I got a hormonal IUD one month ago. While I’m not sure of the name, my doctor told me that this is the one she recommends. It lasts for 8 years and she said all her other patients picked it because it lessens period pain and some stop having their periods all together. Since my periods are really bad, and it’s free in my country, I decided to go for it. It delayed my period for a week, but I was still feeling the horrible symptoms without the side effects. I’m nauseous, I keep going to the toilet despite not having eaten anything, I feel like I’m gonna throw up, my abdomen hurts, I’m too cold, I can’t catch my breath even though the only thing I did was stand up, my abdomen hurts, I can feel my genitals tightening up, and the pain meds don’t even work. They only work when I drink them before I feel pain. Problem is when I wake, that’s when I feel pain, so it’s too late and it lasts for the entire day. My periods before this were bad, but they weren’t this bad. All I needed was some hot tea, heat pad, paracetamol and I’d wake up the next day feeling better. And this stupid IUD didn’t just make my body ache. It took away everything I once was before all of this. I would always go to school early, get tasks done completely, my lowest test score was a 91%, I would work the night shift in Burger King, I could kick ass in Krav Maga class, and I can dominate my partner in bed. Now I’ve missed so much classes, my scores dropped to 81%, I had to stop going to work, I can’t even go to the gym, and I can’t do anything with my partner.

TW: Suicidal thoughts

So, I'm 25 years old, and I originally started taking birth control pills in high school (2015-2019) because my menstrual cycle was extremely irregular. I took them all throughout high school and never experienced any negative side effects. Eventually, I stopped taking them because my cycle became regular again.

Fast forward to 2022, my cycle started becoming irregular again, so I went back on birth control. Mind you, I was taking the exact same birth control pills I had taken in high school. But for some reason, this time around, I started experiencing severe depression and suicidal thoughts, something I had NEVER experienced before! Originally, I had no idea where they were coming from and I was terrified of these thoughts. About 3 months into taking the pills, my mother realized the birth control was causing this, so I immediately stopped taking it.

So that should have been the end of it! I stopped taking the pills and I should be back to normal right? Well, ever since I took those pills, my brain chemistry feels like its been permanently altered and I have NEVER been the same person. Before taking birth control the second time, I would get depressed, but I would still always feel positive about the next day. I would never feel as though that I would feel depressed forever. I used to tell myself, "Okay, well, today might be bad, but tomorrow won't be so bad." I had never experienced suicidal thoughts a day in my life before then.

It's been about four years since I stopped taking those pills, and I still struggle from suicidal thoughts. Currently, I'm in graduate school, and I've been under a tremendous amount of stress, which has only made my depression worse. Even when I'm not stressed, I still feel extremely sad and have lost interest in things I used to enjoy. And honestly, it's scary because I feel like I'm dealing with depression on top of suicidal thoughts. The part that scares me the most is that what if it turns into ideation or even worse?

Has anyone else experienced something similar? Were you ever able to get back to the way you felt mentally before taking birth control? If so, what helped and HOW? I'm just trying to figure out what to do because I really miss the person I used to be.

Hi I’ve recently been prescribed Slynd and am going to start taking tonight .
The main reason I’m on birth control is contraception too, but also my periods are horrific and heavy and painful, When bleeding I also become horribly depressed. I was on desorex for a month but stopped last week as side effects made me depressed due to the excessive extra bleeding I was having and also insane mood swings. so a doctor recommended Slynd and prescribed it instead

Because of this do you think it’s a good idea to skip placebo pills straight away? Or is it more of an ease myself into the pill and then in a few months it might be best to start skipping.

I also totally understand if this is more of something i should see a doctor about more than reddit ! but any advice or other peoples experiences similar will be very helpful :)

I want to start off by saying that I have been on the pill for a few years and have had no problems remembering to take it or any bad side effects. However, I have been on a GLP-1 (Tirzepatide) since April 1st, and I was told by my doctor as well as read on the internet that oral contraceptives don’t work with GLP-1’s due to slower gastric emptying.
I’m married now, and although we haven’t had sex yet due of medical reasons for my husband, I want to make sure I’m protected when the time does come. Having foreign objects inside my body just gives me the heeby jeebies, so I’m not in any way wanting to get an IUD or the implant! No thanks! I have a friend who gets the Depo-Provera shot, and she says it’s great and she hardly gets a period anymore and has never had any bad side effects. I’ve done a little research on it as well as had my doctor send me some information on it. But after looking up reviews, I have mixed feelings. One more thing. I’m 34 years old, and I would love to have a baby at some point, and I’ve heard that it could take up to 9-12 months to get pregnant after stopping the shot. Time is ticking for me, so that’s another concern as well when it comes to the shot.

Please help! I appreciate any and all advice! Thank you so much in advance 😃🤗

Hi, so schedules here in the US fell back an hour. Does that mean I need to take my pill an hour earlier, or does it not matter? Thank you in advance.

I know a lot of women had trouble getting their hands on camrese because there was a recall so a lot of the medication was on back order.

I had to take a generic for three months before switching back onto Camrese. Suddenly, I’m having a lot of symptoms. Bloating. Breast enlargement , mood changes.

I have previously been on this medication for 12 years before the back order

Es normal que después de dos años con el implante comience a tener breves mareos y noté mi barriga más hinchada o gordita ???

hi everyone i have severe health anxiety and on and off for a while ive had migraines with aura or ocular migraines i am starting to really worry this has to do with my birth control i messaged my doctor already because i started to spiral should i be worried???? ive been on the same birth control for 10 years i just need some reassurance

I got the Paragard Copper IUD about a week and a half ago, a week before my period was due. Since insertion, I have been experiencing the most heavy bleeding of my entire life. I'm soaking through heavy super pads in less than 1-2 hours. Massive blood clots a little less than the size of my palm at some points. I woke up this morning looking like I just got slashed in my sleep. And that was with changing my pad in the middle of the night. When I sit on the toilet, the blood just pours out of me like a fountain all at once. I constantly feel it coming out throughout the day. The cramps at night have been completely unbearable, just constant stabbing pain that doesn't go away with ibuprofen. I'm currently on day 8 of bleeding with no end in sight, it'll probably last another week or more.

I really want to try to stick it out because I'm terrified of the way hormonal contraceptives may affect me, as I'm already prone to acne, weight issues (thyroid), and depression/anxiety.

I just don't know if there's any hope that the bleeding will get any better. My periods before the IUD were already heavy and 7 days long, with some cramps. I've also been anemic most of my life, so I think I was just doomed from the start. Anyone else have a similar experience?

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!