Estrostep FE....Know Anything About It?

Hey momof3...I had no side effects the first 2 months...and then to my surprise, they kicked in the 3rd month. Now I am eating uncontrollably and have headaches. I don't know what to do about it either. The problems I was having before (reason for taking in the first place) are gone but now I have different issues. **sigh** I don't know what to tell you other than stick it out for 3 months and see if they get better.

Good luck!

Thanks!
Thanks for the quick reply, I am feeling so overwhelmed. I, too am trying the pilll to help with other things (miserable periods since the birth of my third child) and you start to wonder if it is worth it or not? Anyways, luckily I have my annual next week and I can talk some of it over with my Doctor. Sorry to hear that your side effects started up after a few good months- the joys of being a woman right . One other question, do you know how soon after finishing the third week of pills one usually starts their period? I am sure this varies greatly but I was just curious.

Mine starts on Tuesday. And usually is over by Thursday with just the "finishing up" on Friday.

This is random, but I am almost done my second pack and I've noticed quite more gooey vaginal discharge on my underwear than before. Has anyone else experienced this?

Well if there isn't any odor or itchies...I wouldn't be concerned. You might be ovulating.

Yes i have more discharge as well and my period was two days early. i called the doc and they said it can take 3 months or so to get regulated and to not miss a pill no matter what

lektro, i suffered the same breakout problem as you did. however, i am now in my third month and it is subsiding. it actually started to go away in the middle of my second month, so hang in there it might get better. However, the headache i suffered last time during my period was horrid. again i have yet to figure out if it was allergy related or BC related, guess we will find out this month!

estrostep fe
Just thought I would let you know that I love taking estrostep fe. I have been taking it for about 4 0r 5 years now and I am reluctant to switch to anything else. Have not experience any problems with it nor had any weight gain. I am disappointed the the price continues to rise though. I got a refill yesterday and I noticed the price went up a couple of dollars. Unfortunately my insurace does not cover it therefore I have to pay out-of-pocket for it and it is expensive. I am paying about $40 per pack and that is getting quite expensive. I don't want to switch to something else because estrostep works so well for me. I am considering buying online because it is a little less expensive.
Just to let you know though, I would suggest to everyone to take it because it is great and more than likely you won't gain weight.

help!
I started Estrostep FE about 1 1/2 weeks ago, and my period has lasted this whole time (9 days)!! I'm wondering if this is my period or if it's just spotting. I've also been so tired, that after even 12 hours of sleep, I'm ready to take a nap. Does anyone know anything about this?

strawberry, in the side effects that you can look up online, general fatigue is listed. i have experienced that as well, but as someone on this thread suggested, i started taking vitamin b12 daily and it has helped some-it did take about 2 weeks to kick in. i am only tired now if i get under about 9 hours sleep which is alot better than the 11-12 i was requiring.

Strawberry, did you start taking them the Sunday after your period starts? If not then that may be the reason why you are spotting or have your period. You are suppose to take it the Sunday after your period starts and if you are on your period on that Sunday then you are still suppose to take the first pill. For example, if you start your period on a Saturday then you are still suppose to take it the very next day. If you started taking it like you are suppose to and you are having the spotting/period then maybe your body just needs to adjust to it.

The bleeding some is normal. It is going to take your body some time to adjust to the hormones. If you continue to bleed for much longer, call your doctor. Periods like that can cause anemia, which is why you probably feel so tired.

Give it about 2-3 months and see where that takes you.

trying estro-step sunday!
I started taking alesse 28 january of 2000 and switched to seasonale february of 2004 to curb mood swings. That was the worst move I've ever made. On seasonale I had chronic infections (yeast and bacterial) and horrible mood swings ( i was a mess for months). Just last month I went off seasonale! thank god and my dr. put me on ovcon. The first 2 weeks were great but the 3rd I had horrible bloating. My tummy was huge and I could hardly breathe at times. The breakthrough bleeding was horrible and now I have my period I've noticed that I'm flowing harder than I ever had. So....this sunday I going to start estro-step. My only concerns are the mood swings and chance of infections (i'm prone to them). I read many of the posts from this forum but nothing mentioning infections. Anybody? Anyone? Bueller?

kell, i used to suffer infections alot as well. i have not had any on estrostep, however it has been quite some time since i had them so i don't know if i can attribute that to the estrostep. one thing i can say is that the estrostep hasnt made me get them more often. i too was on ovcom for 1 1/2 months and i would get so bloated and naseous i wouldn't eat for about a week and a half. i switched to estrostep and haven't had the bloating problem yet so that was good. i just suffer the tiredness (better thanks to a2k), weight gain-or more like inability to lose, and headaches. but i guess all in all the benefits have outweighed the drawbacks. i only get my period for about 4 days now and i used to be the 8 day extremely heavy type. Good luck!

headaches
I am on my second month of estrostep. I had a couple of bad headaches near the end of the last week of the cycle. This was a problem that I had quite often the last time I was on the pill (a different one), several years ago. Could any more longtime user tell me if they experienced headaches in the first months, but saw them subside in later months/years?

oh third month, third and worst headache. it was so bad, came just before the period, that i actually started a thread on here asking for help. i thought i had another sinus headache, but when no sinus medication helped, i didn't know what to do. i had to leave work and run for the bed with my head jammed between the pillows to block out all the light and any noise. i thought i was better off dead. my headaches have gotten worse, but i am also on my third (and last) month. i am switching back to nuva ring which i used previously. it is a plastic ring you insert once a month and remove 3 weeks later, get your period, and then insert another. takes the remembering to take the pill same time everyday out of birth control at least. i had success for a while and switched because i am a cyst former and supposedly estrostep is better at preventing them. after that headache, i will take a cyst any day!!! Good luck to all with estrostep!

Hi everyone, this thread has definitely been more informative about Estrostep than any other site out there for me!
I'm 23 and just got Estostep yesterday, this is my first time on bc so forgive me for being naive about it. I am confused by being either a first day starter or a Sunday starter. What if I decided to be Sunday starter and got my period on a Tuesday and it was gone by Friday for instance, can you start it even if your period is over? And then on the other hand, being a first day starter, won't taking it on the first day screw up your cycle even more? I am so confused . How did everyone else decide how to start out?
Not to ramble, but I'm a little freaked out even more because for the first time ever my last period was FIFTEEN days long, and I've never had this happen before. I took a pregnancy test even though I thought it wasn't likely and it was negative, but it's making me even more eager to start after an experience like that! I'm still slightly freaked!

brooke, it is normal to get your period on a tues and then end by friday. i did that and still started on sundays. dont worry much about that. being a sunday starter would generate a tues-friday period normally. i prefer the sunday start because then you always know when you started, there is no guessing or forgetting to put the stickers on the package. it was just easier for me. As far as the 15 day period, wow, i feel for you. however be encouraged that even though in your first few months on birth control may generate some break through bleeding (totally normal) after your body normalizes to the pill (usually takes 3 months) your periods should come regularly and be lighter than they were (one of the positives of BCP). Good luck!

Thanks for the info Dragon! Now I'll just continue to hang in there and wait it out for my next period so I can start. After last months disaster I'm not sure when that may be, but I hope soon!

Second week on EstroStep FE
Hi. Just found this thread and figured I'd share my experiences as well on this. I am 26 and just started taking BC pills a little over two months ago. My doctor started me on Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo and just switched me over to EstroStep given the awful side effects I was having on the OrthoLo (heavy spotting- pretty much was having my period for two weeks a month, AWFUL cramps, headaches, etc.)- I am now in week 2 on Estrostep and feel bloated, have had light spotting and am dealing with occasional nausea. My breasts are fuller- up one bra size. I guess my biggest concern is weight gain- i am extremely active and a healthy eater so really hate the idea of gaining weight. I didn't gain any the two months on Ortho Lo, so hope that I won't gain any on this one- I will stick with this BC pill for the full three months, so hopefully my body will adjust and the side effects will go away.