hello, 3 years ago i had been on yasmin for at least a few years and with increased migraines and breast tenderness (skin like porcelain, and eventually a 3-4 day period), my doctor thought it would be a good idea to try something else. i tried micronor (progesterone only mini pill) and it was awful, for the first time in my life at 25 i had terrible acne, oily skin/hair, and gained almost 20lbs in 2 months. After that I tried Alesse and yaz for a few months each and both were still awful so my doctor at the time put me back on Diane 35 (which i had taken originally before yasmin in high school). I was on that for about 2 years and my new doctor asked me to switch to marvelon which has lower risks/side effects , and recommended that over returning to yasmin for bood clot risks and the fact that the hormones are synthetic. Marvelon is okay, and i know i have stress in my life but i find myself moody and my skin has become an issue a little bit again, not nearly as bad as micronor, but not fun. I want a good oral BCP with the least amount of side effects (especially weight gain, acne, decreased libido, headaches, while still being safe). An IUD scares me (painful horror stories) and is expensive and progesterone only which is like micronor, even though i know it is local rather than systemic. And i have been on a BCP for 12 years, no idea what my body would be like on its own and not really wanting to just use condoms.