Progestrone only pill

morningsun · by **morningsun** » Wed Mar 28, 2022 9:28 am

Has anyone any experience with this? My story is I came off the pill in October for a few reasons – mainly having bad headaches. My cycles are all over the place – anything from 32 to 50 days so I mentioned this when I was at a doctor’s appointment this morning. She suggested using the progestrone only pill to get me over the wedding and we are going on a long honeymoon so this would be a godsend to be able to predict my cycles but not be getting the bad side effects from the normal combined pill. She said this morning that it is usually the oestrogen that causes the bad side effects.

So what I am wondering is, is it too risky to start new hormone pill a month before my wedding? Has anyone had any bad side effects? The doctor said if the normal pill suited me then this one would aswell. It also suits better as it doesn’t stop you ovulating – it thins the lining of the womb (same as coil and depo-provera) so periods are very light on it.

Please help not sure what to do, don’t want to risk having bad skin or any other side affects for around the wedding.

trance · by **trance** » Wed Mar 28, 2022 9:49 am

I switched over from Mercillon to Cerazette a couple of years ago, plus points are no periods, no weight gain (or loss sadly!) and no mood swings (bar what I would normally have), on the down side it has affected my skin, nothing too disastrous but I have never really suffered from spots/bad skin before until I went on prog only pill. I had tried Noriday (the only other prog pill available as far as I know - I could be wrong on that though!) a few years earlier and it had a terrible effect on my skin, I literally had a big old rash on my chin that my husband said looked like ringworm - NICE!!!

The thing is, the pill has never really affected me too much (other than the rash!!), even Mercillon and the only reason I came off it was because of my age and family medical history. The only thing certain about taking any hormonal contraceptive is that it affects everyone differently so my experience won't be your experience. Ultimately it's your call - good luck!!

morningsun · by **morningsun** » Wed Mar 28, 2022 10:14 am

Thanks for the reply Trance.

I was on mercilon for years and that is the pill I came off in October. my new prescription is for Cerzaette. My skin is bad enough since coming off it anyways, the advantages of Cerazette seem to be brilliant and I am wondering why I hadn’t heard about it before, the pluses you said above are the ones the doctor outlined. It is definitely my call and my experience will be different as you said but I just really wanted to make sure that there were no severe disadvantages that I wasn’t aware of, I hadn’t even thought of going back on the pill and my appointment wasn’t related to that so I just don’t want to feel I rushed back into taking another pill without being full educated or making sure the doctor hadn’t left anything out. I am going back next week about the other issue so will ask any further questions I might have then.

Blossom Cherry · by **Blossom Cherry** » Wed Mar 28, 2022 10:25 am

Hi mornngsun,

I'm currently on Cerazette. I was on it over three years and came off it last year but I'm back on it now. I never had a period when I was on it before (was bliss as I suffer terribly with pms and cramps). I went back on a few months ago and three weeks on I had a period which lasted 9 days. Nothing since though, Thank God. My doctor raves about it, apparently it the best pill to be on as it carries the lowest risk of DVT. I haven't noticed any side effects this time other than being very emotional and fed up when I had that 9 day period.

My advice would be to make a decision sooner rather than later as you might get a breakthrough bleed on your first pack like I did and you don't want that around your wedding day. Best of luck

by **BusyMom** » Wed Mar 28, 2022 10:27 am

I was put on Cerazette when I was breastfeeding my son as POP (progesterone only pill) is the only one you can take while bf-ing. I used to get migraines with the combined pill and so had to be taken off it - which is how I ended up with anything to breastfeed in the first place!!

I had no side-effects from it, other than much lighter periods but these weren't too noticeable as my cycle was still a bit off after childbirth. I'd always be prone to bad skin and while it didn't clear it up, it didn't make it any worse either. Nor did I gain any weight while taking it (although this isn't something that happened me on any form of the pill).

One thing that is worth noting is that it's only effective if taken exactly on time! No 24 hour window with the POP like there is with the combined pill, I think your protection is compromised if you're 3 hours late with it, just something to keep in mind!

My cycle didn't go crazy or anything after I stopped taking it, got pregnant no hassle a month or two later.

Hope that helps you!

originalwoowoo · by **originalwoowoo** » Wed Mar 28, 2022 10:29 am

I was on Cerezette after DS2 and found it really great - no side effects as long as it was taken as directed.

Blossom Cherry · by **Blossom Cherry** » Wed Mar 28, 2022 10:32 am

May19Mom wrote:
One thing that is worth noting is that it's only effective if taken exactly on time! No 24 hour window with the POP like there is with the combined pill, I think your protection is compromised if you're 3 hours late with it, just something to keep in mind!

Hope that helps you!

Hi,

The above isn't true regarding Cerazette, you have the same 12 hr window like the combined pill. They do recommend you take it at the same time everyday but if you are less than 12 late taking your pill the contraceptive efficacy is maintained.

zemphis · by **zemphis** » Wed Mar 28, 2022 10:38 am

I was on cerazette as well for about 4 years and only recently came off it. I couldn't take the combined pill as it affected me too badly so that's why I took cerazette. I found it ok, in the most part. Though I did get irregular periods, where I could have a couple of months between them or there could only be 3 or 4 weeks. Once, I think I had two within two weeks. I also got occasional spotting and I also found that my periods could go on for quite a while - about 8 days.

One downside of it is that there is no predicting as to whether you will get periods on it and if you do, how often they will be or how long they will last - this is in literature about it. The literature does also warn about spotting and break-through bleeds.

morningsun · by **morningsun** » Wed Mar 28, 2022 10:40 am

Thanks for the replies girls. Very helpful and think I am going to go for it.

Blossom Cherry, that is a pity about the breakthrough bleed. I wish I had heard about this pill even last week cos I just had my period, so I could have been started on this last week but now I have to wait around for another cycle which hopefully will be shorter than the last one. I think it will be good for honeymoon anyways cos I really can’t be dealing with the terrible cramps and not knowing when my period is going to come so think I will go ahead with it.

Any idea why this isn’t more widely used?? Still trying to figure out what the catch is!

I think it will be easier to take on time than the normal pill – I tended to get caught after the 7 day break, forgetting to start back again on time so at least when taking it constantly i won’t have that problem.

morningsun · by **morningsun** » Wed Mar 28, 2022 10:43 am

zemphis wrote:I was on cerazette as well for about 4 years and only recently came off it. I couldn't take the combined pill as it affected me too badly so that's why I took cerazette. I found it ok, in the most part. Though I did get irregular periods,

The doctor said to me that if I was ok on the combined pill, then the progesterone only pill should be fine too, I was ok on the combined pill so hope she is right!

Oh meant to ask any effect on sex drive girls?

by **redroses** » Wed Mar 28, 2022 10:45 am

[quote="May19Mom"]

One thing that is worth noting is that it's only effective if taken exactly on time! No 24 hour window with the POP like there is with the combined pill, I think your protection is compromised if you're 3 hours late with it, just something to keep in mind!

[quote]

You have a 12 hour window to take cerazette if you forget to take a pill. It is advisable to take at the same time every day.

I started this pill a month ago, initially i had a bleed for 11 days and nothing since. My skin was terrible after i had my two girls, my cheeks were covered is really painful little spots. A week in to taking cerazette it had cleared up so thats a big plus for me. I havent gained any weight or loss any either! Still early days though. My moods havent changed at all so if things continue like this i would be happy to keep taking it.
I cant take the combined pill due to migraine and im waiting on appointment to have coil fitted again.
Before i started it i looked up reviews and there is a lot of negativity about it and its side effects, mainly women bleeding irregularly throughout the month.

morningsun · by **morningsun** » Wed Mar 28, 2022 10:50 am

Redroses as usual for this website this might be asking for you to share too much information but do you mind me asking when did you have the bleed, like straight away after starting on it or after a few weeks? I am literally down to the wire for the wedding so just wondering if I am likely to have a bleed straight away after starting or after a certain amount of weeks?

Blossom Cherry · by **Blossom Cherry** » Wed Mar 28, 2022 10:52 am

No Negative effects >:o)

Ms- re the breakthrough bleed, I never had any bleed at all when I was first on it and was so surprised this time round when I did have one.

When I came off it last yr I did a bit of googling to see if peoples cycles returned to normal and I read some dreadful things about people TTC but i really think that is the case with all oral contraceptives and Cerazette is no different - you always hear/read the hardship stories. My own cycle returned to normal the first month off but I was convinced I wasn't ovulating (was temping) but my doc assured me that I was considering I had a regular 28-30 day cycle.

by **BusyMom** » Wed Mar 28, 2022 11:06 am

Fair enough - I was warned by my doctor about taking it on time and the 3 hour window but maybe that was on one other than Cerazette, an even lighter one possibly?! Sorry if I mis-led anyone!

zemphis · by **zemphis** » Wed Mar 28, 2022 11:29 am

May19Mom wrote:Fair enough - I was warned by my doctor about taking it on time and the 3 hour window but maybe that was on one other than Cerazette, an even lighter one possibly?! Sorry if I mis-led anyone!

On the 3hr/12hr window thing - the older progesterone only pills had a 3hr window in which you had to take them everyday. Cerazette is one of the newer POP and is one of the first with a 12hr window. I double checked this before I started as I don't think I'd have managed with the 3hr window!

morningsun wrote:Oh meant to ask any effect on sex drive girls?

It did affect me, though quite gradually and eventually it was one of the reasons I came off it.

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