Gianvi and Bleeding: What Users Say

• Nin...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 29, 2013

For Birth Control "I've been on many birth controls trying to find the right one for me. I was on Apri a couple of years ago, which gave me very bad anxiety, so after that I switched to Tri-Sprintec. This pill didn't cause any anxiety, but my skin broke out so terribly on it! My third and final switch was to 'Yaz', at the pharmacy, I was handed the generic Gianvi. I spent hours reading reviews and was a little nervous to start taking these pills, but they have been great. My skin has completely cleared up, I never break out at all anymore. I had no mood changes or anxiety, nor weight gain. This pill is sensitive with regards to breakthrough bleeding, if just one pill is missed, you can expect spotting the next day. Otherwise, an AWESOME pill! Highly recommend!"

• Ano...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 7, 2018

For Birth Control "I hate writing bad reviews, but please do not use this birth control! I have been on it over a month and bleeding nonstop, having anxiety attacks all day long while at work, intrusive awful thoughts, vision feels different and blurry, feeling depressed and moody one minute, the next I'm fine. Will not be taking any more pills on this brand. I was on Loryna (which they say is comparable), and it is not. I felt perfectly fine on Loryna and figured it would be the same on Gianvi. It’s not, I don’t want this to happen to anyone else, so please girls watch out."

• Kat...
• December 7, 2013

For Birth Control "I have been taking Gianvi for 9 months now. This is the first birth control I tried and was highly recommended by my gynecologist. After the first few months of taking it, I didn't seem to have any problems, my period always came on the third day of the placebo pills and lasted about five days. One thing I will say is I have only missed one pill, and if you miss one, you will break through bleed for a little bit. Last month, I did get random spotting before my period, then my period started and stopped for a day, then came back very light. I think this is just my periods lessening, I know some on this medication don't receive a period at all. I would greatly recommend this birth control, I LOVE IT! And it has prevented pregnancy!"

• Bel...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 2, 2019

For Acne "Aside from preventing pregnancy, my goal on this pill was to eliminate my horrible adult acne. Months 1-3 I noticed no improvement in my skin. Then, at the end of month 3, I was bleeding for weeks on end. By month 4, my skin dramatically changed. The heavy bleeding stopped, and my skin was flawless. I like to think my body was ‘purging’ with the heavy bleeding, and my body was adjusted to the pill. My skin remains clear, and my period always comes around the 3rd or 4th pill."

• Ano...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 1, 2018

For Birth Control "I have only been on Gianvi for a month and a half and absolutely do not like it. Started spotting while on active pills, then started bleeding heavily for over a week and still am. It’s a never-ending period!"

• Mis...
• April 3, 2011

For Acne "Took Yaz for 3 years and loved it. Have been using Gianvi for 6 months and have not noticed any difference at all. I skip all inert pills and start a new pack and did the same thing with Yaz. Without doing so, I get bad headaches. No breakthrough bleeding. No increased acne issues."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• December 13, 2012

For Birth Control "I have been on Gianvi for 8 months now. At first, I was an emotional wreck, like almost all the reviews on here, but after your body gets used to the added hormone, it does go away. It took about 3 months for the acne to go away also. After about the 3-month mark, Gianvi was perfect for me. I have no bloating when my period starts, my period is perfectly on schedule, less cramping and bleeding than before, no more migraines, and no mood swings. It's almost like I'm not even on my period anymore. But, as someone said before, you have to try it to know if it'll work for you."

• Anonymous
• September 21, 2011

For Birth Control "I was on Ortho Tri for 4 years but was starting to have some breakthrough bleeding issues with it, so my doctor put me on Yaz. I'm a broke graduate student, so I went on Gianvi instead. I keep seeing all these negative reviews on here about it, but I LOVE Gianvi. My acne has almost gone away, and my cramps have lessened. I did, however, have some issues adjusting to a 4-day period instead of a week-long one, but after a few months, that straightened out. I love Gianvi and have been on it for 6 months without issue."

• Jan...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 31, 2019

For Acne "I started taking this because I would get one or two cystic pimples near the time of my period that would lead to bad scarring. I figured I would give Gianvi a try since it is known for treating hormonal acne. I have only been on it for two months. Although I have read that it can take at least three months or longer to fully adjust, I am going to stop taking it. I’ve tried a few different birth control pills before, but this one has been the worst for me. I have experienced irregular bleeding, bad headaches that can last days at a time, weight gain, and the worst acne I’ve ever had in my life. All of these symptoms have made me depressed. Maybe I should’ve waited another month to see, but it wasn’t worth it to me. Everyone reacts differently, so you have to try it out for yourself. I’ve read that some girls had their skin clear up in two weeks. Sadly, I did not have a positive experience on this birth control."

• Ekb...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 4, 2012

For Birth Control "I was on Gianvi for two years and just stopped taking it because side effects were getting to me. PRO: cheap, cleared up my ache and prevented pregnancy. For several months, it reduced my migraines, and I felt no mood changes. CON: over time, my migraines got horrible and more frequent, breasts increased a cup size, felt in a constant 'brain fog,' had constant breakthrough bleeding that started triggering bacterial vaginosis infections, and got vaginal dryness. I think this may work for you if you aren't sensitive to hormones."

• k87...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 19, 2014

For Acne "I was on Gianvi for many years (at least 4). For all of it except the past year, Gianvi has been great. It controlled my acne and helped me have lighter periods. The past year has been worse, though. I've had my periods not show up on the placebo pill days (they start 4 days after the placebo pill days, so they actually start after I start the next pack), and I've actually had breakthrough bleeding during sex, which made me worry I had something much, much more serious going on as I was bleeding a LOT during sex only. My doctor told me I needed to swap to a higher hormone dose, so I had to go off this pill. Otherwise, I had no issue."

• 454...
• April 19, 2016

For Birth Control "I just finished my second month of Gianvi, and it will be my last. CONS: Constant bleeding, gained weight, horrible headaches, and mood swings that make me feel crazy. PRO: No pregnancy, on-time period, went from a B to a C cup, no change in skin."

• Anonymous
• December 26, 2011

"Month 4 of these pills... day 14 of bleeding... day 3 of a constant headache... increasing stomach issues. Experienced horrible nausea and increased appetite that subsided after 3 months, but now experiencing new side effects."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 10, 2018

For Birth Control "The absolute worst birth control that I have EVER taken! I had to stop taking this pill halfway through the pack because of the side effects. One day I found myself crying totally out of nowhere, I was also becoming depressed, which is very uncommon for me, being that I'm a pretty jovial person. Another terrible factor for me was the heavy bleeding even after my period had ended. I already have extremely heavy and painful menstrual cycles as it is, so the fact that I was bleeding even more was a no-go for me. My appetite fluctuated from day to day, but I still gained a few pounds. I'll be switching to a different one ASAP."

• Tay...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 26, 2018

For Birth Control "This has been the worst experience of my life. I’m doing nothing but bleeding and bleeding and bleeding constantly for the past 5 months. Coming from someone who used to have bad anxiety and overcame it mostly, it has made me have anxiety attacks a few times a week. I feel a lack of motivation. I don’t know if that’s due to my constant period or the medicine. I’ve never had a good experience with any BC pill or depo shot."

• btl...
• June 19, 2017

For Birth Control "The good news: my boobs are bigger, and the acne around my chin area has subsided. Bad news: I've gained weight, and I'm always bloated. I've always had a flat stomach, but ever since I started taking the pill, I'm 24/7 bloated. All hell broke loose this weekend when I literally thought I was being possessed by the devil. I started bleeding heavily, and the cramping was relentless and unbearable. After a night out, I came home and was overwhelmed with depression and anxiety. I was hypersensitive to every sound, and I cried for 3 hours for God knows what reason. I'm hesitant to start this new pack after that hellish episode."

• Anonymous
• November 12, 2015

For Acne "I was prescribed this to treat acne, PMDD, and amenorrhea, however, it did nothing to treat any of those things. Instead, it made about 95% of my face break out in cystic acne (you have seen Proactive commercials), caused severe depression and panic attacks (I didn't have the motivation to do anything besides work out and then sit on the couch all day in sweatpants-often crying off and on), prevented me from getting a job (I had just graduated with my Master's and obtained my RD license, and I was so depressed with such cloudy thinking I could not portray myself in a way that would make someone want to hire me), and I had breakthrough bleeding every month during the second week of pills. I will NEVER take BC pills again!"

• Che...
• March 29, 2021

For Birth Control "I’ve been taking Gianvi birth control for about a year now. It started taking it in July 2020. It did great on curing the symptoms I was experiencing with PMDD, such as the anger, depression, and anxiety I had experienced before taking it. Now what I don’t like is the excessive bleeding. First, I was spotting for typically a week either before or after my period. Now recently, I’ve been bleeding more than just on my period. This month, I bled a medium to heavy flow for the entire month. I got tired of seeing blood and was exhausted by the cramps. Seeing the gyno on Wednesday, thankfully."

• Kso...
• January 21, 2019

For Birth Control "I was originally put on Gianvi for acne. I was on my period for about 4 weeks between the first and second month, but I figured that was just my body adjusting. After that, I loved it because I had very few side effects, and my skin looked great. After the third month, however, I was bleeding for about 3 and a half weeks per pill pack. It was absolutely awful, I had cramps all the time, I always had to worry about using the right products, and I wasn’t happy because that’s not why I was on birth control, so I switched after my 7th month. Apparently, bleeding how I did is regular up to the sixth month, which is really ridiculous, so just be forewarned."

• Anonymous
• November 30, 2011

"I was on Yaz for about a year and a half and switched to Gianvi about six months ago. Upon switching to Gianvi, my blood pressure went up, I became extremely anxious and had breakthrough bleeding, which I hadn't previously experienced. My acne is slowly starting to come back, and my periods are painful again. It's almost as if Gianvi is slowly not working as effectively as it should. I just switched to Junel in hopes it will work better and make me feel less sick."

• tlc...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 16, 2016

For Acne "I took Gianvi, the generic of Yaz, for two months. I had some breakthrough bleeding and cramps near my original start date, and still had bad cramps during the sugar pills. My acne cleared up big time. But I started getting melasma (dark spots) on my cheeks, especially near my eyes. No weight gain. Huge, huge decrease in libido. Currently trying to find something else."

• Pan...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 11, 2018

For Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder "I was on Yasmin and loved it. I lost weight, my skin cleared, my cramps and bloating gone. I had severe PMDD, and it helped, BUT I was bleeding constantly. I felt so good I stuck it out for 8 months hoping to adjust, which I didn't, so my doctor switched me to Yaz and I ended up with the generic Gianvi. It's AWFUL! My mood swings are back, I'm depressed, and have no energy. I gained 4 lbs and cramped 3 weeks out of the month. My back hurts. And I'm still constantly bleeding. I made it through two packs, but I can't take anymore. So I'm switching again."

• Jos...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 30, 2021

For Birth Control "I was on Gianvi for one year before stopping. At first, everything was great, regulated periods, clear skin, great sex drive. But as the months went on, everything kept getting worse and worse. By the time I went off the pill, my placebo weeks were debilitating. I was wearing incontinence pads because my period was so heavy, I had cramps and back pain that kept me in bed and on tramadol. After going off, I spent 3 1/2 months going through hormone withdrawal and landed in the hospital because of the withdrawal effects. It's not been 5 months, and I have not stopped bleeding since going off Gianvi. My gynecologist and PCP have tried everything to stop my bleeding."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• November 8, 2016

For Menstrual Disorders "I have been on Gianvi for around three years. I had always had extremely painful periods with clotting that would last 7 days since puberty and really did not know how abnormal what I was experiencing was. Suddenly, in my mid-twenties, I started having two periods a month, then they would last almost two weeks at a time. I was either having horrible PMS or bleeding 100% of the time. Originally, the doctor had me on Apri. After 6 weeks of nonstop bleeding, the doctor switched to Yaz, which switched to Gianvi a few months later. The bleeding stopped, and each period got lighter and less painful. However, it did take two years for my periods to actually fall on inactive pill days."

• Gor...
• February 16, 2021

For Birth Control "I’ve been on this for over a month. All I do is cry and bleed. I really don't like it. The Nurex nurse told me to be patient, it will improve. But no way, this is horrible how my hormones are off the chart."