Been procrastinating getting a full medical check up for some time now,
and dragged my sorry ass to a great family doctor (Dr. Teh) @ Uptown.
Got the works:
Blood test, urine test, pap smear,
medicine for some skin condition,
oral contraceptive consultation,
and hmm that’s it.
Even went so far as to drop by the optician right after,
to find out what my current power *really* is.
It’s increased by 50ย 
(to a blind 500)
as has my astigmatismย 
On a more positive note, i grew taller by 1cm!
I’m still growing! 
Haha!
Back to more serious stuff.
I don’t understand the whole taboo about getting a blood test…
I remember when i first joined Freeform, i told Adrian i’d be coming in to work an hour late,
cos i was gonna get my blood test.
He asked why,
and i said, why, doesn’t everyone get it every year?
And he said, no i don’t know where you’ve been.
-_-
Then another friend told me how his colleague overhead him telling the doctor on the phone that he wants to get a blood test, HIV and all the works,
and they freaked out.
-_-
I remember reading somewhere that you should get a full blood test
at least once a year (okay, so i didn’t get mine for two years but i went today!)
so you’d know how your organs are doing (i’m afraid for my liver)
as well as any abnormalities in certain cell count that suggest something’s wrong.
As for pap smears,
i recently blogged about how it can alert women to cervical cancer (the most common cancer amongst women after breast cancer)
so you can read about it there.
+
I got the most colourful pills i’ve ever been asked to take in my whole life…
for this fungal skin thing that’s been spreading on my back (panau?)
It’s not obvious nor serious,
but i’ve just been pretending it’s not there cos it doesn’t bother me.
And recently it has, cos i’m vain (there, i’m saying it)
and it’s getting more obvious and i just wanna get rid of it.
Then i asked the doctor bout oral contraceptive pills cos i’ve decided i will try it out again,
after not taking them since 6 years ago.
I’m thinking how ironic it is, cos just last year i was asked to write an advertorial about oral contraceptives,
and bluntly turned it down as i couldn’t relate to it (nor did i want to bluff)
and why can’t people just use a freaking condom?!
Then now that urm we’re using condoms like they’re free,
i started discussing with other girlfriends the best pill to use.
So far, all seem to be around the same,
with minimal side effects. (I got Regulon.)
Girls on Twitter were asking about whether they cause weight gain.
From my memories of the pill in college, yes, they did cause me to put on a lot of weight (5kg!)
but it may have also been attributed from late night snacking on a daily basis.
I just wanna know… what pills are you on?
Do you get any side effects?
I just wanna know, so if it sounds better,
i may switch brand!
you know those campaign or such that encourage peeps to actually take blood test annually are quite not true. i have been approached by doctors that actually said there is no such need except for cholesterol level check and blood pressure. other than that, you wouldn’t need blood test every year only if you feel something is wrong.
campaign sometimes are held by those who wanna earn more. more blood test done, more money they have. blood test doesn’t need to cost that much sometimes, they are overrated.
i took oral contraceptives a couple of years back because I wanted to regulate my menses, was going on a backpacking trip.
it increased my appetite HEAPS. i starting snacking every minute till my backpackingmates had to hide the biscuits from me!
my butt was visibly bigger after that too. sad. haha. can’t rmbr the brand though!
Try NuvaRing, if it’s available there. Best one I’ve used yet!! And more effective and has less side effects than oral contraceptives I think.
http://www.nuvaring.com/Consumer/index.asp
I’m taking Diane35, it supposedly helps with acne as well although i don’t have that problem. But i found that i gained weight when i stopped taking the pill for a couple of months. Different strokes for different folks i guess. But the main reason i use the pill is to regulate my menses, and i used to have really icky heavy days (and cramps) which have now massively improved
i’ve used yasmin for the past 2 years, and haven’t had any side effects. no bloating, no break outs. loved the fact i could regulate my period and no pms/cramps.
meliane, on the other hand, gave me horrible mood swings, the type that makes you cry for no reason.
I am on Loette. I gained about 2kg after my second boy.
All on the tummy part but I blamed that on childbirth…you know slack muscle, etc. and not the pill. Just need to do some exercise to tone up…hehe.
By the way I am Mei and love to read your blog ๐
Have a great day.
Thanks for sharing….. I also wanna go for blood test and pap smear to ensure everything is alright
The weight gain side effect may not necessarily affect everyone. Just some. I’m on Diane-35. I first started using it to clear up my acne (Diane’s the best for that purpose) but I have not been affected by any weight gain. However, I did get nauseous during the first 2/3 cycles but it soon disappeared. In other words, so far Diane has been great to me. I’ve been using it for almost 4 years now.
Hi Joyce,
I’ve tried commenting on your blog a couple of times before, but it keeps blocking me and says that my add has been reported as a spam site. Ugh. ๐ I live in ulu Italy, so maybe thats why the IP is like weird and getting blocked? Anyway, here’s my comment to your latest post, (which got blocked, obviously).
” I was on Yasmin for about 2 years, stopped last month coz we’re trying for a bub. And it made me LOSE weight! About 2-3 kgs I think. Was on Diane 35 about 5 years ago for my acne problem. It did wonders for my skin, but it made me GAIN weight and nauseous as hell for the first few months. So if you ask me which pill I prefer, I’d definitely say Yasmin.”
Hope it helps.
hrmm..i share your sentiments on condoms. and recently looking to try pills though coz i want bigger tits ๐
I’ve been on Yasmin for 2+ years and from what i remember there were no initial side effects that were out of the ordinary i.e no excessive weight gain, cup size increase, major breakouts or extreme mood swings.
Basically i’ve been relatively happy and my cycle has been regulated.
However that said, while i was on Yasmin i had an ectopic pregnancy [one that developed outside the uterus and implanted itself in my fallopian tube] and didn’t know. And as a result was forced to have my 9-week fetus and my whole left tube removed in an emergency surgery in January.
And even though i’ve read that Yasmin is meant to prevent ectopic pregnancies, i am proof that that claim does not apply to every woman who decides on jumping on the Yasmin bandwagon.
And yes, i am still taking Yasmin but am now even more careful/paranoid.
Hi,
I’ve been on pills on n off for the last 10+ years..Tried many diff brands, so far YASMIN’s the best..Not only regulate my period, it actually improved my complexion tremendously..with “0” side effect (no bloating, migraine..etc..)
Yasmin is good – it’s supposed to help with pimples as well, and didn’t make me gain weight. Don’t ever take Levlen, though. It’s a lot cheaper, but I put on significant poundage (I say significant cause people noticed!) as did a few other people I know who went on Levlen.
Yasmin. It’s one of the newer drugs and even though the side effects are listed to have weight gain and water retention, most of the patients I prescribed does not have this problem. And all of them are happy using it. And they control the acne pretty well too.
Also, it does help to reduce risk of endometrial cancer, ovarian cysts in the long run.
On the yearly blood tests, I dont discourage nor encourage my patients to do it. It gives them a peace of mind and that helps in many people. And sometimes you never know what you can detect early.
Hope this helps.
i used mercillon before i had to do a surgery and was asked to stay off the pill until i’m done with my current med as it interferes.no side effects,quite regular periods,lessens my cramps
Yasmin. I have been using it for 3 years and have no side effects.
I’ve had water retention and gained weight on both Yasmin and Diane. Makes your boobs one or two cup size bigger too! Of the two, it is said that Yasmin has a lower effect on the majority of people who do take contraceptive pills, but its true different strokes for different folks. Have a go with Yasmin for a few months and if you do find yourself bloating up, then stop and look for other alternatives. I’m just not meant for oral contraceptives which is unfortunate for me.
maybe you gals might wanna do a little research on the possibility of your future male offsprings having homosexual tendencies due to the mother going off the pill to get pregnant. it has to do with hormonal abnormalities whilst on & off the pill. it’s not been scientifically proven but why take chances…..
I’m 21 this year and have been taking Mercilon for the past 3 years. so far has been very effective considering i take them at different times of the day..weight gain wise, it did cause me to put on a bit though..
Heard from a close friend that diane 35 is although good for acne,breakouts, etc..apparently once u stop, it causes massive deterioration in ur complexion(ie wrinkles,dull skin,etc)..
Mercilon, lost weight also no side effects, been using them for a year. Before that it’s Minulet for the past 5 years but heard that it’s an old brand, doctor advised to switch to Mercilon and it’s fine so far.
Was using Microgynon before cause it’s really cheap (RM9.90) but caused me migraines (?) so i switched to Mercilon. Um… Yes i did gain weight. But am unsure if it’s the pills that are causing the weight gain or just me not exercising and pigging out a lot. Was told by the pharmacist that Mercilon contains lesser hormone and reduces water retention.(RM22.50)
I’ve been using Mercilon for the past year or so, and i gained 2 kilos. It was recommended by my doctor though, and it was my first brand. And first time getting on oral contraceptives too since we’re getting serious ๐
Am using Yasmin…have been for almost 2 years now and so far no weight gain. Had a little weight loss though. But Dr. said it could be due to work stress and other stuff. So far so good. No other side effects so I’d def recommend it ๐
nordette and monofemme are good. no side effects whatsoever and so far it’s been doing its job well.
I have juz tried Implanon where they insert something like a matchstick(smaller) beneath the skin of your inner arm. Last for three years. I don’t feel any side effects yet but the doctor adviced me that this is the best contraception coz u don’t have to remember taking your pill and you could have it taken out whenever you want.
Yasmin. i don’t take them but i’ve been told by the doctors and medical professors teaching me that Yasmin’s one of the best ocp available by far.
YaZ, definitely. Newer version of Yasmin. No weight loss, no mood swing. Its more expensive tho ๐
YASMIN
ive been taking it for 4 years and there hasnt been any side effects, actually when i went to see the doctor to start using it, he said it’s one of the first contraceptive pills that would maybe cause weight loss, around 3 kgs and fortunately i did lose 3 kgs and my skin cleared up awesomely and for the past 4 years i know when exactly my period is coming which is great and it usually lasts only for 3 days. so yea i def recommend anyone to use Yasmin pills
Yasmin could be the best..
or maybe u can try out their latest YAZ…
both are good
I used Yasmin since 2006 till like 2008.. no weight gain, no pimples breakout nothing.. I am not married nor have kids so i dont know yasmin will have any side effects for the future or not.. thats y i stopped using it… I guess yasmin is the best so far…
gnetpac,
are you sure that taking pills can have an affect on children’s homosexual tendencies?