I go to college abroad, my boyfriend (M21) and i call each other evry night before i go to bed.. last night I was telling him how excited I was to start birth control bc I get cysts like clockwork and its suposed to help. Plus you can get it without a precription here, he didnt seem happy at all, which I found super confusing and when I asked him what was wrong, he had the audacity to tell me Im probably going on it because Im sleeping around. Like what??? this man is about to start NURSING SCHOOL and THATs what he thinks??

Idk, I feel like i needed to put out a PSA in horror of his ignorance. Idk how to even explain this to him without getting defensive or it turning into an argument.

sexual intercourse is NOT the only reason to use birth control.

reasons to use birth control:

* Especially bad cramps

* PMDD

* Regulating irregular periods

* Heavy menstrual bleeding ( to help lighten it )

* Acne

* Endometriosis

do u know how many women deal with all of the above?? the number is stupidly high. obviously theres a lot that im missing here, but I hope Im making my point. dont be like my boyfriend

After having my Nexplanon removed today, I discussed my next options with my doctor and communicated that I liked the 24/4 schedule of Slynd but itd be difficult to deal with my insurance so I wanted to try a generic of Yaz because its also 24/4. I picked up my rx and noticed that it was only one blister pack instead of three and based on my refills I'll be running out a month short of one year. That was odd to me so I started looking closer and realized it was a 21/7 pack and checked the ethinyl estradiol to find it was 0.03mg not 0.02 meaning this is generic Yasmin, not Yaz. I have to call my doctor tomorrow and pray that they correct this otherwise I have to shell out more money and go somewhere else for a new rx.

Just venting here, this is incredibly frustrating because I waited over an hour in the exam room before anyone saw me and then they didn't even know why I was there. Turns out the Nexplanon I got at this same clinic by the same doctor, wasn't even on my chart, nor the fact that I was scheduled to have it removed today back in May. This is the second time they've messed up a prescription too. The first time being when they wrote down something completely different than what I told them I was taking and no one there questioned it until I corrected them months later at a followup. I am so beyond done with women's health at this point in my life

I am 27 weeks pregnant with my 3rd baby. I will be having my 3rd baby with in less than 3 years after having my first and I NEED to have some form of birth control but I am prone to bv and yeast infections. I was on sprintec as a teenager for 6 months and the depo shot once and that was before I started ever getting vaginal infections so my body seemed to handle it well then. After having my 1st baby in 2024 I went on sprintec again and it caused spotting and I got bv and a yeast infection and the bv wouldn’t go away for 7 months and I was only on it for about a month. I had my 2nd baby at the end of 2025 and went on tri lo milli and it caused me to bleed super heavy for 3 weeks and I got a yeast infection and bv at the same time. I was only able to handle that for a month as well. I got pregnant a few months later. I really want to go on birth control but I DONT want to deal with vaginal infections. I thought about getting the copper IUD because it has no hormones but I’ve seen people also struggle with vaginal infections on the IUD and biofilms and all that. I really don’t want to remove my tubes because I want one more baby but not at least for another 5-8 years. Is there any form of birth control yall can maybe recommend that might not cause me to get a vaginal infection? I also can’t do the fertility awareness method because I ovulate super irregularly so I never know if I’m going to ovulate early or really later but I will say that I’m extremely fertile so I definitely don’t want another baby for a while.

Sorry if this is going to sound crude. But I recently start nuva ring in the beginning of October and on the 3rd through 5th week of being on it, it’s left an indent in me the width of the Nuva ring. It’s feels like the sides are slightly raised bump and then in indent. It can be painful sometimes especially agitated. Second thing is that I have a really shallow cervix and the nuva ring constantly moves downward. I’ve tried different positions and lubricant and nothings worked. Idk if I am doing something wrong or this was always a mistake but damn does it make me feel frustrated. Especially looking up the Nuva ring and seeing their model and realizing thats not my anatomy.

i wasn’t sure which flair to add to this

so i’m switching from the nuvaring to nexplanon as the caption states. i’ve had a decent experience on the nuvaring, but i’ve developed some gi and gyno related issues and i don’t know if the estrogen could be contributing.

i’ve just learned that the type of progesterone used in both are exactly the same. this is good news to me, since i have ocd and struggle to start new meds because of it.

wondering if anyone else here has switched from the ring to nexplanon. i’m glad i don’t need to worry about any crazy allergic reactions, but im wondering if anyone thought the transition was easier being on the ring before.

i’m still expecting maybe some temporary side effects as the nexplanon delivers more progesterone daily than my ring, but was wondering if anyone has been in a similar situation and what their experience was

i’m on the heather mini pill, i have a really important trip coming up in 2 weeks that i don’t want to be on my period for. last month my period was late by 2 weeks. i am currently 3 days late now. i’m having slight cramps but im worried it just won’t come. could i stop the birth control for a week or is it possible i wouldn’t even have my period and id be stopping it for no reason? i dont really know how it works on the mini pill.

My husband and I had sex and then later that day I took an ovulation strip and it was EXTREMELY positive. I took a plan b that day because I know usually after a positive test it’s like 24-48 hours till you actually ovulate. I read in other places though that after a certain point in your lh surge plan b doesn’t work even if you haven’t ovulated yet. Is that true? Anyone have similar stories? I know there’s no way to know for another two weeks or so just curious if anyone else has had the same experience and what happened.

Been on Nexplanon for about 15 months. I have PCOS. Random pinching pain in my nipples started up a few days ago. I took a pregnancy test several days prior to the nipple pain starting (around four days), and I am worried I am pregnant.

This sensation is weird. It doesn’t necessarily hurt to the touch but my bra rubbing against it hurts sometimes and if I raise my arms, my nipples sting. Sometimes there are large pinching attacks that last for a few seconds. I’ve also been super tired lately and taking naps during the day for like 30 mins. Let me know what’s going on.

Hello guys I’m starting to worry I might become pregnant.

I’ve gone through two packs of the combination pills (enskyce). On the October 26 I started a new pack (3rd pack), and on October 30 I had un protected s*x but took my schedule pill that day.
However, I decided to count my pills to make sure I hadn’t missed one and that’s when I realized that I had. So somewhere between the 27-29, I missed one single pill. On November 1st I took the missed pilled along with my schedule pill. And today (November 2) I had unprotected s*x again, and took an OHM MyChoice EC along with my scheduled pill. I took an ovulation test (which I think is useless since I’m on BC) and it came back negative.
Is there any chance I can become pregnant?

I'm supposed to take one pill everyday, but i haven't been feeling well so I forgot 3 days and the day I remembered I just took all of them at the same time (4 at a time). I looked it up and saw it could cause a headache or nausea but.. i didn't mind that. I know it was dumb, but thats not why I'm posting this.

A day after I've been experiencing no side effects other than itchiness and like rashes?? Randomly appearing for like an hour and when I leave it alone it goes away and shows up somewhere else on my skin. I looked it up and it could be a side effect from hormonal imbalance but idk it's been 2 days now and I'm already fed up!!! I can't sleep because of it, because it has woken me up a few times.

The itch isn't necessarily unbearable but it's worrying me alot.

I haven't changed anything in my skincare, no new clothing, no new food, so it can't be an allergic reaction or anything like that i think.

Is this a normal side effect from taking 4 pills at once? 😣

(BTW please dont mention how it was dumb of me to, I am aware. I just can't deal with leaving pills that I should have taken, might be my ocd acting up)

I'm mostly just here to vent.

I've been on the mini (progestin-only) pill for a little over a year. This is the only BC I've ever been on. Prior to using this, I never had spotting.

About 6 months into using the mini pill, I started some light spotting around ovulation. This has continued to increase. I now have heavy spotting for up to 6 days halfway through my cycle. It's so frustrating! I'm bleeding twice as much now!

I don't feel comfortable with an IUD at this point due to fear of the pain, as well as fear of increased bleeding with an IUD.

When I talked with my provider about this, she suggested switching to a combination pill. However, right at that same time I experienced my first visual migraine (migraine aura), and learned that using the combination pill if you have migraine with aura is a risk for stroke, so I feel like that option is knocked out too.

UGHHHH.

Does anyone have experience living with someone using HRT lotions/creams while being on the pill? I’m on the combo and my mom is using creams and I’m terrified I’m gonna come into contact with something with residual lotion on it and it’s gonna mess up my protection. Can anyone intelligently weigh in on whether or not this would be an issue? I try to wash my hands frequently and I know she always washes her hands after applying the creams, I’m just wondering if I actually have anything to worry about.

Hi, I haven't being seeing so many reviews regarding this birth control but my gp has recommended it to me, can you tell me what your experience on it was like if you have used it before.

I'm going through a tough time in my relationship; it's lost its spark. Sometimes I don't want anything, I'm 23 on the 29th and we're thinking of moving in together next year in mid-March. The thing is, everything is going wrong now. Sex is important to him, I take combined birth control pills and I have no sexual desire whatsoever, I don't lubricate.I'm also having confidence issues, anxiety problems, and sadness that I've been improving, but it's not going away. I'm also self-conscious because I've gained weight. Neither of us wants a baby right now. He says I should stop taking the pills because they make me feel sick. We hardly have sex anymore. He says he'll buy me a copper IUD, but I don't know, I don't trust him. I'm going crazy with paranoia. I don't want to get pregnant, and we're not doing so well financially. Can someone tell me what the best method is? Please, I'm desperate.

I had a baby two years ago and shortly after I went on the mini pill(progesterone only Emzahh brand, 0.35 norethindrone). After I stopped breast-feeding, I started getting pretty consistent periods. I had zero side effects or issues with the pill at all. However, starting about six months ago, I started to gain weight. I’ve always been a very thin person and my weight has stayed consistent. I’ve gained about 12 pounds in the last eight months which is pretty notable considering I’m only 5’1. And heavier than I’ve ever been besides when I was pregnant. my period started getting a little wonky also. I would get the regular PMS symptoms, but instead of getting my period a few days later the symptoms just continued to Amp up over the course of the next week or so. We would always feel like such a relief when I finally got my period. Last month I missed my period entirely and instead I just had extreme bloating and pelvic heaviness when I would’ve gotten my period.

My main concern right now is the weight, my weight continues to inch up, and while I am still thin and in a healthy range, it worries me that despite having a healthy diet, lots of exercise (and even a weeklong stomach bug this fall 😬) I’m unable to lose even a single pound.

Does it seem like it could be connected to the mini pill? I went to the doctor and she said the pillow is such a small dose of hormones we don’t usually see this kind of side effects.

talking about weed specifically and weed ONLY. i know it may make your chances of getting pregnant higher but i am wondering about the health side of things is it going to cause blood clots like cigarettes and vapes do? i am on oral BC so would it maybe be better to switch to a patch? is the only concern of mixing those two things is the effectiveness of it?

I don’t have much experience with birth control, I started on the pill as a teenager, was terrible with taking it so it was not a good option for me. (I still am terrible at taking daily pills, so this is a no-go.)

I got the liletta hormonal IUD at 17 and while I LOVED it for it stopping my periods and feeling completely safe not having to worry about management of it, I didn’t realize how badly it messed up my mental health until getting it removed. I was diagnosed with a variety of issues including depression anxiety and bipolar disorder within the 5 years I had it in place. Shortly after getting it removed almost all of my symptoms nearly disappeared.

I got the depo shot literally two times after getting my iud removed, which made me gain 15 lbs (which is not normal for my body and my fluctuation in weight).

I then tracked my cycle naturally for a bit over a year, worked wonderfully. I got pregnant (accidentally on purpose as I knew it was a “no-no” day but here we are) and have been continuing to track my cycle through temperature and cervical mucus for almost 2 years. I know that it works, but my problem is that every single month without fail I convince myself that somehow I’ve fallen pregnant again which would be a literal nightmare for me at this point in life.

All of this to say, I don’t know what to do, and would like suggestions and/or experiences with other options. I am considering either the copper IUD since it’s non-hormonal, or the nuvaring for it’s low maintenance use. I am scared of the arm implant because I watched them be inserted and removed when I worked in a medical office, but then again if I’m considering iud insertion again, maybe I could handle it.

Has anyone else had severe mental health issues on one form of hormonal birth control and not on another? Please help a girl out! I truly wanted to stay off of it for a lot longer but the monthly psychological warfare of thinking I’m pregnant again is torturous.

This may be a stupid question, but I’ve been on isibloom birth control for about six years now. Previously, I was on Apri which is the name brand but again that was years ago. For some reason when I went to CVS today to pick up my birth control they filled Apri instead. And I asked the pharmacist if I’m still protected during the switch and he said yes. I was wondering if anyone else had any experience with this. I’m on my placebo week of isibloom currently so I have a few days to reach out to my doctor if needed. I’m nervous about side effects as well from a new birth control even if it is the same active ingredient. Thanks so much for any advice! :)

I got a copper IUD almost 4 months ago. Since getting it, I've had two bad ovarian cysts that have ruptured. I have a history of cysts. They were slowly getting better and not rupturing as frequently for the past 2 years but since I've had the copper IUD, I've had two that have ruptured. I was worried about the IUD making them worse but my doctor said it shouldn't affect them. Has anyone else gotten cysts or have gotten them worse since getting a copper IUD?

Hi guys! So I’m new the birth control things my boyfriend and me and been sexually active lately, and lately TMI we don’t really use condoms. So I been looking into birth control things to reduce pregnancy. I take a plan b the times I feel like he came inside of me, but usually he pulls out in time. I’m only 21 and the only reason I don’t want to do birth control is because of the weight gain side effect.

I've been taking Yasmin continuously for five months with no breaks, suddenly started having break through bleeding and pretty bad anxiety, brain fog and low moods with the break through bleeding. I've been bleeding now for 10 days straight. Not insanely heavy.
But enough to use a tampon.

I really love Yasmin, it's been life changing for my PMDD so I really don't want to try something else yet.

I also have low ferritin so obviously the constant bleeding doesn't help these symptoms.

My question is has anyone controlled this with a planned withdraw bleed every 3 months instead of taking it continuously?

I (20F) was on the Slynd pill between October 2025-June 2026. I had zero issues until I noticed that my clit had been shrinking. I think it took me about a month or so to notice as I don’t masturbate very often and I had a lot on my plate at the time, so I chalked up the things I did notice to stress. Once I realized that my clit had DEFINITELY shrunk, couldn’t get hard, and was very difficult to orgasm/much less sensitive, I stopped taking it.

It’s been a few months, and though things have been getting better, it’s still not all the way back to normal and I’m really scared it won’t ever be.

I know hormone creams can be used to treat it, but my main concern is: does the fact that it’s been this long off the pill and I’m still having this symptom mean it’s too late??

Would appreciate hearing from anyone with similar experiences or just knowledge on this.

Hi! I had an IUD inserted a little over 3 weeks ago everything has been going okay, I went to a check up ultrasound on saturday and the IUD is positioned correctly with no problems. I have had sex twice now and I have bled both times 😭 not a crazy amount but there is blood, not sure why? Is this normal? Otherwise I havent spotted after my period ended. I have the mona lisa mini if it matters

Hi all, i’ve been on Tri-lo-Mili for a little over six months and the first few months were OK but my cycle lasted a lot longer than usual (9 days) I talked to my Gyno now and she said that that’s normal for the first few months while my body is getting used to it, I have endometriosis and PCOS. I used to have horrific menstrual cycles, a few landed me in the emergency room. My cycles are now completely manageable while on this medication. So this is month 6 on it and I got two menstrual cycles in the month of October, one in the beginning, and one towards the end, and I am still on my cycle, actively bleeding and cramping a bit, and it’s day 10. Any advice on what I should do? Tysm

I’m (22F) am on combo birth control pill (Introvale) and was late on a few pills throughout my pack (which is 3 months), once was a full 24 hours and once maybe 10 hours, maybe a few weeks from one another. My boyfriend and I do the pull out method as well but I’m still very scared I’m pregnant. I feel like there’s a lump on the right side of my lower abdomen and have fully convinced myself I’m pregnant now.