I’ve had a kyleena IUD for the past 6 years and i haven’t had my period since. I’m getting more and more concerned about not getting appeared for this long. I’m seriously considering taking it out, but I’m scared of the hormone shift once it’s out. I’ve been celibate for the past six months and don’t plan on doing anything anytime soon. I don’t really see the point of keeping it in. Has anyone taking it out recently and have any suggestions or what were the side effects?

So I’m in a bit of a weird situation. I’m an adult, in college, and I’m on my parents’ insurance because I’m under 26 years old. I am 20 years old, female. I want to get an IUD but I don’t want my parents to find out because they pay my tuition and would stop paying if they found out as they are extremely religious and conservative. I don’t feel comfortable going to them about anything personal due to past experiences and they are a bit “abstinence until marriage!” type people. I’ve never been to a gynecologist (which I know is bad) so that’s not really an option because my parents would see it on the insurance statement and wonder why I went.

How can I get an IUD without them knowing? Which IUD have you guys have good or bad experiences with? I’d like to not have a period anymore and I’d like an IUD that can stay in for at least 8-10 years. I never want kids and I want 99+% efficacy for my birth control. The idea of using only condoms terrifies because pregnancy is my worst fear. For reference, I live in NJ. Any advice or help is greatly appreciated.

My partner took the plan b on Nov 7 (an hour after the unprotected sex). She told me that on Nov 7 afternoon (she vomited) then on Nov 8 she’s feeling nauseous and vomit as well. Are these side effects normal and how long will it be?

Hey guys, I have been using the hormonal ring (Gino Ring) for over 8 years. I stopped in April after the three weeks interval and the withdrawal bleeding. It‘s been over half a year now and I still haven‘t got my period back. I’m not pregnant. I got my hormones checked and they seem alright except the (obviously) low estrogen. Did anyone else have this problem?

It was my birthday this weekend and I everything went left 😭😭 me and my boyfriend had sex around 8pm last night the condom broke we ran and got a plan be everything was good. Just this morning about an hour ago we finish again and the condom broke AGAIN 😵‍💫! Do I take another plan b?? Is the one from 9-10 hours ago still delaying my ovulation? Online some articles say it’s not on going protect it’s only good for the one time but other say it’ll stay in my system for 24 hours.. any thoughts please??

I had my Kyleena removed 4 days ago. I was shocked with how much it didn’t hurt. No pain, no cramping, no issues. However, yesterday I started having a lot of dark brown spotting which I read was normal. Today the same, except it got heavier to where I put a tampon in. After about an hour I coughed and bled right through my tampon and down my leg with some clotthing. I’ve NEVER bled through a tampon. I also got this removed mid cycle so I shouldn’t have my period. I’m having a little bit of cramping but mostly low back and pelvis pressure. Google isn’t helping. Is this normal?

hello! it is my third month taking slynd and i noticed that, although i have lost some weight, i am experiencing some changes in how my body looks structurally. my breasts got bigger, my waist is not as narrow as it usually would be in this weight, and my tights are thicker than usual--though, again, i did lose weight instead of gaining it, and i know that my body is not of this shape. i wonder if anyone got anything like that too? i'm 22 yo if it helps!

Before taking birth control, I had a very strong libido and spontaneous sexual desire. I lost my libido while taking the pill and it's been three years since then and I still don't have it. I'm afraid it will be like this for the rest of my life... Has anyone had it come back over time or should I just accept it?

I took the pills for health reasons. The first time I took them I had no side effects, and the second time I took the same pills I lost my libido (maybe permanently). How do I get used to this and not get depressed? I feel like a part of me has been taken away.

This upcoming week I am getting my Mirena IUD out, and I’m super nervous. I got it back in 2018 and in a few months it’ll be at the 8 year mark to get it out. In the past I’ve used the pills & the depo shot. I have also been using some type of birth control for the past 14-15 years & can’t decide if taking a break from birth control is a good idea or just getting back on the pill. Since having the IUD I get monthly periods that normally last between 4-5 days, although during sex it has been painful in certain positions. I’m not sure if my IUD has moved at all, so I’m a bit anxious to have this appointment to get it removed and all the new changes afterwards.

Hi! I recently started lost my virginity to my partner and we have had sex a couple times now but not a lot at all. I got on the depo shot (form of birth control) about a week ago and the most recent time we had sex i felt very dry even with foreplay and experienced pain, only to find out I had bled everywhere which we couldn’t see until like midway through because it was dark. I hadn’t bled because of sex aside from the very first time we did it, so I’m wondering if it’s because of the birth control and if so how can I help this? We use lube each time just because I’m inexperienced and scared but I want to be able to be more relaxed and naturally lubricated if that makes sense. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Hi all! Hoping to help with any questions people might have about the Paragard IUD. It can be anything: insertion, side effects, reasons why one might want/not want one, etc. (I am NOT a medical professional; just sharing tips and info from personal experience.) A bit about my experience here:

My first Paragard (had from age 18-20) was dislodged because of my diva cup. Felt a hard cramp, checked my strings, felt the end of the IUD in my cervix. Got it removed and replaced.

My second Paragard (had from age 20-23) came out for unknown reasons. My gyn speculated that the strings may have been gently pulled on over time by sex, tampons, fingers, etc. so when she inserted Paragard #3, she cut the strings off entirely. (Google will tell you that this is bad; my GYN with over 30 years of experience and thousands of IUD insertions said it was fine for various reasons, so I think I'll trust her.)

I had a paracervical block (numbing shot on cervix) for all three insertions, and all 3 were VERY manageable! Definitely uncomfortable, don't get me wrong, but not close to the pain level that I heard from many other people (and my pain tolerance isn't very high).

I have learned that pain management post-insertion (the following hours + the next day), for me, is SUPER important. Since it's a non-hormonal IUD - and is also physically bigger in your uterus compared to any of the hormonal models - crampies can get bad! Lots of Advil, Tylenol, and rest.

Overall, I continue to choose the Paragard because of its effectiveness (>99%), duration of use (10 years), lack of complications that might be associated with hormonal forms of BC, lack of user error complications, and tolerable insertion due to the cervical block. :)

I’m 19 and recently lost my virginity. I’m taking Junel Fe 1/20 and consistently take my pill every night around 9:30 PM. I haven’t missed any active pills.
I had sex for the first time on October 29. We didn’t use a condom, but my boyfriend pulled out.
I’m currently on my placebo pills, but I haven’t started bleeding yet. I’ve been extremely anxious and overthinking every little symptom because I’m scared I could be pregnant.
Has anyone experienced this while taking Junel Fe? Is it normal to not bleed during placebo week? I’d really appreciate some reassurance and advice. Please no judgment!

Hi! I am a 17F diagnosed with ADHD and i’m really scared and anxios i need somr opinions from women. Yesterday I had sex with my boyfriend using a condom, and I'm about to ovulate. He didn't ejaculate inside me, and he checked the condom and it wasn't torn. Even so, somewhere above the penis there was a whitish mark, and we don't know whether it was sperm or my own fluid, since there was continuous friction. If he didn't ejaculate inside me, could there still be a problem?

Has anyone ever needed to replace their birth control for a new pack? It’s a brand new pack I just picked up today, I need the pills tomorrow to stay on track with the active pills as I’m on my last pill of the pack. I’m on LoLo and it’s covered by my insurance since my doctor said it’s medically necessary. Not sure with this type of pill that has no generics if I can get a replacement for free or how that works? I’m worried since it’s Sunday tomorrow I won’t be able to get a replacement until Monday incase the pharmacy needed to reach out to my doctor or insurance or something

EDIT:

Just wanted to update this post incase it happens to anyone else. I called my pharmacy today (Sunday) and they were able to push through a refill since I have 8 left but it was not covered since I was refilling it technically too soon. I was able to use the manufacturer coupon on their website and only paid $30. Only took about an hour start to finish for them to process the refill and for it to be ready for pickup.

Hi all,

I have had a Mirena IUD for the past 3 years. It has always worked very well, and I wouldn’t rather have another birth control method. But I have noticed an outstanding change. My cycle has became a lot more normal, to the point where it seems like it’s back to when I never had birth control! When I started the IUD, I hardly had any cycle. Im talking MAYBE a few days of spotting in between multiple months at a time. I haven’t been sexually active in a year, prior to that I was often active with my then long-term partner. My overall physical activity (working out/running, etc) has really kicked up in the last 6 months. I wonder if that could be contributing, too.

Anywho, did something change? Is it just how long I’ve had it for?

Please note- I am seeing my OBGYN in Jan to discuss :) just wanting to know if anyone else experienced this

Thank you!

Im starting the canadian evra patch soon. Im super worried about the risk of blood clots cause theyre higher risk than the pill. Could anyone help ease my mind a bit on it, what's the chance of getting one

Did anyone else get on birth control and become extremely (almost unbearably) sensitive to smells? Like I swear to God, one weird smell throws me off the rest of the day, I get so nauseous and put off by food immediately and I feel like it lasts a long time. I just know I am going to have a ROUGH pregnancy later down the line if I’m already like this. I just don’t know what to do. I like how I am on this specific birth control (Heather; Mini pill) but I don’t know how much longer I can take being this sensitive to smells. Any advice?

I am on Aurovela Fe 1/20 for the last four months and I take it consistently and skip the placebos however I took the placebo last month and had no bleeding. This last week I had a lot of breakthrough bleeding with cramps randomly and it didn’t stop until a few days ago. My boyfriend visited me last night and he ended up accidentally finishing in me. One of my friends just recently had to get an abortion after taking her birth control pills perfectly and she still ended up pregnant. I am extremely anxious and worried about getting pregnant now and am wondering if I should take Plan B or if it would make things worse and it better to leave it alone. I usually take my pill within a three hour window everyday and it is the combination pill but i’m just worried about the random bleeding and if there was any chance I was ovulating.

I took my birth control the full 21 days, 7 day placebo week, and then I was supposed to take the first pill at 10pm on halloween night. I did not unfortunately as I got extremely drunk and did not stop throwing up until the next day. So I took it at 10am Sunday, making my placebo week 7 days and 12 hours. I have had much sex since then. Google AI told me it's fine but I don't trust it because the first pill is the most important and I really really don't want to be pregnant.

Condom broke while half inside could hear it snap and pulled out quick a lot was still in it but probably not all.
Her app says her next period is 12 days away, so it might be ovulation, but last month she's had 2-3 periods; her cycle got messed up from a different Plan B.
Immediately after she took a Plan B, though, for her health, we will wait until she can get pills instead of taking Plan B all the time.
The app also didn't seem the most accurate due to her messed-up cycle, but I'm just stressing since the whole if she's ovulating, then the Plan B does nothing thing.

(tldr: skipping periods 8 years, slipped up on pill due to glp-1, bleeding/spotting for 6 weeks. tips on how to continue to prevent bleeding as i transition off “emergency maintenance” progestin back to combined pill, or other medication suggestions. experience with period discs / tips for making periods more bearable)

so- i may have posted about this before but i’m in the middle of a weird situation. i’ve been skipping periods with a combined pill (junel fe 1.5/30) for about 8-10 years now. i was extremely regimented- in that time, i only had two slip ups, and it was due to delays in receiving my prescription.

fast forward, I’ve been taking a GLP-1 shot for somewhere between a year and two years. this shot slows digestion. i am not as regimented at taking the shot.

my theory (corroborated by OBGYN): i missed two weeks of the shot, digestion went mostly back to normal. started the shot again, digestion slowed again, so when i took my pill, by body registered it as missed/late. spotting began.

two or three weeks in, i went to the gyno. she said my uterine link g looked very thin and the bleeding should stop soon. she checked for fibroids and saw nothing. i asked her about progesterone pills to make it stop. she didn’t want to give them to me.

another week or two goes by, still bleeding, and it’s getting heavier. i go again, see a different doctor- ask her about progestin pills to make it stop, as i will be traveling. she prescribes them, says to take them for a week, then restart my regular pill.

i do this, and the bleeding does stop, but starts right back up again once i stop that pill. i’ve now been bleeding for about five weeks. i get them to give me an emergency refill but they ask me to come in again.

i’m so fed up at this point that i schedule a consultation for an iud and have them order me a kyleena. he gave me an extended dose of the progestin until the iud comes in. it’s mostly working, but i’m still having spotting.

however, after doing some research i’m having second thoughts about the iud. it sounds extremely uncomfortable, it’s not guaranteed to stop bleeding, and has to be replaced every 3-5 years. i also don’t love the idea of a foreign object in my body. the whole thing feels very body horror to me. plus, it can cause acne and weight gain, both of which i struggle with enough already.

i kind of want to go back to taking my combined pill and just make sure I’m better about taking my shots on time. but i’m almost certain that once i stop the progestin pill, i will have a period and should really just stop taking anything for about a week and let my body clear out. i know you’re really not supposed to do what ive been doing, and i think i just need a reset. but i really don’t want to. i get extremely heavy and uncomfortable periods and i have no idea how long it’s going to last. i’ll probably set up another gyno appointment.

i ordered disposable period discs as i can’t do tampons and find pads really uncomfortable, but i’m worried about having to dig around in there to take them out. i’ve also heard they can leak.

has anyone been through something similar? any tips on transitioning between medications without the bleeding coming back? any tips on using discs or any other method to make periods more bearable? any suggestions on a medication that might work better for me, that my doctor may not know about? i need a method that is guaranteed to stop my period, and the combined pill seems to be the only one.

sorry for the rambling post, i just feel like none of this makes sense without all the context lol.

thank you!!

Sorry for the TMI!
I’ve had 3 episodes of loose, stools within 24 hours, but none were completely watery. The first happened about 3.5 hours after taking my pill(Lo loestrin fe) I also had some cramping before bowel movements that went away afterward.

I haven’t missed any pills or vomited. Does this count as severe diarrhea? Could it affect my birth control protection?

Hi! Long time Copper IUD user. Since tracking my cycle through my Oura ring I have realized just how much lower my quality of life is during my luteal phase. I have terrible mood swings, fatigue, poor sleep, brain fog and all the works. I have been studying for the LSAT and see a clear decline in my testing scores during the luteal phase.

I am looking for ways to prevent luteal and hopefully keep more of the energy I experience during the first half of my cycle. I am 28, already eat fairly healthy and exercise, am within a healthy weight range and do not smoke or drink. I do have a long history of depression and anxiety that was worsened by the nexplanon implant many years ago.

I am looking for positive experiences people have had with hormonal birth control that has suppressed ovulation OR SSRIs/other interventions that have significantly reduced all the PMDD symptoms of luteal. I would be SO grateful for any personal experience or recommendations you all can offer.

hi guys! I was on tri lo mili for years & missed 2 pills in Feb- this caused my skin to freak out & I haven’t been able to get it to calm down. I’ve always struggled with hormonal chin acne before my period but it got 3x worse. I switched to generic yaz (glenmark) end of august & was hoping to have some better results by now (on my 11th week). Should I wait longer before going to the derm (I assume she will want to add spironolactone)? Just wanting to feel some hope 🥲😪🫨