Hi 32dds
I started taking bcp also because of hormonal imbalance. The first one was fine in the beginning until my hair started to shed like crazy and I had spotting. The second one resolved those problems but my libido slowly but steadily declined until it disappeared completely. After having so many problems with bcp I stopped taking it completely. After like a year or so I decided that I really needed it for contraceptive reasons. I went to my gyno and told him about my past problems. He then prescribed me a certain bcp with a different hormonal ratio. However this time I ended up having some serious depression. I didn't recognize my bcp as the cause though because it was a slow process and blamed it on other things. But then I skipped it two days in a row but continued taking it because I didnt want the break through bleeding to occur. That's when it got the worst and I realized it was the bcp. After I had stopped it it was like becoming a totally different person - but actually just my old self again.
The point is that apart from giving me a stable cycle, bcp's have just made matters worse for me. And they actually don't give you a stable cycle to be precise! They just suppress your body's own hormone production by inhibiting the hormonal feedback mechanism. (Except certain progestin-only pills)
The reason why most bcp are to be taken over a time span of about 21 days with a 5 to 7 day pause inbetween is that it matches the normal female cycle and gives you the illusion of a regular cycle. If you stop taking it break through bleeding will occur within a couple of days because of the sudden drop in hormone levels (so this is no real menstruation). You can actually take it for a time span that is a lot longer than the real mentrual cycle for that reason like Super Boob does.
Also if you stop taking it your body needs to restart its own hormone production. If bcp really did balance hormones then one should assume that it would work better than before (e.g. a more stable cycle). However it usually takes a couple of months (sometimes even up to a year) for the cycle to stabilize.
Mine is not stable yet. After coming off the pill (and after the break through bleeding) it took a month for the first regular bleeding to occur (which is quite normal). But the next bleeding didn't occur until three month! later. I was not thrilled to say the least.
BCP is not bad per se. Unfortunately it didn't work out for me. My best friend used to have severe acne when she was in her teens. Whenever she started taking bcp it completely disappeared. Also her breasts grew two cup sizes (though very slowly over a period of two or three years). When she stops taking it her skin gets worse (her boobs stay the same though).
It really pretty much depends on your personal hormonal profile. I used to take the same bcp but except for maybe a really slight increase in breast size all it did was to give me really bad side effects. There is no one size fits all. (Besides most commercial bcp contain cheap synthetic hormones which take your body a long time to get rid of).
If bcp gives you the increase in size you're looking for that's great. You would just have to continue taking it. As far as hormone balancing is concerned, the only 'balancing' that takes place is the fact that you take the same amount of hormones every day so there's pretty much no fluctuation, except for those few days inbetween.
Sorry for rambling but I really feel that there are quite a few misconceptions about bcp out there. Many women don't know about the many potential down sides. This has really gotten quite long
I apologize
