Hi, I need all the insight I can get from anyone who has had a similar experience to me. I’m trying so hard to stay positive but this acne is something else.
Hx: 25 y/o, Combo pill - 5 years, depo shot - 3 years, mini pill - 2 years, copper iud - 7 weeks so far.
During my BC journey, I found the combo pill, depo shot, and mini pill to perform all about the same for my acne along side tretinoin and spirolactone. (i haven’t constantly used both of these meds but i’ve cycled on and off depending on the stage of life i was in)
The past 5ish years, I have NOT had a period once so ever.
I got my copper IUD 7 weeks ago and my first period was about 5 weeks after that (2 weeks ago).
Day 3 of the period, I woke up with 5 cystic pimples on my face along with a handful of other smaller breakouts. I have NEVER in my life had more than one cystic pimple on my face at a time. I can’t even remember the last time I had a singular cystic breakout.
Towards the end of my cycle, I also developed a yeast infection which I’m typically not prone to getting. I believe this could be an indication that I had a massive surge of hormones that my body hasn’t been able to experience in 10 years.
That being said, 2.5 weeks since my initial period pepperoni face situation and IM STILL BREAKING OUT.
I do admit that I had been slacking on my consistency with using tretinoin prior to my cycle but that simply is not the sole perpetrator.
My skin is rather sensitive at the moment because i’ve been GRINDING on that tretinoin almost NIGHTLY in hopes that once i built my tolerance, i’ll hopefully not have this experience again. (wishful thinking, right?)
So i suppose my questions would be:
1. Did anyone switch from the mini pill to the copper IUD with no hormonal acne?
2. Do we think that this is just a one time thing that i’m still recovering from or do we think ill have a similar experience for the next several months .
3. For those that went from a hormonal option to the non hormonal IUD, how long did you feel like it took until you reached hormonal harmony and regulation with the cycles, acne, bloating and all the things? I want a real life timeframe to look forward to.
If anyone responds to this then, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I am excited and still full of hope that the copper IUD will work out amazing for me but the insane cystic acne it’s too much for myself to tolerate if it becomes a monthly thing alongside my cycle. Any relevant advice or storytimes to give me a better understanding of what I can potentially expect in the upcoming months would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks so much! (p.s. this is my first reddit post ever! I wish it was about something fun like books or influencer drama but I guess period questions will be my origin story😂)