Taking a week of Estrogen pills during active birth control week.?

Thank you for your time! I hope to receive answers from a physician (preferrably OB) OR a woman who has done the same.

I gave birth to my son exactly a year ago. I started the same birth control pills I was on before getting pregnant (was using for 3 years) after I gave birth.

I have had breakthrough bleeding 9 of the ten months I have been on birth control. I have also tried three other brands of birth control pills to rectify but no luck.

My OB has prescribed one week of estrogen pills for me to take during my second week of active birth control pills. She says it's often done to regulate the period.

Has any one does this? Did it work for you? Did the estrogen make you kookoo at all?

Thanks again!

I used to have terrible problems with breakthrough bleeding (ie. every single day of the active pill cycle... and then still have a period duirng the placebo pills - argh!), and I have tried supplementing extra oestrogen during the active pill weeks to combat it.

Supplemental oestrogen DID work for me in the short term, BUT... when I stopped taking the oestrogen, the breakthrough bleeding just came back.

The long-term solution which worked for me was finding a higher dose pill (more oestrogen AND more progesterone than my previous pill); now I never have breakthrough bleeding.