This is a long post, so here is the short version:
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I've had genital herpes for 4 years. I've been on YAZ for 2 years. I have had chronic genital herpes for the last year and a half (ie. for almost the same amount of time I've been on YAZ.) I have stopped taking YAZ and my chronic herpes are finally calming down - my sores are healing and there is almost NO PAIN or ITCHING. I'm ecstatic that I have finally found what is wrong with me. It wasn't me... it was the YAZ!!
Don't take YAZ if you have herpes, of if you're on it, get off of it. It messes with you're system and you're body can't fight off the infection. Try a different birth control pill or an IUD. Seriously, you'll thank yourself for your wise decision!
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Here's the whole story if you're interested:
I have had Genital Herpes for 4 years. I went onto YAZ about 2 years ago when a doctor put me on it to help with my acne. It was slow to start, but I started noticing that I was getting way more outbreaks than was normal. I was just starting my teacher training and I just thought it was the stress causing the problem.
Right after the teacher training I moved to new city, got a new place to live and began to live with my boyfriend who became my fiance which means I was under A LOT of stree. Due to the stress, (so I thought), I was getting even more outbreaks, and they were lasting for 3 to 4 times as long as normal. I went to see a naturopath and she gave me some immunity fighting meds. They worked for a while, but again, the herpes outbreaks just kept on getting worse and worse and longer and longer.
I changed my job to something less stressful. I've been taking care of myself - getting enough sleep, eating really well, and yet these sores wouldn't give up.
For the last 3 months the sores have gotten so bad that I could barely walk. I had to take salt baths every day just to deal with the pain. Let me tell you, my life sucked... My only reprieve at all was when I had my period. I had no idea why, but the sores seemed to go away when the blood came...
And then the light flickered on.
I take sugar pills for that week! I'm actually off the birthcontrol for those few days and I feel better!
Needless to say, I have been off the YAZ for only 4 days now, (I stopped taking them during mid cycle) and the swelling is way down, the pain has pretty much abated and I can actually walk again! It's like a personal miracle. YAZ was making me not be able to fight off the infection!
When I stopped taking YAZ my herpes outbreak (this last one has lasted for about a solid month) is finally healing up. There is hope!! I'm so excited, I just had to share the news!
My advice to everyone - DON'T take YAZ if you have herpes. I suspect it is something in the new hormones (drospirenone & ethinyl estradiol) that is so special to the product. Seriously, get onto something else, or use an IUD if at all possible. Don't mess around with your hormones if you have herpes, otherwise you could end up like me - debilitated for a year and a half!
