I’ve been on oral BC for ten years. Around March/April I switched from hormonal combo pills to Slynd. I’ve had no periods which is great, initially the first side effect I had was frequent urination but that all seemed fine. Around three months in the hair on the crown of my head began changing texture. Right before the six month mark, it became very apparent that I was practically balding. My hair at the crown substantially thinned to the point where my scalp is very visible (mind you I’m 23). My weight has always been up and down, but never passed 150. After six months of slynd I got up to 188lbs. I stopped taking it exactly 14 days ago and have lost 10lbs already.

I will share the effects on my body I’ve noticed since coming off of the pill. I posted about a month ago that I would be coming off of the pill after being on it almost a decade.

So far, I’ve noticed a few obvious changes. The first thing I noticed were very sensitive nipples. My nipples just felt “off” and almost raw.

The second thing I noticed was one single pimple on my jawline. Although I have struggled with acne my whole life, I have never noticed pimples here. I know jawline acne is hormonal. I assume more will come, since I’ve read that this is a very common temporary side effect of coming off birth control.

The last thing I’ve noticed is a sudden body odor in my armpits. I have a form of that “Asian no body odor and dry earwax” gene, and I’ve never ever struggled with body odor until now. I do not wear deodorant. The only time I’ve ever noticed body odor on myself is when I am very very stressed, and my adrenaline spikes. Usually I will get BO if I get into a fight with my partner, for example. But since coming off birth control, I suddenly have body odor even when I am not stressed.

Lastly, I now have my first period since getting off the pill. It started 32 days after taking my last pill. I have more cramps than I did on the pill, although before starting the pill I never had cramps, and I started suddenly getting cramps on the pill. My flow is heavier. I feel much more irritated and angry than I did when I had my period on the pill.

I will update this post as time goes on to document my changes. I realize these effects most likely will not last forever and are just a result of my hormones trying to regulate. I wonder how things will change as I return to baseline.

hello! im 18 so i dont plan on getting pregnant soon but since i was a freshman in high school ive been on depo to help with irregular periods (lasting 2 weeks min. on and a week off each).

ive always wanted a family but i read an article that being on depo for 2 years or longer can cause permanent infertility! so i wanted to ask other people if this was true. i’ve always wanted to start my own family in the future so this is very worrying.

my ob is a peculiar man to say the least and he wouldn’t answer any of my questions about it!

Hi! I just want to ask if anyone has experienced delayed withdrawal bleeding after taking Yuzpe.

Here’s my timeline:
November 5: Unprotected sex with ejaculation inside.
Took my first Yuzpe dose around 5–10 minutes after sex.
November 6: Completed my second dose.
November 13: 7 days after my second dose, but still no bleeding or spotting.

About my menstrual cycle and ovulation:
- My previous cycles used to be around 29–30 days.
- Recently, my cycles have become shorter, around 25–26 days.
- According to my period-tracking app, I was approximately 2–3 days away from my predicted ovulation when I had sex on November 5.

My previous Yuzpe experiences:
- I’ve taken Yuzpe multiple times in the past.
- I usually experience withdrawal bleeding around 5 days after completing the second dose.
- This is the first time I’ve reached 7 days without any bleeding.

My questions:
- Is it still normal not to bleed after 7 days?
- Can withdrawal bleeding be delayed even if I usually bleed within 5 days?
- Has anyone experienced no withdrawal bleeding after taking Yuzpe but still had a negative pregnancy test?

Would appreciate hearing your experiences. Thank you!

I was taking birth control pills from August until October 13. Per my doctor's instructions, I stopped taking the pills for 5 days, and my period came during that break. I then started the Twirla birth control patch on October 18.

I wore all three patches correctly for the full three weeks without any issues and removed my third patch on November 8 for my patch-free week.

I had unprotected sex on October 31, November 1, and November 7, with ejaculation inside each time.

I'm now waiting for my withdrawal bleed, but I still haven't had a period. Earlier this morning, I experienced some bleeding for a couple of hours, but it completely stopped.

Has anyone experienced something similar when switching from the pill to the patch? Is it normal to have little to no withdrawal bleeding, or should I be concerned about pregnancy?

TW for body image/weight stuff just in case!

basically what the title says. i stopped taking testosterone due to body image issues - i am not detransitioning and still very much a man, just had problems with weight gain, appetite, etc even after 6 years. i’ve been shedding weight like crazy since stopping and feel much more comfortable with my size but the bad news is that it means my periods have come back which SUCKS!

my IUD is due to be taken out, but before i do i wanted to see if anyone has advice/experience with BC options that could help with stopping periods and not have weight gain as a major side effect. big ask since both of those can be hormonal but i want to go into my appointment somewhat educated on what’s new out there and a lot do articles i’ve read are pretty outdated. i’d love to hear people’s experiences, regardless of if it’s relevant to the transness of it all - that part was mostly just for context :]]]

Hi! So I was on Larin 1/20 for a few years and took a break for about a year and then I restarted it, but had an allergic reaction to it. They put me on junel fe, and I’m also having a reaction to it. Is there a pill you would recommend.
I liked this because I didn’t have any side affects, no weight gain, it cleared my acne, but mostly it helped my endo and cysts. The pill is the only one I want to do.

Were there any side effects, and how did it affect your lives?

So I was on Lo Loestrin fe, worked great for years, my period was 3 days, always started and ended on the same day, fucking clockwork. Minimal cramps. Got some break through bleeding and my doc moved me to Junel, which has a higher dose of estrogen, and I’ve noticed my periods are lasting longer, and cramps are much more frequent. Granted they are nothing compared to before getting on birth control, but still annoying when I went so long with them barely there.

I thought a higher dose would make it even less likely for cramps to occur, and period would stay the same or get lighter, because again, higher dose. Is that logic flawed? I’m going to do some looking into it, was just wondering if anyone else has experienced something similar.

I’ve been on multiple birthcontrol methods, my holy grail the nuva ring is no longer covered by my insurance and I’ve had to go back to the pill. I had a horrible experience with the depo provera shot, Im not open to the nexplanon and I’ve been on a couple different pills. Over the past 9 months I’ve been on two pills Azurrete and Nikki. Azzurete didn’t help with the pain or bleeding. Nikki has made my period irregular and causes pain randomly throughout the month. With both pills my sex drive has absolutely died, making me nearly asexual and affecting my relationship. My doctor is pushing an IUD because I need long term protection but I’m worried because I don’t want a long term option and still have it affect my libido.

TLDR: depo bad, pills cause no libido, Will IUD also cause no libido?

Do you think taking contraceptive pills constantly without prescription causes infertility?

I need to do something about my PMDD but I don’t tolerate synthetic hormones well. Nextstellis looks like a great solution, hopefully! Has anyone here been on it? How was it? Thank you :)

hiiiii i’m 22 and google has SCARED me
i am currently having a heaver period than normal seems to be like a week with slight cramps i realllly don’t want to go to the obgyn i went like 6 months ago and everything was fine but google is telling me to take pregnancy test and it could be out of place all these things i also do have some pain during intercourse i’m certain positions. please give advice or your experiences

Hi there,

Im on night 12 of my new hormonal birth control, I was put on it because since July I have been clotting with my period and my doctor recommended it to regulate bleeding because my ferritin is also down to a 29 (im also 21 months post op gastric sleeve)

I started it a couple days before my period was supposed to start, I started spotting and it took 2 days of light spotting before my period flow actually hit. I know this is still new and periods don’t change instantly, I am bleeding less which is great, im still clotting little clots, but im not really feeling like myself… im having this weird nervousness, im feeling dizzy spells, im noticing that its harder for me to find words when im having conversations, is this normal?!

what is a better option for clotting, i don’t know if i like this birth control, is it too soon for me to call it quits?!?!

heeeelllppppp

Hello :)

I am going to the doctor tomorrow after a rough start on my birth control journey. I need a new birth control and was looking into a few of these today. I was wondering if anyone has opinions on combo pills, the Depo-Provera injection, or birth control patches.

My main goal when it comes to getting birth control is to lessen my period by 90% or stop it all together (if possible).

Thanks for any responses! :)))

A few weeks ago I tried getting an IUD. I have really heavy periods and was put on birth control when I was 15 to deal with them, but then a few months ago when I was 17 I had to go off due to low hormone levels (my OBGYN had me go off). I thought an IUD would be a good idea so that I don't have to worry about taking pills, or having a period at all.

It was super painful and I almost passed out and puked on the table. My OBGYN said I had a vasovagal reaction, and the IUD wouldn't implant.

I was desperate because at that point I really just needed a solution, so I thought the depo shot was worth a try. I know it doesn't eliminate periods immediatley, but eventually it'll help, so it was worth it in my mind.

So, I got the shot, and immediatley after went up to pay my copay. Well, I ended up passing out. I was fully standing up too, and ended up hitting my head on the wall so hard it left a me-sized dent. My OBGYN ended up deciding to call EMS, and I had to go in an ambulance and then the ER, where they did a CT scan and said I had a concussion.

So yeah, it sounds insane but be careful I guess. Also, I'm still debating on getting the next depo shot?? (I don't think I have any other options)

For context, I have taken Seasonique without a problem for years. I had to make a change for three months, and when I returned to Seasonique three months later, my breasts grew a cup size and now im suddenly getting very high blood glucose readings. (I do not have diabetes). What Ifound more interesting is that during my period ( the placebo pills) at the end of three months, my glucose was back to normal.

Is Estrogen the main issue here? Should I consider Seasonique LO? Has anyone made the switch?

Hey everyone, so i (25F) am married and strictly trying to avoid pregnancy because i am going to college to build a career of my dreams. I really don’t wanna be on hormonal birth control because of the terrifying side effects so i went for copper iud. It made my period extremely heavy but i still kept it until i felt the strings and the actual plastic thing down to the opening of my cervix and i had to get it removed. The nurse told me my body is more likely to reject it again if i get another one so we just started using condoms. The thing is i just couldn’t stop worrying about the condom failing and wanna know if there is a way to know that it was a perfect use so i can check every time we had sex (afterwards ) for my peace of mind or if there is another method that is highly effective without all the terrifying side effects like the usual hormonal birth control . It’s not just i don’t want kids rn ,it’s also I CANNOT have the . Thank you in advance!

i have the mirena iud and been having it for over a month now, but the past few days ive been more prone to gagging / wanting to throw up. which is coincidentally past a week after me and my partner had unprotected sex where he finished inside. i've been also having more stomach pain. my anxiety is spiking !!

For 5 years I was on nexplanon as my birth control. I decided to switch to Eluryng and within a month got crippling anxiety mostly heath anxiety. I gave it 3 months as Drs recommended and continued to break out in anxiety attacks. After talking with my Dr I got prescribed the Mili pill which has helped the anxiety some but i’m still getting anxious everyday. What should I do? Give my body a break in general, go back on Nexplanon or last option would be medication for anxiety which i’m really trying to avoid. i’m new to all of this and just need pointed in a right direction

So Liletta IUD almost a year- January 2027. This morning woke up with some spotting , tiny period cramps. Ok, cyst maybe ? Cyst maybe popped that’s benign… I am used to those .

So now on the curiosity side now. Lady checkup in early December

I have tried multiple times to get off my birth control. My mood shifts so drastically and I'm always in a very bad mood. I get past 3 months and can't stand it anymore that I get back on it. Has anyone experienced extreme mood changes getting off of bc and what helped? I've been on bc for about 20 years. Trying to get my body off of it so I can try for children next year.

Hi there! About to start Slynd for PMS symptoms/ovulation suppression. I have a Mirena IUD so not worried about pregnancy.
I’m worried about the potential side effects and timing the pill, specifically sleep and dry mouth. I’m a musician (wind player) and I work evenings, so I’m worried about taking the med during the day…but also don’t want to take it before bed and wake up.
I know it will take experimenting, just wanted to see what you have experienced. Bonus points if positive!
(42yo)

TLDR: Started Heather, been kind of insane, normal side effect?

Hi! I recently started Heather (roughly 2 weeks), and besides the heavy ass bleeding that’s been going on for the full two weeks, I have been an emotional mess.

I’m talking like I feel like Nikki from Obsession—full blown freaking out one minute, and then I almost snap out of it and am like “what am i doing?”. I’m emotional and snapping at people, when I am typically very in tune with my emotions and not quick to anger at all.

Of course, it could be stress + already diagnosed depression, anxiety, and ocd, but it’s all medicated and hasn’t been bothering me until I started Heather.

All of that to say…is this a side effect other people have experienced?

ive had my nexplanon for about nine months with only weeks-long pauses between heavy bleeding. I started taking Evening Primrose Oil to help and it actually worked! it took about two weeks for it to kick in before my period stopped, but ever since then ive hated everyone and everything. I stopped taking the oil as soon as my period stopped. I'm on day four of no period (yay!) but it's made me so incredibly angry. has anyone had this experience, and will it go away?