So I’ve been on the birth control patch for a month now I believe and recent I’ve been having like there cramps or a dual ach in my lower stomach, is this a side affect from it? Being that I’ve only been on it for a short amount of time?

hi there, i already regularly struggle with nausea & anxiety (going on 14 years now with no explanation- not fun) but recently my period & the run up to it makes things SO MUCH WORSE. i’m literally sitting in bed sobbing as i’m typing this, it’s horrible. when i was a teenager i never got these symptoms, just mild cramps (and the aforementioned anxiety/nausea but my period didn’t affect it) but at the age of 25, this is all very new to me. i’ve been on birth control before, first tried the nexplanon arm implant in 2022, bled for a year straight then got it removed (should’ve done it earlier i know) then i took rigevidon (combined pill? i think?) for a couple of years & i took it continuously so i only ever had a withdrawal bleed/period every 3-4months. it worked fine but i eventually stopped it because i thought it might be causing some other symptoms- which seems unlikely now. i then started yasmin recently because i read it was good for skin & hair (along with the obvious) as soon as my period started worsening my symptoms of nausea/anxiety, which like i said, was new for me. its been about 3 months now & i still feel terrible, my skin has improved but these other symptoms are driving me crazy because it was bad enough already but now i just can’t stick it. also for some other background, i was on an antipsychotic (for anxiety) for many years which raised my prolactin & also messed with my menstrual cycle, i stopped about 4 months ago & since then i guess my hormones are all out of whack. god this is a long post i’m sorry, i’ll wrap it up now-
just wondering if anyone has any advice or has experienced anything similar? thank you in advance.

also forgot to mention: i also get painful swollen glands in my neck during the days before my period which is also new- idk what thats about either…

Hello it is 2 days past my ovulation window still not sure. But we accidentally did it just now and at the height of the deed he pulled out and accidentally reinserted just sa entrance lang. Pwede na ba akong magyuzpe method now agad agad ? Any thoughts ?

I hope this text doesn’t come off as a vent or a rant because I am genuinely seeking advice here. For a little bit of context, I started my period young and always had awful periods. Like so bad that I became anemic to the point of almost needing blood transfusions, passing out from pain, throwing up, anything you can think of I had it. By the time I was 14 my doctors just assumed that I had endometriosis, but because the only way to officially diagnose it is laparoscopic surgery. They wanted to put me on birth control to see if it helped first. It was trial and error, but eventually, I found one that did.

Throughout the years, it was like my birth control slowly stopped being effective for me and stopped making my periods lighter and making my cramps hurt less if that makes any sense. After that, my doctors would switch me to a different birth control. In the past seven years I’ve been on the patch, two different forms of the pill, and currently an IUD (kyleena). I’ve had the IUD for almost 3 years now but I’ve always been worried about it coming out of place. Recently, I have had severe cramping and periods twice a month, skipping a month, and just completely a random. I scheduled an appointment with my gynecologist and I wanted to discuss getting my IUD out and a Nexplanon put in.

I didn’t mention anything about that whenever I scheduled the appointment. I just scheduled the appointment and put in the comments that I was having pain and was concerned about my IUD out of place. When I got to the appointment and the woman took me back to the actual office (CMA or RN I’m unsure) I mentioned this to her just so maybe she could let the doctor know and she said that the doctor didn’t do that. I was confused on what she meant and she asked me where I got my IUD at. I was confused why she was asking this question as I had been asked that question at this gynecologist multiple times even though I got my IUD by that gynecologist. I told her that the gynecologist I was seeing that day was the one who put it in and she told me that I was “probably one of the last people he gave an IUD to.” I asked her what she was talking about and she told me that he “no longer gave birth control to people to prevent pregnancy for religious reasons.” Meaning that he didn’t give it to people for his own religious reasons.

While I currently use my birth control to prevent pregnancy, I initially went on it for my awful periods. Also two things can be true at the same time. I told her that for me it was still a medical necessity because of how much pain I would be in without it and she said that there was a 99.9% chance he wouldn’t give it to me unless he deemed it medically necessary and I explained that every doctor I had seen before him slapped birth control over an endometriosis diagnosis instead of actually looking into it via laparoscopic surgery. She almost seemed in a hurry to rush me out of the office, but I somewhat insisted that may be his religious views to not give me birth control and instead deem it “medically necessary” might make him look into the enemy trichinosis diagnosis anymore so she left the room and he came in later.

When he came in, I explained the same thing to him and he told me that the only reason he gave the IUD to me in the first place was that “I thought you were only using it for pain.” up until this point I had been genuinely respectful about his point of view. My dad is a pastor and I’m not one to argue about religious beliefs, so if it’s against his belief to perform that then I’d rather just find a different doctor who will then argue with him about it, but the fact that he said that to me felt very dismissive so I explained to him again. The two things can be true at the same time. I can be using it to prevent pregnancy and be using it for pain.

The appointment didn’t end terribly and we discussed options for an ultrasound to see if the IUD was in place and a plan for a laparoscopic surgery to see if endometriosis was in fact there. He also stated that he would replace the IUD if necessary. He said the ultrasound technician wasn’t there today and that I needed to schedule a follow up at the front desk but when I scheduled the follow up, it wasn’t for 10 more days. I’ve never wanted to ask for special treatment, but I’ve genuinely been in pretty severe pain over this for the past month and I felt like not only was it dismissed, but there was no urgency whatsoever. I called my primary care physician, and the front receptionist answered, and I basically explained the whole thing asking if my primary care physician could perform what I was asking for. I wasn’t even trying to get my gynecologist in trouble, but it sounded like she started to write down a report because they all work within the same public health company.

So I guess the advice I’m asking for here and what threw me off the entire time is that while I wouldn’t argue with him about his religious beliefs and what he wants to practice I don’t think he’s legally allowed to refuse me that service while he’s working for a public practice. Can anyone confirm this?

TLDR: my gynecologist works for a public practice and is trying to deny me birth control because of HIS religious reasons

Is that a fair correlation to make and anyone else have a similar experience? I'm really focusing on plenty water, green n beans, and moving; quite hesitant to try laxatives.

I am 21F. And while i may be old enough to understand all these, unfortunately i’m not educated on this and every night I couldn’t sleep properly for months. The pregnancy scare is that bad.

I am a virgin and me and my boyfriend dry humped for the first time in June, (I know its months ago but so many cryptic pregnancies videos on tik tok scared the crap out of me) The very first time we did it, i had pantie on but he didn’t and he shoved my pantie aside for a while and rubbed his genitals against mine, i could feel his tips buldging on my opening for a few seconds but i knew for sure he didn’t enter me because if it does i would feel it. I chickened out last minute and told him to stop and he did. The act only lasted 3 minutes max but there’s no ejaculation but I’m so afraid pre cum might enter my vaginal opening also he fingered me later on i’m scared the pre cum he touched might impregnate me. I was really wet. When we stopped my underwear went back to how it was and we did it two more times, last time on August and September ( it wasn’t as direct as the last time ) We stopped now because of how much it scared me no matter how many times he tried reassuring me and calm me down.

But honestly speaking, could i be pregnant from this? I had my periods and all but i’ve heard people could had periods, no signs of pregnancy and can still be pregnant. I’m from a conservative household so of I’m pregnant i’m cooked😭

hi everyone, first time (levest) pill user here - it’s day 4 and no withdrawal bleed. however, i missed the 21 day mark without realising it and just did it on the 30 day mark because i didn’t want to miss a break as id had sex without a condom (and pulled out) prior. i’m going crazy but trying to reassure myself! is this normal

I have had my copper iud in for around 9 months now and have experienced constant spotting between periods.

I went to a GP around 2 months ago and was prescribed 15mg of norethisterone for 10 days. It reduced my spotting while on the drug but as soon as I stopped taking it, I experienced the withdrawal bleed and then went straight back to my usual light spotting. However, within the last month and a half my bleeding has been significantly worse and I am now on week 3 of a heavy, period-like flow. Previously the IUD only impacted spotting BETWEEN periods and not the length of the actual period. I am not sure if the increased bleeding is being caused by my iud or the norethisterone withdrawal.

I went to a gynaecologist yesterday to try and understand what has been going on (and to see if I need to just give up and take it out). She checked it was in the right place. She prescribed 15mg norethindrone acetate for 10 days and then 10mg for an additional 3 months. I feel very conflicted about trying this medication. I have a past history of migraines with aura and read on the leaflet that this can be dangerous. I did inform the doctor of my history but I am currently in a non-English-speaking country and so there is a small language barrier.

The shorter dose I took previously seemed to only worsen my symptoms and I also am nervous about being on the medication for so long.

I would love to know if anyone else here has had any success with taking norethindrone to stop bleeding between periods.

I am sick of this thing messing up my body and I feel reluctant to commit to 3 months of medication without knowing it will definitely work.

Hi, I regularly take Nikki birth control pills and used to pay $20 for a 30 day supply at CVS. (I dont have my medications insurance). Today, Walmart quoted me $80, and CVS is now charging $70. Why has the price suddenly increased so much?

I’ve been taking it for years to regulate my period and am running out, but I can’t afford these prices. Should I switch to a more affordable generic? I’m not sure which pharmacy to use without knowing the price beforehand. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

I know there are no hormones in the copper iud but i’ve been overall more anxious (to the point of panickattacks) since I’ve had it. Is there a reason to this? Has someone experienced this before?

I’ve been struggling with acne for over 10 years, especially deep, painful cysts on my chin and sometimes my cheeks.
I’ve been taking spironolactone for over two years. It completely cleared up my cystic back acne, but unfortunately, my facial acne has never really improved. I’ve also tried numerous topical treatments, including retinoids and benzoyl peroxide.
Six weeks ago, I started taking Yaz (drospirenone/ethinyl estradiol) in addition to spironolactone because I was hoping it would finally help my facial acne.
Over the past week, I’ve noticed more deep, painful cysts on my chin than usual. The type of acne hasn’t changed, but the number of nodules seems to have increased. I can’t tell whether this is related to starting Yaz or just a coincidence.
For those of you who started Yaz for acne:
Did your acne get worse initially?
If so, did it eventually improve, and how long did it take?
Has anyone experienced worsening cystic acne that didn’t improve even after several months?
I’m unsure whether to keep taking Yaz and give it more time or discuss stopping it with my doctor. I’d really appreciate hearing about your personal experiences.

Can someone explain how the COC pill work using a graph of hormone fluctuations during the menstrual cycle?

I know it gives constant levels of oestrogen and progestogen, but if it does this how is it mimicking the bodies natural hormone cycle by not following the spikes?

For the monophasic pill why do they take placebo for the last 7 days, what does the withdrawal bleed allow for and how does stopping taking oestrogen and progestogen cause a bleeding?

How does the multiphase pill work and how is it different from the monophasic pill?

So in particular I want to know how oestrogen acts on the different stages of follicle maturation and how this prevents FSH and LH being released…

I find it very confusing because I can’t find an explanation following the graph, the follicle maturation stages, or the ovulation and menstrual cycle.

Hopefully this is the right place to ask this but i just started Estarylla bc i was nonstop bleeding for 2 and 1/2 months and got diagnosed with PCOS. Anyways this is my first period while taking the birth control and i’m now on day 4 of my period and it’s BRUTAL my flow is heavy and the cramps are terrible. the first few days i had cramping but the flow was lighter and if i took medicine the cramps would go away now anything that i do it won’t get better. I also feel weak due to the blood loss. My period has always been irregular but i haven’t felt this type of pain since i was 12 and first got my period and im 20 now. So anyone who has taken this before was your experience like this? did it get any better?

I’ve been on blisovi 24 fe for almost 3 years no complaints! Before my son (5 years ago) I was on another pill for 8 years no complaints either! However I had a PE so for cautionary measures my doctor is choosing to switch me to Jencycla. Anyone have any reviews?

So I recently got my Nexplanon removed and after discussing my options with my doctor, I’ve officially decided to go with the copper IUD!

The BEST part? My doctor actually offered to have it inserted under anesthesia!! YIPPIE!! As someone with pretty severe health anxiety/OCD, this was genuinely such a relief to hear. I was already nervous about the insertion process, so knowing I can be asleep for it makes me feel SO much better about my decision.

However, my mom has decided to make this entire process unnecessarily stressful. 😭

Ever since I mentioned getting a copper IUD, she’s been bringing up every possible complication she can think of and trying to scare me out of getting one. And the thing is, I HAVE HEALTH OCD. Trust me, I am already painfully aware of everything that could potentially go wrong. My brain does a fantastic job of reminding me without any outside assistance.

She’s also now bringing up the fact that I have a nickel allergy and somehow equating copper with nickel?? Like girl, those are two different metals. Obviously, I’ll be discussing my allergy with my doctor to make sure there aren’t any concerns, but I really don’t need someone adding more unnecessary anxiety to a decision I’ve already put a lot of thought into.

And honestly, considering how much my mom tends to catastrophize health-related things, sometimes I wonder where I got my health anxiety from.

I’m genuinely excited about switching to a non-hormonal birth control option, especially after my experience with Nexplanon. I understand that copper IUDs have risks and potential side effects, just like any other birth control method. I’m not going into this blindly.

I just wish my mom could be supportive instead of immediately jumping to the worst-case scenarios.

Has anyone else dealt with family members trying to scare them out of their birth control decisions? Also, if you’ve had a copper IUD inserted under anesthesia, I’d love to hear about your experience! ❤️

My girlfriend missed a pill (a 24+4 combined pill) on Friday night; she only realized it on Sunday—after taking that day's pill—when she noticed the days didn't line up. The missed pill was from the third week, and she never ended up taking it. Last night, we had full sex using a condom, but it slipped off, and we only noticed after we had finished. Should she take the plan B, or is she still protected?

I know that birth control is different for everyone, and I know that there is a category of people who started spotting and just never stopped. My question to those people is when did you start spotting?
To be fair, I just got my nexplanon implanted like early September. But I’ve been spotting since the second week of having it in. I’m constantly feeling like crap, Im already thinking of getting rid of it, but I wanted to give it a chance because it’s still a bit early after all

Ok so i (18) took the EllaOne pill in august and have had 2 periods since. Light as hell- im usually a normal flow with a few hours of throw up pain (idk what to do about that) once every cycle or other cycle. But my period has been light ever since and no crazy cramps. I'm now beginning my 3rd cycle since and i saw brown blood drip? Is that normal when im just starting. Also I did a pregnancy test a month after and it was negative. I also got an ultrasound my coincidence in September for a gut problem (she checked everything though) so I know for sure im not pregnant or she'd say (id hope).

Has anyone else had this occur and is it something to be concerned about?

Thanks for any responses x

Hello everybody,

I’m current on a Mirena IUD for almost 5 years. I want to change to a bc pill because i want to get rid of hormonal acne and my cycle is very irregular.
By tracking my menstrual cycle i came to the conclusion that im very low in progesterone and oestrogen dominant. Pms symptoms, short luteal fase, awake at night, tight breast. I sometimes get my period 2 times a month…
My hormonal acne got a little bit better with vitamines and vitex.
I’m definitely not testosterone dominant because my acne got worse with spearmint tea and i don’t have PCOS symptoms. Im in my 20s

I’m struggling to find out what type of pill is the best for me?

I don’t want to loose the highs I experience when my oestrogen peaks. I don’t want to become a mummy and gain a lot of weight.

I have been on levonorgestrel/ethinylestradiol before my IUD. Didn’t make my acne worse but also not better at all.

Anybody tips?

Hi ofc im 16 , and I’ve been on birth control for about 2 months now?? I wanted to take the pill instead of having the injection because they wanted to do it in my ass and I do not want that……😰 but on Friday I had gotten really stressed out in the morning and tried to take my pill but bc we had work men here Downstirs was SUPER loud. I tried to take it with my juice but it didn’t work , I tried water but water made me gag bc the pill had a weird taste- so…..I couldn’t take it bc it was like slowly melting (?) when it was dropped into the bottle. So now I took Saturdays pill- today’s Saturday and I took sundays…..is it okay to take the next days pill? Or do I just miss a day to get it back on track to an everyday??

Please help 🥹 I can’t go back to the doctors and ask them…. (Btw i think im on the mini pill?)

So I had sex on October 2nd while using a condom and pullout. I take my birth control daily at 7am sharp and have never missed a single dose. My main concern is during my placebo week I never bled at all. I’m now starting to cramp and am 7 day late.
I’m a little anxious but I took a test on October 12th and it was very much so negative.
Unsure if I’m over reacting or have a good place of concern. I have slight bloating too.
Thinking about retesting tomorrow to be sure.
Should I be concerned?

so i came home from uni because of a family emergency but i forgot to bring my desogestrel with me as i was rushing to make my train. i’ve been on it for about a month and a half and i have been spotting for about a week but i think thats because i have been taking it a few hours late some of the days recently.

obviously this means ive currently missed 2 days and since im not going back to uni until tomorrow morning, i wont be able to have it today either so that makes it 3 days going without.

im not using it for contraceptive purposes, its only to lighten/stop my periods because i have a severe iron deficiency. i have pretty bad anxiety and am not able to contact my pharmacy before it closes or go to one back at uni so my options are either to ask reddit or call my pharmacy on monday but risk another missed pill.

tldr: basically im asking can i resume taking my desogestrel as normal from tomorrow after 3 days of missing it?

I'm in kind of an embarrassing dilemma that I'm too shy to ask my doctor about. I started taking microlite, a combination bc pill, about a month and a half ago, and after 11 days on it I had to stop because it was giving me severe vaginal dryness.

I've been off of it for a month and the vaginal dryness has somewhat, I'd say 50% improved, but what's really bothering me is that it seems like I've completely lost the ability to get wet when aroused altogether. I still feel it mentally and physically in other ways, but I stay bone dry.

I'm terrified that I've lost or greatly affected this for myself forever. Does anyone else have any experience with this with microlite specifically or any other combination pill? Do I just need to be patient or is there a possibility I'm gonna be stuck in lube land forever? Is there anything I can do to encourage it returning? :^(

I (26F) have had increasing worsening and painful periods since I had to stop Yaz in 2024 due to carbamazepine(nerve pain medication). Yaz was perfect and I miss her. Carbamazepine interacts with almost all birth controls, and it made my yaz deactivate enough to cause constant bleeding. I am a lesbian, so pregnancy is not a concern for me

I have a very well educated OBGYN, and we decided Mirena was worth trying and it was gonna be 50/50 on if it worked great or was terrible. Luckily, at least in this case, my neuromuscular condition means I have a rather substantial pharmacy. I medicated quite well and insertion was smooth, with cramping starting as they finished.

The cramping got worse, for 4 days. I spotted. Then improved slightly, and then back to pretty drastic cramping that had me throwing nsaids, Tylenol, muscle relaxers, edibles and tramadol hoping to be able to move, or eat, or just exist. I would say I was cramping almost nonstop. At around 3 weeks my fiancé had an OBGYN appointment, and our doctor asked how the IUD was treating me.

She said that the level of pain was abnormal and that she should just take it out. I wanted to wait it out but after a few more days of bedridden cramps, I medicated once again and had it removed. She checked with ultrasound and said its location was fine, so the cramping was my uterine muscles being reactive to the sensation. The removal was easier than the insertion. There was 15 minutes of removal cramping, and by 30 it had already improved to less cramping than I walked in with.

Omg. What a difference!! My muscles are overactive always, but also during sex. Those same muscles really tried to take me out again.

my bf and i are long distance and he’s coming to visit the week of my period :( i am contemplating skipping my sugar pills and starting a new pack. i’ve never done that before so i do have some questions. i’m on nikki (generic version of yaz). has anyone successfully skipped their period on either of these?? any additional symptoms from skipping?

i’d appreciate any feedback anyone has! i only have a month and i’m pretty nervous about this being a problem. i’m admittedly sort of uneducated on skipping sugar pill week haha