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Updated: Nov 1, 2018 120 Comments · by

Workwear Hall of Fame: Margot Pump

Coffee Break | ·

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Nine West Margot Pump | CorporetteEveryone knows that I love a good purple pump — but I'm not a huge fan of Nine West, normally. Still, this shade of purple is SO right (and the shoe SO highly rated — and available in a zillion different colorways!) that even I would give it a shot. They're $79 at Zappos (and as low as $39 in some colors at 6pm). Nine West Margot Pump 2017 Update: We're adding this heel to our Workwear Hall of Fame — it's been highly rated for years and comes in a zillion colors. It's available at Nordstrom, Zappos, and Amazon.   This shoe has been around for years and is available in a zillion different color options, plus it continues to receive great reviews!

Sales of note for 9.30.24

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About Kat

Kat Griffin is the founder, publisher, and editor-in-chief of Corporette. You can read more about her here.

Comments

  1. Pants TJ

    Something like purple pumps sounds like a good idea at first but then I never know what to wear them with!

    Pants-related TJ – has anyone bought the Old Navy Pixie pants? How is the quality and sizing? I just got an email about their discounts and I really need (cheap) new pants. I’ve been losing a bit of weight so I’m in between sizes. I’ve also been burned pretty badly by pants with any stretch in them (by the end of the day, they’re falling off me!) Would the hive recommend? Should I size down 1 size?

    • Gail the Goldfish

      Today I am wearing purple pumps with grey pants. I’d also wear with browns or tans. Not a huge fan of them with black, though it can work, or navy, depending on the shade of each. But I think they’re best with grey.

    • HSAL

      Though I’m not quite to the level of Kat, I also love purple shoes. I’ve worn purple shoes more than any other color this summer. I agree with Gail the Goldfish that they’re best with grey.

      • anon

        I think I have at least 4 pairs of purple suede pumps. It’s a sickness. I wear them mostly with black and white or gray.

    • Bonnie

      I wear my purple suede shoes with gray, navy and black and any print that includes the shade.

      Re: Pixie pants, I bought a pair once and really regretted it. They stretched out at the knees and waist and just looked horrible by lunch. For a cheap pant, I’d recommend Exact Stretch pants from the Limited instead. It seems that they’re always sending me 50% off coupons.

      • Wanderlust

        I just bought a pair of the Exact Stretch pants from The Limited in Navy. For me, they are true to size. Also I’m 5’4 and I didn’t need to get them shortened, so that’s a win in my book.

    • Medic Maggie

      I find that ON is all over the map with sizes. Maybe more with tops than bottoms, but I feel like I own & can wear just about anything from a 0-4 in their pants, when usually 0-2 is about the range I can expect anywhere else. If you are between sizes, and you feel that they tend toward slouchy if they’re stretchy, then I would go down a size. If you don’t need the length on the pants, even if you’re not petite, sometimes the petite proportions fit better, especially toward the smaller end of sizes, too. If you are short-waisted, or don’t have junk in the trunk, sometimes a petite in the same numerical size might fit better, so just consider that, too.

      • Anonymous

        +1. Their pants sizing is beyond crazy. I have everything from a 4 to a 14 in Old Navy pants, and also short, regular and long inseams. I’m normally an 8-10 in other stores and my weight does not fluctuate that much.

    • Bex

      I bought some ON pixie pants — I liked them but they ripped along the seam in the crotch the second time I wore them. I fixed them easily with my sewing machine at home, and they’re fine, but yeah. That was an awkward day at work. Old Navy quality for Old Navy prices.

      • AIMS

        Ha. I bought two pairs (one plain and one pattern) and they did the same thing except that one was definitely ripped before I even wore them. I was going to return but decided to just fix because it was easy enough to do along the seam.
        Otherwise: they’re very flattering, the black ones attract a lot of lint, and I’d say size down if you’re in between sizes.

      • Sam

        I bought a pair of Old Navy maternity pants that ripped along the top of the back pocket when I put it in the washer after 1 wear! I’m not sure if it got caught somewhere in the washer but was shocked at the large rip, I don’t even think it’s at a seam. I’m hoping I can get a tailor to fix it because ON is unlikely to take it back anyway.

    • abogada

      I like the pixie pants. I ordered my usual size and they were very tight when I tried them on, but after a half day of wearing them they stretched out to a comfortable place and have stayed there. I had read reviews saying that this was how the pixie pant usually behaved, so I didn’t size down and wasn’t too worried when the initial fit was really tight. The black ones do show a lot of lint. They’re flattering and comfortable, and I haven’t had any quality issues with them, though Old Navy in general is pretty hit or miss for quality and the sizes are not that consistent.

      • Maggie

        I had the same experience with them being tight and stretching out to a comfortable size without being too loose. They get a little baggy in the knees but for me it isn’t much worse than other pants. I wear them with longer tops since they start out tight. If it helps, I am usually between two sizes in most brands, with a tendency towards the larger size, and I preferred the larger size in the Pixie even though I typically size down at Old Navy.

        • CKB

          I’ve had the same experience, but I still really like my Pixies, mostly because there is almost no back gaping, which is really unusual for this hourglass/pear shaped girl. For that reason alone I’m sure I’ll buy more pairs in the future.

  2. so very anon

    I am a midlevel associate who wants to lateral from one Big Law firm to another. I’m getting a little freaked out because I’ve applied to close to 10 firms – through a recruiter – and I haven’t even gotten an interview. My resume seems pretty strong. I have good grades and journal experience from a top 25 law school. I’ve been at my current firm for several years now and have gotten great experience here. I know there are things that would make my resume even stronger, but I don’t seem to be missing anything crucial and I’ve heard the market is very hot right now in my geographic area. Is applying to this many firms without an interview normal? Anything I can do besides wait and apply to as many firms as possible?

    Reposted since I didn’t get many replies in the morning. Thanks for your reply Bee. I have asked the recruiter about it and she acted pretty unconcerned and said job searches take a long time. I’m working with a large, reputable recruiting firm that has been mentioned here before.

    • Cat

      1. Big Law is in the middle-to-tail end of summer associate recruiting and callbacks right now, so laterals may be delayed a bit with the churn.

      2. are the 10 firms actually advertising a need for your role, or is the recruiter just submitting resumes in case the firms are looking for someone?

      • JJ

        I think it also depends on practice area (although I also agree that this is just a bad time with regard to summer recruiting). Some practice areas – commercial litigation – are harder to get as a lateral because firms are generally flush with applicants with relevant experience. And if they’re advertised, then I would expect the firm will tend to interview applicants that were not submitted by a recruiter (all things being equal) so that they don’t have to pay the recruiter’s fee.

      • Nancy P

        Ditto on 1. Hiring Committees are exhausted right now. They need a break before dealing with laterals. And so do the actual recruiters. They also may be waiting to see what their acceptance rates are for this year’s summer class.

    • Ellen

      Yay! I love these pump’s, Kat, and the price is right! At least you are thinkeing of those of us who are NOT natureally rich!

      As for the OP, mabye you should try to go in-house. It is very dificult to become a partner, and it’s sound’s like you are getting a littel long in the tooth, meaning you may be close to a partnership decision, and they do NOT want to hire someone that will NOT be partnership material. So for peeople like you, in house is the way to go. That is what Roberta did year’s ago and she never looked back. Beside’s she throw’s all the difficult thing’s to outside counsel (includeing me — Yay!) and then she just “manage’s” the issue’s, meaning she beat’s up on outside counsel (us) for thing’s that go wrong.

      But in any event, figure out what your specialty is, and then apply to go inhouse. Inhouse counsel does not make as much as we do, but they have regular hours, and get alot of benefit’s that we do NOT. Most imiportantley, they can take time of to have babie’s, which is what I would like to do. My probelem is that I can NOT find a guy to Marry me, and I do NOT want to have a baby without a HUSBAND to pay for me and my babie’s. FOOEY!

    • Law Firm Recruiter

      My two cents: it really depends on your practice area and how important the need is. We’re almost in Q4 and if we can move new hires to 2015 (when we can budget for them), we will. Also, as someone mentioned, some of us are mired in OCI/callbacks (FWIW hiring committees have nothing to do with lateral hires at most big law firms so their relative fatigue should not be an issue). Summers have been gone since the end of July/first week of August so that’s not an issue. Most importantly, I think you may be working with a dud recruiter. If it’s the big national name brand shop that comes to my mind, in my 15 years of doing this, they’ve never made a placement with me at any firm (and I’ve worked at 3 mega big firms). The outside recruiter’s relationship with the internal recruiter is key. They likely don’t know the firms to which they are spamming your resume. As someone else mentioned, are they submitting you for POSTED openings or just in case an opening comes up? If it’s the latter, I don’t accept the submission. I must have an articulated need and must have approved working with search firms in order to accept the submission. Finally, you say there are things that could improve your resume. My advice is to fix those things, include them, augment your resume. The market is a buyer’s market right now. We typically get several hundred applicants for each posting, perhaps 25-30 meet the qualifications for the job based on the resume and after looking more closely at the resume, deal sheet (for transactional), transcript and writing sample, I screen approximately 10-15, callback maybe 5. Also if given the choice between paying a recruiter or not paying a recruiter, I’ll take the latter every time. Have you leveraged your own network? We always prefer to hire candidates who are referred by someone we know.

  3. Anon

    I am wearing a pair of purple suede heels today almost that same color! They were recommended here a few years ago when they were on clearance from Brooks Brothers. They are great for adding a pop of color to an otherwise boring outfit. I always get compliments on them too!

  4. Susie

    I on the other hand am generally a big fan of Nine West (most consistently fit my wide-in-front feet), but don’t really care for these.

  5. Paging insurance question from weekend thread - NYNY

    I looked up the MaterniT21 procedure, and it’s billed with an unlisted procedure code, which means that it’s a new enough test not to have a unique code assigned to it yet. It’s not uncommon for unlisted codes to have strict limits on coverage.

    I believe the reason that your insurance carrier will not cover it for twins is because there is no way to know which fetus has a genetic abnormality if something is discovered, rendering an expensive procedure useless for positive results. I looked at a few national carrier’s websites, and found that it’s unusual to reimburse for this test at all, so the fact that your carrier pays for it in single-fetus pregnancies is rare.

    TL:DR: Don’t waste your time trying to fight this denial. It won’t be overturned.

    • Need to Improve

      I second that. Insurance usually won’t pay for the fetal blood tests for fraternal twins b/c there are two sets of DNA in addition to yours showing up and too much “noise” for the results to be meaningful. But I think they will pay for an amnio or CVS if you are over a certain age (usually 35).

    • Need to Improve

      Also, most insurances only cover it in single-fetus pregnancies when the mom is 35+.

    • Mat-21 question OP

      Wow, NYNY, thank you so much for looking into this! I knew it was a matter of not knowing which fetus caused an abnormal result, but since I was fortunate and got normal results, it seemed that the test “worked” just fine for twins. It’s an interesting actuarial question: what % of multiple gestations will come up with abnormal results, and how does the cost of the test then compare, across the relevant population, to multiple amnios/CVS? I guess I will count myself lucky to have been billed the lower fee from the company that does the testing, then. And I’ll tell my OB that she should let her patients with multiples know this when she talks to them about the test. Thanks again for following up.

  6. Long vacations

    What are you thoughts on taking long vacations (two work weeks)? My opinion is that anyone should be able to use whatever vacation they’ve earned (since it’s compensation) however they want (obviously with attention to assignment coverage, back-ups, etc.), but I’ve heard that a few people at my company may frown upon longer trips. What do others think about this one?

    • Anon

      I’m in-house. People in our US offices only take 2 week vacations if it is wedding/honeymoon related. People in other countries take 2 week vacations all the time.

      So, I guess it depends on where you work.

    • HSAL

      I think two weeks every year would be looked down on in my office, but I think it’s acceptable for weddings/honeymoons and less frequent/more exotic trips (say a trip to Europe or somewhere where people understand a week just isn’t feasible).

      ETA: The Anon above reminded me that yes, location matters. I’m in the US.

    • Cat

      totally know your office and role. at my firm (US office), an associate taking two weeks for a vacation that’s not his or her honeymoon is very unusual, and most commonly happens when the person is (secretly) preparing to leave to go in-house.

      That said, people do occasionally stick an extra day or two on for a Europe type trip – probably no more than 7 business days out of office, though.

    • lucy stone

      I did it for our first anniversary and it was glorious. I don’t know that I’d do it every year, but every five years or so I might.

    • Anonymous

      Associate in the the US in a large law firm. It’s the norm for a honeymoon for a first marriage but otherwise it’s unusual and frowned upon. I do it though. Not every year, but once in awhile. I love exotic and adventurous travel and there are some places that just can’t be visited in a week. People will deal.

      • Anon in NYC

        Vacation for my wedding/honeymoon was about 2.5 weeks. During a really slow time (the holidays, plus I was also very slow), I took a long international vacation (2.5 weeks). But they were separated by about 2 years. It’s unusual for people here to take 2 weeks regularly, but it is done occasionally.

      • Lorelai Gilmore

        I love that you specified that two weeks is only applicable for a honeymoon for a FIRST marriage. For the inevitable second marriage, you only get a week!

    • Anonymous

      I tend to do a 3 week and then a 2 week – but I time them with our downtime, so it’s not as much a burden for me to be gone. I also tend to work for a few days when I’m gone and keep an eye on emails, so I think that mitigates the fact that I’m gone for so long.

      Two weeks is the norm for vacations in my office, with most people taking 2 two week, and 1 one week vacations.

    • Blonde Lawyer

      I think it is okay for special occasions. Honeymoon, 10 year anniversary (that’s what I’m planning actually), bucket list trip, family reunion in another country, etc. On a regular basis, it would be frowned upon at every place that I have worked. That said, I do get out of office replies from other lawyers that indicate they are on two week vacations. I know when I got my job offer, they made it clear that I was not to use my vacation time all at once. For what it’s worth, I get 4 weeks/year and haven’t taken more than 6 or 7 biz days off at once.

    • Samantha

      In research-type shops in the US, there are sometimes large numbers of employees originally from China/India/Russia etc. They typically take 2 weeks off in a year to visit family in those countries, and that’s well understood and respected.

    • Anon

      Three weeks vacation is common in our office. I work in US for a company with large number of foreigners. Most of them take three weeks off to visit their home countries. Four to Five weeks is common if they are getting married in their home countries !!! One two week vacation and one or two smaller vacations is very common among US born employees as well. No one really cares as long as you have given enough notice before you go on a long vacation.

    • Nonny

      Located in Canada. Two weeks is totally normal as as long as there is coverage – people don’t look askance at it.

      • anonymous

        In Canada. I get 6 weeks vacation a year. 2 week vacations would be acceptable for honeymoon/first wedding only. Otherwise it would be considered totally unacceptable.

    • anon

      My opinion is different from the others here – I think you can absolutely do this if you do it right; by right, I mean make it “your thing” – you are the one who takes long vacations annually; pick a low-impact time of year to do it; tell people ahead of time & plan for it so your absence isn’t impacting others. I’m a huge believer in taking vacations and I think long ones are better for getting reenergized than short ones.

      • NancyD

        I’m that person in my office: two weeks every year, during down time, booked early and off I go. I come back totally recharged and everyone (above and below me) appreciates it. or so I’ve been told!

    • Long vacations

      I’ve been feeling that any place that really looks down upon/punishes you for taking long vacations is treating people with international ties unfairly. Like other commenters have said, people with family in other countries or who will be having weddings in other countries often save up their vacation and go all at once – who are we to say they shouldn’t be able to do that? They’re taking the same amount of time off as anyone else. Of course it’s not ideal for the company to have key people out for a long time, but I really can’t agree with the idea that it’s the company’s right to tell me how to spend MY vacation.

      I’m saying this from a U.S. perspective (at a research company), by the way, and I’ve never taken off more than 7 business days or so, but I’d like to be able to take 10 or more if I’ve saved up the time.

      • hoola hoopa

        Not in law, and I agree. My foreign-born coworkers often take a month long vacation. I had one coworker who took the month of August off every year. The key at my office is to make sure you give advance notice and plan accordingly.

        My husband works in a field similar to law in many respects, including time keeping related aspects, and the only time he’s taken more than one week was for our honeymoon. Granting approval for even a one-week vacation is treated like a huge perk in every firm he’s worked. ::eyeroll:: His current firm doesn’t even give vacation time, and frankly we appreciate that they are at least realistic about their expectations. It’s so annoying to have vacation time that you can’t actually use.

    • Woods-comma-Elle

      London Big Law. Not super usual but not crazy unusual and certainly not frowned upon – I regularly take two weeks at a time because my family is abroad, but ‘locals’ usually take 7-10 days at a time and this seems to be the trend in other firms where I have friends. Honeymoon/wedding tends to be up to three weeks and I took almost three when I took the bar in the US so longer for those circumstances is more usual. Also people with family far away take longer (someone in my department is Australian so she usually takes three weeks once a year to go home).

      It’s generally (in my team at least) understood that being away for a longer chunk of time is often easier because you can arrange a proper handover of your deals instead of just being out for a couple of days and not being able to meaningfully hand over stuff such that you end up on your Blackberry the whole time.

      Partners in my team take two weeks at a time as well.

    • Platinomad

      I work in consulting and it is pretty normal for people to take 2-3 week vacations, however they are normally planned 6-9 months in advance and timed at the end/beginning of a new project so that you are technically just taking some time off between engagements. I think the flow of consulting typically suits this due to being able to plan in some “down” time between engagements. It is pretty frowned upon to take more than 1 week consecutively during a project life cycle, but it can be forgiven when there are special circumstances.

    • Anon

      My company gives us a lot of holiday time off around Christmas and New Years (not the whole stretch but both Eves and sometimes an extra day), which makes it very easy to take 1.5-2 weeks off using only a few vacation days. My family lives across the country so I always take advantage of that. Other than around the holidays most people take one week or shorter vacations but coworkers have taken up to two weeks for non-“special” vacations (not honeymoon, international wedding, etc.) and no one really batted an eye. Like others have said, in my office as long as you are conscious of timing and give adequate notice for coverage, it’s not a problem. For context I’m an engineer but the vacation trend is the same for non-engineers in my corporate setting.

    • AN

      Outside the US….two weeks is the norm. You wouldn’t even need to ask this. My boss routinely takes three weeks in the summer and three weeks at Xmas each year. I do the latter too. Very common in Asia.

    • Brant

      I very much think this depends on your role, and how often you take these longer vacations, as well as to what extent–if any–you are available during the vacation if needed.

    • Wildkitten

      I work in a field with known busy times and known slow times. It would be fine to take two weeks in the slow season, but you’d be expected to plan it in advance. You cannot take long vacation during the busy seasons, which are often.

    • Rowan

      I’m in the UK and even entry level data-entry clerks would be encouraged to have two weeks. It’s totally normal. Most banks require staff to take at least one two week holiday a year for audit purposes. I’ve been in my current job just under a year and I’ve already taken two two-week breaks with my boss’s encouragement.

    • amberwitch

      We are supposed to take three weeks of in summer – and the other 2-3 weeks are used during the year. The rule stems from when the industrial vacation was introduced; factories were shut down completely during the summer vacation so the employee had to control vacation placement.

      A long vacation in Denmark is 4 weeks, and is not frowned upon, but does provoke a bit of envy.

  7. Anon for this

    What would you do to celebrate your 10th wedding anniversary if you had $500 to spend. We are in the DC area, are not major foodies, and it seems like not enough money for a weekend getaway. The $500 was a windfall, and we have a fancier trip planned later this year as the “anniversary trip”, but I would like to mark the day in some way when it actually occurs next month. Any ideas?

    • Lady Tetra

      Hire a car to take you to some wineries and lunch or dinner? I did this with some friends in the Leesburg, VA area, and it was really fun.

    • Spirograph

      I’m not a big foodie either, but DC has so many good restaurants and I so rarely have an excuse to get dressed up and go to them… so honestly that would be my first choice for at least part of the money (and is, in fact, what we’re doing for our anniversary next month). But since that’s ruled out:

      -If you have kids and someone to watch them overnight, a night at a swanky hotel. Even if you’re not escaping kids, swanky hotel + room service is fun.
      -Spa trip
      -Show at the Kennedy Center
      -Day trip on Amtrak to Philly or NYC (although I’m not sure how much you’d have left over after buying express tickets)

    • A Nonny Moose

      I think you could do a weekend getaway on that, especially if you don’t plan on spending a lot of money on a fancy dinner as part of the weekend. What about Rehoboth, cape may or another beach town? They’re off season so less expensive for hotels and lodging, but it’s still nice enough outside to walk around.

    • kc

      What about an overnight stay in a nice Annapolis hotel? Then get dinner/drinks and walk around the historic downtown. Or if you want to stay downtown in DC, I’d book 1 night at the Ritz and go to a show at the Kennedy Center plus dinner/drinks.

    • Anon

      How about a spa trip in a swanky hotel? I can’t suggest a specific one because I’m not in the area but lots of high-end hotels have nice spas and hotel rooms are great to umm celebrate….

    • Anon in NYC

      Even if you’re not foodies, I would highly recommend Komi. The food is amazing, and I think $500 would roughly cover the meal for two (without alcohol).

      ETA – the environment is not stuffy (it’s in a townhouse), and the food is Mediterranean, and the main entrée is usually something family-style, so it’s out of the norm in terms of the style of fancy restaurants.

      • locomotive

        Oh god, Komi is the best dining experience I’ve ever had. I love that place.

    • L

      I’d hit Charlottesville. Not too far, but far enough to be relaxing. Wineries, b&b and a massage.

  8. SoCalAtty

    Hi hive! I have a shoe related threadjack.

    I’m a bridesmaid in my dad’s wedding in November. Dresses are brown, kind of dark cocoa brown. Men are in a royal-blue tie. I suggested royal blue shoes for us, to match the guys.

    She wants black shoes. It’s her wedding and I’ll do whatever, but I need advice on how to make it look ok. Is there fabric I should look for? Shiny / not shiny? It is brown chiffon, floor length. I chose the halter-dress style since that is what looks good on me. I’ll post a link in the comments – it is that dress in “truffle.”

    Help?

      • AIMS

        I wouldn’t do shiny. I actually like black and brown together, you just have to make it look really purposeful. If you get to pick your jewelry, consider wearing something black and/or maybe add a black ribbon to your hair or black clutch. Your dress looks light enough that you can create an intentional look.

        • SoCalAtty

          Those are nice! Thanks everyone…black satin it is! I do get to pick jewelry, so I’ll look around for some black accents to go with it. I recently cut most of my hair off, so maybe I’ll find a nice black pretty clip to go in it.

          • anon

            If it’s not too late & other colors are in the mix, gold shoes can look great with dark brown dresses (that’s what I wore in a friend’s wedding).

    • SoCalAtty

      Now I just have to find jewelry for the thing…

      Would you ladies wear a necklace with this neckline? A black pendant maybe?

      • SoCalAtty

        Got it. I have the diamond studs. Although I was thinking about trying to carry through the black accessories theme with black earrings + black bracelet or hair clip. It’s a tough one, for sure.

        • Wildkitten

          I have gold and black earrings and a gold and black bracelet. I wear them with black, cuz I don’t do brown and black and think it would look haphazard no matter what, but they exist. My earrings were like $50 and my bracelet like $100 but I wear them all the time.

  9. Anon

    Can anyone recommend the best website for looking up average/median attorney salaries? (I’m in Los Angeles if it matters.) I’ve been on a few sites (simplyhired, monster, indeed), but the answers vary, and it is difficult to determine which has the most accurate data. Thanks in advance for any recommendations!

    • Anon

      There is a Robert Half attorney salary guide that I’ve found to be pretty accurate (once you take the local variances into account). You can google it.

  10. Anonymous

    Awhile back, I believe someone mentioned a website where you could enter a departing location and travel dates and it would return a list of locations you could fly to and current prices/promotions. Does anyone remember what that website is? I am taking a 2 weeks vacation and trying to decide where to go. Thanks!

  11. Nonny

    Club Monaco PSA:

    I just returned from an exploratory mission to Club Monaco. I didn’t try anything on as I am not supposed to be spending money right now, but wow, are they ever killing it this season. I could easily buy All.The.Things. A brief conversation with the very enthusiastic sales associate indicated that there are even better things to come. I can’t wait.

    So for those of you with moolah to spend, go check it out. Yum.

    • Wildkitten

      What items? What materials? What price point? I am avoiding but had to throw away my favorite shirt today because I literally wore it out.

  12. Anon

    Does anyone own the Kate Spade Gold Coast Janine computer bag? How does it hold up?

  13. Birth Control

    I’m looking for some “anectdata.” Anyone suppress their periods 100% w/ birth control? What worked for you? I’m suppressing for medical reasons and using Nuva Ring but about 6 months in my body has changed its mind and I’ve been bleeding for a month. My doc is looking to switch me to Seasonique and I’m still waiting to hear if I would be doing the scheduled period every three months or not. A quick search of internet reviews show other people have had bad/multi-week bleeding with that too.

    I’m in my early thirties and been on birth control w/ periods since I was 16 and just switched to continuous this year. In my birth control past I did well on ortho-tri-cyclen, got heart palpitations on the patch, nausea on Yaz, gained a ton of immediate water weight on Allese. My hormones are just a mess and it seems even medicine struggles to control them.

    What has worked best for you? Again, this is to control my hormones for medical reasons, not for birth control though I want it to work for that too.

    • anon for this

      I have had luck with Mirena. I was not banking on it, since I had wonky periods even on BCP. To the extent that, regardless of where I was in my pill pack, if it was 20-40 days from my period, I might have a chance of getting it. Yep, it was that wonky. I went for months (granted, I was still nursing) with periods every 2-3 weeks. I had tried about 6 different BCP over the course of 13 years, and none of them “managed” my cycle 100%. I could not count on getting my period when my pills said I should. Or shouldn’t.

      I got my mirena in June, and haven’t had a legit period since then. Some very minor spotting, but nothing major at all. Of all the different BC options I’ve had, I like this one the most so far.

      I will add that I had a variety of things going on, over the years (what woman of childbearing age hasn’t…): I went on BCP when I was 21 in 2001, got preggo when I was 27, was pregnant or nursing until I was 31, and following that, I have been chasing thyroid number and losing a ton of weight (like 60 pounds since 2011) and had several different BCP types in there. So, my hormonal profile has been anything but stable.

      • Becky

        I was hesitant to respond about my Mirena because my periods were always pretty regular before I went on any kind of BC, so I’m not sure how useful my anecdata is. For me though, I’ve had it for 2.5 years and have only gotten a few incredibly light periods, really more like slightly darker discharge (seriously haven’t gone through a whole box of tampons). I love it, no real complaints here!

        • cr

          Ditto — though also had very light, regular periods before going on Mirena. I’m about 6 months in and have had not a spot since — it’s great!!! :)

      • Meg Murry

        I have Mirena as well, and also very few periods – more spotting than anything else. However, the one period I get every 6 months or so tends to be very bad side effects wise (although not with bleeding – that is light). But this last time around, my face exploded like I was a teenager, I had crazy food cravings, tons of bloating, my hair was greasy, my insomnia was terrible – it was like my periods were in high school, minus the crazy cramping. But since it only happens once every six months and since I can’t afford another “oops I screwed up with taking the pill and I’m pregnant” surprise again, the IUD is the best option for me, and the non-periods most months are a bonus.
        But on a related note – after I first had the IUD put in, my doc told me if I started bleeding and it lasted a while to do 3x3x3 ibuprofen – 3 200 mg tablets, 3x a day for 3 days. It worked for me, and I’ve heard it worked for others as well, not just IUD users. So that might be something to try to stop the endless bleeding?

        • Becky

          PLEASE don’t do this regularly unless your doctor says it’s ok. Ibuprofen can cause stomach ulcers (I have a 19 year old cousin who found this out the hard way). 400mg is the normal adult dose for a reason.

          • Birth control

            I already have stomach issues and a GI so I try to avoid NSAIDs and might not agree to this even with doctors orders but I wil bring it up if I get desperate enough.

    • Anonymous

      I haven’t gotten my period in five years thanks to Yaz (have been on the generic form of it for about two years). Personally, I absolutely love not having to deal with it every month, and have no plans to go off of it unless and until I want to get pregnant. I’m 33 and my doc says it’s perfectly fine and that it just happens that way for some women even though I take the full pack every month (placebo pills and all). No bad side effects at all. Everyone is obviously different, but it works so well for me.

    • Anonymous

      I was on seasonique for a long time but ultimately couldn’t get it to work for me without breakthrough bleeding. If the three month cycle didn’t work, I imagine a fully suppressed cycle wouldn’t either, but that’s just me.

      • Birth Control

        Was your breakthrough bleeding just when you were supposed to get your period or all of the time?

        • Anonymous

          No, it happened mid-cycle, and then I would also get a period as regularly scheduled every 3 months.

          • Lady Tetra

            I’m on seasonale, and I get random bleeding but no heavy periods when I’m supposed to. Just a few light days then, but also at random other times. Other than that, I like it and haven’t had any other side effects.

    • mascot

      Also like Mirena for lack of hormonal side effects (BCPs worked great for my cycle, but messed with my moods significantly). Now my cycle is more of a minor nuisance than a real event. But, even on BCP, my cycles were short, on schedule and pretty light.

    • locomotive

      I have had no periods with the mirena IUD. I LOVE it. Cannot recommend it enough.

    • cbackson

      I suppressed for years at a time using Seasonale. It was awesome, and if I didn’t have migraine with aura, I would still be doing it.

      By contrast, Mirena was a nightmare for me – I bled 20 days out of the month for the year that I had it. I also experienced thinning hair and acne on my cheeks and back. I think that when Mirena works for people, it works REALLY well, but if your body doesn’t do well with a progesterone-only solution, it doesn’t. I’d suggest trying a progesterone-only pill first to see how you react.

    • Senior Attorney

      I had no periods at all with Mirena. It was hard getting used to it — I think I had about two periods and some pretty bad PMS-type symptoms for the first month or so, but after that it was just nothing. Loved it.

      Now I just use the “I’m too old to have periods” method. ;)

    • Anonymous

      I have to be on hormonal birth control because of out-of-control cysts but started consistently getting migraines with auras the day before my “period” when I was on ortho tri cyclen, so three years ago my doctor switched me to the seasonale and told me to skip the dummy pills. It works great. I do have sporadic breakthrough spotting every two to five months (usually when I’m stressed at work and/or haven’t been getting enough sleep) but I get mild warning cramps to let me know it’s going to happen and the bleeding is light enough that I usually just wear pantyliners for a day or two.

    • newly in house

      I haven’t had a period in 3 years with Loestrin 24/whatever the new version is they came out with to get a new patent (Minastrin? I might be making that up, but I think it starts with an “M”). I have a few days of spotting every year or so on placebo days, but not enough to care. I don’t mind the hormonal part and originally went back on to deal with acne.

      • gingersnap

        Yep. Minastrin24…I started on Loestrin24 nearly 4 years ago, then switched to Minastrin24 when they discontinued Loestrin….I have a very light period every 2-3 packs of pills, and sometimes a bit of random spotting. (pre-bc I had 3-5 days of bleeding each month, the first 1-2 days with lots of cramping and heavy bleeding, i.e. changing pads/tampons every hour or two.)
        Unfortunately, I’m finding that taking a pill at the exact same time every day doesn’t mesh well with dissertation writing (which might explain why I know so many people with dissertation babies).

    • anonymous

      I don’t like having periods so I’ve been suppressing with birth control pills for several years now. I love not having periods, my GP has been super supportive (she actually initiated the discussion by asking “do you want to have periods every month, every few months, or never?”). I only have periods if I accidentally forget the pills for a few days. No PMS symptoms at all, no monthly break-outs, no cramps.. my boobs are finally a stable size.. so many good things.

      The benefit of having a period every few months is that you know for sure that you aren’t pregnant, but I actually find that I’m great at remembering to take my pill now that I know I’ll get a period if I forget for a couple of days.. haha.

    • Flower

      I have hormonally trigged headaches and extreme mood swings around my period, and about 8 years ago, my doctor switched to me full time birth control. I love it. I did Yaz for a while, but now just take a generic and the doctor gives me 4 packs for every three months rather than 3. It has improved my life drastically. I had been on a whole series of things before that trying to deal with the headaches, and this has virtually eliminated them. I can’t imagine every going back.

      Every few months, I might have a little bleeding, but it is very rare (I had gotten to having very light periods before after years of heavy ones though). I always keep some pantyliners with me, and it usually lasts for 1-2 days and the pads are more than sufficient for containing it.

    • Anon

      I’ve been doing this for 10+ years. I get hormonally triggered migraines (bad enough that I had been on anti-seizure medication for years). Finally a doctor suggested only taking the active pills and skipping my period. It was liberating. While I still get the occasional migraine, it’s not every month and it’s not as intense. I take Kariva (generic Mircette). I have no breakthrough bleeding, no PMS symptoms, no bloating, etc. It’s amazing.

    • Anon

      I do this. My pill is Millinette and I tend to go three or four months before having a period.

      • BCB

        I tried for ~1 year with seasonique and never got full suppression. I switched to Nuvaring, also didn’t have full suppression– so I just used it on a regular schedule until my cramps got too bad to deal with again. I’m currently on Natazia– it’s only 2 sugar pills (instead of 7) and I take it as prescribed. At first I had very short and mild bleeding. Then my period went away totally. Now, I no longer have a period, but I do have spotting maybe once every 1-3 months. It’s usually during the first 1-2 weeks of the pack. I have very minor cramps for a day, then very very light bleeding for about a week. I have never, after many of trying been able to have complete suppression without spotting.

  14. Goin' Undercover

    I know it’s late, but has anyone started to develop skin reactions to acidic foods later in life? I recently mentioned this to my mother who told me that as an infant I got horrible rashes if I ate anything acidic. Due to a too-large takeout dish and my hatred of waste, I’ve eaten a tomato-based pasta dish (no dairy) for the past 3 out of 4 meals. I am starting to get hives and a cold sore.

    Just as a note, I have no food allergies; however, I recently cut dairy out of my diet when I realized it was a cystic acne trigger for me.

    • Wildkitten

      I get hives when I consume certain things but they are alcoholic so I did not get them as an infant.

    • Blonde Lawyer

      Look up night shade intolerance. Tomato is a nightshade. I think it might also have a link to cystic acne.

    • Alana

      I developed an allergy to citric acid at 14, which includes tomatoes and most berries. The challenge is getting sour flavors, as proper nutrition will prevent scurvy. I had no idea that broccoli has vitamin C.

      Best wishes and hang in there! Hives are no fun.

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