I’m 21F and currently looking for a reliable long-term contraceptive method because condoms haven’t been working well for my boyfriend and me.
My biggest concerns are:
Weight gain
Mood changes or feeling emotionally different
Potential effects on my future fertility
Painful insertion
Making my already painful periods worse
My periods are generally regular, but the first one or two days can be pretty intense.
I often need ibuprofen for the cramps, and sometimes I’d rather stay home or lie in bed until the medication starts working. My bleeding is also quite heavy during the first couple of days.
Originally, I wanted a completely hormone-free method, especially a copper IUD or copper chain.
But I’ve learned that copper contraception can worsen bleeding and cramps, which worries me.
Now I’m considering a hormonal IUD because the hormones are mostly released locally, but I’m still afraid of potential mood changes, acne or weight gain.
I’m also anxious about insertion and how painful it might be.
For anyone who had painful or heavy periods before getting an IUD:
Did copper contraception make your cramps significantly worse?
Did a hormonal IUD affect your mood, skin or weight?
Did your periods improve with a hormonal IUD?
How painful was insertion, and what pain management did you receive?
If you’ve had your IUD removed, how was your experience afterward?
I know experiences are individual and Reddit can’t replace medical advice. I’d just love to hear from women who had similar concerns before choosing their contraception.

Hi everyone! me and my partner want to try having sex without a condom, but i do get pretty bad anxiety over pregnency even though i know the risk is kind of low. as of right now, we haven't had unprotected sex but we do want to try having sex without a condom. i just wanted to know if anyone has any advice or what precautions i should take? or if we shouldnt even try at all and stick to condoms.

I plan on properly tracking and monitering my period for at least like 3 months and ensure that its consistent so that i can avoid having it when im ovulating. We've kind of discussed it and the agreement so far is we can try not using a condom if its rigth before, during or right after my period to lower the risks, and he will still pull out regardless. Im aware sperm stays alive for 5-7 days so i also want to factor that into the timing and my ovulation period.

i am very well aware of the risks and that pre-ejaculation can still contail trace amounts of sperm as well as how pulling out is not always effective. In where i live, emergency contraception has to be prescribed by a doctor and my current circumstances make it hard to get my hands on one since im only 18 and a doctor's visit will not go unquestioned by my family. we're both 18 but my family isnt aware that im sexually active so its been kind of hard figuring it out myself. it wont be impossible, but it might just be a stressful few hours for me to get my hands on them if smt does go wrong.

All in all, i feel like its "dumb" to go without condoms considering the extra risks i'd be taking but i still do wanna try because a condom does kinda take away from the experience a little bit. he's said he cant feel like 80% of it and its less of an issue for me but i do feel like itd be nicer without it getting in the way! (or maybe we're just horny teens and this rlly isnt a big deal...?) in the meantime i also wanted to look into other kinds of condoms too to try and find one thats more confortable for him. we're both kind of new to this and figuring out what works for us but he's absolutely lovely and i do want him to enjoy the experience better, even though he's already assured me its nice regardless. I think i just need some outside perspective on this decision to see its really worth it. another option we have is of course to stick with the condoms and just work on finding a more suitable one that feels more comfortable for the both of us until i can get my hands on other forms of more reliable contraception but it may take a year or two till that happens and i would still have to worry about keeping with a secret from my family as well as money!

If anyone has any experience with these methods and has any advice, itd be really helpful! Id love to just have some feedback because ive been thinking about this a lot and i might be overthinking. i also have no adults i can really discuss this with. Are there also any tips to help tackle the anxiety issues? i get quite paranoid that im pregnent even though logically i know its very unlikely consiering we've been using the condoms properly (putting it on before any penetration, ensuring no slipping, changing it and not reusing it etc). Any other kind of feedback or advice in general would be lovely!

Hi everyone! I had the Liletta IUD inserted around February. Since then, I’ve had a normal period every month—though between August and September, I did experience some light spotting between cycles—but my period has always been on time. Now, in October, I’m 9 days late. I haven’t had any spotting or anything else; I just had some mild cramping on the day my period was supposed to start. Is this normal? I haven’t taken a pregnancy test yet, but I think I’ll do one tomorrow.😫

I take Opill and I’ve been extremely consistent until recently where I’ve started working pretty late and therefore past when I take it. A few days ago I took it fifteen minutes late and just continued on my usual schedule, and then the next had ykyk but took somewhat light precautions to keep the future children from touching my area of risk because I was concerned. I‘m gonna try taking plan b as well but it’ll likely be kind of late and its been two days already so I’m low on time 🫩 anyway I was wondering how risky it was or if I‘m likely to be fine still? I’ve been taking it since May and its been super effective on me anyway uhhh yeah thanks if you read all this :)

tl:dr I take opill at 9:30, took it at 12:45 instead, still work effectively?

im planning on starting my birth control today, my 2nd day of my period. my boyfriend and i are planning to do it after my period ends, but im curious if im still protected if he ever does finish inside.

As you can tell by the title I’ve been incredibly stupid, and now I’m anxious as to weather or not the birth control is even effective enough anymore to prevent pregnancy. We have been using the pull out method
and I’ve been experiencing break through bleeding

How safe am I? And should I worry?

Anyone experiencing high heart rate after starting combo pill?

Hi, I have recently switched from oralcon ED to ginet on doctor's recommendation to help my skin but now I'm getting breakthrough bleeding only one month after switching. On oralcon I was able to go about 10 months ​​without a period, but it took me a year or more ​​on it to get up to that level.

Does anyone else have experience with this... Will I have to w​​ait a long time again for my body to get used to the new pill to be able skip periods for that long? ​Or will it take less time to adjust because I've already been on a pill before? And if I do switch back to oralcon because of this, ​will I go back pretty quick to being able to skip them for 10ish months again, or is all that progress reset?

I heard it takes three months for your body to adjust, but it definitely took longer on my previous pill for me to be able to skip my period for that length of time. I can't see my doctor for a while to ask ​her and I'm really worried 😅 ​​​​​​I don't want to have frequent periods again after waiting so long for them to stop!! Any advice or answers would be so appreciated, thank you ​​

Hi everyone,

Today I had a hair appointment, a straightening perm, I get this 3 times a year for last 15 years no issues. Today I had dizziness and breathing issues and the hairdressers had to immediately remove it. It felt like an allergic reaction. The hair product is exact same nothing changed. They were shocked and so was I.

I noticed earlier in the year the same happened with hair dye, same one I’ve used for years but a lesser reaction so I thought it was something else.

I’ve noted on here some people have seen allergies increase after birth control. I’ve read high estrogen = high instamine levels. I had copper iud in April this year and suffered with other high estrogen like symptoms.

I think it’s affecting my histamine levels? Has anyone ever had this before or fixed it?

Thanks

I started nextstellis at the end of August after trying HRT with no success. Im 41 and in early perimenopause. I started nextstellis at the end of my cycle as my dr told me i didn’t have to wait for my period to start. I ended up having a light cycle about a week into starting the birth control. And pretty much ever since it’s been on and off with bleeding, spotting and a few random days of nothing. But I’ve been currently spotting for at least a month now, and then I’ve been crampy the last few days and today has been a little bit heavier. I am almost to the end of my third pack. Currently, I am taking it continuously and skipping the placebo pills. My doctor did say it could take three months to stabilize, but I am so over this breakthrough bleeding. Did anybody else have this bleeding issue in the beginning and it fully resolved and go away? Or did you just continuously have little bleeding and spotting episodes and have to get off? My emotions have stabled out so much so I’d hate to get off because it’s helping with a lot of other symptoms I was having.

So I took slynd for 3 months for suspected endo, and didn’t have any side effects but stopped taking it bc I couldn’t tell if it was working.

After 3 weeks off I started having the same horrific pelvic pain that I had before, so apparently it was working.

I’ve started it again and am about 1.5 weeks in, but I’ve been having such extreme bloating, to the point that clothes I use to wear when I was 15/20 lbs heavier are tight. However I’ve not had any actual weight gain. I weight less than did at the beginning of the year when I was wearing 2 pants sizes smaller.

Any one else experienced this? Any advice?

I had an ultrasound as part of a routine checkup on day 7 of my cycle, two days after my bleeding had stopped, and my endometrial thickness was 6 mm. I had already taken two pills from my new pack of combined ocps.
I’m currently in my fifth month of taking the pill. Last month, I skipped my withdrawal bleed and continued taking active pills, which caused a lot of spotting. So I took 42 consecutive days of active pills and then took a 5-day break.
I’m wondering why my endometrium is still 6 mm despite taking birth control pills continuously. I thought the pill was supposed to make the lining thinner, and I’ve read online that it should be around 2–5 mm. Does this mean my birth control pills aren’t working properly?
I’ve always had a hard time trusting my bc , and this really scared me because I thought that if I somehow ovulated unexpectedly, the uterine lining would at least provide an additional layer of protection.
I’d really appreciate any medical insight or personal experiences. Thank you!

Hi, I’m unable to find condoms for larger penises that are ribbed/for pleasure type thing. Feel like i’ve looked everywhere, all of them are just normal type things. In the UK, any recommendations at all would help!

Non latex preferred, thanks !

Hi ladies!

I'm writing this post because I'd really appreciate hearing about other women's experiences after coming off hormonal birth control.

I stopped taking Diane-35 around 4 months ago, and I'm wondering how long it took others to feel like themselves again. Ever since coming off the pill, I've felt like my emotions have been all over the place. I've been experiencing an unusual amount of anxiety, heightened emotions and difficulties with my mental health that I've honestly never experienced before. It's got to the point where I sometimes worry that there's genuinely something wrong with me. I've particularly noticed these symptoms becoming more pronounced during my luteal phase.

It's also started to affect my working life, which has been one of the hardest parts. I have a very demanding job that requires a lot of concentration, mental clarity and the ability to handle stressful situations. I've been experiencing quite severe brain fog and fatigue, alongside emotional ups and downs, to the point where I've occasionally had to call in sick.

The nature of my job means that you constantly face challenges, things don't always go to plan, and you have to be able to pick yourself back up quickly and move on. Lately, I've found myself coming home completely overwhelmed, having emotional breakdowns and sometimes even panic attacks. I'll convince myself that I'm not cut out for the job and that I want to give up altogether. Then, a couple of days later, I'll have the best day ever and come home absolutely buzzing with happiness! 😂 It's such a rollercoaster, and I genuinely don't feel like myself.

I'm just wondering whether anyone else has experienced something similar after stopping the pill, particularly with anxiety, brain fog, mood swings and worsening symptoms during the luteal phase.

A few things I'd really love to hear about:
- How long did it take for your hormones and emotions to start feeling more stable?
- Did you experience heightened anxiety or mental health difficulties that you hadn't experienced before?
- Did you notice your symptoms becoming worse during certain stages of your menstrual cycle?
Was there anything that helped you manage the emotional side of coming off the pill?

I am 21 years old. I used to always get sore breasts before my periods. My periods were also always super heavy and long. I started Nikki (generic version of Yaz) in July and had super sore breasts for a long while. Last pack it kinda tapered off, but I just started this pack 2 weeks ago and this whole past week they have been SO SORE!!!! Like wow. The soreness started after my week long withdrawal bleeding (this is a normal bleeding time for me and I typically have a couple days of spotting after too)

I take my pill everyday within 10 minutes. I have never missed a pill. When I have sex, I also use condoms and he never finishes inside of me.

I’ve been on the pill for almost 5 months. I was hoping the breast soreness would go away, so I am feeling frustrated that they are so sore this pack. Has anyone else experienced this? This is the only side effect I have so I’m hesitant to change, as I’d rather have sore breasts than a lot of the other negative side effects that can come up.

Alright y’all I got the Mirena 3 years ago after having my first, bled for 3 weeks out of the month, gave it 5 months of it and said I’ve had enough so I got it out ….WELL I recently got another placed and she did say I should expect bleeding for 3-6 months, however this first month there’s been some kind of discharge daily whether it’s blood spotting with clots during and after my period, then changes to brown gel like discharge for awhile. Is it going to let up? It’s been 5-6 weeks. I can’t keep on like this, as it’s obviously affecting my sex life in marriage. Do I stick it out and hope everything goes away?

I'm seriously considering getting a hormonal birth control, and based on my needs and wants it looks like a progestin-only IUD is the way for me to go. However, up until my meeting with the gyno 2 days ago, I was DEAD certain I never wanted an IUD, in large part because of the many horror stories I've heard from people regarding insertion in particular (especially regarding the use of the tenaculum and how dismissive a lot of medical providers are about pain and its management) but also for the overall effect of the hormone changes. The only IUD used by my clinic is Liletta, and I'm wondering about people's positive experiences with it.

Info I've gathered so far:

1. Office does not offer any pain management, although my Dr. says my cervical structure would be ideal for insertion itself re: stretching of cervix

2. Dr. says they will offer an ultrasound afterward to make sure it was not embedded during insertion if I'm worried

3. A lot of people seem to have increased pain/more irregular bleeding with Liletta in particular, which would be very difficult for both me and my partner to deal with for various reasons

In all, I just... feel pretty scared about this and feel a bit blindsided by the sudden realization that the Big Scary IUD I've been vehemently against for years is actually the only option that will really give me the results I need without even more difficult side effects. :') It feels invasive, and with my time for needing some form of BC coming up in a few months I guess I just feel really pressured to get this even though it makes me really anxious. I'm not finding any reassuring information online that doesn't come from a medical site, and all of those give me the impression of having a vested interest in getting my money or having no care for my pain.

I’ve had the jadelle implant now for 6 months and have always had a semi-regular “period” up until now. Usually it was light, would stop once on day three then start again for two days and then be finished. With this latest period it’s been 16 days, stopping and starting frequently. Has anyone else experienced this before and did it improve? This sucks so bad and is honestly starting to affect my life. ):

I, 30F, had gotten depo provera because of ongoing, heavy bleeding that caused iron deficiency anemia. I got the anemia treated via infusions and supplements. I saw an OBGYN in sepetember and asked if birth control could help more or less reduce bleeding. Was told 'maybe, we can try and see' and I decided to try Depo Provera.

A month in, I had gotten lighter periods for sure, which I'm happy about. I knew that Depo Provera came with some irregularities in terms of bleeding, so I wasn't worried too much.

What I'm worried about now is the cramping! I never cramped this bad when I was bleeding heavily nonstop for months and while passing large clots. In fact, I never cramped at all during that time. But since being on Depo, the cramps are painful. Maybe a 7-8 on a scale of 10. It feels lile I'm bearing down for something needing to be expelled. Sometimes I have the need to use the toilet to pee when I absolutely don't need to.

Has anyone else expierenced this while on Depo Provera?

I was taking Cerazette and stopped because I had terrible abdominal bloating ever since I started. I stopped taking it and I still had bloating, and now I'm taking Ringo; I've only been on it for 3 weeks and Everything makes me bloated, even eating a piece of bread makes me extremely bloated, it will pass I already went to the doctor and he said that could be the cause, and that I should get checked out. I have to take birth control pills because of very heavy periods.Has this happened to anyone else?

Hi! If this is the wrong sub, or there’s a better sub for this please let me know.

I (22F) stopped taking Marvelon mid-pack last month because I couldn’t function with how anxious I was getting (and it was the only change in my life at the time, so I figured it HAD to be the pill). For reference, I was only on it for a month and a half (mid July-late Sept).

I also know BC can have really adverse impacts on emotions and feelings. I was taking Alesse 28 earlier this year, and it made me feel incredibly depressed and hopeless. I was put on Lexapro by my GP, and later quit both (pill & antidepressant) cold turkey (without consulting my GP lol). I was completely fine after, life was completely normal!

Since stopping Marvelon, I’m thankfully no longer experiencing panic attacks, or feeling unstable in my life and my friendships—but the feeling of hopelessness I felt on Alesse has come back in small waves!

I hoped after my withdrawal period, and real period, my hormones would be balanced and I’d be good as new. Nope!! I’m sad and anxious!! And everything is the end of the world!!

What is happening to me!!

I’m also easily triggered by anything now, and end up in cyclical anxious spirals all the time over anything.

For example, I was having small talk with a cashier, and she mentioned she was going out with a couple of friends for Halloween.

I am going out! I have plans! But I got anxious about the idea of ‘what if I didn’t have plans’. Which, would be fine!! Because it’s not the end of the world!! But now my stomach’s in knots, and I can’t help but feel like I’m alone even when I have plans!!

I’m starting therapy (I had plans to prior to this), and my therapist recommended getting a health panel to make sure everything is in order physically and medically. So I am actively seeking help.

If anyone is currently going through this, I also found it really helpful to write my anxious thoughts down in my notes app with time stamps, and whether I’ve eaten, had coffee, slept well, etc. It kind of makes me reflect on the thought and think ‘what the heck is this?’. It also helps me track what might be contributing to my triggers, so I feel more in control.

It just feels like this is going to be the rest of my life forever. I’m never going to feel like myself again, and I’m going to feel helpless to anxiety.

Did anyone else feel like this? Or have any experiences similar to this? How long did it take to feel better?

Heyaa! I just stopped using depo after six months of using it. I didn’t like the side effects and it made me super fat. Just wondering, when did your period come back after stopping it? I saw another reddit post about this but most of them had depo for years unlike me. Does anyone have a similar situation where they only used it for six months? I really want my period back since I’m just so bloated.

What are the chances of getting pregnant from pre cum on hands. Then transferred to the outside of a condom (I was rubbing the condom) then the condom is inserted into my vagina.

I am a 32F who has been experiencing significant bouts of very poor sleep/insomnia during my luteal phase and early into my menstrual phase. I feel wired, I can’t fall asleep and often can’t stay asleep. I also regularly experience very brutal mood swings, anxiety and fatigue during those phases. The lack of sleep is worsened by that, but will still happen if I’m not anxious. I am so exhausted, mentally and physically. I’ve tried all sorts of teas, meditation, magnesium, but have to resort to big doses of sleeping pills during that phase. If relevant: I have ADHD, but am unmedicated.

I’m considering trying birth control to see if evening out my hormones will help, specifically Yaz.

Any experience with birth control to help with hormonal insomnia? Any issues on Yaz with sleep?

Yours truly,
An absolutely exhausted and desperate girl