I'm considering going on HBC so I can schedule and skip periods, and hopefully get fewer cramps. Having a backup to condoms would also free me from monthly pregnancy worries. However, I've read in many places that HBC can make IBS worse.
I'm tearing my hair out trying to find out the actual effect on HBC on bowel function. Most sources just say "it can make IBS worse" but don't specify whether that means constipation-type IBS (something I've never experienced) or diarrhea-type IBS. The two conditions are opposites of each other in many ways.
So... I ask this: if you are on HBC, what sort are you on, and does it make you tend more towards constipation or towards looser BMs? What is the effect before/during your period, and what is the effect during the rest of the month?
---UPDATE---
I've been taking Rigevidon (same as Microgynon 30) for just over a month now. My first period on the pill was lighter and MUCH less painful than usual. The IBS is about the same, if anything a little better while I'm taking the active pills. The only problem is that I get awful, awful nausea for about 24 hours after taking the first pill of a pack (but the rest of the month is fine). I'm going to experiment with running packs together and/or taking a shorter pill-free break to see whether that helps. 28 days seemed like an ridiculously short time between bleeds, compared to what I'm used to naturally, so I might make a habit of skipping every other period.
Oh, and the doubling-up on contraception? Fantastic. I can actually look at a pregnant woman without breaking into a panic.
