Combo pill risks?

Any questions or discussions that you ONLY want to discuss with our staff or volunteers.
(Users: please do not reply to other users here.)
space egg
not a newbie
Posts: 17
Joined: Thu Dec 31, 2020 1:42 pm
Age: 18
Primary language: English
Pronouns: she/her
Sexual identity: Bisexual
Location: Australia

Combo pill risks?

Unread post by space egg »

Hello again!
Recently, my doctor has recommended I go on the combination pill at the start of my next period to help my menstrual cramps, heavy periods and hormonal acne, but not for contraception, as neither my partner nor myself are ready to become sexually active
While I do trust my doctor's opinion above all, I'm just curious about anyone's experiences/opinions of whether or not it's worth going on the pill for something that isn't birth control due to the risk of blood clots.
I've only recently learned to take pills without freaking out, and over-the-counter pain killers intended for period cramps have almost eliminated my menstrual pain, as well as made my period quite a bit lighter, but it's just the acne I struggle with now, which hasn't gone away since I was 11 no matter what diet changes or skin routines I try.
I'll admit, a lot of the reason I'm mostly supportive of the idea of going on the pill is due to my ongoing fear of sperm cells which I have talked about before on the forums here. It's been manageable due to therapy that I've been going to for a year now and meds I've taken since January for anxiety, but has never quite gone away. It has gradually improved, so I'm hoping it will continue to do so and there isn't much I can do about it right now.
I apologise if this was a jumbled mess! Thank you in advance to anyone who reads this :)
Sam W
scarleteen staff/volunteer
Posts: 9770
Joined: Mon Jul 28, 2014 9:06 am
Age: 32
Awesomeness Quotient: I raise carnivorous plants
Primary language: english
Pronouns: she/her
Sexual identity: queer
Location: Desert

Re: Combo pill risks?

Unread post by Sam W »

Hi space egg,

One thing to keep in mind is that the combination pill is one of the most thoroughly researched and studied medications in history, so when your doctor makes sure you don't have any health conditions which would make the pill not-great for you, you can rest assured you're taking a method well-proven to be safe. So assuming you and your doctor talked about your health history, you can figure the pill will be a safe method for you to use. Too, while blood clots are a possible side effect of the pill, they're a really uncommon one (Heather actually offers more info that here: https://www.scarleteen.com/article/advi ... rands_best).

With that in mind, are you thinking the pill is something you'd like to try, both for mitigating your period symptoms and managing your fears around pregnancy and sperm?
Post Reply Previous topicNext topic