What should I do if I have a lot of bleeding on LoLo? Should I still continue it for a few more cycles?
38-year-old woman
Hello, after several years of stopping the pill, I started taking it again because I was having long and hemorrhagic periods. I tried Alesse continuously, but I had spotting. I tried to stop taking the continuous and start again, but the spotting came back after 1 week, so I found myself bleeding 3 weeks out of 4.
So my doctor switched me to Lolo. I was in my week 2 of my Alesse box when I switched to Lolo. One week after starting Lolo, I started to have spotting, then it turned into a heavier period. I have been bleeding for more than a week now and it doesn't seem to want to decrease. I'm really fed up because since I started taking the pill again, even though it's less abundant, I have more than half of my month in spotting, whereas I wanted to space out my period by taking it continuously.
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38-year-old woman · a year ago
Haemorrhagic periods, back on the pill after several years off (was taking cyclen in 2015, but discontinued)
Alesse 21 continuously, lots of spotting. Stopped on PH advice, then resumed. 1 week later still spotting. Md of family changes for Lolo
Approximately 2 weeks taken on the Alesse plate, change made for Lolo. After one week, spotting, then period. Already more than one week of period with Lolo.
Sarah-Yan Chagnon · a year ago
Hello,
It is usually recommended that women wait 3 months (3 cycles) before determining if their new pill is right for them or not, as many side effects fade after this period.
However, in your situation, the choice to change from Alesse to Lolo to have less spotting was not the best option. In fact, in the presence of spotting, it is usually necessary to take a pill with a higher estrogen content or a pill containing a stronger progestin. In this case, the Lolo contains less estrogen than the Alesse (10 mcg instead of 20 mcg) and contains a less powerful progestin. Thus, the chances that the Lolo will do you better than the Alesse are very low. So, I would tend to ask to change contraceptives right away.
Did Cyclen work well for you when you were taking it in the past?
Sarah-Yan Chagnon · a year ago
?
38-year-old woman · a year ago
Hello, yes, cyclen was fine for me. I could take it continuously for several cycles without any problem.
Sarah-Yan Chagnon · a year ago
If you've had Cyclen (containing 35mcg estrogen) before and it felt good, here are the choices that would be better:
- Marvelon: slightly less estrogen (30mcg), but a progestin of similar potency to Cyclen.
- Tricyclen: same amount of estrogen as Cyclen and same progestin. The difference is that the company, in an attempt to mimic the woman's cycle, has put slightly different concentrations of progestin between weeks 1, 2 and 3 of the pack. Thus, it does not favor the continuous intake.
- Seasonale: a little less estrogen (30mcg), but a progestin of similar strength to Cyclen. The package is advantageous since it contains 81 identical tablets (3 months).
38-year-old woman · a year ago
Great, thanks so much for the recommendations. I'm going to tell my doctor about it, when I see her again! :)
Sarah-Yan Chagnon · a year ago
Looking forward to hearing from you,
Sarah-Yan Changon, pharmacist
Sarah-Yan Chagnon · a year ago
Note: If an appointment with your doctor is difficult, your local pharmacist can ask your doctor to change your pill without having to see him or her again.
38-year-old woman · a year ago
Great, that's good to know! Thanks for all your good advice! :)
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