Lutera for Birth Control User Reviews (Page 3)

• Pea...
• April 4, 2014

"I'm about 3 pills away from finishing my first pack. My experience is okay so far. I say okay because I started the pack 3 days before my period. Worst mistake ever. My period was super heavy for 4 days and had really bad cramping. My advice for first timers is to wait until you end your period and start taking the pill right after. Because I didn't wait, now I have my period again (this time it's really light, still cramping). Hopefully, by this next pack, my period is on track. On a good note, my skin is clear from acne, and I went up a cup size. Breasts are still tender, but I'm hoping that goes away. I have gained some weight, but I'm working on losing it. Some PMS, nothing crazy. I can say I'm pleased with Lutera so far."

• Ell...
• June 29, 2014

"I started Lutera in January. I felt very nauseous almost all the time in the first month. My breasts grew significantly. My acne has cleared up. I did notice that I am very emotional and moody ever since I started Lutera, especially the day before my period. I'm pretty consistent with when I take the pill. I usually take it around 10-11 a.m., but for the days I almost forget and take it at night, I feel really sick the next day."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 4, 2012

"I'm only on the first week, and I'm moody and feel down a lot. I don't like it because I took birth control before, and I've never felt mild depression like this before and moody. I'm also having cravings for sweets every day, which is very unusual."

• nan...
• January 9, 2014

"I've been on Lutera about a year and 3 months, and I love it. Clear skin, no weight gain, but I lost some, no mood swings, no cramps, no tender breasts, no pregnancies. I had heavy 7-day periods, now I have light 5-day periods, which is awesome."

• Kan...
• October 14, 2014

"This is the only birth control that has ever gotten my cycle regulated for a long period of time. Usually, I will switch medicines only to have it regulated for 3-4 months, then everything goes haywire again. With Lutera, I have no breakthrough bleeding or spotting, no headaches or body aches, and no weight gain. I love this birth control. Before I was on this, I was very anemic from an abnormal period (bleeding 2-3 weeks out of the month), but now I don't even have to take my iron supplement. Also, I am not pregnant, so it works there, too, which is good."

• NoL...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 8, 2012

"The first birth control I ever used was Ortho-Cyclen. I took it to help lighten my periods and was on it for about 9 months. Though it did help with my periods, I just didn't like the woman I became on it. I then switched to the patch and experienced the same thing. Next was the Depo shot. Ladies beware! To follow were 3 months of complete hell. My mood was constantly up and down, and just about anything could send me into hysterics. Refusing to continue with the shot, I asked my doctor for a low hormone birth control, and she suggested Lutera. It's been 5 months now, and I couldn't be more satisfied. My skin is clear, I went from a B to a D cup, and best of all, no mood swings! I am so happy with this pill. I 100% recommend it."

• ad3...
• December 9, 2013

"I'm currently starting my fourth pack of Lutera. This past month for me has been a bit nuts for me and my boyfriend. I've been overly emotional and anxious beyond belief. I am dealing with emotional triggers, but I feel Lutera has exacerbated things. I've had a loss of appetite, but I don't know if that's because I'm losing my mind. Ugh, birth control. On the other side, my breasts have been fuller than normal, which has been a perk. My flow and pre-menstrual physical symptoms have been just fine. No unusual cramping, spotting, etc. I'm continuing with Lutera for another 3 months and am hoping to see my emotions settle down."

• Cut...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 24, 2014

"I was quite nervous about taking this pill, because I have had such a bad experience with the shot. I'm on my 11th day of taking Lutera. I started on them the first day I received my period... and I've been bleeding ever since... very heavy at that, not a very happy camper. I have never bled this long."

• Sta...
• May 7, 2013

"I was on the Depo shot for 11 years. I never had a period the entire time. It made me moody, psycho, and out-of-control crazy. It made me gain weight (from 95 lbs when I started the shot to 133 lbs when I stopped it). I am 5 ft 3 with a very small frame, 133 lbs is too much for my body. Talked to my Dr. and got Lutera instead. It is very low hormones. I can honestly say that the Depo made me crazy. This pill has changed that. In the first month, I noticed the improvement in my moods. My breast size increased from B to C, although tenderness occurs occasionally. Has helped grow my hair and has regulated my periods."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 6, 2014

"At first, I hated this pill but had a 3-month supply. In the first 2 months, I had spotting all the time, crazy mood swings, intense cravings, and cramps around PMS time and was losing a dramatic amount of hair. On the bright side, my acne was non-existent and I noticed weight loss. By the 3rd month, I feel most symptoms cleared."

• jas...
• March 21, 2014

"This is the first type of birth control that I have been on, and it has worked out great. I have been on Lutera for 9 months now and will be going back to have my doctor refill the prescription. The first month I experienced some mild headaches and irregular bleeding, nothing serious. My breasts have gotten a little larger, my period shorter and lighter. All is good so far!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• June 22, 2016

"Started taking 3 years ago. It is important to understand more people will review for negative experiences. When I realized all the negative reviews on this birth control, I thought it was time to hear from a Lutera 'expert' (of course everyone's body is different). PROS: LIGHTER periods (went from 5-7 days of super tampons to 2-3 days of regular/light tampons!), CONSISTENT periods, LESS cramps, BIGGER boobs (lol I went up from an A to a B so I personally like this), NO pregnancy! CONS: HEADACHES (before/during/after period), MOOD SWINGS/DEPRESSION (idk if I'm crazy but I cry a lot and cause fights), BROWN periods, ACNE (never broke out before), WEIGHT GAIN (20 lbs in 3 yrs)."

• Mon...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 16, 2019

"Be warned that the Lutera pill can make your hair fall out if you are sensitive to higher androgen levels! I have been on so many different pills and never had an issue with hair loss, but about 3 months after starting Lutera, my hair was falling out in clumps. I have probably lost 35% of my hair, and fortunately, the shedding has stopped (around 2 months after stopping Lutera), but my hair is stringy and my part has widened. I would like to give this pill a 0 because of how distressing the experience has been, but I rated it a 2 because it did its job in preventing pregnancy. I wish doctors would tell patients about this potential risk of hair loss with Lutera."

• Anonymous
• June 15, 2012

"The pill worked great at preventing babies, but it did make me extremely tired all the time. Plus, it made me super emotional, crying about the littlest of things to being angry about everything. It also made my skin break out really bad."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 10 years or more
• February 12, 2025

"I have used Lutera for 13 years. I'm sexually active and have never been pregnant while taking this pill. I'm currently 42 and have been told that I'm still safe to take it. It's a low-dose combo pill that is safe to use for women who aren't high risk for side effects from using oral contraceptives (refer to your physician). I have had no side effects from this pill. I get the normal PMS syndromes I have always had (since I was a teen before I even went on BC), like breast tenderness and occasional cramping, but overall it has been very effective with no other side effects."

• Mad...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 10, 2013

"I'm 19, and this is my first time being on any type of contraceptive, and I read so many horror stories about it that I was terrified about taking it. I started it the day I started my period, which was 8 days ago. I have a pretty heavy flow-super plus tampons every 2-3 hours. Even the first period on the pill was much lighter and only lasted three days. My skin has cleared up a lot, and it's very smooth, which I haven't had in so many years. I take the pill at 8 PM, and the first few days on the pill, I would go to sleep and wake up being hungrier than usual, but that's passed already. I haven't gained any weight, and my breast size hasn't increased and isn't tender. I've had a slight increase in vaginal discharge, but nothing too drastic."

• not...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 28, 2016

"I first started taking Lutera around the beginning of January. I noticed immediate mood swings within the first 2 weeks of taking it. I had a little trouble sleeping one night and literally started sobbing out of nowhere (mind you I'm not a very emotional person). It made me extremely depressed, and I only ever felt angry or sad, never happy, not to mention I felt very disconnected from my boyfriend, who I am deeply in love with. I immediately got off of it during the third week. They say to stick it out the first 3 weeks at least, but I could not stay on it one more day. I immediately noticed the changes, and I was back to my spunky positive self, thank God!"

• JH3...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 3, 2014

"A couple of years ago, I took Lutera for a year and didn't have too many problems. I stopped taking it, then re-started 6 months ago. This time was bad. My mood was off - little things would make me super aggravated or want to cry, while 'better' days made me extremely happy and hyper. I also had on-and-off dryness down there - pretty uncomfortable, especially sex-wise. The worst part was the 2-week periods I got on this pill. For five months straight, I had my period for half the month, with cramps, lower back pain, irritability, and heavy bleeding. The gyno kept saying it was my body adjusting, but after the fifth month of this, I'm taking a break from birth control for a month and then switching to another pill."

• Lin...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 27, 2015

"I have been on Lutera for 8 months now, and so far my experience has been great! My OB/GYN switched me from Safyral to this because it was over $100 a month. But my periods are only 5 days long, with a medium to light flow. I bled extremely heavy before ever being on the pill. I have had no weight gain, actually lost 2 pants sizes, no unusual mood swings, breasts went down a cup size but seem perkier, and no babies. The only thing I have noticed is a little bit of breast tenderness before my period, and I only get slightly moody at PMS time. It has been a good pill for me so far. Every woman is different, but I highly recommend this pill."

• Lul...
• May 12, 2013

"I've only been taking Lutera for a week or so now, but I'm pretty happy with it. I researched a lot about it, and I was super scared to take it. People were saying they were having severe headaches, hair loss, decreased sex drive, etc. The first day I started taking it, my vision was a little bit off, things looked a tad blurry. I was a little more emotional than usual, but nothing too bad. By the 3rd day, my vision was back to normal. I've barely experienced any side effects. From the reviews, I thought everything was going to go wrong. I have noticed my hair grows faster, like I will shave my legs, and then by the afternoon they will be prickly. The best part was that it's free. I got it from my local Planned Parenthood."

• rec...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 22, 2012

"I have been using this birth control for 7 months now, and I have had no side effects. I started it because I have endometriosis and could not take another painful period. This pill is amazing, the pain is practically gone. I've lost weight, my period is predictable, and I would recommend this to anyone!"

• ash...
• June 14, 2014

"Started it two months ago, and the only problem I have had with it is the fact that I am off my period for a few days, and I start back up on it for a week, and again the next week. Been this way since I started. I have had regular periods with other birth controls, and I was regular when I wasn't on the pill. I personally don't like having a period every other week, and I take the pill every day at 9 a.m."

• Rio...
• March 3, 2013

"I have been taking Lutera for a year. It has protected against pregnancy very well. My periods are much lighter, and I almost never get cramps. I have missed 2 periods, which was a little scary. I have gained about 8 pounds, and I crave sweet foods even more than I used to. My breasts are slightly bigger. I feel tired if I don't get at least 10 hours of sleep. My sex drive is slightly lower. I do have a mood swing usually about once a month, where I cry about anything and everything for 2 days. I have always felt more emotional right before my periods, but I did not cry as much before. I think I am going to switch birth control because of the weight gain. Other than that, the side effects do not bother me."

• Nur...
• August 19, 2019

"I am only on week 2 of Lutera, and I am stopping it. I know you should wait for the first few cycles to really get a feel for it, however, I cannot take the side effects anymore. Even after the first week in, I felt weird. My mood was so weird, I was all over the place. Crying for no reason, irrational thoughts, angry outbursts. Then I started having the weirdest cravings and nausea as bad as my morning sickness was. So bad that I went and bought a pregnancy test while I was spotting because I was convinced I was pregnant (negative). I haven’t been on it long enough to know if I would gain weight, but I can already tell by the way my appetite has been that I would have. Cramps and bloating with bleeding during week 2. BAD idea to use this form."

• Anonymous
• February 5, 2012

"I have been on Lutera for almost a year, and that's the first and only birth control pill I've ever been on, so I can't compare it to others. However, I have found this pill pretty good. The lower dosage of hormone still works as well as any other pill as long as you wait about three months after starting it. My skin got so much softer, and my periods are now very predictable. My breasts got a lot fuller (B-D cup), and my hair grew longer and is now shinier. I have mild mood swings, but that's how I was before I started Lutera, so I doubt it's due to the pill. I did gain some weight, I get a few stomach cramps, and my breasts hurt a little from time to time. Everyone's different, and I recommend this pill to not only first-time users, but to everyone."