From personal experience: bad stories with a good ending

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• Ekaterina A., 23, recent student

Serious troubles with my skin began at the age of thirteen. Classmates raced for new acne treatments, made clay masks, squeezed their own blackheads and blackheads, or went for a face cleansing – but this greatly worried each of them about a few days a month, during menstruation. My problem was worse. When I met people on the street with faces “pitted” with acne just like mine, at first I thought: “Poor fellow, how does he live like that? ..” And then I immediately remembered that I was no more beautiful. I tried different cosmetics for problem skin, from “Koreans” to strong professional products – nothing worked, it only dried the skin, and it became even more inflamed. And against the background of the cycle, acne even flourished.

Despite this, I have always had boyfriends. During the pandemic, I self-isolated with one guy, we lived in the country, studied remotely, spent several months together, got very used to each other, so we developed a rather serious relationship and it became necessary to regularly protect ourselves. The doctor realized that I needed to use protection and that there was a problem with acne, and advised COCs (combined oral contraceptives) with antiandrogenic activity. Of course, I did not believe that it would help with rashes – too much effort and money had been wasted on acne treatment before.

Oddly enough, after two months of taking COCs prescribed to prevent unwanted pregnancy, I really noticed an improvement in my skin condition. One good beautician told me that COCs can help when combined with the right cosmetics. Therefore, she also advised to stop using harsh cosmetics for problem skin, and take care of it as if it were sensitive, with the help of the mildest means. Irritation and dryness of the skin are gone, the hormones have calmed down, so the rashes have decreased. I continue to take COCs now, that is, for two years now. And with this young man, we still live together, and I like the way I look now.

• Anna S., 27 years old, event-manager

According to the horoscope, I am Libra, but in my life I have never met such active Libra as I am! It always seems to me that I can miss something in life, not have time to try, not to catch my chance – that’s why I live my best: I got a red diploma in foreign language, I know 5 foreign languages, I drive a car like a Speed ​​Racer, I organize major events, including international ones, with a huge number of speakers, business partners, investors. I have a wonderful son and an excellent husband, we bought ourselves an apartment, traveled half the world … It would seem that everything is fine.

But every month, on one of the quite expected days, such unimaginable melancholy and anxiety, even to tears, such fierce sadness and a feeling of my own worthlessness rolled over me, that from pity for my poor self it became completely bad. And a couple of days after this melancholy, hellish pain began for a day! But it was necessary to remain active, ignite people, simultaneously solve dozens of complex tasks … Such a super-organizer is good, who cries like a crocodile for about two days a month! And for a day and a half, she simply cannot get into the car and drive to the office without a supply of painkillers …

As I become more thoughtful about my health every year, I researched the issue on the Internet and found that – and I quote – “during severe PMS, accompanied by psycho-emotional disorders and severe headache, muscle and joint pain, women of reproductive age prescribe COCs with high in estrogen.” In my situation with my husband, no one has canceled the situation of contraception either – we are not planning a second child yet. Therefore, I turned to my gynecologist, who picked up the right drug for me, and after about four monthsand against the background of his reception, my psychological and physical condition returned to normal. Now, on “that very” day, I don’t wait for the personal end of the world, I don’t struggle with tearfulness, and I understand that all my cyclical sorrows are completely unfounded. There is practically no pain either, only some heaviness of the body, characteristic of the menstrual period, but I think that in 1-2 months this will also go away. So you can do things, make plans without checking the menstrual calendar, and on any day be balanced and optimistic – as Libras are supposed to be.

• Rita M., 31, editor

Since childhood, I was a sickly child, I have a certain “bouquet” of chronic diseases, and therefore I always had to monitor the state of all body systems. I regularly undergo examinations, take tests, I can’t do a day without vitamins and dietary supplements, I understand all this well.

Some time ago, after my third childbirth, I had severe menstrual pain with heavy bleeding, and after ruling out other diseases that have similar symptoms, I was diagnosed with endometriosis. The doctor sent me to all the tests to select the right therapy: blood for biochemistry, for female hormones, for thyroid hormones. As a result, to reduce the production of estrogen and, as a result, reduce the foci of endometriosis, she prescribed me hormonal contraceptives. I was always afraid of them, I heard somewhere about the “side effects” of hormones in the form of weight gain, vaginal dryness and facial hair growth. But the gynecologist explained that she was prescribing the last generation drug, and high-dose COCs, from which side effects were mainly observed, are no longer used. Besides, When taken correctly, today COCs are one of the most reliable methods of preventing unwanted pregnancies. I managed to pick up tablets with a dosage that was suitable for me – so that they would relieve unpleasant symptoms and not cause side effects – not immediately, but from the second run. In general, from the negative I can only note that at first I swelled a little. But, to my great surprise, after six months of taking it, I realized that my hair began to fall out less, and I did not notice extra pounds.

Most importantly, the doctor and I managed to achieve the desired result and control the development of endometriosis. The doctor told me that these pills do not cure the disease itself, but today there is no absolutely effective remedy. But COCs inhibit the growth of the endometrium, preventing the progression of the disease, and relieve unpleasant symptoms (pain is gone, bleeding has stopped). So I will keep taking.

• Olga L., 35 years old, web-designer

I spend a lot of time sitting at the computer, so in my free time I am always “on sports”: snowboarding and skiing in winter, marathons and any crossfit in summer. And here I have no equal, because I live it. If there is an opportunity to postpone work, I even participate in amateur competitions, travel around the country.

After thirty, I suddenly felt that it became harder to give increased physical activity – well, I think old age has come. Literally no power!

I have always had a cycle like clockwork – day after day, regardless of deadlines, trips and any extreme sports. But the menstruation went on for a long time, sometimes for ten days, and the discharge was plentiful. On days like thisI even started to fall asleep at the computer – I thought it was from overload or beriberi. I always thought that this was a normal situation, until my sister said that it looked like anemia from monthly blood loss and advised me to urgently run to the gynecologist.

I rarely go to the doctor, or rather, I don’t go at all. I believe that the body will heal itself. But here this anemic state during and even after menstruation began to exhaust. After the examination, the doctor diagnosed “menorrhagia” and prescribed COC, which makes the bleeding less intense.

I have been taking pills for 8 months now. Menstruation has become lighter, shorter and much less plentiful, the threat of anemia has passed, and strength has returned – which means that life does not end at 35!