Yasmin Faq's

I was on the pill before, but I came off it because it made me put on weight. Do all pills have this effect?
   The body chemistry of each individual woman is different, and so finding the right contraceptive pill can be difficult for some women. Your doctor is likely to recommend that you wait until you've been on the pill for three months or longer, to allow your body to adjust and to see what kind of effect your particular type and brand of pill is having. There is now a new pill containing a new synthetic progesterone called Drospirenone which helps the body to counteract an increase in fluid retention. Women on this pill are very unlikely to put on weight.

Is it true that the pill makes you put on weight?
   It's an old fashioned idea that the pill makes you put on weight. It used to be true for many women, but nowadays there are new low-dose oral contraceptive pills which seldom have this effect. If you suffer from an increase in fluid retention , which is one cause of weight gain, find out about the new pill containing the new category of progestogen, Drospirenone , which - among other beneficial effects - helps the body to counteract an increase in fluid retention.

Some people say the pill helps acne, and others say it makes it worse. Which is true?
   Today, there is no need to be on a pill which will make spots or acne worse. On the contrary, there are now new low-dose oral contraceptive pills which can clear the skin altogether in just a few weeks and keep acne at bay. One of these contains the new progestogen, Drospirenone , and this pill usually clears up skin problems.

I get really bad spots around the time of my period. They are making my life a misery.
They always come out when I'm going somewhere special. What can I do?
   Some women are more prone to spots than others. Spots can make you feel miserable and self-conscious. Some of today's new oral contraceptive pills have 'spin-off' benefits, such as improving the skin, and can clear spots altogether. In particular, there is a new pill containing the new progestogen, Drospirenone, which can improve the skin and clear the spots and blemishes you would normally get when you have your period.

What is Drospirenone?
   Drospirenone is a new synthetic hormone which is more like the progesterone your body creates naturally at certain times in the menstrual cycle.
   It's an important breakthrough, because it's a new category of progestogen and the first to mirror natural progesterone in the way it eliminates water.
   Women on the pill containing the new hormone, Drospirenone, are less likely to put on weight. It also improves the condition of your skin and hair.

What's different about Drospirenone ?
   Many women still suffer from mild side effects on the pill, perhaps more accurately described as 'discomforts'. One of these is water retention. Effects of water retention include

• weight gain
  
• feeling bloated
  
• feeling lethargic
  
• tender breasts

   Because Drospirenone counteracts water retention, it helps to stabilise or even decrease body weight.
   When Drospirenone is used as the progestogen in the combined pill, the body does not increase fluid retention. This means you're not carrying that extra weight around that can make you feel so uncomfortable in the second half of your cycle.

Fluid retention
   In your natural menstrual cycle, when you're not on the pill, it's normal for the body to retain some extra fluid during the time around your period. The effects of this fluid retention vary a lot from one woman to another.
   For some women it's not really a problem. For others, it can cause bloating with a swollen tummy, tender breasts - from slight to very painful when touched - and an overall feeling of heaviness and lethargy.
   A new pill containing the new progestogen, Drospirenone reduces the risk of the body storing water.

   Progesterone : hormone found in the female body which helps to maintain a pregnancy and which plays an important role in the menstrual cycle.
   Progestogen : the synthetic version - used in the contraceptive pill - of the natural hormone progesterone.