Facts on Yaz
1. A Different Kind of Combination Pill
Yaz, like many other birth control pills, is a combination pill. This means that it's made up of two types of hormones: estrogen and progestin. What makes Yaz a bit different from other pills is that it's the only pill with 24 active pills that contain the hormone drospirenone, or drsp for short, and four inactive pills. Yaz stops you from getting pregnant by preventing ovulation so that your body won't release any eggs. In the case that your body does release an egg, Yaz also thickens your cervical mucus, which prevents sperm from reaching the egg.
2. Kick That Case of the Blues
If you suffer from premenstrual dysphoric disorder, also known as PMDD, the week or two leading up to your period is no walk in the park. The symptoms are like PMS symptoms, but worse. You may experience severe feelings of anxiety, depression, moodiness and irritability which can dramatically affect your daily life. If you have PMDD, talk to your doctor about Yaz as a treatment possibility. The FDA has approved Yaz as the only birth control pill to treat PMDD. It can help relieve those strong symptoms you've been experiencing and help you to feel more positive and functional before your period.
3. Acne and Cramps, Be Gone
Yaz may help you to clear up your skin and relieve your cramps while giving you shorter and milder periods. Like other combination pills, Yaz may reduce your risk of developing breast lumps or cysts, ovarian cysts, tubal pregnancies, ovarian cancer and endometrial cancer. Taking Yaz for many years actually increases your protection from these types of cancer.
4. Risky Side Effects
One of the hormones found in Yaz, drsp, may increase your potassium levels. Because of this, if you have liver, kidney or adrenal disease, you shouldn't take Yaz. If you smoke, and especially if you're a smoker over the age of 35, you also shouldn't take Yaz. Side effects you may notice when taking Yaz could include headaches, breast tenderness, yeast infections, spotting between periods, nausea or upper respiratory infection. Talk to your doctor immediately if you experience any severe side effects.
5. Balance Those Hormones
The way you take Yaz is slightly different from most other birth control pills. You actually take the active pills, which contain hormones, for 24 days, and then you take the inactive pills for only four days. Most combination pills contain 21 days of active pills, followed by seven days of inactive pills. The reason for the increased dosage of active pills is to help even out your hormone levels. Like other oral contraceptives, you need to take Yaz at the same time every day for it to be effective. If you take it properly, Yaz is up to 99 percent effective.
Member Comments
by orangebell on November 10, 2008 at 7:40 PM
I just started taking Yaz about 5 days ago. I had some mood swings about a week bofore my period before, but not pmdd. well now i feel like i have pms all the time. i am getting chocked up over commercials and songs (which i usually do about a wk before i get my period). I'm starting to think that Yaz's claim on reducing mood swings is only true because you are moderatey moody for the other 3 weeks, so when that time comes around, you just don't notice.
by heykidthanks on July 3, 2009 at 11:33 PM
You can't take a pill for 5 days and say that it's not working effectively. Sometimes it takes up to 3 months for a BC pill to start acting without side effects and regulating hormones. You need to give it more of a shot than 5 whole days.
by nech_a on November 13, 2008 at 9:03 AM
Actually, I've been on yaz for approximately a year and I have noticed the breast tenderness during active pills about a week before my period, moodiness a week before ESPECIALLY the day before. However, I actually am much calmer and able to be less emotional as I had been before. Previously, I took another type of birth control that had me very irritable and easily upsetted by the stupiest things ever!
This is probably the best birth control I have been on. Everyone is different so if you do feel worse symptoms speak to your doctor!
by marymay on July 7, 2009 at 2:46 PM
I've been on birth control for years my doctor told me about Yasmin and i did love it! i did ok on it but the longer i took the more i started not to like it so then they put me on Yaz and then that's when it all stared i was getting a batter infection every other month and i was just not my self i was depressed and moody! I've always had lumpy barest but when i was on yaz i got really bad to the point i couldn't have anything touch them. I've been them off for almost a year and I'm still not normal! But now i have REALLY bad anxiety now and a sharp pain on my left side and i was always emotional when i was on it and felt a little crazy i would get MAD over nothing and the only time my breast dont hurt was when i was having my pried!I kept telling my doctors and i think they thought i was crazy so i took myself off it couldn't take it anymore and now i have this problem and I've been passing it off for almost a year cuz i thought it might be my anxiety! but i get a strange pain in my chest and my heart starts to bet really fast and it feels like I'm going to weeze and it only last for a scant then i feel a little strange after it stops WHAT IS IT? and is anyone have the same problems And what should i do? i dont have heath insurance and i have a doctors appointment this Thursday so lets hope for the best!
by orangebell on July 7, 2009 at 7:23 PM
Well I can give you an update. I was taking Yaz for 3 months and I decided to stop because of my extreme moods. My friends, husband and family all commented on my moods, that's when I knew I needed to stop. I am now taking nuva ring and I have hardly any mood swings at all. When I talked to my doctor about Yaz, she said women either loved it or hated it. I guess it just didn't work with my body chemistry.
by lefty2kids on August 17, 2009 at 8:25 AM
Have been on Yaz 9 months, blood pressure up, weight up, anxiety down (good thing), stomach upset often, heartburn. Intense moods at the end of packet, very angry thoughts too often. I get ovarian cysts which is why I am on the pill. Hard to find a good fit. I am 45 years old.
Any thoughts? Thanks!