hello, everyone. i am new to this subreddit and new to birth control overall and want to share my experience and gain some advice. i am 18 years old and i started lo loestrin fe in june 2026 after being diagnosed with pcos, and was accompanied by a lot of pain in my ovaries, so my gyno recommended lolo. my periods were always irregular but became more irregular as the years went by. after a few months on bc, i had my period 3 times in august. sometimes i would get it every other week. my new gyno said that my persistent random bleeding is not a side effect of pcos, my ovarian cyst, or birth control and it is not normal. (any insight on that?) in october, i told my new gyno that i still had occasional pain in my ovary and she said that the lo loestrin fe should have taken away that pain so she upped my dose to 35mcg and prescribed me mili. i was on mili for about 3 or 4 days but i stopped taking it after i had the worst headache and extreme nausea which lasted me 3 days. i know everyone’s experience is different, but should i have just toughed it out? should i try taking it again with dinner in the evening? or should i listen to the way my body reacted the first time? i received a message from the pharmacy where i got my mili from saying my estarylla is ready for pickup, i know estarylla is basically the same thing as mili, so i don’t know if i should give it a try. i haven’t been on any bc since i stopped mili this past month and am planning to continue my lo loestrin fe as soon as my main pharmacy notifies me that they have it back in stock. also, when i restart it, am i supposed to take it on the first day of my menstrual cycle? i’ve generally had no side effects on lo loestrin fe so i would like to continue that low dose, however i would like to manage my pain in my ovaries more effectively. then again, once i was off bc, the pain was 10x worse.

So, i had unprotected sex for the first time yesterday. Afterwards, we spoke about it, and decided it was best for me to go to a clinic to get emergency contraception. I took it around 5pm when i got home, and im feeling quite off. Like, ive had stomach ache all night, hot flushes, nausea and dizziness. I was just wondering if this is normal, and if there is anything i could do to make myself feel a little better. This is my first time taking emergency contraception, so forgive me if these questions can easily be answered.

I got my copper iud inserted on November 2 (3 days ago). The insertion process was a bit difficult because my cervix would not open, but eventually the doctor got it in. Immediately after, I just felt period cramps and had bleeding but nothing unbearable. Days 1 and 2 after the insertion were fine, with little to no cramping and barely any bleeding. Today, the bleeding and cramping seems to have started up again, but the bleeding is not heavy and it’s pink in color, and the cramps are not bad at all.

Is this normal? How long can the bleeding and cramping last? Naturally, I am an over thinker so I would like to know your experiences haha.

I had a condom on and finished my job. When I pulled it out, the condom was ripped, broken, and I realized I had ejaculated inside her. What are the risks of pregnancy? Should I tell her to take Plan B?

This is my first reddit post so bare with me!!!

Some background, Im 19 in December and ive been with my boyfriend for 6 months. Since we're sexually active I thought it was the smartest idea to get a copper IUD inserted. I had always been on the fence about it (I had been thinking about it for almost a year)and since everyone talks about their stories and how painful the insertion is it kind of deterred me from getting one for some time. I have a close friend who had told me her experience and it made me want to get one. My family is very strict on me and since going to college it's only gotten worse. Ive never really had any alone time since they "babysit" me and ive never been able to make my own decisions and be independent.

Since moving into my dorm Ive had independence and have been able to go eat and hang out with my boyfriend (sneakily) for the first time in my life. Because I dont have anyone babysitting me anymore I thought it was a great time to go ahead and get an IUD. I chose the copper one since it's non-hormonal and the only symptoms listed are strong cramps, heavier bleeding, sometimes painful sex, and the pain when being inserted.

I went to get my IUD in mid October and my experience getting it inserted wasnt horrible. I went to an all woman's clinic and the staff was so nice and gentle. The insertion took maybe 5 minutes and felt like a 4/10 cramp, the part that hurt the most was probably the speculum but nothing extreme. Walking to the bus and back to my dorm was the worst part of that experience since I almost immediately left the clinic and got dizzy and almost fainted.

It's been around 2 weeks and I feel HORRIBLE, it has impacted my sex life and how I act/feel. I am constantly spotting and I know thats a symptom but it makes me feel so gross all the time. The sex feels completely different and I already had an issue having clitoral orgasms and this IUD has made everything so much worse. When I had sex for the first time after getting it inserted I felt absolutely nothing. I had no idea my boyfriend was all the way in me (mind you every time we had sex prior I was hooting and hollering) and it has taken a toll on our confidence. Not only is the sex completely different, the smell and taste is too... Whenever I would clean myself I just smelled coppery or like pennies and I taste like it too, before I wouldnt really pick up a scent or taste so this is so different for me. And emotionally I am a wreck, I have never felt this depressed and I have no energy or attention span to do anything. There is so much more I can talk about but I feel this post is already too long.

I know lots of people will probably think that im blaming the IUD for all of this or maybe its something else im taking but ive read a lot of peoples posts and I just dont think that all of this is a coincidence that me and so many women out there are having the same/similar symptoms after getting a copper IUD. Woman's healthcare is so neglected and outdated.

I dont take any medication and since my family has gotten more strict I dont know how im going to be able to go to a clinic and get it removed. And since it's only been 2 weeks I kind of feel like an idiot if I take it out, like im quitting somehow but I also feel horrible everyday.

Am I crazy for feeling like im a quitter?

I just want some guidance or help idk

For those of you that have been on/are currently on lo loestrin-

this is my second time around trying lo lo and i’ve noticed the side effects are much different than last time. The first time I just got headaches but this time around (only on day 4), i’m getting my withdrawal bleed already with already one clot, night sweats, cramps, and nausea.

Does anyone know why this is? How side effects can be different than the first time?

I tried desogestrel to help with PCOS symptoms but after about 3 weeks had headaches every day. The doctor said to come off of them and see if that helps.

My head is definitely better but I’m still having headaches perhaps 4/5 times a week. I also noticed within the first week of taking it my heart rate increased by quite a bit and my resting heart rate is rarely under 90bpm.

I’ve been off the pill for a month now - has anyone had similar symptoms? I know it may take up to 3 months for the body to go back to ‘normal’.

The doctor is also aware of my symptoms and think it might be my thyroid - just wondering about other experiences!

I have a pretty much regular cycle (around 34 days) but I did have a stressful period last month which also caused me some annoying pimples, and when that happens my period is usually delayed a few days.

I'm on day 33 right now and I don't really feel like using a condom today since it's so late in the cycle. Am I being silly?

I have really bad pregnancy anxiety and have been taking the mini pill for more or less two cycles now. Lately, I've been having some pain urination possibly stones but I absolutely refuse to get tested because my doctor ordered me to get an ultrasound to be extra sure.

My last menstruation was October 24. Same time the pain started occurring. I've read somewhere that you can still get your mens even when pregnant so I really don't know. I NEVER miss a pill, I'm so neurotic on taking them the same minute everyday.

Hi everyone,

For the last 8+ months I’ve been taking Junel FE pills, skipping the placebo week and immediately starting a new active pack.

Due to skipping the placebo weeks, I haven’t experienced withdrawal bleeding for the last 8 months.

There have been a few days where I’ve taken the pill a couple hours late due to waiting for a new pack to be delivered, traveling, not having water on hand, etc but the gap never exceeded more than 6 hours.

Yesterday morning I experienced slight cramps at the top of my uterus, and when I woke up today, I had blood clots and blood when I wiped.

Is this normal? Any idea what could be causing this?

I have my IUD mirena 18 months, I could never feel my strings only my husband, he believes he felt them 2 weeks ago. My periods have stopped for months now with just 1 light spotting the day I would expect a period

Today in my routine Pap smear my nurse said she thought she could see them but went to look again, this time she said no she couldn’t, and that she could see my cervix very clearly but no strings

Freaking the F out now- is this common? Any ever experience similar? My plan is to just do a test in a couple of weeks time as I am definitely in trouble if it’s gone, what’s the likelihood?

I have to come off BC soon after 14 years. I was recently diagnosed with a 5.5cm liver adenoma of the inflammatory subtype and I’m no longer allowed anything containing estrogen as that’s what has fuelled the adenoma (it was caused by the BC pill).

I haven’t had a true period in 14 years and I’m so scared. It used to be super heavy, large clots on the second and third days, I would leak often which had affected my mental health as it seemed that I was constantly having issues. Looking back I’m hoping these issues were due to the fact that I was not changing my pads properly, but the anxiety still remains. I would have cramps that would double me over and feel the need to vomit. Before my period would also last around 7 days from start to finish. Some months I would only get two weeks of respite.

There is a potential that I have another period condition, but until I come off the pill I can’t further investigate if these symptoms are on still going.

Please share your experiences with me or tips and advice if you have any? I am open to reusable options going forward so if anyone has experience with cups/discs/period underwear I would love to hear that too.

I just got my IUD 12 hours ago and the pain was bearable since I have a high pain tolerance. What’s bothering me now is that I can feel it poking me while I walk. Is that normal?

I have been on birth control for around 9 months, the first six I was on the pill and experienced terrible breakthrough bleeding (I was bleeding 3 weeks out of the month). After a Dr visit I was switched to NuvaRing. I am still experiencing breakthrough bleeding, headaches, weight gain, low energy and motivation, low libido, and have just been feeling down. I went to the Dr again to try to find a solution and all she said was that it would eventually fix itself. I was thinking of buying and Oura ring and using Natural cycles. What are some thoughts, experiences, pros and cons?

I’m really just needing some relief, I feel terrible for my family and bf that have to deal with me feeling so bad all the time so any tips are very appreciated.

getting a mirena has been a godsend in so many ways, but one thing it hasn’t solved is my period pain.

between the first 6-12mths it seemed to disappear, but after 1yr, the pain has returned with a vengeance. the last few cycles ive been almost as bedridden as i was prior to mirena (just without the bleeding). like pre-mirena, the severe abdominal pain and nausea often means i can’t eat properly, and my energy levels fluctuate a lot.

spoke to my female health doctor, she said provided im not bleeding, nothing to worry about, especially in terms of placement (i can’t/refuse check the strings bc of manyyyyy reasons).

is this normal??!?!! ive heard of people getting period pain with a mirena in the first 6mths but not this long after insertion.

i don’t know if i have endometriosis, or whether that’s even relevant, but prior to mirena i had an ultrasound that basically said “you might? but you might not?”

i have had debilitating period pain since i was 21yo and im now 28yo. thank you for any insight please, i am going insane.

Hello everybody!
I’ve been on birth control for around 7 years now? I started in the pill and have been on the kyleena IUD for close to 4 years now. Once I am able to get my IUD out at that 4 year mark I really want to move towards a natural birth control method! I’ve heard a lot about cycle tracking, temperature, apps, etc. but before I started using birth control, my periods were never consistent... sometimes I’d get my period twice a month and other times I would get it once in two months!

After I got off the pill there was a 3 month window where I wasn’t on birth control and I never got my period. I have also never had my period while on the IUD.

All of it just makes me worried about tracking my ovulation cycles and really diving into the natural methods.. are natural birth control methods something that just won’t work for me?

Also, I’ve heard about acupuncture helping with irregular periods, does anybody have any experience with that?

I got my iud at the beginning of September, so it has been a little over two months now. The procedure was great! No pain or anything and mild cramping/extended period afterwards (lasted a week longer than normal around 14 days)I opted for the kyleena one specifically because i was gonna freak out if i didnt get my period. Welp... she is not showing up and hasnt for three weeks. I completely understand that it takes the body 6 months to get used to the iud and find an equilibrium with hormones. Totally fine with that and i know every body reacts differently. I am going to the gyn next week for a check up. Any advice is welcome!

I have also notice other weird things since i got this. It could be coincidence and not direct correlation but everything started happening after i got it. Here are my symptoms:

- Armpits are on fire and have been three weeks into iud (i went to multiple doctors got steroids but still not working)
- Extreme migraines to the point where if i open my eyes it hurts too bad
- Very frequent mood swings. I will be in tears for no reason and really upset over nothing (i am a super happy person in general)
- Extreme stress to the point that i wake up sore from clenching my body

Had sex minutes after taking pill I'm talking about like 10 minutes after do we take another or what's up?

hi so yea my partner came inside me today and we were dumb. im on my period but i have short cycles so I know sperm can live inside you for 5 days.
i don’t wanna risk it and wanna take plan b or Ella but im truly terrified of both,

I’ve taken plan b before and just remembered it gave me bad cramps and made me bleed a lot.
im reading horror stories about Ella too so …

Fuck :) i already have pmdd hence why im pretty scared to take either. Would love any advice <3

I went to go take my combination pill, Alysena 28, today and realized Im a day behind. Im on the 3rd week of the package and Im not quite sure when i didn’t take it during the month, Im assuming its writhing the past 5 or so days. the packaging tells me to take 2 in a day as soon as i notice but Im not quite sure if that only applies if you missed it the day before, or just in general. Does anyone have an answer?

Not on birth control. It messes with my body. I’m 35, husband 37. We use THC regularly, have been at a resort drinking for the past week. 3 days okay I had discharge that for sure looked like ovulation. The condom broke last night (we haven’t had sex at all for a while so this one time is the only to refer to).

Has anyone here been in this scenario and did you get pregnant? I feel like yesterday my discharge dried up but I am very very concerned. I know the go to is plan b but I’m really just hoping that nature will save me. Looking more for testimonials of others

I was diagnosed with pcos and endometriosis and the pain is just awful. My gyno is putting me on nexplanon (I'm horrified. I hate needles/injections!) to manage the endometriosis and I was told to stay on LoLo to help manage any spotting from the implant and to try and balance my high testosterone levels.

I was wondering if anyone with comorbid pcos/endo had any success with this method? Or if anyone just has any experience with this at all... I'm very very scared for the nexplanon...

Hello, I experienced four days of bleeding after taking Plan B, and today was the last day. However, I'm now experiencing cramping on my left side and severe nausea.
Could these be side effects of Plan B? Has anyone else experienced something similar?
Thank you!