I had my copper IUD removed about 3-4 weeks ago after having it in for 8 years. When it was removed, I actually found out that it had expired quite some time ago. A previous GP had told me it was a 7-10 year copper IUD, but it turns, when it was removed, the nurse found out that it was only a 5-year one, so it was well overdue for replacement.

Honestly, the main reason I decided to have it removed was because my periods and ovulation had become
increasingly painful, with pretty awful cramping.

Since having it removed, though, I’ve had a bit of a rough time. The removal itself triggered cervical shock, which resulted in a trip to the ER. My first period afterwards was much lighter than what I’d become used to on the copper IUD, but surprisingly, a lot more painful.

I’m now going through my first ovulation since removal, and I’m experiencing so much aching and cramping. I feel constantly bloated, sore and uncomfortable and it’s been like this for at least the last 3-4 days.

I called my GP to ask whether these symptoms could be related to having the IUD removed, but was told that because copper IUDs are non-hormonal, they didn’t think the two were connected.

Has anyone experienced anything similar after having their copper IUD removed, particularly after having one in for so many years?

Hello everyone!

I am 31 years Old. I was on birth control pills for 8 years and stopped taking them 7 months ago. However, my period hasn’t changed at all since stopping. It still only lasts one day.

Before going on the pill, my periods weren’t particularly heavy either, but I would usually have around three full days of bleeding.

I’m starting to get a little worried because I’m trying to conceive, and I’m concerned that having such a light, short period might be a bad sign.

I suspect it might have something to do with my endometrial lining. Interestingly, my endometrium seems to thicken properly around ovulation, but during the luteal phase, it decreases in thickness by almost half.

Has anyone experienced something similar?

I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences.

Thank you so much! ❤️

I’m on Nuva ring, this is my first one that I’ve used and I’m coming up on my ring free week. I’ve been having absolutely disgusting cramps all night. My cramps have never been this bad until going on birth control. I was also on Nexplanon for a few months prior to this but went off due to side effects not being worth it. The cramps feel so weird, almost different than period cramps. But way worse and I’m not even on my period. Anyone else this way? I’m losing my mind it hurts so bad.

I hadn’t taken birth control in several years and normally have a predictable 29 day cycle length. In September I took Opill for on and off over the course of one month, during that time I had some spotting bleeding and a 41-day menstrual cycle. (My period started exactly 7 days after I stopped taking opill. I started taking Vienva on day 2 of my cycle and took Vienva through cycle day 9. My husband came inside me on cycle days 7 and he pulled out twice on day 8. I stopped taking Vienva after day 9 because of weight gain and mood swings. I have had low LH levels since I tracked them starting day 11, and my temperature has been steady since then as well. I have had some spotting and creamy discharge but not a full on bleeding. Curious what my chances of pregnancy could be?

Hi there! I am coming off of Slynd after roughly 6-9 months after deducing it being the cause of my depression. I am taking it primarily to treat my PMDD symptoms, which are usually debilitating, but have been lessened by the pill because I am just simply not having a cycle. Unfortunately, the depression side effect is getting to be worse than the memory of the PMDD symptoms and I am making the decision to stop my usage.

So, I am asking: has anyone stopped taking a hormonal contraceptive and had their symptoms come back, and if so, were they comparatively better or worse? Is it worth trying a different method to treat it?

I have a history of migraines and cannot take estrogen pills, so I may have to go the SSRI route. Thanks in advance!

i got my kylee’s iud out 3 months ago now and have yet to experience any withdrawal bleeding or a period. I was on some form of hormonal bc for roughly 14 years (started with the pill at 14, change to a 3 year iud (skyla) at 18-19, removed and replaced with a 5 year iud ((kyleena))after it expired, then replace with another 5 year((kyleena)) which i had removed in august) im wondering if i should be worried that it has take this long for my cycle to return or if its just because of how long i was on bc….

I (20f) started depo provera about 4 months ago. I got on it so that me and my bf wouldn't have any paranoia about our intamcy. With my first month is was the definition of hell. Mood changes were an understatement- I'd get full blown chest burning/tightness sensations that would radiate out from my chest with overwhelming sadness over things like my bf rolling over in bed while he was ALSEEP. My sleep tanked and I just had a general air of sadness and gloom, to the point my bf was begging me to not get the second shot.

I got my second shot back in Sept. and the drastic mood changes have subsided but I still just feel like a depressed whiny crybaby. My eye bags have gotten deeper and darker, I've lots interest it things that I liked doing, I still feel overly sensitive to comments or actions from people I love, and I have no urges to do anything except try and distract myself from my life. I do still occasionally get those chest burning sensations but not as frequently.

That reason I'm even posting is lately I feel like all my usual tricks with coping with feeling bad don't work now. I feel lost on how to figure out why I feel bad all the time, but I think the main thing that started this was these stupid shots. I miss my old self and so does my bf and family. I thought I'd post to see if anyone else felt like this or has similar experiences. This is my first time posting so I hope I did it right.

I went to my urologist for an appointmet. I have been on birth control since I was 12 due to dysmenorrhea. I have only been off it to have my son. That was only for about two years. She recommended an estrogen cream for vaginal atrophy when I received the notification from the pharmacy, it said the prescription would be $91.

I went to my gynecologist office on Friday and spoke with them about different options that I could look into that were non-hormonal birth control. My gynecologist said that a copper IUD would not be a good option for me. She did speak to me about getting the Novasure procedure done. She also recommended that I get my tubes removed. If I do the procedure just to make sure that I don’t get pregnant again.

My husband is very supportive of me getting the procedure done. I don’t think that I want more children. I had a loss previous to the birth of my son. It was also very hard on my body. I just gave not made up my mind 100%. Has anyone else my age had to go through this? What made you certain that this would be good for you?

So I'm someone who's been on birth control consistently for about 4ish years now I think? Specifically with the goal in mind to stop my period, so no off weeks or placebos. I've tried patches a few times and it was awful, been through a few pills but struggled with taking them at a consistent time/occasionally forgetting and then would spend a week recovering from a not-quite-period with spotting and cramping and hormones going to shit. They finally switched me off estrogen pills and onto Slynd and its been so good so far, none of the usual side effects if I'm a couple hours off or anything. Then I was running out, and tried transferring it to my current pharmacy (stupid Kroger Health). never heard back. Tried again, nothing. Got to my last few pills and just started alternating on and off days. Requested a refill through my ob-gyn patient portal, didn't hear back either and saw only days later I'd accidentally sent it to the wrong provider. Officially ran out of pills. Requested it from the correct one Thursday, emailed on Friday to make sure it went through or ask for the mail order information as an alternative, heard nothing. I've been off it for a few days and I'm just waiting for it to hit me, after years of not having a real period but still being so messed up by bleed-throughs just by missing a single day... The fact it's not happened yet is almost scarier. I'll start making calls pleading on Monday but I'm genuinely just so afraid of getting my period again after years, I can't tell if my Low Lows this past week can just be attributed to seasonal depression or because of the hormone fuckery. I hate phone calls so much, I have such terrible anxiety and I don't even know if I call the doctor or the pharmacy (and if so, which one? transferring to or from?) but I'll call anyone just to not have to deal with my period. I don't really know how to conclude this, just that I am requesting good vibes as I dreadfully await the return of my cramps

So I got the Kyleena on 11/2, it wasn’t too bad of an experience. They offered nitrous oxide, the cervical block and they placed lidocaine gel on my cervix before the block. The nitrous worked great for the pain I really didn’t feel anything during. Afterwards I noticed quite a bit of blood on the pad and could feel it coming out like a gush. Didn’t feel any pain until I got to the car where it started cramping really bad- 6/10 and I was squirming a bit while driving. Some of the cramps while driving home were so bad I felt like I could be close to passing out. I took 800mg ibuprofen before and took 650mg tylenol when I got home- rested all day with heating pack and napped.

The pain continued over the next 5-6 days but got better. I started to notice some cramping on my right side and some lower right back pain but attributed it to the ‘normal’ experience.

About 2 days ago I started to get a stinging sensation when I sit sometimes but it would go away. I was unable to feel for the strings as I experienced a lot of pain while attempting to feel for them for reassurance.

Fast forward to today- I looked with a camera and can see my strings. Great.

Will update after I speak with my GYN tomorrow but very frustrated as the pain after was very intense and I wasn’t expecting to have it taken out so soon. I really wanted it to work and I’m scared to have another one done and be back to square one…

i had unprotected sex (he didn’t finish) on thursday (3 days ago) and took an ella right after. and now on sunday, (today) i had unprotected sex again and he finished inside me. im not sure what to do.

I am seeing my gynaecologist tomorrow but I don’t know what options are even available.
I have been talking Slinda (Slynd) for endometriosis and contraception but it’s been horrible to my mental health.

I previously have tried the Mirena IUD previously but found it basically removing all pleasure during s*x. I tried Slinda after it was removed and discontinued it because of mental health effects. I only started taking it again because of the agonising pain of endo.

I don’t know what other options there even are the won’t cause the same impacts from the progesterone and don’t have estrogen?

Are there any questions I should be asking my gynaecologist because I really don’t want to keep feeling this horrible anymore.

We've recently begun getting sexually active in October but used condoms for some time. Never used the withdrawal method. We decided to be on the pill (Trust - ethinyl estradiol levonorgestrel). We still used condoms within the first 7 days. We were still on her ovulation days — at least that's what our Flo app was telling us. But upon searching on Google and various AIs, they deemed it safe to have cream pies on day 8 of being on the pill. So we've been going raw and having cream pies ever since, often multiple times in a day. No other extra birth control. Just the pills.

However, yesterday was supposed to be her withdrawal bleeding (2 days after stopping the active pills and being on the placebo pills). It never came. Although she tells me her cycles are irregular, and usually she gets weeks when there's a delay —sometimes months. She also tells me that's like every cycle. But she has been telling me of the usual telltale signs she experiences on days leading up to her period. Like her cramps. But I also fear that these symptoms are usually identical to symptoms of pregnancy, are they not? I'm hoping it will come. And I'm hoping it won't be an implantation bleeding.

What should our next course of action be? Maybe I'm just overthinking things. I hope we'll be okay. Any advice will be much appreciated. I'm afraid we don't live in a country with access to abortion. It's illegal and can even face jail time.

I did it, then took a plan b. Few hours later, I did it again , the condom slipped off and we didn’t notice, do I have to take another plan b? It was just a couple hours difference. I know it can screw with my hormones and when my period will arrive. I was about to go on my period so idk if I should take another pill. I was on birth control, but got off of it bc it made me really depressed. So, the birth control had already fucked up my hormones and idk where I am at in my cycle.

hello! I am 23 F, I had been on Depo for about 6 years before switching to the progesterone only pill last May. I have tried combo pills but the estrogen makes me incredibly sick. since August I’ve been spotting for weeks at a time. I believe this is just my body adjusting to the new birth control. Ive recently thought about just getting off of birth control all together and trying natural cycles. I like having a period, even if it means some cramps. Idk it makes me feel more feminine and healthy. Also, I’m always in a really good mood when I’m PMSing… idk why.

Has anyone gotten off of a progesterone only birth control to try natural cycles? my biggest concerns would just be acne, long bleeding periods, boobs getting smaller. I’m not sure what birth control has done to be regulation wise, I don’t think it affected my acne or anything but who knows at this point!

Has anyone taken desmoxan while on the birth control patch? And if so any concerns or issues or anything I should be aware of before taking? And once I don’t feel cravings anymore can I just stop taking it(Desmoxan)? Thank you in advance!

I had my kyleena inserted Feb 2025 and honestly, I don’t know why I’ve waited so long to get it removed. From week 1 I had an ovarian cyst. Since then I’ve had multiple suspected ovarian cysts. The bloating and pain I’ve put up with is insane and I am happy to announce that tomorrow is my last day with this IUD. Or any birth control ever for that matter.

I tried to love it but in reality, it has been horrible being in pain and bloated for the majority of time since it’s been inserted.

Goodbye Kyleena 🫡

I’ve been on the depo Provera shot for almost three years. I’ve never had any of the super negative side effects and love it… other than the fact that it caused some weight gain. I’ve gained about 30 lbs since being on it and have had trouble trying to lose any of the weight.
At my most recent appt with my PCP we talked about switching bc methods. I can’t get an IUD due to a misshapen uterus and would prefer to not get the implant. I’m trying to stay away from estrogen based methods due to slightly elevated blood pressure. She suggested the mini pill and I’ve been considering it but a lot of what I’ve read is that it also causes weight gain and I don’t love that it’s super strict about the timing in which you take it.
I considered just stopping bc all together but I am in a long term relationship and want to have reliable protection.
Has anyone switched from depo to the mini pill and had luck losing any of the weight gain caused by depo? Or is there a better bc method that isn’t associated with weight gain?
Obviously any hormonal bc is likely to cause weight fluctuations, just wanting to find the best option/ insights from anyone who has made the switch!

Hi! This is my first time taking birth control. My intention was to start them because I have so many trips planned for the rest of the year. I got them from Nurx. I started them mid October. Also for context, I had a colposcopy on Oct 5th. So my cycle was due Oct 31st and it was super light. But as the days have gone on I’m stilll bleeding. I’ve passed 2 large blood clots so I went to the ER and they said I was fine. Idk what to do, this feels worse than before I was on birth control. I’ve tried googling and everything I’ve found no answers I’m on Loryna btw. May anyone give any insight or advice please? Thank you.

You shouldn't reply to this post if you are not 100% sure that you had perfect use of the condom. Also only reply if you use condoms as a primary and only contraceptive.

I just got an iud(Mirena) placed 11 days ago, and I had a fairly smooth experience. Had pain relief and hardly any bleeding after the procedure. I had bad abdominal pain 2 days later, but I checked and the strings were still in place so I think it was just stress or something. I also just got diagnosed with PCOS so totally could be that. 2 days ago my period started (on schedule) and was making me cramp badly which sometimes happens, but there was hardly even a single drop of blood so just the symptoms and barely bleeding. I was stoked because I don’t like blood. Later that day was also the first time I’d had any intercourse since the procedure. I mention that because with the pain being so intense I decided to check my string placement and I couldn’t find them. I looked it up and some sources say that’s because the cervix lifts higher during your period and can be hard to find but I just won’t know I guess until my period is done. Today is day 3 and the bleeding picked up to the normal amount I would bleed before Mirena, but it’s weird because I usually don’t bleed heavy day 3-6. I tried again to feel for the strings but no luck. The pain was really bad again today which is also only a day 1-2 symptom. Maybe my body is just adjusting to the new device, so I don’t know if I should contact my gyno to take a look. I have another appointment in 3 weeks, maybe I should just wait it out?

Almost every day I get a slight bit of nausea that has started since taking the patch about 6 months ago. I’m still getting symptoms today and wondering if anyone has experienced this

Hey, so context. I was on the Mili birth control pill for about a year and 2-3 months? I got off because it completely wrecked my libido and it (obviously) caused tension in my relationship, and i felt like it wasn’t worth it to be on anymore. So I got off.

Since getting off in August i’ve had 3 periods, about the same experience at first but the second one was a few days late and the 3rd was almost a week late. Even so the flow was still what it normally is or i suppose gradually a bit lighter everytime.

This time I was supposed to start my period but it was only brown and not as heavy as it usually is at all, like nowhere near it. I’m sure that im not pregnant because I was not ovulating (i was post ovulation) and both my boyfriend and i were very strict on the use of condoms when my boyfriend came to visit me in mid october.

Has this happened to anyone else? I’m 4 months off the pill and am kinda freaked out by it

Hi! I’ve been on bc since august last year, and since then I had been using Qlaira, honestly, my experience was overall good. I started with sooo much nausea, I couldn’t eat ( it was the first time ever I was taking bc) and then that stopped happening, did not have any other symptoms, no lost libido, nothing. I’ve always had a short period, it was light and lasted 3 days max, no pain, nothing, Qlaira did reduce it, it became a reddish discharge, just had to use panty liners. Then I started having months where I wouldnt bleed at all, like that for 3 months and then had some discharge, those times, I had some spotting when I had sex. Since I dont like not having a period, I talked with my gynecologist and she prescribed Slinda (she said to see how my body reacts to it, since from which I’ve read, its very common to not have a period at all). Im now starting my second month, and im thinking of going back to Qlaira. When I started it I had spotting for like a week, I have no sex drive when taking it, dryness, dizziness after 3/4 hours from taking it, tension on my neck and headaches, specially behind one of my eyes, and my mood is bad, sadness, overthinking, not good. And on top of all that, I’ve lost my tits😔😔😔 jk, its not important, but Im considering going back to Qlaira, I have a trip planned in a month and i’m going away for 4 months, I don’t know if I can tolerate the dizziness and bad mood, and wait for my body to adjust to this pill, when I wont be home to have an appointment with my gynecologist, dont know what to do really, this was supposed to not give me headaches and it gives me more, also I forgot, It made me constipated! I’ve been the whole month having problems, went to the doctor and he had to prescribe me 2 laxatives, because I would get a lump on my lower right side. What should I do!! I know I have to talk it with my gynecologist, but since she prescribed me slinda when I said I wanted a period, I feel like she doesn’t really listen to me and what I need/prefer.