Does the Pill increase oestrogen levels?

You should talk to your doctor. Mood swings are a side effect of being on the pill. I used to be on Yasmin myself but I had to get off it because I suffer from migraines.

I can't speak for Yasmin personally, but I've been on Dianette for my acne for about two years now. Birth control generally stabilises oestrogen levels (it works by releasing synthetic oestrogen, which regulates your natural oestrogen and stops it from peaking mid-cycle, which is what causes other hormones to be released that develop/release the egg).
With any medication really your body needs time to get used to it. Every pill you take contains hormones and it can have side effects cos your body isn't used to little hormone spikes you're introducing every day. The pill can cause headaches and mood swings as well as nausea, appetite problems, breast tenderness etc. For acne it usually takes at least 6 months to see any real improvement, so your body does need a little while to get used to it!

I never personally had significant mood swings, but I read about a girl on Dianette who cried for 20 minutes because her sister sat on her chocolate bar
Best to let your doc know, he can bring you in and offer you some advice on what to do. I see you've made an appointment, so see what he says - he might just tell you to try it for another couple months and see how you go. Some people just can't tolerate it, so it might be that you have to try something else.

Edit: I also wouldn't take a break from it. If you're on it for acne it can come back with a vengeance (sometimes worse than it ever was before) so if you've not been on it for long I wouldn't recommend coming off, unless it's causing you significant problems.

The most effective OCP is a combined oestrogen and progesterone pill. Alternately you can take a progesterone only pill requiring a more rigid routine. The pill isn't a supplement. If your oestrogen is low consult your GP.

Thanks Yes I've had acne since I was about 12 lol so I really dont want it to come back I've been on it for less than 6 months but it has defo cleared up.

I couldn't get an appointment for 2 weeks and I am off the Pill for 7 days but I wasnt sure if I should start taking it again after that



Thanks! I'm not taking it for contraception if that's what you mean by effective? I don't know if my oestrogen was low before or not but I think it was because I was growing body hair everywhere and my periods were irregular. I also have a deep voice lol.

How can my GP tell if I have low oestrogen or not if its a problem? Can they give me some other pills? I can't remember but I'm pretty sure she said Yasmin would help if I had PCOS or something because it was high in oestrogen.

Thanks Yes I've had acne since I was about 12 lol so I really dont want it to come back I've been on it for less than 6 months but it has defo cleared up.

I couldn't get an appointment for 2 weeks and I am off the Pill for 7 days but I wasnt sure if I should start taking it again after that

Your GP will probably run a blood test and/or refer you to appropriate secondary care. It is pointless to speculate, jot down as much as you remember about your cycle changes, hair growth and when it started. Ask your family if they noticed any recent changes. You can give yourself an anxiety attack by googling what you have, talk to your GP and they'll arrange from there.

Me too! Since I was 12 or 13, but it started getting really bad when I was around 18 (24 now). Dianette, however much I dislike relying on medication, specially one like the pill, has been the only thing that has helped. My skin isn't perfect but it's such a massive improvement on what it was. Sometimes I look at photos I took at its worst and I'm genuinely shocked

I'd keep taking it after your break week, it'll only be for a week or so til your appointment, and if you're on it when you see the doc it'll help them get a more accurate idea of where you're at with it, side effect/acne-wise

And yep, Yasmin and Dianette are generally used to treat PCOS as well as acne. As far as I'm aware in the UK, Dianette at least isn't used as a contraceptive primarily, I guess because of the risks associated, but it's excellent at treating acne/PCOS symptoms, so it's generally not prescribed otherwise. Hormone tests are generally done with bloods I believe, though I haven't experienced that. Which to be honest I find kind of weird. But that's our system I guess, chuck a load of stuff at the problem til they find one that makes the symptoms better, don't bother trying to find out the cause to begin with