Estrostep FE....Know Anything About It?

Estrostep works for me
I took Ortho Tri Cyclin and it messed with me emotionally and I felt very heavy and depressed. My doctor switched me to Estrostep, and I had no side-effects. I feel completely myself - no weight gain, no nothing - if anything it helps with my skin, as birth control often does.

All birth control pills have lists of side effects so I wouldn't be alarmed by the list of Estrostep's possible side effects. Though after reading how smoking increases your risk for some of those side effects, I am now even more passionate about never becoming a smoker.

In any case, the important thing to realize is that every woman's body is different and will handle pills differently. The best thing you can do is trust your doctor and keep him/her well-informed of how you feel on the pill. Sometimes it takes time to find the right one, but it's not worth going crazy over. Just make sure you know your body and keep that communication open with your doctor. For all you know, it may not be directly related to the pill but just stressors in your life in general.

That said, having had the reaction I did with my first pill, I know that it also can be the pill itself which is messing with you, and that's why your doctor is there to help you find the right pill for your body.

I hope this helps.

I've been on several different birth controls over the years including Ortho-Tri Cyclen (regular and lo) ovcon, yasmin and now estrostep. I was put on Yasmin after the birth of my second daughter in June and ended up gaining 4lbs in the first week so I took myself off...Then I started experiencing hair loss, which I have been told is normal around 4 months post partum (which is when it started happening) so of course I freaked out anyway and went to my ob-gyn who at my insistence put me on estrostep. THat was almost a month ago, and I've gained 3lbs, have been breaking out really badly, ive been on my period for 8 days now and it's very heavy and have been having bad headaches. I wasn't supposed to get my period until the placebos but i got it two weeks early..I also read one of the side effects is loss of scalp hair, so I'm not sure if the hair loss has gotten worse bc of the pill or bc of the post partum thing. ive also read taking yourself off of bc can make you lose you hair, so I'm just really confused on what to do...ahhh the trials and tribulations of being a woman...

New Estrostep User
I just got put on the Estrostep FE today as my previous b/c has been stopped being made. I am terrified of the side effects. I will start this coming Sunday and my best friend is getting married the Saturday after. I can't afford weight gain or acne for this big day. Any advice? I have been on b/c for 12 years but this time I just am freaking out!!

I am 21 and just started the second week of my first pack of estrostep. I haven't been on the pill in three years and was wondering if anyone had seen positive results in their skin, and if so how long did it take?

Hi Everyone!!!

First of all, I'm so glad I found this website! Although it has been a little scary reading some of your stories, it has also been reassuring. I saw my doctor today, and I will be starting Estrostep on the first day of my next period (which should be in 2 more days). I am getting married in 5 months, and wanted to get started with a bcp now so that I could get adjusted to it before the big day. I'm 21 (22 in 2 months) and weight about 110-112 lbs at 5 feet, 6 inches tall.

Of course, my initial worry was the weight gain. I am a slender young woman, and would like to remain so! I need to get my dress altered soon, and I don't want to have my weight all messed up after that happens.

After reading through all 31 pages of this post (wow!!!) I feel a lot more comfortable about starting the pill. Again, some of your stories were pretty scary and extreme, so I'll just keep praying that I'll get by with as little side effects as possible.

I've never been on a bcp before, and I don't like the idea of putting hormones (or any kind of drug) into my body. On the other hand, I really *really* don't need a child any time soon. I am very thankful, however, that my fiance has also glanced through your forum and is ready to stay with me through this time of adjustment and help me along. I will throw a post up with any news as I start the pills. Hopefully, more good news than bad.

Good luck out there to everyone else starting or continuing, and if you have any suggestions or comments, I'd love to hear them!!!

Estrostep
Hey All,

I am sooo glad to have found this thread. My doctor just put me on Estrostep after taking two other pills - Yasmin and Loestrin. Both turned me into a monster. Crying for no reason, getting angry and upset at everything, stressed out when there is nothing to stress about. I am very nervous about taking this pill because i have heard so many negatives about it. The only plus side is that i have not gained weight with either pill, so im not worried about that too much. I just don't think i can handle any more emotional rollercoasters!

estrostep FE
dear friends:

I've been on estrostep FE for 3+ years and so far it's been ok. I dont have any cramps or mood swings, etc. Anyway, the last 6-12 months my period has been very, very, very light (like you dont even need a pad,etc) and now I practically dont even get it. I went off the pill for a month by accident and then got my period. I'm back on it and I've started again to have little-no period. I've spoken with my gyno who says this is normal. Has anyone else experienced this?? I get paranoid every month that I'm pregnant.

Any help/advice is appreicated. Thanks!!!

i've been on estrostep fe for about eight months and 3 months ago, my periods pretty much disappeared. i freaked for the first 2, then talked to my gyno and she said it's just the bc doing what it should. no complaints here!

I've Taken Estrostep FE
This is the best pill I've ever been on. I've never experienced any side effects with this pill. My periods are super light on this pill. I'm never moody or have hormonal side effects. I've never gained weight due to taking this pill and I've been on it for 9 years. It's great too for when you decide to try to have a baby. I was safely pregnant in less than 30 days after stopping the pill. The graduated levels of hormones through out the month are phenomenal.

Estrostep - about 2 months later
Hello Everyone

So i posted here, about 2 months ago, pretty much freaked out by the idea of taking a pill that can cause me even more problems than i already had from loestrin.
I'm happy to say that my mood swings have pretty much subsided! I feel like the old me, not getting upset at every little thing and actually be rational. LOL
I did not gain an ounce of weight and have in fact lost a few pounds. My only complaint is that i have gotten my period when i shouldn't have, twice in one month. Both times when i was still taking the active pills. I attribute this to the fact my body is adjusting to different levels of hormones, where before I only had one, or I haven't been taking the pill everyday at the same time. I hope this will go away in the next month.
I think I have finally found my match for bc.
For those of you out there who are scared to take Estrostep remember that it might actually be better for you, if you give it a chance.

Estrostep Tips
I discovered with Estrostep, if you don't take it around the same time everyday, you can get break through bleeding. If you miss your last pill or your next to last pill, you will get your period a full day earlier (at least I do). I make my pill part of my morning ritual...wake up, go potty, take my pill and have breakfast. That works best for me, but I remember my mom always did hers as a nighttime ritual...wash her face, brush her teeth, take her pill and off to bed. Just find a time that works for you and stick to it.

New person
I am finishing my first month of Estrostep. I was taking Trivora triphasics before. I was on them for years, but in the last year I have started to get migraines with aura, so my OBGYN switched me to Estrostep. I have had a little bit of weight gain even though I quintupled my exercise level. Now in brown pill week, I am like some kind of psycho case, MASSIVE unexplained crying jags then fine. This happened before when I took monophasic bc - I was like a drug addict on withdrawal during the reminder week. I have taken the pill at the same time each day except Saturdays, when I take it about 1-1.5 hours later, same time on Sunday, then on Monday it's back to the 1-1.5 hours sooner.

Side effects for me: touch of weight gain (about 2-3 pounds that would not go away until brown pill 5 - then it dropped in one day of running to the bathroom every 30 minutes), emotional crash at end of week 3, start of brown week, and no period at all this month. I have had the tiniest bit of spotting, hardly noticeable. I plan to talk to my GP about it since I have a check-up in 3 days. So far, I am not all that thrilled with Estrostep, but I will hang it out for 3 months since I don't have much choice. My insurance charges $32 a month for this, compared to the $7 a month I was paying for my Trivora.

To add to my side effects: This month, I have gained 5 pounds in 10 days. Grrr.

Thanks for all of the useful posts! I read a bunch and feel a little less nervous about the side effects.

Hair Loss
one of my friends started taking Estrotep Fe about 2 Months ago and has ever since lost a large amounts of hair. the doctors have told her its alopecia areata, but i think it is the birth control. if anyone knows anything about this birth control causing hair loss can you please inform me of this

Estrostep FE and headaches
I have been on Estrostep FE for 6 months now and am happy with the results. I have extremely light periods and my acne has cleared up. I do get common PMS syndromes the week of active pills prior to the iron tablets. I usually have sore nipples and feel very irritable. I also noticed with Estrostep FE that I lost a few pounds that have stayed off. One thing I've noticed since I started Estrostep FE is that I get headaches, which I never got before. Anybody else have this side effect?

i took estrostep for a year. i loved it. no weight gain, no mood swings, no acne. my body adjusted very quickly. i recently switched to loestrin 24 to make my short periods even shorter and am beginning to regret it. my period has disappeared completely. ill probably be switching back to estrostep soon. good luck!

estrostep
I have been taking estrostep Fe since august 2006. It is my first birth control ever. I started because of health reasons and a beginning of an intense relationship. Since taking it I have gained A LOT of weight. This also could be because I am in college and no longer work out everyday as I did in highschool. But otherwise, my life has been amazing with the periods. My periods used to last 6 days with constant blood clots going through a box of 40 plus tampons in one period. Now I am able to use one box of 40 in 3 months and haven't experienced but one of two clots. Also the cramps are pretty much gone, which used to cause me to cripple over in pain sometimes. I would say go for it! I also only pay a little over 5 dollars for this medication because of insurance, so thats also a plus. One thing that did kind of worry me at first was I was very moody the first month because of all the hormones, but I adjusted well and haven't experienced it since.

*I know it;s late... but for anyone else who was wondering*

I have taken estrostep fe for about 6 years...I have had no problems at all. I had been on other BCPs that made me absolutely insane. This one didn't, in fact, I had no reaction at all. NO weight gain, No crazy hormonal personality changes, no acne, nothing.
I recommend it.

As to the brown spots on face...etc...it's caused by estrogen...whether you take a BCP or not, you can get them....just one of the wonderful things about being female ;-)

Estrostep FE
Hello, I have been reading some of the things posted on this site and it has been very helpful and in response to some of the questions I can say that I was on Estrostep for about 4 and a half years. Honestly at first I have to say the pill was a great match for me. I did not gain any weight, I didn't really have any skin problems from before, and it did not cause any, and it made me very regular with hardly any cramps or other symptoms (which was a blessing), and as far as for preventing pregnancy, it worked, and I would recommend it. However I have noticed over I would say the past 2 years I have slowly had a decreasing sex drive (so I realized that well of course it would prevent pregnancy, you cant get pregnant unless your having sex..lol) and not to mention a nasty migraine at least once a month. ( I had previously suffered from migraines before going on the pill however after going to the chiropractor they were greatly reduced) and I noticed they started only happening around that time of the month. So I have decided to stop taking the pill because as you get older your hormones change and maybe what worked 4 years ago doesn't work as well now. I am also not one that likes to take pills or put that stuff in the body, so after much deliberation I have decided to stop and this is my first week off of them and I am just kind nervous about what to expect from going off of them? Has anyone experienced any side effects, good or bad from stopping the pill?

HEY,

I have also been reading much of the information that is up here and some of it is helpful. I fear that there might be something wrong with me though. I have been on estrostep for about 5 yrs now and I'm only 20 yrs old. Before that I took orthocycle (I think that's what it's called) and some others (I started b/c when I was 13 or so and switched pills many times before estrostep). My doctor suggested to my mother that i should take it because of medical problems (severe manic mood swings and long intense and painful periods which included fevers and migraines, and lasted 11 + days). Ever since I began taking b/c I have noticed great improvements (my period is much shorter and lighter and only comes once a month and the pain is greatly reduced, not completely but much so). Anyway, I was fine and then one day my roommate in college took my pills, which i was on the 2nd week of, to use as a plan b without asking me and it just happened to be my last pack (i get them every 3 months in the mail). I though i had lost it and so i had to wait until the next pack came in the mail 3 weeks or so and so i started taking them again once they arrived. everything was fine (my period that month was hell on earth but i was ok) until i was moving back home for the summer and my roommate gave me my pills back and told me what she did. i was about to get on the plane so i put them in my bag and told her we'd talk later. sorry this is going on so long but i accidentally, when i got home, started taking the ones she gave me back (my old pills which were on the wrong week- i didn't notice because coincidentally it was for the same day that the ones i was supposed to be on were but only a week later). so i finished the pills a week before i was supposed to get my period and so my period never came (which is when i realized my mistake and found the pills i was supposed to be on). since then my period has not been the same. It didn't come for 2 months and now it finally came and i've had it for a month and a half and it shows no signs of stoping. My glands are all swollen around my neck (which i found out from my dentist) and i have so much pain everywhere. i have started taking the pills normally now and it's been 4 months so i do not understand why my system is all out of control still. i don't know what to do or what this means but i have an appointment with my gyno in a week. i spoke to my gyno's assistant and she mentioned words like cysts, tumor, and possibly cancer.

I'm scared and i was just wondering if anyone could give me any advise or answers or anything given that i have not been able to speak to my gyno directly just her assistant and receptionist. thanks.

I have been on Estrostep for the past 3 years...I've been on the pill since i was 13 for medical reasons, but I've found that this one is definitely the best. Weight gain didn't happen for me, it was my own doing lol - But other than that, I find that I'm super emotional...I'll cry at the drop of a hat about a week before and during my period. But I really have no complaints. I'm hoping they'll be coming out w/ a generic version soon though so I won't be paying so much anymore! Hope that helps!