Gianvi and Cramps: What Users Say

• Hao...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 4, 2013

For Acne "I stopped taking Gianvi two months ago, and wow, was that a mistake. The first period I had was absolutely horrible. It was super heavy, lasted a long time, and my cramps were really bad. It has really messed up my hormones as well. I get so mad very easily, and I feel like a crazy person with emotions that I'm feeling that I never felt before. My breasts shrank a lot, and my acne has come back. So, I started taking Gianvi again a few days ago so I can get back on track to normalness! I don't want to wait for my body to adjust without it."

• Gig...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 6, 2012

For Menstrual Disorders "I have polycystic ovarian syndrome and absolutely love Gianvi. This is my first birth control, and I've been on it for almost a year. I was diagnosed with PCOS, and my gyno put me on the medication. For me, I was getting periods every 9 months, which to some people is a dream. But not for me. Now that I've been on the pill, I do get it monthly, and it lasts me about 4-5 days. And it's done wonders for me. I've lost weight, my blood pressure has decreased. Used to be in the 160s, and my breasts have gotten larger. I don't suffer from mood swings, but I do get terrible cramps, but they're easily taken care of. And for acne, my skin has always been somewhat dry, so I haven't noticed a difference. I would recommend this for people."

• Hap...
• July 14, 2013

For Birth Control "Regardless of all the negative reviews, I tried this birth control, and I do like it a lot. After about 3-4 packs, it cleared up my acne (I'm on the inert pills of my 5th pack now), it has relieved my menstrual cramps, helped to regulate my hormones, and is very effective as a birth control. I like pills that force me to bleed if I miss too many days, which helps to ward off sexual activity that could grant me an unwanted pregnancy. This does just that. After about two missed pills, you receive your period, and during the inert pills, you actually get a period and don't just spot. My insurance usually covers it, and it was $36 for three months, but recently it has become free of charge after my insurance coverage switched and covered contraception."

• 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."

• Kan...
• October 10, 2019

For Birth Control "I've been taking the Gianvi birth control pill for the past 3-4 months and have experienced more good than bad. The first couple of things I've noticed that's different are my skin and period cycle. For one thing, it did what it was supposed to do and regulated my period. I used to get my period every other month during random days. It was irritating because I never knew when it would come. For my skin, it's improved a good amount, but I'm not someone who had bad skin to begin with. I noticed I stopped getting pimples altogether, and when I do, it's rare (I promise I have a bad skin routine too, so I was surprised.) I haven't gained weight and I didn't experience any decline in my mental health. The only thing that it didn't help with was my period cramps. My OBGYN told me this was supposed to help, but my cramps are just as sore. I also noticed that my periods are longer than when I wasn't on birth control. I used to only have my period for 5 days, but now it's the full 7 days."

• Zan...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• June 10, 2019

For Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder "I switched onto Gianvi after taking Loryna for several years. Gianvi is the generic for Loryna. The effects aren’t much different, and both have been helpful for my PMDD and my period in general. My cramps decreased in frequency (though not in intensity), and my period is long but less severe than it might be without the pill. Psychologically speaking, I feel a little better all through my cycle, and my mood and behavior are a lot more stable when my period comes close."

• ell...
• May 24, 2019

For Birth Control "I was prescribed Gianvi to help with my acne. I didn't notice that much of a difference in my skin, however, my mental health definitely took a big hit. I already suffer from social anxiety, but this took it far beyond that. After the first month, I noticed that anything and everything was making me cry. I would start hysterically crying, my anxiety would go through the roof, and my panic attacks increased from once in a blue moon to having one at least once a day. I felt extremely fatigued and depressed and would have episodes where I just spaced out for about two minutes... just staring at something and not even thinking about what was going on around me. Aside from my mental health, I also had severe cramping, and my period has been messed up since taking this birth control. I'm currently on my third week of bleeding and am still waiting for my period to go away."

• Mad...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• October 4, 2018

For Birth Control "I've been on Gianvi for 7 years now. It has prevented pregnancy, which is the main point of taking it. I can't remember having any issues with nausea when I first started taking it, but I usually take it with food. My periods are normal, I wouldn't say lighter on this pill. I still get cramps and moodiness, and it definitely kills my sex drive. One odd fact about this pill is that since I've been taking this brand, I developed IBS. I've actually seen research studies that link IBS to Yaz and its generic counterparts. I'm finishing out my last pill pack of Gianvi and switching to something else to see if the IBS diminishes. I wouldn't say Gianvi has been terrible, but I think I could feel better on something else."

• Lnt...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 8, 2015

For Birth Control "I've been on Gianvi for 3 months. I feel like a crazy person. My emotions are through the roof, and I get random spurts of horrible anger and irritation. The first two months, I didn't notice much, it all came at once. My breasts are almost unbearably sore, and it has done nothing for my horrible, heavy period and painful cramps. I feel like I'm PMSing constantly. It's just not working for me. Hopefully, others have had a better experience than I. I can't wait to switch to something new."

• Mom...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 18, 2018

For Birth Control "I started using Gianvi 2 1/2 months ago, and it has been great! I have PCOS, and before I started taking Gianvi, my periods were a nightmare! I couldn't use tampons because I would bleed over them in ten minutes. I would bleed 15-19 days straight. The cramps were so bad, I would rather give birth. The first 3 days of my period, if I stood up, blood would run down my legs. Since starting Gianvi, my periods are light and last 4 days, and hardly any cramps."

• 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
• October 11, 2011

For Birth Control "The first few months were great! Light periods, minimal cramping. The past 3 months, I have started my period 2-3 days early, and it lasts about 2 weeks. That gives me about a week per month that I'm not on my period. I'm changing pills tomorrow, hopefully, the next kind isn't as treacherous!"

• Anonymous
• June 23, 2011

For Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder "I haven't been on birth control since I was 17, now I am 20. I just couldn't remember to take it, so it didn't do any good. My boyfriend and I both decided it was time I tried to take some form of birth control instead of just using condoms. I have premenstrual dysphoric disorder, depression, moodiness, and terrible irritability a week or so before my period. It was interfering with my life and my relationship with my boyfriend. My doctor put me on Gianvi, and I had no premenstrual symptoms! It's only my first month taking it. I did have pretty terrible cramping, but day 2 has been fine. I guess we'll see if things change around month 2 or 3, but so far I love it, and I'm glad I'm back on something so I don't have to play guessing games with my period."

• Ros...
• January 6, 2016

For Birth Control "I've been using Gianvi for the last 4 years. Other pills used to make me spot in between periods. This pill changed everything! My period is so regular now, it comes every month on the expected day, always within 3 hours of each other. Way less cramping, no side effects, and it only lasts around 4 days. Make sure you get Gianvi and not a generic version, as they affected me differently. Awesome BC!"

• Anonymous
• October 28, 2010

"I have been on Gianvi for four months. I've been on birth control since I was fourteen (I am now 19) for irregular periods, and with Gianvi, I didn't have any periods. I was okay for the first couple of months, but now, at the fourth month, I have no periods, migraines all day, every day, spotting instead of a period, sharp cramps during the time when my period was supposed to come. I am unable to wear my contacts now (they hurt so bad and end up giving me a headache if I force myself to wear them, even with brand new pairs). It is pretty effective when it comes to preventing pregnancy because I did miss a few pills, but in the past, with other brands, I'd miss pills and never have any side effects. Now on NuvaRing."

• Jax...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 17, 2016

For Birth Control "I've been on it for 3 months, and it's pretty good. Your acne does get semi worse for the first couple of months, but at month 3, I can see that my skin is clearing up. I would say 8/10 in terms of how much it's helped my skin. I don't think I've gained much weight, but my boobs have definitely gotten bigger. No loss of sex drive for me, but it has not helped my period cramps/aches at all. I think it's only made my period marginally lighter. It does what it does fairly well, and it's completely covered by my insurance. There have been no negative side effects as of now."

• 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."

• Ano...
• March 27, 2013

For Birth Control "I started Gianvi after switching from Yaz to another pill that did nothing for me. I used to have an intense 7-day period, extreme cramps, migraines, large pimples, and crazy mood swings for no apparent reason. Gianvi has changed all that. I do still get cramps and mood swings, but both are very muted. I have much smaller breakouts, and the migraines are gone. I get very light bleeding during my period, which only lasts 2-3 days. HOWEVER, I miss my period (the bleeding part) often. I still get the other symptoms at that time. Personally, I love Gianvi. I feel much freer to do things like drive because I know I won't be suddenly doubled over in pain behind the wheel."

• KLa...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 20, 2016

For Menstrual Disorders "Was started on this because of extremely heavy bleeding and also birth control. I have nothing negative to say. It's been 2 years and have been enjoying it. Took about 2 months for the bleeding to slow down, and now it's literally spotting to nonexistence with little to no cramps."

• Anonymous
• December 20, 2010

"I have been on the pill before, the patch, and NuvaRing. But I have never had problems like this. I heard that Yaz was supposed to help clear up acne, so that's why I chose it. The pharmacy ended up giving me Gianvi because it was the generic of Yaz. I have been on it for 3 months now, and I am miserable. This last month, it has made my breasts feel sore, and I'm not even on my period, and I have horrible cramps. It has done nothing for acne either. This is the last pack I am going to take."

• Anonymous
• September 2, 2011

For Birth Control "This was great birth control for the first 2 months. No mood swings, no weight gain, however, my chest size did increase a little. In my third month, unfortunately, I started experiencing leg cramps, which made me have to switch."

• Anonymous
• January 1, 2013

"This was the first birth control I've ever tried, and I have been on it for about 10 months. Overall, it's been a positive experience. Before I went on birth control, I had a heavy period for 7-8 days, awful cramps, and extreme nausea. Sometimes I even threw up because the cramps and nausea were so bad. Being on this pill has lightened and shortened my period to 3 days and completely eliminated my cramps. I know exactly when to expect my period every month. I do notice that I've gotten a little more emotional and grouchy sometimes, but there are other things that could've contributed to that, so I don't want to put much blame on my birth control since my mood change is so slight, it hasn't completely affected my life in such a negative way."

• 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."