Estrostep FE....Know Anything About It?

Where have you been young lady!?

Hi everyone. I just started taking this stuff 2 days ago. I have been reading what you guys have been writing, and now i am scared. I am not a skinny girl, and now I am afriad that any pill wont work on me. - I think i am about 30 Lbs. overweight, and I dont want to use condoms. What should I do????

My mom is here. She got here friday. She will be leaving friday morning so I will be back online then. She lives in New Mexico so I am sucking up all the mommy time I can.

I miss having my mom around. I love her so much. She is my best friend. :-)

im taking estrostep too
i just started taking estrostep and when i google it, other than finding stuff on studies, i don't seem to find anything else. i had to try really hard to even find message boards relating to the topic. i have polycystic ovary syndrom as well as acne, and i estrostep will be the sixth birth control pill ive taken to remedy the problem. the acne, however, has only been a recent problem, and my PCOS has fortunately, liberated me from any outside problems commonly associated with the syndrome. i was a little concerned with the former post saying that estrostep has lower hormones and therefor doesn't help with the acne. my OB/GYN prescribed specifically to help with the acne, and says that ortho tri cyclen, yasmin, and estrostep all advertise that they help with acne. when i google estrostep, thats all that comes up about it, random studies that prove it helps with acne. where didyou hear that it doesn't do this?

I hear ya... my mom lives 2 hours away and I think that's horrible. My mom and I are the same way!

Enjoy your mommy!!

FAIRYLIGHTS
fAIRYLIGHTS-I am new to this pill too, but everything that i have read and heard about it says it helps with acne. I think there are so many things out there, you can find anything to support and negate what you are looking for. If you have tried other pills, and nothing has worked, it wont hurt to keep this one up and see how it works. Keep me posted!- I still want an answer to my question about weight that i posted a few days ago anyone who knows!!!

Estrostep fe
I have been taking Estrostep fe for 2 months now. I have noticed the following side effects: breast tenderness, but they are firmer/fuller so that is nice..hehe and increased appetite and I gain a couple pounds while taking the active pills, but during the week off (iron pills) I lose it. The first month I was on it I had a very short and very very light period and the second month it was heavier for 2 days and then very very light the 3rd day and then it was over. Also the cramps are really bad the first couple days (worse than when I wasn't taking bc). Motrin helps, but I thought bc was supposed to help with cramps. Anyone else noticed something like this?? Also, this past weekend my boyfriend and I had sex without a condom and now I am a little bit worried. I have taken my pills at the same time (with 15 min.) every night and have not been on any other type of medication (except a few motrin for crams) and I am not overweight (about 102 pounds and I am 5ft 2). It was 4 days after my period started. Do you think I have anything to worry about?? My Dr. prescribed this pill because of the lower to higher dose it provides to reduce any side effects (this is my first time on any type of birth control). Thanks for any comments or information!*

Estrostep Fe
I have been taking Estrostep Fe for almost three months now, and I got to tell you that it has been great! I had been on Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo before now, and I had gained some weight, but with Estro I have actually lost weight and have not encountered any side effects. I am actually very happy with the product, and I would recommend it!

YEAH! So happy to find a forum about Estrostep FE! Just started it a week ago and I'm feeling really cranky, light headed and have had a constant headache! grrr...sort of like PMS but the wrong week. Switched from a "monophase" generic form of Ortho Cyclen (steady level of hormone) to Estrostep FE. I switched b/c of severe breast tenderness but hate the new side effects worse. Should I give it a few months? And, what are the brown Ferrous Fermate Tablets...do I have to take them or are they "reminder pills"?

Thanks for any suggestions!

Glad we could help! I am new to this pill and was a little "iffy" about taking it because NO ONE else was taking it. I too, switched from Ortho Cyclen. I have not had any of the side effects you've described, except maybe a headache....hm, now that you mention it.....but that is it. Everything in my life has gotten better because of this lovely little pill! I am still PMSy but if you had seen/heard me before....yikes. I think that side effects are normal for the first month. If they bother you though, call your doctor. There isn't any reason to suffer!

those brown pills are iron pills, also the reimnder pills. I don't take them. I don't need extra iron. If your doctor didn't tell you that you had to take them, I wouldn't worry about it, unless you need them as a reminder. Good luck and update us in a month or so!

***On a side note, anyone here remember my psychosis? Well, we are on month 2 without a horrible flare up! Progress progress progress!!!

Oh and as you can see JLorenW from the posts above yours, everyone is reacting differenly to these. If the side effects bother you, I'd talk to your doctor. If they are bearable, I'd wait another month to see if they subside.

40 and Considering Estrostep
Hi girls,
My dr. just suggested Estrostep to control heavy bleeding and get me regulated. I'm not sure it's worth it. I haven't taken b/c in forever and when i did, it wasn't for long. I'm just freaky about putting certain things in my body; esp. with all the serious side effects. I would like to have super clear skin and short periods, but i don't want to gain weight, go phsyco on my husband and 10 year old, or risk a heart attack. I've gained about 10 pounds in the last 6 months and i'm convinced it is stress related. (I have experienced much trauma within one year's time.) I don't smoke and i am pretty healthy. I'm open to as much advice as i can get! Thanks.

Estrostep
Hi! I am wondering about the ages of you girls that are on Estrostep. I am 39 and have been having horribly painful and heavy periods plus severe pain when ovulating. My doctor has suggested my taking Estrostep but I am nervous, I have never been a good pill taker. I have always gotten severe anxiety when taking the pill. Does anyone know if how long you have been taking the pill determines side effects like developing heart disease or if the risks are the same whether you have been taking it 1 month or ten years? Thanks...Lisa

Re: Estrostep



Hi Garysgirl,
I wrote the message just prior to yours about heavy bleeding and getting regulated. I also have had worse cramps than ever before. You asked about age; I recently turned 40. I'm like you and I'm just not sure about taking the risks either. My reasoning is that when the pharmaceutical companies list potential side effects, it is because it has happened to "somebody", and I don't want to be another "somebody". I figure if the potential side effects are worse than the symptoms I have now, why take that risk? But then again, it may not happen to me and i might feel great on Estrostep. It's a hard decision, isn't it? As far as determining whether risks are greater after a longer period of time on the medication, I think the longer you're on it, the greater the risk. There has been more time for it to build up in your system and do harm. Get back to me.
b/c 40

medically speaking,
your chances of having these ' side effects' are the same the first day as they are the 1000000th day. As soon as the hormones are introduced into your body, reactions can happen. Simply because they put your body out of its natural routine. The routine your body has may not FEEL natural, or even be HEALTHY.. it is just the routine it has and when that is out of balance, you get side effects.

Flip side-
You do have greater chances the longer you take these medications for things like cancer. Cancer ( as I think I have said before in this post ) for women, 9 times out of 10 is fueled by our own hormones.
Talk about a shot in the foot huh!
B/c pills have those hormones that most cancers feed off of. This is not saying that all women that take these pills will develop cancer, it has just been proven that the ones who have, were ones who have taken the pill for years and years. In a few other cases, they were NOT taking the pill for years and years. These cases were of women who had cancer before they started and just didnt know..

B/C pills are great for regulating the menstral cycle. There is a constant deposit of hormones that your body can come to rely on and creates a balance with.
Each and every woman will react diffrently with these pills because each womans body structure/hormone level/diet/size/shape etc.. are all diffrent.
It is very hard to predict how you are effected by these pills until you have been on them for 3 months.
The 3 month rule is in place because alot of times, we dont always notice the side effects immediatly. For what ever reason.. after you have had the side effects happen more then once, you tend to notice them.
At the end of 3 months you should be aware of the changes you are having due to these pills. Then, if it is something you dont like, cant handle, or is not the outcome you want, go to your doctor.

i am 23 and been on estrostep for about 8 months now and i haven't had really any noticeable effects from it. other girls talk about having mood swings and depression (on any birth control) and i haven't reall experienced any of that so i don't know if it's this particular bc or just how my body handles it.

Estrostep FE for me
Hi
Ive been using Estrostep Fe for about 2mths now. The 1st mth was a bit different in that I experienced some nausea, and I spotted for most of that month. The only noticeable weight gain was my breast. They seem to get a little bigger every week and a bit tender. My boyfriend loves it of course! He said looks like Ive been breastfeeding

But overall I feel fine, no more spotting so thats cooL. Me and my man can deal with the swollen chest.. hehe. Thus I shall continue using Estrostep.. it works for us! ;

I am 27

Side Effects - Blood Circulation Problems
Hi,

Has anyone experienced any blood circulation related problems after taking Estrostep FE?

I have been experiencing numbness on my left arm and leg and pain/pressure in my left leg about a month after I switched to Estrostep FE.

Not sure if they are related, but any advice is appreciated.

Thanks!

I don't know either but I would call and speak to your MD, or at the least your md's r.n. or physician's assistant to ask the MD. I always talk to the md, but then again I don't deal with hmos. This is something important to check out, whether or not it is related to Estrostep.