Hi,
I was thinking about switching contraceptive pill to one of the new ones that mean less periods per year but some of the side effects don't sound too great. Has anyone tried them? Are they safe? Are the side effects really that bad. It would be so great to have less hassle!
Is there a good English speaking gynae in Lausanne who gives good advice?
Cheers
Munchie

www.doctor.ch

Wow, that's some first post question. Just diving straight in, I see. I love what you list as your interest in your profile though. A girl after my own heart.

Anyway, I have found that the gynos at the VidyMed Clinic on Route de Chavannes (021 622 8901) seem to be good. I see Dr Akram (who is male, if that matters to you) but I know there is a female gyno in the same practice of whom I have heard good things.

Dr Akram speaks perfect English but you will find that often the receptionists do not, so it is sometimes best if you get someone to make the appointment for you or try and struggle through on your own (as I do - so far I have always arrived on the agreed day at the right time, by some miracle).

Good luck.

Mel

There's talk of banning the Yasmin birth control pill in Switzerland:

http://www.20min.ch/news/kreuz_und_quer/story/30891334

http://www.20min.ch/ro/news/suisse/story/10246044

thanks for the advice. it's good to know someone has had a good experience with a doctor. I was asking someone who works with my boyfriend and the person she went to was really unhelpful and really against using the pill and artificial hormones so I didn't want to go and see her...
I don't know of anyone who has started taking these new types of pill so maybe they aren't so good for you.

Face it, no pill is safe. Why do that to yourself when there are perfectly safe, natural, more effective ways to protect yourself?

My Swiss gynecologist told me I had no other options when it came to contraception. After doing my own research I found this and am convinced that if more women knew about it they wouldn't agree to changing the chemistry of their body and risking all sorts of illness/side effects and harming the environment. Anyway, it is just my two cents.

http://www.ladycomp.com/

Thanks for the input, opera girl, but most of us are not taking hormonal contraception because we are unaware of the alternatives... there are many reasons, from month-round contraception, control of menstruation or other symptoms, or to reduce our risk of ovarian cancer.


My co-PhD student, who has an MD, having specialized in gyn, takes Yasmin, so i would assume that so long as it's prescribed to you by a competent MD, it's worth a try (having said that, most research looks to suggest that it only stops spotting in 70% of cases).

I will never take Yasmin again Apart from developing suspected clots and breathing difficulties whilst taking it, it didn't even prevent what it should have prevented in the first place And yes I did take it correctly, was not ill etc. etc. etc. Doctor told me it is quite common for women to get pregnant whilst using this particular pill!!

crikey, that's one side-effect I hadn't heard about

I take Cerazette (it's a 28 day pill) and the only side effect I am dealing with is the odd pimple on my jaw line. I was on Yasmin for years, but switched because I would get migraines when I stopped taking it so took it continuously but it's not meant to be taken that way. I have yet to read the 20Minuten article so don't know what is going on with it.

The only form of birth control I really don't recommend taking, don't even know if it's available here, is Depo-Provera.

__________________
"What we have is no where as useful as the wheel. We keep reinventing the piece of rock that is still square"

I second that.

how about the contraceptive ring?

Works like the pill in temrs of hormones but it is "inserted" and so releases hormones where needed (vs going through the digestive system) and is kept in for 4 weeks if you wish (so you get less periods)

Have been using for 3 yrs and find it awsome! Plus no more forgetting as just need to remember to put in and take out...

I like it very much

Cheers,
K

I use Mercilon (21 days). The side effect that I have was having headache 2 days before my period.

I used to take Yasmin, the only one (and last one) I ever tried. Apart from a rapid increase in weight, breast tenderness all month, and severe reduction of libido, I had a lot of thread veins coming up in my legs (so much so that I had to have them removed cos they were awful). I would never ever take it again. My friend also took it for 6 months and had exact same symptoms except the breast tenderness.

Have you thought about having a Mirena IUD fitted? I have one and have experienced no side effects whatsoever. Periods become very light to non-existant (very low dose slow release progesterone locally delivered thins the womb lining so nothing to shed). It wasn't difficult to fit, you don't have to remember to take it and (quite importantly for a contraceptive) failure rate is low.
I am sure that googling will bring up loads of horror stories (as always with any medicine or medical advice) but a straw poll of 'women I know with one' is very positive.

Just perhaps another view on it, but I guess your gynae will know best.

ETA: Just checked, you need to have had one previous pregnancy, not neccesarily to term I think.

I have been taking Yasminella (Yasmin's low dosage sister) and after 5 months, I am coming off it. I have been experiencing terrible acne and weight gain in addition to feeling over-emotional and having horrible mood swings. Apparently Yasminella is supposed to combat these side effects. My poor boyfriend...Now, I'm going to try Diane which is a higher dosage, but apparently it's better for my new acne scarred face :-(. If this doesn't work, then I'll stop altogether.

I'm taking Cerazette, and haven't had my periods in 3 years...

My gyn told me that one day, my body will refuse to go on with this pill, and I'll experience permanent spotting. When that happens, I'll have to switch to a 'normal' (21 days) pill. But as long as it works, I keep my Cerazette!

I experienced no side effect at all, so I highly recommand it! But it doesn't work so well with everybody: some women have constant spotting from the beginning, others still have light periods from time to time. And some lucky girls like me are totally rid of their periods

wow, I'm really jealous. I think I'd do almost anything to stop having periods . It would be really rubbish to change pill and then have spotting all the time bu maybe it is worth a go if it works (fingers crossed!)

I had an implanon inserted in september and I really like this. It's a stick in your arm which gives off a constant dose of hormones, much less then the 'normal' pill. Drawback is that you don't get your periods regular anymore, but then, for some women they completely go away and for me they are very light and only occur once every two months or so.
I used to be on the pill, but the change in hormones made me really depressed and my periods got more painful every time (the reason I got the pill in the first place). With implanon I only have a little back ache and very few cramps (which were both very bad before) so I am quite happy with it.
Plus it can stay there for three years, or can be taken out any other time if you wish so.

I don't know if you can get it in Switzerland (mine was implanted in the Netherlands), but I wouldn't know why not. As for doctors here, I can give no advise, sorry.

I too had the Implamon implant, and as stated most women seem to stop their periods or only light ones once in a while. But this is not true for all. I kept mine in for 2 years and it was terrible. I seemed to have my period for 3 weeks out of the 4 in a month, every month. It truly was horrible.
I am now on Gynera for a year and everything is back to normal.