I personally hate any type of hormonal birth control. The ortho evra patch caused a deep vein thrombosis in my right leg. Now I’m a blood clot risk and can never take any form of hormonal meds again. I’m also a blood clot risk if I ever get pregnant. But this is just me lol.

Talk to your doctor before making any changes with how you take your meds. Your doctor will know how to do it safely. My doctor was the one who told me to go to the ER because of the pain in my leg and because I had started the patch only 2 weeks prior.

Do NOT compare yourself to the BM. I did that for years and it is self destructive.

I would start with my OB/GYN...

Don't have much to comment on BC, but if you're worried about your acne coming back, there are some natural ways you can fight it. I'm 36 years old and still get acne. It was so bad I had to get Accutane. Accutane definitely helped but since I've been off it for a couple of years now, it seems the affects have worn off and I started getting acne again.

Now I take Clear5 which is a vitamin that helps control how your skin handles the oil your body produces. I also found Flaxseed oil helps as well.

Basically, acne is when your body produces too much sebum (oil) and when the oil gets blocked by dead skin cells a pimple is created. The Clear5 helps your skin produce less oil, and the Flaxseed oil helps your skin shed dead skin cells better.

If you want holistic remedies, I suggest looking into acupuncture--and go to one who also prescribes herbs. They may taste horrible, but they are amazing at helping.

I've known two people who have been trying to have children for years, but have had infertility issues, and gone to one of my teachers, and within a month, was pregnant. Not saying it works for everyone (as there was one lady who insisted on only using acupuncture/herbs to help her conceive... but she has completely blocked fallopian tubes so only a miracle could help her there.)

They will also tell you how to change your diet so it's more suitable to not have acne--for me, it was that I couldn't touch dairy, fried, and spicy stuff because not only was it too oily, but it caused inflammation because I'm slightly lactose intolerant. They will try to help your body change from within, because those creams and washes don't get to the root cause.

Been acne free since I was 16. I still break out if I go overboard with the cheese but for the most part, I'm clear.

I am also getting off of my BC pill for the same reason as you! Like exactly. I took my last pill of my last pack on Sunday.

I wouldn't worry about it. There's other natural ways to deal with acne. You just have to find out what works for your skin.

I had acne before I started the pill (I take loloestrin Fe) & I got off for a couple of months a few years ago - it never came back. I think I grew out of it & never noticed because the BC got rid of it anyway.

I had the implant. It was wonderful. 5+ years of not having to worry about it. The hormones also regulated my cycle better.

I will say I was on an oral hormonal pill for 12 years before I decided to get pregnant. I stopped taking my pill and in 6 weeks was pregnant with a completely healthy baby (currently 5 months along). My doctor advised being off for two months before trying, but we just went with it. My point is, I dont believe (and my doc confirmed) that bc will remain in your system long. It may depend on the brand, but mine obviously was out quickly. Definitely talk to your doctor.

In terms of acne, I will say that acne is a huge symptom of pregnancy for some women, so you may get ahead of the game and get with a dermatologist about using an alternative that is pregnancy safe and get on that now. Try not to let it bother you- your body is doing some pretty cool things, and there will be some really interesting side effects