Every woman reacts differently. Personally, I had no problems with Ortho-lo. I loved it! I had no spotting, no mood swings, etc. Neither should be recommended over the other, because every woman is different.

I'm taking Yasmin and I was nauseous for the first couple of months. I think I've lost weight rather than gain weight too.

I suggest that you take whichever birth control your doctor is recommending. If you have problems with it after 3 months... change birth control pills..

I have been on both. I started on Ortho and was on it for about 4 years. I used to have horrible mood swings, I would cry uncontrollably for no reason and felt depressed. I thought I was actually depressed and realized it only happened at certain times of the month. I switched to Yasmin and I had no mood swings as a result. I also had fewer cramps. I took Yasmin for about 3 years, but am off it now b/c my husband and I are trying to conceive. I think Yasmin ended up being more expensive, but I don't remember for sure. I hope this helps!!!

Yasmin is $12something plus the dispensing fee ($7). So I pay just under $20 a month for Yasmin.

Do you have health insurance with a pharmacy plan? If so, you should ask your doctor to prescribe you generic pills. I only pay $10 for each round of Ortho (regular, not "lo"), and Yasmin would be the same if I were to switch.

As to Ortho, I've been on the regular dose for many years now, and it has never given me any real problems. I think it may have decreased my sex drive a bit, but it's difficult to say (I started taking them around 17, so I was a horny teenager at that time anyway).

At any rate, I never had any side effects, zero weight gain, and it actually helped relieve some rather severe menstrual pain.

But as many others have noted, your body is unique, and your reaction to the pills isn't something that can be totally predicted. Be patient, and you should find something that works for you. <3