My experience switching from Yaz Flex to Dienogest

Note: I am neither a doctor nor a pharmacist, just an ordinary person writing based solely on my own subjective experience and information found online, so please read this as entertainment.🙇‍♀️

I have suffered from intense menstrual pain since I was in junior high school.
I still vividly remember the pain being so bad that I would collapse onto my desk during science class.

When I was in my third year of working, I heard from a friend that she was taking birth control pills. Thinking that if it could make my periods that much lighter, I wanted to take them too, I went to see a gynecologist.

When I had an internal examination at the gynecologist, I was told that I had a uterine fibroid about 4cm in size, and that this was the cause of my severe menstrual pain and heavy bleeding. I learned about a pill called Yaz Flex, which can stop periods for up to 120 days.
Since uterine fibroids grow a little bit every time you have a period, I was told it would be good to reduce the number of periods I have.

I started taking Yaz Flex that day and took it for about three years. By reducing my periods to about four times a year, I spent my days comfortably. Moreover, my skin, which had likely been disrupted by female hormones, became surprisingly clear and beautiful!! It was killing two birds with one stone.

However, the side effect of thrombosis is listed for Yaz Flex. The probability is extremely low, but it is not 0%. I saw information suggesting that as someone who suffers from migraines, I needed to be even more careful about blood clots.
Come to think of it, my hands and feet have been tingling lately (it might just be stress)... I wondered if there was anything else better, and that's when I found "Dienogest".

Unlike low-dose pills like Yaz Flex, Dienogest is a progestin-only medication that does not contain estrogen. It is often used to treat endometriosis and adenomyosis, and the risk of thrombosis is considered lower than that of low-dose pills.

On the other hand, it is not a contraceptive, so you cannot expect a contraceptive effect. It also has the characteristic of being prone to breakthrough bleeding, and for some people, it can apparently last for several months.

"A medication with less worry about thrombosis, but with the possibility of breakthrough bleeding"

That was my impression. Of course, everyone reacts differently to medication, and you never know until you actually try it. However, at the time, I thought, 'If there is a medication I can take with even a little more peace of mind, I want to try it,' so I switched to a different gynecologist and had it prescribed.

It has been one month since I started taking it, and I would like to list the pros and cons so far.

【Pros】
・No worry about thrombosis
・Improvement in endometriosis and menstrual pain can be expected
・(In my case) My mental lows and physical malaise have improved slightly compared to Yaz Flex
・It seems there is a possibility of stopping periods indefinitely, not just for 120 days

【Cons】
・I have to take it twice a day ← A huge disadvantage
・Some people experience breakthrough bleeding (none so far for me)
・Some people experience menopause-like symptoms
・(In my case) My skin has broken out a little
・Cannot be taken for contraceptive purposes (I am dating a woman, so no worries there)

For someone like me who was most afraid of thrombosis, the pros significantly outweigh the cons. If I don't experience breakthrough bleeding or menopause-like symptoms in the future, I would like to continue taking it.