Belara anyone?

Italian Friend · 01-06-2008, 03:02 PM

After an year off bcp ( i was on nuvaring) i decided to start again,

1.because even if it is just a way to shut up the symptoms i feel way way better taking bcp instead of inducing af every two monthes with provera if af doesnt shows (and it never does!) and
2. because i need some birth control system and i think bcp is the best choice for me/us.

my gyno suggested me to use belara, telling me it is the best for me since it's made to avoid weight gain and it's also good for your skin and hair (i only have mild hirsutism since i am off bcp.. nothing seriuos and totally managing, even if time consuming lol) but it's not normaly suggested for pcos.. also what disturbed me a bit was that all his room was covered with belara sponsored stuff (soap,mouse pad, pens tissues, us gel..).. i mean..is it the best for me or is just the last product to push on the market??

what do you think?

Navi · 01-08-2008, 01:55 AM

I've never heard of it before or I'd love to help, sorry...

But, don't be put off just because your doctor is apparently supposed to "push" the product on you - sometimes it works out really well! It has for me in the past.

Future Doc Cyster · 01-08-2008, 07:26 PM

Hey!

I found this site about Belara. It contains the same synthetic estrogen as Yasmin or Yaz, but it has a different synthetic progesterone. While Yasmin/Yaz and Belara contain different types of synthetic progesterone, both are anti-androgens. It's not available in the US (to my knowledge), and it's also fairly new elsewhere.

Some basic info I found on Belara:
http://www.docguide.com/news/content...257181005B3A04

I don't know a whole lot about Belara, but it appears to be relatively new. Truthfully, I would get the facts on it before making any quick decisions. I obsessively read the literature before starting new meds because I want to be comfortable with what I'm taking. My advice: Research it, and go with your gut.

Italian Friend · 01-08-2008, 08:25 PM

navi: thanks a million for your support, you are a sweetie! ((hugs))

kelly: i am an obsessive reader too! lol and since is soooo new it's not easy to establish side effects (that also normally can be so different from woman to woman). more than the advertisment fact in my gyno office what made me unconfortable was how he said the nuvaring is not good for me at all because of the fear of weight gain.. i mean.. i used it for two years and i gained just in the last few monthes but i guess lots of it was due to IR.

so since i had no major side effects and having the ring is way better than taking a pill everyday i'd love to be back on nuvaring.. another gyno told me that the weight issue is not a problem and if i had no side effect with the nuvaring i can go back on it.

the more i learn/ask the more i am confused lol

what if i start back nuvaring and then switch to something else if i gain weight?

guineapig · 01-09-2008, 02:54 AM

This pill sounds more like Diane-35 than Yasmin. Every bcp on the market (combo pills) plus ring & patch use the same estrogen, just varying amounts. Then they have different progestins. Belara has a pretty high dose of estrogen, 30 micrograms, similar to Desogen. It creates about 4x the blood levels of ethinyl estradiol than the Nuvaring. But the progestin might do better for you, it is an antiandrogen probably similar to cyproterone acetate.

I dunno, I didn't even do well on the estrogen level of Nuvaring and am giving Cerazette (minipill) a try before back to copper IUD.

Italian Friend · 01-10-2008, 01:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by guineapig

This pill sounds more like Diane-35 than Yasmin. Every bcp on the market (combo pills) plus ring & patch use the same estrogen, just varying amounts. Then they have different progestins. Belara has a pretty high dose of estrogen, 30 micrograms, similar to Desogen. It creates about 4x the blood levels of ethinyl estradiol than the Nuvaring. But the progestin might do better for you, it is an antiandrogen probably similar to cyproterone acetate.

I dunno, I didn't even do well on the estrogen level of Nuvaring and am giving Cerazette (minipill) a try before back to copper IUD.

did you have strange/heavy side effects?
which?

guineapig · 01-10-2008, 03:09 PM

Well, when I was on any combo bcp before, I had very bad emotional issues. I got really depressed, alternating with temper over nothing. With Nuvaring, I didn't get depressed, but on the third month I began to get that temper again. I didn't like the person it was making me. And, I was retaining fluid like a camel--about 5 pounds worth, which dropped during AF and then built up again. My AF had also gotten heavier and more painful. Those may not be specific to Nuvaring, but to me they're signs that my body isn't cooperating with the estrogen. *sigh* So for me, it's minipill or bust (IUD + spiro + just bleed for another 3 years).

But--on Nuvaring I didn't gain any "fat" (not water) weight and I didn't get the depressed part. And my skin looked beautiful. And I didn't shed hair.

Italian Friend · 01-10-2008, 03:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by guineapig

Well, when I was on any combo bcp before, I had very bad emotional issues. I got really depressed, alternating with temper over nothing. With Nuvaring, I didn't get depressed, but on the third month I began to get that temper again. I didn't like the person it was making me. And, I was retaining fluid like a camel--about 5 pounds worth, which dropped during AF and then built up again. My AF had also gotten heavier and more painful. Those may not be specific to Nuvaring, but to me they're signs that my body isn't cooperating with the estrogen. *sigh* So for me, it's minipill or bust (IUD + spiro + just bleed for another 3 years).

But--on Nuvaring I didn't gain any "fat" (not water) weight and I didn't get the depressed part. And my skin looked beautiful. And I didn't shed hair.

lol that is just a confirmation that every cyster is different.. i urgently need some bcp since *without* it i lose my temper so easily.. i didnt gain in the two years i was on nuvaring and af were month after month lighter. so i was just thinking that since i didnt have peculiar side effects while on nuvaring i'll be back on it (also pills are no good for me, since my routine is mad, i have no shedule..) and then switch to something changed in the meanwhile..

guineapig · 01-10-2008, 05:35 PM

LOL Yeah, we're all different. But my body just doesn't like estrogen...ever since depo, ever since my PCOS began. When I was on letrozole (kills all estrogen production) I felt wonderful. Powerful, normal, energetic, sexual, just fantastic! And same during AF (except for cramps). Most women don't get that way on letrozole. It's really weird.

Future Doc Cyster · 01-11-2008, 02:59 AM

If you were comfortable with Nuva Ring and feel more comfortable using it again, why not? Trying something else if you gain weight could still be an option. Some women gain weight on any sort of bcps while others only gain weight on certain pills yet others don't gain at all.

I personally have continued to lose weight while on bcps. Like you said, we're all different!

Italian Friend · 01-16-2008, 02:19 PM

so at the end is not belara nor nuvaring.. my doc says that for the first couple of monh tha best thing is Diane since it has ciproterone acetato (transl?). even if it's a pill i am fine with that since i already used it and it makes great things with my skin and hair yay!
after some monthes i can easily switch to nuvaring..