To carry on with Yasmin (combined pill) or stop - 40yo

[Minecroft]

Hi all,
i’m having a bit of a conundrum about whether or not to carry on with hormonal birth control.

I thought it would be quicker to just bullet point a few facts below… But basically I’m thinking about trying to come off it as I’m vaguely/ conceptually not keen on the idea of myself full of synthetic hormones… But this isn’t based in any fact it’s just a feeling…. I’m quite a factual person normally so feeling a bit conflicted!

I wondered if anybody else is in a similar boat… For reference I am taking the pill continuously. I do not take a break at all. I’ve had this okayed by my doctor… I have low blood pressure, don’t smoke, don’t drink, and don’t feel great when I take a break so I am just 365 days a year at the moment!

okay so,

reasons to carry on:

I feel like the pill gave me my life back. I had horrendous debilitating periods for many years as well as as an adult acne, and this high oestrogen pill is the only thing that has sorted me out.

I do not have any negative side-effects whatsoever

As mentioned, I have a low blood pressure and my lifestyle I suppose it protective against the risk of DVT?

No family history of breast cancer which I know doesn’t guarantee anything but I guess there isn’t a baseline risk

protective effects against other female cancers

GP happy for me to carry on as I am….

reasons to stop:

I am 40 and always thought I would stop at 40… I know that the breast cancer risk can be slightly increased for around 10 years after stopping, which would take me to 50.

I haven’t tried “not being on the pill” for about eight years. So maybe the acne and period wouldn’t be so bad by now due to aging? Maybe I should give it a go?

the vague “maybe I should stop taking these synthetic hormones everyday” feeling

Has anyone suddenly stopped at my age and how did you get on? Any thoughts welcome ! Thanks

Chat GBTs analysis:

For a 40-year-old woman with no family history of breast cancer considering Yasmin (a combined oral contraceptive containing estrogen and drospirenone), here’s what the most up-to-date research indicates about her increased breast‐cancer risk:

What the Research Says

1. General increased risk with combined oral contraceptives
2. A large pooled analysis found that current users of combined oral contraceptives have a 24% higher relative risk of breast cancer compared to never-users (Relative Risk [RR] ≈ 1.24) .
3. The Collaborative reanalysis (The Lancet) confirms similar figures: current users RR ≈ 1.24 (95% CI 1.15–1.33) .
5. Hormonal contraceptive use overall: slight increased risk
6. A meta-analysis of studies from 2009–2020 reported a small increase: OR ≈ 1.15 (95% CI: 1.01–1.31) .
8. ACOG / Danish study insights
9. A large Danish cohort study (via ACOG summary) found overall RR ≈ 1.20 (20% increased risk), rising with longer use—from RR ≈ 1.09 (<1 year) to RR ≈ 1.38 (>10 years) .
11. Absolute excess risk: small but measurable
12. The Cancer Council (Australia) notes a 24% increased risk in current users, translating to roughly 1.5 extra breast-cancer cases per 10,000 women up to 10 years after stopping use for those who started young .
13. In UK data (Oxford): among women age 35–39, ~265 extra cases per 100,000 users with five years of use (i.e., ~0.27% absolute increase) .
14. A Reddit-summarized breakdown reinforces this: “one extra breast cancer for every 7,690 women using hormonal contraception,” matching the RR ≈ 1.20 (~20% increase) .
16. Drospirenone-specific data (Yasmin’s progestin)
17. Research specifically on newer progestins like drospirenone is limited. One study (Nurses’ Health Study II) did not find increased risk with drospirenone-containing formulations, though sample sizes were small .
19. Risk declines after stopping
20. Both the Lancet and other sources confirm that breast-cancer risk decreases over time and returns to baseline roughly 10 years after discontinuation .

Summary for a 40-Year-Old Woman, No Family History

• Relative risk increase: Approximately 20–25% higher while using Yasmin compared to never-users.
• Absolute risk increase: Small—in practical terms, perhaps an additional 0.2–0.3% (2–3 extra cases per 1,000 women) over five years.
• Effects of age and duration: Risk may rise with longer use, but the absolute excess remains small.
• Risk normalization: Returns to baseline within about 10 years after stopping.
• Specific to Yasmin: No evidence of a higher breast-cancer risk from drospirenone, though data is limited.

Key Takeaway

While Yasmin (like other combined oral contraceptives) modestly increases breast cancer risk, the actual extra risk is very small—especially for a 40-year-old without family history. Moreover, this risk diminishes over time once the pill is stopped. Many healthcare professionals still emphasise that, for most women, the benefits of contraception outweigh this slight risk. Nonetheless, it’s a valuable conversation to have with your GP or specialist when weighing options.

Would you like to explore how these risks compare with non-hormonal contraceptives, or how Yasmin might affect other health factors?

Sorry if I missed this but you’re not taking it for contraceptive then?
if not why not try coming off? If periods and skin are awful then go back on it?

No real contraceptive need at the moment . Would rather not go into details as it’s a can of worms / not hugely relevant to heath focus of thread … but not sexually active at the moment. (Happy with this)

yeah maybe I should give it a try.. maybe 6m? If everything goes to shit then go back on?!

Have a look at Qlaira,OP. It’s similar to Yasmin, but has more natural estrogen in it so it’s a lower risk (my GP described it as a HRT/contraceptive crossover). It’s been a game changer for me. I’m 53 and have been told I can take it until 55.

If I didn’t need contraception i wouldn’t take it. See how periods are. I took Yasmin too and it’s “a good choice if you can tolerate it” I don’t know why

I stopped Yasmin at 37 to TTC and am now 45. I do not like to take hormones as had bad tolerance to some contraceptives.

im now perimenopausal and will go on HRT to relive symptoms. However I will not have an IUD Mirena as the progesterone part as I cannot bear the thought of not being able to remove the IUD if I didn’t tolerate it but I did consider it for contraception.

Put simply I wouldn’t take hormones if I didn’t have to.

there are other alternatives to painful or heavy periods such as Mefanamic and tranxamic acid.

have you asked chat gtp what the alternatives to Yasmin are for period pain and heavy periods

Yasmin has anti androgenic qualities so is helpful for acne. I would say if it works for you continue to take it until it does not.

You should try and establish exactly why your periods have been painful rather then just treat the symptoms . Endometriosis is a common cause of severe ongoing period pain

. Pills like tranexamic acid and mefanemic acid are not always effective for endo if it is present.

Fibroids can also cause heavy bleeding to arise as can endometriosis.

I took it for nearly 20 years continuously (ie skipping the sugar pills) and never had any issues or side effects whatsoever, my doctors also confirmed it was safe. I only stopped it when TTC and my periods came back normally within a couple of months but I did notice my skin was more prone to breakouts, whereas I never had a single pimple while taking BC. I never went back on BC after my children but am now late forties, my periods are still regular but heavier and my skin was never as good once I stopped Yasmin, both pre and post pregnancies. So in short no terrible side effects once stopping but not sure I would have stopped if not TTC tbh as it was much more convenient to take it and I deemed it to be a relatively small increased risk of cancer.

Thank you everyone. I have not taken it for 2 days so will have a bleed and see how I go once that’s out of the way. If period awful / acne starts up again I will think about going back on to … something… I will have a look at the alternative mentioned upthread. Thanks all for your opinions and advice

I didn’t have any issues on it. When I came off of it my skin became horrendous. It was like that for over a year before it calmed down. My skin and hair have never been as good as when I was on it.

Why did you come off it @KatieRobin ? If you don’t mind me asking.