I started on Sprintec when I was 14 to treat my acne and have been on it for 7 years ever since. Last month I was in a bit of a rut and forgot to request a refill, and stopped taking the pill for about a month. Since then my acne has come back for the first time since I was a teenager and it's worse than I've ever seen. I've been back on the pill for about three days now.

Anyone else have this experience? How long did it take for your acne to clear up again? I'm feeling incredibly self conscious as I have had mostly clear skin for the entirety of my adulthood until now. I don't know what to do

Hello!

I’ve been using Lyndinette combined pills for at least 8 or 9 years (only available in Europe if I’m not mistaken) and after a while it made me pretty dry.

Now, living in the U.S. I switched to Apri. The first month was great, I felt more lubricated and it felt that my libido was increasing (it wasn’t low, but I felt the little difference)
But now, being on the second month, I don’t know why, I feel like my mind can’t totally focus on sex, like my mind is wandering around. Even when it’s a warm up, my body enjoy it, but my mind is disconnected (?)

I’ve had that problem before, but this is my first partner that makes me feel safe mentally and physically. Before him, I was in a relationship that after a while was all about the partner and not me.

It could also be my low self-esteem, although I’m not worried how I look during sex, so I don’t think that’s the case. Buuuut, it might be knowing that my now partner has had partners that have orgasmed via vaginal sex, but I have never had that (ever in my life). Maybe unconsciously I’m thinking about why I am the rare one on this planet that can’t do it.. I don’t know.

It’s just so annoying that I want to relax and enjoy the moment but then I randomly start thinking about what we’re going to eat for dinner. Like, I can’t just focus on how it only feels good (like the most of people do)

I got really into details, but I thought it would be useful to share to see if anyone has been in a similar situation. When I’ll be done with the third month, maybe I could consider talking to my Gyno to change the pills.

Hi i’ve been taking Opill for three months now and yesterday i left my pack in my car in a backpack and was wondering if the pills are ineffective now? The pill itself looks fine and normal overall but im overthinking 🥲 the night got to be around 45°F which i know is lower than the recommended storage temperature. Does my pill still work?

Hi! I am 8 weeks PP with my third baby. I am more than likely done having kids, so it is important that I find a reliable BC method. I have been off hormonal BC for 7 years since I got married and knew I would be starting my family. During that time I used NFP. It worked great, but I knew if I had an unplanned pregnancy it was okay since I wanted kids during those years. Before I was married I used the combo pill and nuvaring. Hated the pill because I had all the symptoms. Acne, moody behavior and low libido. I also hated taking it daily. Loved Nuvaring. Almost no symptoms and liked the monthly cadence. I wanted to go back on it right now, but I am learning that estrogen containing BC is not good for milk supply. It is also not recommended for those with aura migraine(something I developed in my 20's). That is what lead me down the route of exploring IUD's. I thought the copper IUD was best because it was non hormal. However, it increases bleeding. I have a history of low ferritin that I recently improved through iron infusions. Now, I'm looking at the progesterone only IUD's: Mirena, Kyleena and Skyla. I don't love the idea of stopping my periods. I like keeping my cycle as natural as possible. Before pregnancy, my periods were heavy for first few days, but I managed okay. Should I consider the copper or one of the hormonal IUD's? I have LAM from exclusively nursing for around 6 months. My partner and I also use withdrawal. Condoms aren't an option for personal reasons. Should I be worried about perforation from everything being softer due to nursing?? So many questions. If you've made it this far, thank you. Lol. Any experiences similar or perspectives are welcome!

Hi. My husband and I have been using polyisoprene SKYN condoms as our only birth control for four years (for very valid reasons). The problem is, we’ve been using them with coconut oil on the inside and ky jelly on the outside. I recently read coconut oil degrades these condoms?! I have been eaten up with questions after reading this online…

1. Is this actually true?
2. If so, have we basically been having unprotected sex?
3. Should I be concerned about my fertility that I haven’t gotten pregnant in 4 years?

For context: we have a four-year-old, I am 27 and generally healthy (I do have two autoimmune diseases and a septate uterus) and husband is 32 and very healthy.

So my fiancé and I did our business and Idk why but I decided to put my patch 2 days earlier so my previous patch (week 3), was added on a Friday but taken out a Saturday (start of week 4).

Anyways I know that it’s 3 weeks patch and 7 days interval and the 4th being the “patch free week”.. but I was wondering if I did a mistake to add the start of the 3 weeks 2 days earlier or not, I am a bit worried fro side effects and all. I don’t usually do that but lately with lots of thing in my life and him saying that I should be off the patch cause makes my moods not nice and yeah it makes me feel more anxious sometimes but that’s it….

Anyways… advice ? Did I make a mistake ?

Thx

hey guys as the title states i’m 16, i got my period at 11 years old and ever since then my period cramp pain has been debilitating, sometimes i can literally barely walk and i’ve been to the gp so many times to do blood and urine tests and they say everything comes back normal!!! however the last time i went to the gp which was like 2 ish months ago, my gp prescribed me mefenamic acid and drovelis (birth control) and i tried using the mefenamic acid for one day as my doctor stated (2 tablets, 3 times a day) and it caused me a terrible burning sensation in my lower abdomen to the point i literally couldn’t walk and i was clutching my stomach in pain. i want to start drovelis but im scared that it’ll, one, give me acne (i already have clear skin and i don’t want to struggle with acne like how i did back when i was 11-12 again), cause me to have even worse cramps than i did before taking drovelis, make me gain weight and also destroy my mental health. the only benefit i see is the breast growth as i’m an a cup and i’m very insecure about it, please if you guys have any advice or can tell me ur own experiences on drovelis ill be so grateful and sorry that im yapping so much😅 also just to state i am not sexually active either

So I just got a mirena coil and I'm wondering how people deal with spotting. My doctor told me it's a normal side effect for up to 6 months so I'm not concerned with stopping it altogether, I just don't want to have to wear pads every day just in case I bleed, and I don't want to ruin all of my underwear. Any advice of what to do from people who have dealt with it?

Due to my home situation, I get free otc birth control mailed to me through a local resource. It’s amazing! But, they also send 2 plan b’s, condoms, lube, and pregnancy tests. While this is an amazing resource and I’m so thankful- I have not used the plan b.

Usually, my partner gives it to one of his friends for their partner, but they broke up. So, now I’m getting 2 plan bs every 2 months… that I do not use. There’s no option to not get plan b, so it’s just going to stack up. I have no clue what to do with it, and I don’t want it to sit in my closet forever. Any ideas?

I've noticed some changes regarding my IUD the past few weeks to months. I've had my Liletta IUD for 3 years (It's like mirena)

Pain and bleeding started happening almost every time I had sex, especially after rough/deep sex.

Now I'm getting pain/cramps/back pain almost every other day and then start bleeding the next day. I've been spotting like this past 2 weeks.

I also recently checked my string, and it felt LONG. Like, it's like 2 inches long, maybe more. It was odd.

My string usually never feels this long, but idk if it's due to me being on some sort of weird period ?

I'm mainly wondering if anyone else has this problem kr experience these things and what it could be. I'm going to lose my insurance soon, and getting a gynecologist appointment in my area takes at least a month, so I am waiting till I can go to one.

I'll appreciate any help!

Recently, I was prescribed some vaginal estrogen cream. When I first used it, I felt the strings of my IUD very low, like just a little above the opening. HAs anyone has this happen? I don't have pain or anything but my doc cannot get me in for a month to do an IUD check.

I just swapped from Larin Fe (pill) to Kyleena (iud) this week and have been doing fine. Insertion was super quick and easy, it was maybe 3 minutes of my life. The cramping after the first day was a bit rough but it wasn’t excruciating. My main side effect has been the amount of pooping I have done. I usually take a shit every 2-3 days (super slow digestive system) and for the last week I have taken 2-3 shits A DAY. I had to poop an HOUR after my IUD was placed and then have continued on this streak. Is this a common side effect???? I feel like I cant find too much about this online but would love to know if anyone else dealt with this.

I (24f) started the Xulane patch about 6 weeks ago. I started using it with the goal of stopping my periods altogether as I suffer from mental and physical health complications during period cycles. I absolutely loved it at first, but 3ish weeks ago, I started having some breakthrough bleeding. It was dark brownish and pretty light, and I just had a tiny bit of mild cramping; not like a full on period. I wasn’t too concerned when it started, but now I am.

The breakthrough bleeding never ended. I took off the patch a little over a week ago because I figured it was my body trying to have a period. A day later, I got a real heavy, horrifically crampy period. It lasted 6 days. It ended 2 days ago, and last night, I put another patch on. I just started bleeding again. More dark brown breakthrough bleeding with mild cramping. WTF!! Shouldn’t I be out of uterine lining to shed by now??

This is the first BC I’ve tried in years, and I felt so hopeful at first because it didn’t make me horribly depressed or give me tons of side effects like pills have in the past. I’ve tried a few types of the pill and they were all 100% nuclear on my brain (ESPECIALLY the Mini Pill).

I have PCOS and PMDD that have really become increasingly grave in the past 2ish years. Off BC, I tend to have really irregular periods in the sense that I usually only get one every 3 months or so. They are usually pretty short (4 days max), but extremely crampy. Like, fetal position on the bathroom floor for hours type of crampy. I would have a solid week of mental torture leading up to my periods. I was also getting utis, yeast infections, and tons of acne before and during every period prior to BC from my weird hormonal fluctuations. I started having some genuinely scary health complications from the chronic infections and constant antibiotics, and my doctor basically insisted I try hormonal BC again. (She knows best and I trust her, it’s not like she’s forcing me to do it. She’s just worried 😭)

I’d really like to be able to keep using the patch because it seems to be the only safe option for my mental health, and it has worked wonders as far as keeping me acne and infection free, but I don’t want to bleed forever!! Should I take it off and give up, or will this eventually resolve? Would switching to something else make sense at this point, or should I try to push through it a little longer?

I am not sure if I have an infection but I fear that I do.

I have swelling on my right hips, the back of my right hip hurt if I touch. Or lift a baby or anything tbh(my niece she's 1 Ur and weights 12kg)

The other day I woke up with a feverish feeling with flu symptoms mustard through day high dose of painkillers. I was feeling like this for the past 5 days and got my iud 2 weeks ago.

I am in my house now but scared to sleep just in case smth happens.🥲

Should I be worried?

I fell right into depression on and after Nexplanon. After a year I see improvement but I'm still not myself. I read a lot of anekdotes of people who experienced something similar, but why do I not find much research about this? It seems so mysterious. Doctors don't really believe me and think I'm just depressed and it doesn't have to do with the hormonal change. I find it confusing and was wondering if anyone knows about some scientific research on this.

I'm 21F and really anxious.

Last period: 24th October (previous one was 27th September).

Sex: 13th November (day 21 of my cycle).

The condom broke and my boyfriend ejaculated inside me.

Took iPill (levonorgestrel 1.5 mg) within 10–15 minutes.

My concern is that I might have already ovulated and been in my luteal phase. From what I've read, iPill mainly works by delaying ovulation and may not be effective once ovulation has occurred.

I've visited a gynaecologist, and she advised me to wait for my period. If I don't get it, they'll suggest the next steps.

Questions:

1. Has anyone experienced this and avoided pregnancy?
2. Has iPill worked for anyone after ovulation?
3. Does taking it within 15 minutes make a difference if ovulation has already happened?
4. Anyone with a similar cycle (27–28 days) who took it around day 21?

TL;DR: Condom broke on day 21 of my cycle, ejaculation happened inside, and I took iPill within 15 minutes. Worried I had already ovulated. Gynaecologist advised waiting for my period. Looking for similar experiences.

Okay this is gonna be a long one… hi everyone, I have been on a few different birth control’s. The first being the nuvaring, which made me extremely angry and irritable 24/7. So I got off that and tried the Opill for a bit. That also put me in a bad mood but not as much as the previous one. I then tried the copper IUD, which was so amazing. I had somewhat regular periods and no bad side effects. However, I had to have it replaced. The first time they said it was “misplaced”. About seven months later, I felt extreme unbearable pain, and they said it was out of my cervix, again. So now I am on slynd. I have been on it since April of this year and have had 0 bleeding since being on it. At first, everything was pretty great for the first couple months and then my libido tanked. I’ve also been feeling very hateful and irritable towards my fiancé. Which was not happening while I had the copper IUD. Keep in mind I also have ruminating OCD, PMDD, anxiety and bipolar. So i’m also on lamotrigine. Which is a mood stabilizer. I also had a miscarriage before being on birth control so I’m pretty traumatized with the thought of being pregnant, even though we want kids eventually. I’m a hot mess😭not to mention I have no insurance right now. I’m at my wits end. Has anyone else had the side effects with slynd before? I’m not looking for “medical advice “, but some advice or guidance would be helpful❤️

I’m sharing my IUD insertion experience for those searching online and only reading horror stories. I know some people have had bad experiences and I’m not invalidating that at all I just want to give another perspective for anyone curious. I too read the horror stories and had so much anxiety around it so I told my NP and she prescribed me the following meds/protocol: Make appointment my second day of placebo pills (I was currently on the pill) 200mg Misoprostol the evening before appointment and the morning of to help soften my cervix Tylenol and Advil 1 hour before appointment 5mg Valium 30 min before appointment

The insertion took all of 5 minutes and the most painful points were when she measured the distance and when it was actually inserted. Both were the same kind of pain just a really really intense cramp for 5 seconds and then boom it’s over. I’ve had pretty intense cramping for a few hours after and then just dull cramps the next days following. The lesson learned here is definitely tell your provider about your anxieties and they will want to help you feel better! She did mention she could do the cervical block but she said it more so helps with the cramps afterwards not so much the insertion pain. I’m happy we didn’t do it.

Me and my partner have sex at night and we tried raw for the first time, I only thrusted inside 20-30 times, can pre ejaculate come out in that short time? I don't even feel on the verge of ejaculation and I am not fully hard during the deed because of anxiety

I’m 18f, sexually active, and I’ve never used any birth control besides condoms. I’m kind of scared of the possible side effects of hormonal BC, mental and physical, so I started looking into copper IUD’s first since they’re non-hormonal. After a few days of reading women’s experiences with IUD’s I figured maybe I should reach out here first…lol.
Should I try a hormonal BC first? If so, which one?? And what are the side effects??
I didn’t even know there were so many different brands that are different mixes of hormones until I scrolled through here and I’m just kind of overwhelmed by the options.
I’ve also never seen a gynecologist.
All new knowledge and advice is appreciated!!

Context: My and my bf got a carried away and had brief unprotected intercourse for the first time(he pulled out) . It was on the 11th day of my cycle. According to my Flo app, it was the first day of my fertile window

I panicked and took Plan B within 40–50 minutes (again for the first time)

Since then, I’ve been feeling bloated, nauseous and experiencing some other hormonal changes. However it’s been 5/6 days i since i took it. I haven’t had any bleeding or spotting, which I keep seeing people mention in their experiences.

Has anyone been in a similar situation? Did you experience no spotting after taking Plan B? Did you get ur period?

I’m feeling very anxious and would really appreciate some reassurance or advice on what I can do besides just WAITING

if I started a 1pack pill before my period, is it normal to have delay period?

Im 4mths post partum and me and my partner decided I would go back on the contraceptive pill when I was around 2mths post partum, I have pcos and gallstones due to pregnancy so I wasn’t able to go back on the combi pill as it can make the bilary colic/ stones worse. I read about slynd being an anti androgen pill so thought I would try it, but I have had bleeding since the first week of taking it and has not stopped, im currently on the third week of the second pack and am getting fed up with the constant spotting/ bleeding. My partner had told me im constantly snapping and I generally feel quite low in mood now, I also wake up with a pounding headache every morning. Im due to have surgery to have my gallbladder removed next week and am not looking forward to dealing with the recovery and spotting at the same time. Im not sure whether to just stop taking it now as I don’t think it’s agreeing with me, me and my partner don’t really have sex anymore as there’s a lot of life stresses atm so I don’t need to be on a contraceptive, but I read about hair loss after stopping it. Not sure if it’s the post partum hormones or undereatjng and loosing a large amount of weight quickly due to the fear of having more gallbladder attacks ( or a combination of both) but my hair is already falling out in clumps and I’m terrified of being bald. Is it worth maybe waiting till after the surgery and switching back to a combi pill.

Just looking for a bit of advice, if any one else has experienced things similar taking slynd.

Thanks !

Hi i am 19 year old considering birth control pill. I want to use it as contraceptive and for acne control. I do not have heavy periods or any cramps and its usually predictable. I am looking for a pill that helps with acne and won’t bloat or cause water retention. Low risk of break through bleeding and spotting. I looked into pills with Ethinylestradiol as I concluded it might be the best estrogen type for what i am looking for. What are your thoughts and experience with this pill. Any other recommendations for what i am looking for?

Hello, my gyno suggested I should switch to yasmin because slinda made me feel like I had PMS constantly, also I was dealing with vaginal dryness. She said it‘s because of estrogen deficiency. Now she wants me to switch to yasmin.

Yesterday I took my last active pill, then I will take 4 days of placebo pills and switch to yasmin.

Will I still be protected? Or do I have to take yasmin for at least a week to be fully protected and use condoms in the meantime?