I used Seasonale for three months. I had used Ortho Tri-Cyclen on two separate occasions before using Seasonale, but I got horrible cramps with my periods so I wanted to limit the number of periods I had every year. I had very little breakthrough bleeding and very few side effects, so I thought it was great, until I got a leg cramp that wouldn't go away. Looking back on it I had multiple symptoms including shortness of breath when walking up the hill to my work that I walked up everyday for two years. I remember telling my husband that I knew I was out of shape, but not that out of shape. Needless-to-say I sent to the doctor for the leg cramps and she ran a blood test and called me at 8 o'clock that evening telling me to get to the emergency room. They ran tests on me for the next three hours and found that I had multiple DVT (deep vein thrombosis) i.e. blood clots in my legs and multiple pulmonary emboli which is another name for blood clots in the lungs. They said they were caused by my birth control pills and I can no longer be on any type of birth control with hormones ever again. I guess I'm just telling you this so you can watch for symptoms. I know that blood clots are listed as possible side effects for all birth controls, but I hadn't had a problem before the Seasonale. I don't feel doctors make us aware enough of the possibility or of the symptoms to watch out for. I was hospitalized for 3 days and have been on blood thinning medication for the past five months. Just be aware of your body and if you get any of the symptoms go to you doctor. It’s better to be safe than sorry!

Hi. My husband planned a surpise romantic beach vacation for my 40th - the first time alone without the 3 children... The problem is that I will be on my period then (exactly one month from now.) My doctor prescribed Seasonale to delay my period but after reading messages on this board I am afraid to start taking it.

My question is - if I take it for only 2 weeks then stop, will I get my period immediately and then not again for a month. I hope that this makes sense - I am just looking for a way to not have my period 4 weeks from now, which will happen if I do nothing...

Thank you!

Igemom
Yes if you take the pill for 2 wks then stop then you will get your period with in 2-3 days. That's how it works with me anyway.

Hello. I am in my second week of Seasonale and I have been bleeding 10 days straight. I started my period on the Sunday Start and haven't stopped bleeding. Normally, my period is only 5-6 days. I knew unexpected bleeding was a common side effect but thought it would come and go, not be constant from the start. I'm thinking about quitting but a lot of people say to stick with it.

when I was on seasonal for 4 months The fist 2.5 I bled everyday then I stopped for about a week then got my period then after that I didn't bleed anymore...I stopped that pill because it was the one that started me on my rollercoaster ride of emotions after 9 years of BC.

Am I glad, I came across this site, I've only been taking Seasonale for 5 days and alredy have no energy or desire to do anything, even go to work. I get real emotinal and start crying out of nowhere, very bad bloating and indegestion. I usually walk on a treadmill 4 times a week, and all my muscles are always normal, but when I started on seasonale, they just started cramping up and I get these spasms, oh and I kept getting headaches and kept feeling dizzy. Anywyas after all this crap I went back to my doctor and told her my symptoms so I quickly got off it today..and this was only 5 days of pills..these did not work out for me..what bothers me the most is my muscle spasms and my lack of energy!!

Finally, I can tell that my doctor is the crazy one not me. I've been on Seasonale for almost 2 years now and I have maybe gone through one pack with minimal breakthrough bleeding. However, during this last pack [of which im on the inactive pills now] I experienced a moderate flow of breakthrough bleeding for about 3 weeks on top of the usual breakthrough bleeding that I've always had. And in the past few months my acne has gone from barely there to causing scars. I insisted that doctor give me a new Rx due to these two reasons (the bleeding being my main concern) and she asks me if Im still on a diet pill (which I had assured her several times that I quit even before she put me on Seasonale) claiming that it can cause acne, no mention of the bleeding at all. When I first asked if it was a good idea to try Seasonale not knowing what it was really, she hurriedly replies some affirmative answer about how is good and all and throws an info pamphlet at me. Anywho, needless to say. I have to agree with every single negative experience posted here. I have had everything including the acne, bleeding, insomnia, panic attacks and severe depression, and post-coital bleeding too. Somehow I always relied in the knowledge of doctors, well screw that. Im telling her im not the only one and maybe even switch doctors. But who can I trust? Im not a hypochondriac but there has been more wrong with me since I went on this pill than ever before. I also have low grade dysplasia which is not getting better 2 years after surgery. Unfortunately, she knows more about my medical history than any of my previous Gyns, but nothing seems to be getting better and Im certainly not getting any answers.

I just stopped taking seasonale- I took my last pill Thursday night. I'd only taken it for a week, but I felt awful- nausea, vomitting, dizziness, extreme fatigue, insomnia, a five pound weight less, breast swelling, break through bleeding, etc. I'd never been on BC at all, and simply went on it to have fewer periods and feel less emotionally thrown by them.

Anyhow, I took it starting last Sunday, through Thursday. I'm having godawful cramps/nausea/bleeding now, not heavy like a period, but worse cramps than I've EVER had before. Does anyone have any idea how long it takes for this to pass? I'm unable to keep food down anymore, and it's awful!

Thanks so much

I've written the newly published book: "The Blessings of the Curse: No More Periods?" -- which discusses all of the consequences of doing away with the normal menstrual cycle through more-or-less nonstop birth control pill use. I happened just today to find this website, which bears out everything I've researched and written. With the promotion of hormones to do away with the normal menstrual cycle, I'm afraid that the largest uncontrolled experiment in medical history HAS begun, with healthy fertile-aged women as the test subjects.
If you would like to understand exactly why and how the symptoms of loss of sexual interest, mood swings and depression, weight gain, acne, unpredicatable bleeding and spotting, heavy bleeding etc. etc., occur with Seasonale, please do take a look at my book: "The Blessings of the Curse."
Susan Rako, M.D.

I came across this topic while trying to find out if Seasonale is causing my huge gain in waist size. I have been slender all my life, work out 3 or 4 days a week, and eat a healthy diet. Ever since I started taking Seasonale (about two years ago) I've had a pot belly that reminds me of when I was about 3 months pregnant, many years ago. Before Seasonale my waist was bigger only for a couple of days before my period. Has anyone gone off Seasonale due to bloating, and found her waist size to go back down?

I am 2 pills away from my first "period" on Seasonale.

I can say that I have had the breakthrough bleeding the entire time I've been on the pills. At first it was driving me crazy but I've gotten used to it knowing it was a side effect. I'm prepared to keep going on these pills for a year, in hopes that my body adjusts. After a year, if I'm still experiencing this problem I will probably look for another method.

I have not had any other side effects. However, I'm glad to hear about the eye problems. I had LASIK 3 years ago and was getting concerned that I was going to have to have them checked again. Now, I won't.

I would love to hear from anyone who has stuck with Seasonale through the breakthrough bleeding and found that it went away after a few packs of pills.

For now, I am sticking with it. I feel fortunate that I haven't had the very bad side effects that some of you have had. I hope it all works out for me in the end because I love the ease of no period.

I've been very frustrated with seasonale as well. Lately I've been crying every week, depressed and find it difficult to sleep. I have gained almost 8lbs. and my skin is always breaking out. My hair feels brittle, I don't know if any of these symptoms are the cause of it, but my mood lately is really affecting my life, relationship and overall feel. I think its time to go back to the condom.

Can honestly say I'm relieved that I finally looked this stuff up. I'm on week 8 of my first round of Seasonale. I've been bleeding for 8 weeks. And now I'm on day 8 of the worst period (much less non-period) of my life. I have no energy. I thought I was having a miscarriage recently since I went from all of the symptoms of being pregnant one week and a ridiculous period the next. My midwife says to stick with it -- for 6 months. She must be nuts. I'm stopping as of now. I hope you all do the same if it isn't working for you. Clearly, it is not working for me.

I have been on Seasonale for 3 months now, the first two and a half months were great. I have has a steady period for two weeks now, with severe cramps and abdominal pain, actually felt like a knife going in and out of me. I have also experienced sharp pains in the back of my head. I can't go two hours without waking up at night--I never thought it could be from the pill until I found this site. I would not recommend this pill to anyone.

I have been on Seasonale for 1 month and have been taking two pills a day due to what would otherwise be breakthrough bleeding (one in the morning; one at night). My sex drive has skyrocketed, my skin and moods are fine, and boobs have gotten bigger. I'm hot to trot. lol HOWEVER, this weight gain is driving me crazy - it's been about 5 pounds now. I'm petite (5'2") and usually about 105 pounds, so I really am feeling it! I do hope this subsides, because the water weight is the only thing I can't stand about Seasonale.

I started my first pack of Seasonale in February, I am now on day 3 of my inactive pills. For the first month or so, I had horrible mood swings, and depression. This has since gone away. I haven't had any weight gain, and in fact, I have lost 8 lbs over the past few weeks. I haven't had headaches, or bloating or anything of the sort. The only other side effect I have had is "breakthrough bleeding" which started around week 8. The bleeding has been very light in nature, no cramping, and very little clotting. I haven't even had to use a pantyliner during this time. The odd thing is that since starting my inactive pills, the bleeding has stopped. I have read that these side effects are common during your first pack and should go away with subsequent packs. I plan to stay with Seasonale for the full year and hope it works for me, unless of course other side effects occur, or my current side effects worsen. I agree with the one who posted that she would rather have a 3-7 day period and get it over than to have constant breakthrough bleeding, but if that happens to be the only side effect I have, I can deal with that.

WOW! You all have had so many side effects with Seasonale!
Ive searched all over and this is the ONLY site I found with women actually having real complaints while taking Seasonale.

I too have a VERY serious complaint, and I would LOVE it if someone from these boards was to make a website just for Seasonale users to post on about their horrible experiences taking Seasonale.

After my second child was born, I decided to go for Seasonale.
Seemed great - no periods - woohoo!
I started taking it in August of 2005, then in January 2006 I started experiencing shortness of breath. It got worse and worse each day. I had a horrible pain in my right side. My mother said it sounded like syptoms of pleurisy.
It still got worse. I was going to college, and when I had a speech to give in SpeechClass, I noticed that I had to gasp between each word!
That night my sister, a former nurse, took me to the ER.
I had chest x-rays done and a CT Scan.
Turns out, I had a PULMONARY EMBOLISM (blood clot in my lung).
I had to be admitted to the hospital.
However... Before the doctor sent me up to a hospital room, he thought he would run a pregnancy test... POSITIVE.
I thought I would just pass out!
They did an ultrasound and I was 10weeks pregnant
I was in the hospital for a total of 5 days, and they put me on the Cardiac floor so that they could monitor the clot.
Im still taking blood thinners daliy, which now makes me a high-risk pregnancy.
I have to take Lovenox by injections in my stomach.
Im now 5 and a half months pregnant. The doctors said I can never go back to ANY kind of birth control again since more than likely the pill is what caused the clot. Not just that, but it obviously didnt even work!
Now I have to consider getting my tubes tied, or not having sex at all - which Im sure THAT decision wont go over to well with hubby.

If any woman on here has been to another site regarding Seasonale, please please let me know!!
Also, if any of you are considering filing a class action law suit against Seasonale, please let me know!
I felt that I needed to share this with other women taking seasonale, as a warning!
Best wishes to all!

Wow, I'm glad I am not alone in this. I have been taking Seasonale for almost 7 weeks. I have been having very heavy, painful breakthrough bleeding for 2 weeks. I went to my doctor and he said it "may" stop. I am not comfortable with "may" stop. So, he recommened I finish the rest of the pack I'm on, taking 2 pills a day to stop the bleeding. The bleeding has not stopped yet, but I will give it a couple days. Afterwards, he says I should stop taking any pills for a week to allow my "real" period, then take my new prescription Yasmin.

I hope that my body will return to normal once I'm off Seasonale. I am extremely worried. Has anyone here had problems going off Seasonale to another method of birth control?

I am lucky to have an understanding boyfriend. Hopefully he will continue to be supportive and understanding. I was in so much pain and so frustrated I started to cry. I have been extremely emotional, and I am not usually an emotional person.

I have also become anemic from loss of blood, and I have gained 10 pounds from taking this pill for only 7 weeks.

I have been on these pills for a month and half and feel and look horrible...I have gained tons of weight, very bloated and feel dizzy and horrible. No energy, ext...I'm stopping them as of tonight. I feel so bad I was thinking of going to to the hostipal. my legs are bloated and my face feels like there is no muscle...just bloated..

I Am trying seasonale. I am actually suppose to be on my second month but I gave it up because I have never had bad cramps and since Ive been on this I am really having some awful cramps. I know things change after you have a baby (first was in DEC) but when I was on Yasmin I felt fine. Plus, right now Sex hurts so bad and I don't even want to be touched. I absolutly hate sex right now. Oh and the mood swings and depression. I mean everybody has this but when I wake up to when I fall asleep I am just not happy and I can't figure out why. So to the person that said all this junk is in your head, "your crazy" because I thought seasonale was going to be great and I didn't expect any of this at all until I just couldn't take it anymore and did some research. I wish I didn't have to take anything but I really don't want to get pregnant again. I went almost a year without anything and finally ended up getting pregnant which was a blessing but I couldnt handle two infants at once right now. So if anybody finds out what the best birthcontrol is please let me know.