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Ethinyl estradiol / ethynodiol for Birth Control User Reviews

Brand names: Kelnor 1/35, Kelnor 1/50, Lo-Malmorede, Zovia 1/35E Zovia 1/50E Malmorede Zovia 1/35

Ethinyl estradiol / ethynodiol has an average rating of 6.1 out of 10 from a total of 69 reviews for the treatment of Birth Control. 51% of reviewers reported a positive experience, while 33% reported a negative experience.

Ethinyl estradiol/ethynodiol rating summary

6.1/10 average rating

69 ratings from 71 user reviews.

Compare all 279 medications used in the treatment of Birth Control.

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Reviews for Ethinyl estradiol / ethynodiol

  • AbN
  • Taken for 1 to 2 years
  • November 15, 2018

Zovia 1/50E (ethinyl estradiol / ethynodiol) "I LOVED Zovia 1/50. It was the ONLY pill I found I could take that didn't make me hormonally insane. I had zero to little mood swings, I used it to skip my period every month with no spotting, and it didn't affect my skin one bit. My only small complaint was it made me very hungry, but I could eat healthy snacks and be fine. HOWEVER they have discontinued the Zovia and KELNOR 1/50 is literally what NIGHTMARES are made of. (Kelnor is also MORE expensive for me?!) It makes me cry over Facebook videos, I cry randomly sitting at my desk at work. I'm telling you. It's awful and nothing like Zovia. I've been spotting pretty much continuously since I was forced to switch to the Kelnor, also. I would just recommend looking for a different bc all together at this point."

8 / 10
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15 Report
  • August
  • October 10, 2016

Zovia 1/35E (ethinyl estradiol / ethynodiol) "I do not recommend this birth control if you are prone to depression or anxiety, it's absolutely terrible. I was prescribed it to stop my heavy bleeding and painful cramps during my period. It has done nothing to lighten the flow, the cramps are just as bad, if not worse, and I've had complete anxiety, despite my treatment and medication for it. Please be cautious. I wish I'd never taken it."

2 / 10
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15 Report
  • Alex
  • Taken for 6 months to 1 year
  • May 29, 2019

Zovia 1/35E (ethinyl estradiol / ethynodiol) "I’ve been on Zovia for almost a year now and love it. My periods only last 2-3 days and after day one are so light I hardly bleed. However for my first month of taking it I had horrible pregnancy like symptoms I had morning sickness and a super strong aversion to cooking meat. After that first month though I acclimated and have had no issues since."

9 / 10
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9 Report
  • gymgrrl
  • Taken for 10 years or more
  • August 2, 2012

Zovia 1/35E (ethinyl estradiol / ethynodiol) "I would recommend this to anyone. I started using Zovia 1/35 in college 20 years ago for heavy periods and this fixed it! They were light, predictable, and only lasted 3 or 4 days, so great. I had virtually no side effects, just the breasts went from a B to a C. I'm now 43 years old and my body is changing so this prescription is not working as well for me, I may need to switch, but it's just due to age at this point."

9 / 10
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16 Report
  • Anonymous
  • February 28, 2010

Zovia 1/35E (ethinyl estradiol / ethynodiol) "I've been on Zovia for 5 years, and haven't noticed ANY side effects. No weight gain, in my breasts or elsewhere. Before birth control, I had a very light 4-5 day period, on Zovia, it's nearly non-existant, a pantyliner is all I need. I haven't needed a tampon in 5 years. I take Zovia almost religiously on-time everyday, and 5 years and counting, no pregnancies! Other birth controls that I tried really messed with my emotions and I spent a lot of time crying for no reason, so I'm very, very happy with Zovia for not messing up my hormones to the extent that I experience mood swings."

8 / 10
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17 Report

Are you taking this medicine?

  • Healt...
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • February 7, 2019

Zovia 1/35E (ethinyl estradiol / ethynodiol) "I'm so thankful for Zovia! I’ve had awful experiences w/past bc pills (lutera, avian, & yaz) & prefer to take the natural route for health & been very anti pill for a long time. While off the pill, I have struggled w/PMDD that kept getting longer & cramps that caused me to miss work. I had insomnia, irritability, crazy itching on stomach & legs, depression, crying spells, fatigue, muscle pain, flare ups in digestive & reproductive pain & zero sex drive. I was a mess & tried every natural treatment in the book for years w/no luck & in fact was getting worse. I had no quality of life & agreed to take Zovia. Since starting I sleep like a baby, the itching has stopped, I’m calmer, happier, more “sane” & at peace with life. My sex drive is back better than ever & I feel healthy again! cramps are really light. I can function again! The only side effects I’ve had is midcycle spotting & water retention, but having my life back makes those symptoms seem like nothing compared to before."

9 / 10
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7 Report
  • Anonymous
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • June 16, 2012

Zovia 1/35E (ethinyl estradiol / ethynodiol) "I have been on Zovia for 4 months. I quickly gained 10 pounds, even though I workout 4 to 5 times a week and watch what I eat. I have gone from a B cup to a C cup, and I have developed horrible mood swings. I also experience bad acne about 4 days before and after my period."

2 / 10
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12 Report
  • Kelsey
  • August 21, 2013

Zovia 1/35E (ethinyl estradiol / ethynodiol) "Zovia cleared my acne and helped regulate my period with no pregnancies. However, it caused huge mood swings around my period. I was very irritable and sometimes depressed. Also if I didn't take the pill at the exact same time (or within an hour) I spotted. "

2 / 10
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11 Report
  • Anonymous
  • October 12, 2011

Zovia 1/35E (ethinyl estradiol / ethynodiol) "I started taking Zovia about 5 months ago and I could immediately tell the difference after the 1st month. I started gaining weight, my breasts got even bigger than they already were and they were constantly tender, my periods went from 3-4 days to 7-9 days with horrible cramps, my face became very oily and I started breaking out. I have never had a lot of acne or breakouts but after starting this birth control, it got bad. I have been an emotional wreck and cry all of the time and I'm normally not like that. I think I had every bad side effect a birth control can have so needless to say, my OB has called in a different birth control! Hopefully if you decide to use this birth control, you don't have any of the side effects like I have."

3 / 10
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12 Report
  • C C
  • January 17, 2013

Zovia 1/35E (ethinyl estradiol / ethynodiol) "I have been on it for 2 months & have not gotten my period at all! And no I'm not pregnant! It may be good but I do get the slight panic each month. As of now, I don't think I've had any other side effects. Also, it is very cheap!"

6 / 10
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11 Report
  • GI JO
  • Taken for 5 to 10 years
  • December 19, 2018

Zovia 1/35E (ethinyl estradiol / ethynodiol) "I started taking Zovia back in 2011, because I was getting 2 periods in one month after getting back from deployment, but I've taken it ever since with NO problems at all. I actually skip my periods each month and still have no issue. I think since I've started taking the pill, I probably average one period a year, due to forgetting to take the pill in the mornings. I started this pill in my 20's and now I'm in my 30's and no changes, other than if I accidentally miss a day, my period will start faster than it did years before. Now it takes a day and a half to start after missing one pill, and it used to start after 2 days in my 20's. But not a big deal. Every one is different and you don't have to take it from me, but it worked for me, give it a shot and change it up if you feel differences right away. It can be scary, I know I was when I first started, but it worked out for the best."

10 / 10
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6 Report
  • Anonymous
  • Taken for 1 to 2 years
  • March 30, 2013

Zovia 1/35E (ethinyl estradiol / ethynodiol) "I'm 18 and I've been on Zovia for about a year. No weight gain, acne completely cleared up, and never gotten pregnant even if I did miss a couple! However, very bad PMS and irritability. My boyfriend of 2 years finds it very frustrating around the time of my period because I turn moody. Love it though."

9 / 10
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10 Report
  • sarah...
  • Taken for 2 to 5 years
  • October 20, 2012

Zovia 1/35E (ethinyl estradiol / ethynodiol) "I have been on this pill for 3.5 years and it is my FAVORITE THING EVER. My periods are extremely light, I almost never have cramps or mood swings, and the only weight gain I experienced was welcome and came in the form of a cup size. I haven't had any problems during that time of the month or otherwise and overall, I think this is just a very nice, happy pill. I always use condoms because I'm paranoid but I'm scare-free also!"

10 / 10
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10 Report
  • Girl
  • Taken for 5 to 10 years
  • July 7, 2019

Zovia 1/35E (ethinyl estradiol / ethynodiol) "I’ve been on this medication for 5 years now and have honestly never had any issues. For the first few years I’d take them and then take the placebos and get my period and it made it so much more bearable, but recently in the last year I’ve decided to just skip the placebo pills completely in general. Never have had any spotting it’s really amazing."

10 / 10
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5 Report
  • sarah
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • March 9, 2018

Kelnor 1/35 (ethinyl estradiol / ethynodiol) "Horrible spotting, making me so irritable. This OC is ruining my usually great relationship. Look up how androgens in birth control influence your mood and skin. I usually have great skin usually and it's breaking me out. Please avoid if you have problems with mental health. Only upside is no migraines, which many pills make worse for me."

1 / 10
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6 Report
  • needs...
  • Taken for 10 years or more
  • June 26, 2012

Zovia 1/35E (ethinyl estradiol / ethynodiol) "I've been on Zovia almost 10 years now. Its cheap and worked for the reason I was taking it which was to prevent pregnancy. I can't say whether it made me gain weight because I figure after ten years its bound to normalize. I can say I get pretty bad PMS but I'm not sure this pill was ever advertised to treat PMS symptoms. I experienced depression, bloat, irritability, anxiety and lethargy the week before every period. I attribute some to my family history of anxiety and depression though, and it was never something I brought up with my Doctor. Never thought there was any reason to change it until now. Recently I did find a side effect to be too much to bear; low libido. I don't even want a man to look at me let alone touch me it's so terrible."

9 / 10
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10 Report
  • Ceecee
  • Taken for 1 to 2 years
  • September 16, 2022

Zovia 1/35E (ethinyl estradiol / ethynodiol) "As someone with endometriosis, Zovia was great for suppressing the pain. I am also someone who sweats a lot and has very oily skin and this has helped soooo much. Even though this has has the best pros of any birth control I have taken, the depression and anxiety was too severe for me to stay on it. If you are already someone who deals with long term depression I do not recommend this."

7 / 10
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2 Report
  • Anonymous
  • September 27, 2011

Zovia 1/35E (ethinyl estradiol / ethynodiol) "The good aspects of this pill for me were no weight gain, no loss of sex drive, and my breasts got a bit bigger. However, I could not continue into my 4th month on Zovia because I had such intense mood swings that I drove everyone around me crazy. I had to switch to a different pill because I was on a constant emotional roller coaster. Crying, being angry, feeling depressed, hopeless and paranoid that my boyfriend was cheating on me. I felt like I was losing my mind, and my boyfriend and I almost broke up over it. I became a completely different person, and it only became worse as I was on the pill for longer. Hoping another pill will work better!"

1 / 10
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8 Report
  • Anonymous
  • Taken for 6 months to 1 year
  • May 22, 2012

Zovia 1/35E (ethinyl estradiol / ethynodiol) "I have been on Zovia for 11 months. The first 3 months I had alot of mood swings from: crying to anger, anger to crying, and happy to sad. It was the the most difficult 3 months of my life. I still have mood swings but not as much as in the beginning. It did make me gain weight but prevented me from getting pregnant."

4 / 10
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7 Report
  • Anonymous
  • December 5, 2012

Zovia 1/35E (ethinyl estradiol / ethynodiol) "I recently switched to Zovia from Ortho Tricyclen. It's definitely doing what it's supposed to. The side effects that I've experienced since switching is slight weight gain (even though I'm active), B to C cup and some tenderness, nausea, and mood swings (and my boyfriend agrees with me -- this is the WORST side effect). What I do like about the Zovia is that it cleared my face up and made my periods EXTREMELY light and short. I think I like the Ortho Tricyclen better but only because I didn't have any side effects with it."

9 / 10
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7 Report
  • Anonymous
  • October 25, 2010

Zovia 1/35E (ethinyl estradiol / ethynodiol) "I used to be on Yaz and really loved it but, I was worried about all it's latest bad reviews. I just switched to Zovia and my breasts are so tender. I thought it would be great to go up a size (I heard this from a friend) but it is really painful. I'm also very bloated which I'm not used to because you never get bloated or acne from Yaz. I get my period next week so still unsure if it will be as light as it was on Yaz."

5 / 10
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8 Report
  • Maria...
  • March 26, 2015

Zovia 1/35E (ethinyl estradiol / ethynodiol) "I've been on this birth control going on 8 years. Never any weight gain or physical issues, but the occasional mood swings and PMS. Cant say if Ive had an increase in appetite. But totally worth it. Haven't gotten pregnant!"

10 / 10
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6 Report
  • Anonymous
  • November 1, 2011

Zovia 1/35E (ethinyl estradiol / ethynodiol) "So after reading the reviews I feel a little bit better because after two weeks of taking this pill I have gained 5 lbs and my breasts went from a normal B cup to a large C cup..usually that would be a great thing, but it's very uncomfortable and the weight gain is upsetting because I work out 4-5 times a week and eat healthily. I used to be on the Nuvaring but it is too expensive so I tried a low dose birth control but on this I was spotting all the time and became very depressed. "

2 / 10
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7 Report
  • not...
  • August 1, 2011

Zovia 1/35E (ethinyl estradiol / ethynodiol) "I have been taking Zovia now for a little over a month. My doctor prescribed this because I was having extremely heavy periods with severe cramps so he said this would help to regulate but since I've been taking it I haven't stopped bleeding at all. 33 days of bleeding is the worst and it hurts to wear a tampon so I have to wear pads only. My husband who is trying to be supportive is starting to get frustrated because we can't even have sex because of all this bleeding. I think I may stop using it."

2 / 10
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7 Report
  • Mscunn
  • December 12, 2015

Zovia 1/35E (ethinyl estradiol / ethynodiol) "I had to quit this medication because it made me agitated and very paranoid. I was to the point that I was going to quit my job and was convinced that my family was turning on me. I stopped and within 1.5 months everything resolved. I am now on Ocella and it works great."

3 / 10
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5 Report

Reviews may be edited to correct grammar/spelling or to remove inappropriate language and content. Reviews that appear to be created by parties with a vested interest are not published. This information is not intended to endorse any particular medication. While these reviews may be helpful, they are not a substitute for the expertise, knowledge, and judgement of healthcare professionals.