpiness. Yes, I'm a bit grumpier and more emotional than usual, but counter that with increased exercise (also to fight the weight gain).
6. Sex drive. Point blank: I have not had an orgasm since being on this pill. I'm a married woman, and that would be nice to have once in a while.

What shall I do about this? Nothing. Apparently Yasmin is supposed to be the best pill out there for weight gain, acne, and facial hair. So, they are telling me that other pills would be even worse...? Does ANYONE have a useful suggestion for a new birth control pill that will have fewer side effects?

Possible ovarian cancer triggered by Yasmin.

You need to know this:

The present study suggests that circulating androgens and SHBG levels are *not* strongly associated with ovarian cancer risk,

although levels of fT may be associated with an increased risk among women diagnosed at relatively young age.

Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2007 Jan;16(1):23-9

Free testosterone (fT)

Increased levels of estrogen stimulate ***increased levels of testosterone***and androgen (increased body hair).

Unlike all the other BC pills...

"Yasmin birth control pill is different than other traditional combined oral contraceptives.

Though it is combined of estrogen (ethinyl estradiol) and progestin (drsp), which has the unique properties than other progestin based pills available in the market. In other combined pills,

***progesin is derived from testosterone***

whereas in Yasmin with drsp, progestin is derived from spironolactone."

We need progesin to come from testosterone to prevent ovarian cancer. We have to LOWER testosterone.

If you have dry eyes...heads up! And get a pelvic ultrasound. If it shows cysts...while most are benign and common...some are NOT.

My daughter was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) as she wasn't getting her periods, and her testosterone was high (she is only 15). She is also developing dark facial and body hair. The endocrinologist put her on Yasmin because it has the least male androgens and should stop the hair growth and felt it was the best choice for her. He said that our goal is to preserve her fertility and stop the hair growth.

We started her on a quarter of a pill and will increase it over the next couple of weeks, due to the fact that a year ago she had to take bc pills for a couple of months to stop her flow (it went on for 8 weeks and was very heavy)... Everything she tried then made her sick. So we were concerned about that again. Unfortunately, she is having a terrible time with Yasmin, even at a quarter of a pill. She is taking it with her dinner, and still, it is making her sick to her stomach. She is lethargic, extremely emotional, nauseous (she even vomited at 4:00 this morning), bowel problems, very anxious, no appetite... and this is after a week of being on it. She is also having heart palps at night when she is in bed. I spoke with her doctor and he suggested we stick with it and her body should adjust with time. He feels that we don't have a lot of options with different pills because of the male androgens and the hair growth... Anyone have any suggestions?? I don't know how much longer we should stay with this... she has missed so much school because of this already and she looks awful. Thanks....

hi guys,

finding your posts so helpful.
i've been on yasmin for nearly 5 years and its only just dawned on me recently that my:
-anxiety/mood swings/erratic behaviour
-body hair growth
-weight gain
-increase in discharge etcetc
could actually be from the pill!!

i was always so bubbly and strong but i seem to cry now at silly things and i just don't feel myself. i initially went on the pill when i was 17 because my periods were so bad but i'm not sure what to do now... change pill or come off pills altogether?!

i'd love some feedback if any of you have been in a similar position, thanks so much

xxx

Severe depression,personality change, suicidal thoughts, panic attacks. Acne on face and body, hair growth on face, red,blotchy skin, bloated face. Hair loss on head. Constant hunger, sugar and caffeine cravings. Constant feeling of cold, even in warm environment. Frequent urination, dry eyes and mouth. Greasy hair and skin. Muscle and joint pains. Raised blood pressure. All these symptoms began when I started taking Yasmin and have cleared up since I stopped taking it. Never again!

I have been told that I have PCOS too since I stopped Yasmin 9 weeks ago. As some of you know about a month after I stopped taking Yasmin I started having horrible side effects...increased acne, increase facial/body hair, anxiety, depression and most of all EXTREME HAIR Loss!!! I demanded that my GYN run tests. She insisted nothing was wrong with me and that I needed to see a therapist for my anxiety. She finally agreed to check my hormones and guess what??? My testosterone was extremely high. My dheas were also somewhat elevated. I knew something was wrong. She didn't even have the nerve to follow up with me. She had her nurse tell me. They apparently referred to me an endo who refused to see me, but talked to me on the phone and said it sounds like PCOS. She told me the GYN should have run more tests and that i need to see a Derm. Again this was all done by phone. Here's the problem...no one is doing any of this follow-up. I am totally getting the run around. I am so frustrated. Has Yasmin caused these problems or just simply prevented them while i was on it for 3 years?

Hi, all.

I'm really sorry to hear of so many people having bad experiences with Yasmin. I've been really happy on it. This is my second pack, and I've had as negative side-effects, only some early, nausea (gone after 1st three days) breast tenderness (getting better) and increased appetite (which I'm managing with exercise). In the plus column, my breasts got about 1/2 cup bigger (nice for small-chested me!), my skin has cleared up a little (still not perfect, though) and seems softer, my body hair is growing back noticeably slower, and my head hair seems to be staying put, looking thicker and more lustrous (I've been getting compliments on it). I think I may have something like PCOS, though I've never been tested for it, and my ob/gyn specifically suggested Yasmin when I mentioned problems with body hair, acne, and PMS. Seems to be working well for me. I think these things are *highly* individual, but if you're having bad side-effects, I'd say try a different pill! Ortho-cyclen gave me months of morning sickness, but many women swear by it. I wish they had cheap, reliable tests to measure hormone levels, and could then prescribe the pill based on your current balance (or imbalance, more likely). Anyway, I'm happy on Yasmin so far, and I hope you all find the right pill for you.