"i&#039;ve been on this birth control for about 8 years so i feel i can write a fair review. i started taking birth control in high school because my cycle was so painful and heavy. i had to miss school because of cramps. as soon as  i started taking this (the generic version was called something else back then) my symptoms went away. i went from a 7 day heavy painful period to a 3-4 day light period. i&#039;ve always had acne and i can&#039;t say this helped tremendously when i was in high school and college, now that i&#039;m in my mid 20s my acne is gone. i haven&#039;t noticed anything related to hormones on this pill. yes, when my period is about to come sometimes i&#039;ll get a little more emotional than i would during other parts of the month, but that would happen even if you weren&#039;t on the pill. the only thing i&#039;ve noticed is that my libido is higher during the placebo week. i think birth control might kill libido a bit. overall if you have terrible period pains i would recommend this pill. it really saves me every month."