Low dose birth control pills - 0.02mg ethinyl estradiol just as effective?
My pills are a generic brand called Aviane. Levonorgestrel 0.10mg and ethinyl estradiol 0.02mg. The nurse told me even though it's a low dose that with perfect use they would be just as effective as pills with 0.03mg-0.05mg of estrogen. If the lower dose pills like Aviane are supposed to work just as well and give you less side effects than why do doses more than 0.02mg even exist? How are they any different and what's the purpose of the different amounts of hormone? Are these pills going to be just as effective as a higher dose?
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Yes, because it's the combined pill. The higher dose pills are earlier generation birth control, but the new lower dose versions are equally as effective as long as you take them regularly.
I personally use a higher dose pill because I am prone to acne, and the additional estrogen helps keep it under control.
If your pills regulate your period then the dose is high enough for you - and they will be just as effective (and safer for you). Some people just need higher doses - if their own hormones are present at higher concentrations then it can take stronger pills to counteract them - if the pills aren't strong enough for you then you'll get your period when you would've got it without the pills (which probably won't correspond to the week of placebo pills).