Estrostep FE....Know Anything About It?

I've taken Estrostep for a LONGGGG time.
Hey.

Glad to find this forum.

I've been taking Estrostep for about 7 years now non-stop. I love it. It really made my periods light (they used to be very heavy), made my boobies very soft and pliable (I had cysts in them during my period week before), and my period only lasts one to two days now.

The only side effects? Well, my boobies grew a size for the first three years, and then they went back to the original size. I liked this side-effect though. I've also gained about 10lbs, but I was not overweight, so that wasn't a problem. I then lost this weight, and then gained it back. Oh well. The only inconvenience is that I have to spend more money on clothing of different sizes. During the third week of the pills I notice myself to be a bit more irritable, but I used to be irritable and get PMS a lot longer when I wasn't on this pill. My blood pressure also raised just a bit.

Overall, I really enjoyed Estrostep. It's benefits really outweighted its risks.

I'm still happily taking it and will continue on taking it until it's time to have some babies (I'm 23, hopefully in a couple of years).

The only dowside for me? Ortho tri-cyclen Lo and the like offer a generic and are much cheaper under every single insurance that I've ever had. I was briefly thinking of switching, but I've been so satisfied with Estrostep that I don't want to switch to something which will give me terrible side-effects.

Anyway, I recommend Estrostep to all. If you have any questions, contact me anytime. I have yet to meet a person who has been on birth control (let alone Estrostep) for as long as I have. Seven years with no stops what-so-ever. I'm a true b/c Estrostep champ! (it lasted through a lot of boyfriends, too, now that I'm almost engaged, that's it). I have sexual intercourse regularly and frequently, never use backup and always take my b/c at the same time nightly (well, I try to be within one hour or so).

I've been on bc pills non stop for 10 years. Holy crap....doesn't seem that long....

i just wanted to say your forum is helpful. I just started this pill and this is my day 4. i am 19 and have never been on b/c before. I have been feeling depressed and i have already cried 3 times today which is not normal. I'm glad to know it could be the pill and that it could go away after the first month. thanks

I post here just as a listener. I took bc pills for years, and I mostly appreciated them, though I did get quite irascible in my mid-forties and that might have been related to some pill change.

At one point I took Estrotest - NO, not the same thing as estrostep. Estrotest had or has a bit of testosterone in it, and testosterone is also not widely known as a component of female hormonal balance, but it is. I had had fibroid surgery and had taken a drug (Luprin) before that to shut down estrogen presurgery, and after the surgery, which was quite easy in itself, I landed in a world of no libido, complete blah. When I managed to speak up and complain, the md gave me estrotest to kick up libido, and it did, thank you.

Me and m'doctor cut that out when I felt better some time later, and had... around the same time, started to get some weird dreams. The nurse practioner poohpoohed the dreams, we all get those, dear, and the md listened and cut me off of the estrotest.

Let me reiterate, Estrotest is not the same drug as this thread is about, Estrostep.

I bring this all up to underline that you should all pay attention, even keep a calendar re your moods and your physical sensations with or without any medication. It is useful for physicians and useful for yourselves to understand yourselves.

Signed, Oldie Osso.

I have been taking Estrostep FE
Just thought it might be helpful to hear from someone who has been taking Estrostep FE...I am 23 and have been on the pill since 18. I started wiht Ortho Tri-Cyclen, my doctor switched me to Estrostep fe in July becasue the ortho was starting to make me really moody...apparently this happens once you have been on the same pill for several years. The Estrostep fe has been great for me, no wight gain, no pimples, no skin discoloration,no wierd side effects, and no more mood swings. I would highly recommend it.

my experience
I am 18 and about to complete my first pack of estrostep fe pills, my first pack of any b/c pills for that matter. So far I really like estrostep and I am so glad there is a forum for this. My first two weeks on the pill were pretty bad. The first week I was really sick (I stayed in bed a lot, luckily I was home for Spring Break), didn't have one normal bowel movement, and overreacted about a lot of things... the second week, the physical sickness (nausea, etc..) went away and the emotional kicked in. However, the last two weeks of the pills have been perfect. I feel myself again and I hope this continues. So girls, if you just started, stick it out and hopefully, most likely, it will get better. It's always nice to know what other people's experiences with the pill are.

Hey all I have just started using estrostep fe and the only really big side effect I have had is like a pounding heart...not sure why maybe what I have been drinking...??? other than that I am very active and healthy..

I just got my first period on estrostep fe... so far it's super light!

also, I used a sample pack this month and I will again next month.. about how much does estrostep cost with normal health insurance (blue cross..)?

Depends on your insurance. Ranges from $5 to $25 or not covered at all.

i have been on birth control now for 13 years, count em 13!! i have yet to find one that regulates my period. i have recently started on estrostep and i finding that i am tired, gaining weight, and my face is breaking out more than ever! My biggest fear is that my bmi is close to the breaking point of 25 that has been posted here and since i am gaining weight, what will i do if it gets worse? I have recently turned into an exercise junkie since i don't want to gain weight, but it isn't helping and it's been 5 weeks. Does anyone have an suggestions because i am truly at my wits end ! Thanks!

Call your doctor. No reason to be on pills you don't like.

problem is i have been on at least 20 different pills in 13 years and none have controlled my period. i have a huge problem with ovarian cysts (4 surgeries so far) so my doctor suggested estrostep as the next one to try since everything else has failed. Estrostep does control the bleeding and so far the cysts so those benefits are great, i was just hoping someone knew how to deal with the other side effects so that i could keep taking it. sorry if my previous message was misleading!

No that's ok. I didn't mean to sound harsh.

The problem is that you can't control the way your body reacts to the hormones. Especially the weight gain and breakouts. Working out and eating better is the only way I would suggest. I don't think that there is anything to do about those side effects.

thanks a bunch!

Perhaps Shewolf, who used to be a nurse, could offer some better advice. She is not around lately but I am sure she will be back. Keep checking in.

Just a bit about my experience with Estrostep FE:

I was on it straight for 2 years. I absolutely loved being on this, I had no weight gain, no tenderness, my skin cleared up (although I didn't have a huge problem with this), and my periods actually became nonexistent.

During the first two months of taking it, my periods were MUCH shorter, and then after that, they disappeared completely while on the medication. I did ask my doctor, and a couple of other doctors about this to make sure it wasn't indicative of a problem, and they all said the same thing: it meant my body had adjusted very well to the BC. I had been off it for about 6 months, and it came back, so I know I am still normal
I just started it up again though.

Also, I am overweight, and this has been working well for me. This is the first place I had seen anything regarding it being ineffective for anyone overweight.

acire, i am glad to hear someone else whose periods nearly stopped. I swear, I thought I was pregnant for a while there!

Haha, Yeah, I got worried about it at first too, hence why I asked a couple of doctors about it.
I think that's part of why I took a break from it too, just to make sure I would go back to normal after being on it for a prolonged period of time.
And now I'd like to go back to the no PMS/no period experience

I just wanted to thank you all. i finally read the entire thread and i am going to try taking b12 to help with the fatigue. i guess i will just continue with my exercise junkie/healthy eating routine hoping and praying that at some point i will stop gaining weight and start losing. I do enjoy the light periods and no pms however which is why i am willing to keep going on this.

how important is the time you take the pill?
hi all,

i am starting week 2 of estrostep fe today. i was on the pill twice, but it was many moons ago now, so i forget a lot of the common wisdom-- my question is: during this first week of estrostep i have been taking the pill around the same time every day, but within a three hour window. how bad is this? i haven't yet had sex without a back-up method, but i'm just wondering. The nurse at my doctor's office said that with estrostep a two hour window is harmless, but three may be pushing it. This makes sense, but now I'm getting nervous about even a two hour window, or hour, etc. Any thoughts? (an earlier post referring to a "pill baby" stopped me cold in my tracks...)