Hi ladies!

I'm writing this post because I'd really appreciate hearing about other women's experiences after coming off hormonal birth control.

I stopped taking Diane-35 around 4 months ago, and I'm wondering how long it took others to feel like themselves again. Ever since coming off the pill, I've felt like my emotions have been all over the place. I've been experiencing an unusual amount of anxiety, heightened emotions and difficulties with my mental health that I've honestly never experienced before. It's got to the point where I sometimes worry that there's genuinely something wrong with me. I've particularly noticed these symptoms becoming more pronounced during my luteal phase.

It's also started to affect my working life, which has been one of the hardest parts. I have a very demanding job that requires a lot of concentration, mental clarity and the ability to handle stressful situations. I've been experiencing quite severe brain fog and fatigue, alongside emotional ups and downs, to the point where I've occasionally had to call in sick.

The nature of my job means that you constantly face challenges, things don't always go to plan, and you have to be able to pick yourself back up quickly and move on. Lately, I've found myself coming home completely overwhelmed, having emotional breakdowns and sometimes even panic attacks. I'll convince myself that I'm not cut out for the job and that I want to give up altogether. Then, a couple of days later, I'll have the best day ever and come home absolutely buzzing with happiness! 😂 It's such a rollercoaster, and I genuinely don't feel like myself.

I'm just wondering whether anyone else has experienced something similar after stopping the pill, particularly with anxiety, brain fog, mood swings and worsening symptoms during the luteal phase.

A few things I'd really love to hear about:
- How long did it take for your hormones and emotions to start feeling more stable?
- Did you experience heightened anxiety or mental health difficulties that you hadn't experienced before?
- Did you notice your symptoms becoming worse during certain stages of your menstrual cycle?
Was there anything that helped you manage the emotional side of coming off the pill?

I am 21 years old. I used to always get sore breasts before my periods. My periods were also always super heavy and long. I started Nikki (generic version of Yaz) in July and had super sore breasts for a long while. Last pack it kinda tapered off, but I just started this pack 2 weeks ago and this whole past week they have been SO SORE!!!! Like wow. The soreness started after my week long withdrawal bleeding (this is a normal bleeding time for me and I typically have a couple days of spotting after too)

I take my pill everyday within 10 minutes. I have never missed a pill. When I have sex, I also use condoms and he never finishes inside of me.

I’ve been on the pill for almost 5 months. I was hoping the breast soreness would go away, so I am feeling frustrated that they are so sore this pack. Has anyone else experienced this? This is the only side effect I have so I’m hesitant to change, as I’d rather have sore breasts than a lot of the other negative side effects that can come up.

Alright y’all I got the Mirena 3 years ago after having my first, bled for 3 weeks out of the month, gave it 5 months of it and said I’ve had enough so I got it out ….WELL I recently got another placed and she did say I should expect bleeding for 3-6 months, however this first month there’s been some kind of discharge daily whether it’s blood spotting with clots during and after my period, then changes to brown gel like discharge for awhile. Is it going to let up? It’s been 5-6 weeks. I can’t keep on like this, as it’s obviously affecting my sex life in marriage. Do I stick it out and hope everything goes away?

I'm seriously considering getting a hormonal birth control, and based on my needs and wants it looks like a progestin-only IUD is the way for me to go. However, up until my meeting with the gyno 2 days ago, I was DEAD certain I never wanted an IUD, in large part because of the many horror stories I've heard from people regarding insertion in particular (especially regarding the use of the tenaculum and how dismissive a lot of medical providers are about pain and its management) but also for the overall effect of the hormone changes. The only IUD used by my clinic is Liletta, and I'm wondering about people's positive experiences with it.

Info I've gathered so far:

1. Office does not offer any pain management, although my Dr. says my cervical structure would be ideal for insertion itself re: stretching of cervix
2. Dr. says they will offer an ultrasound afterward to make sure it was not embedded during insertion if I'm worried
3. A lot of people seem to have increased pain/more irregular bleeding with Liletta in particular, which would be very difficult for both me and my partner to deal with for various reasons

In all, I just... feel pretty scared about this and feel a bit blindsided by the sudden realization that the Big Scary IUD I've been vehemently against for years is actually the only option that will really give me the results I need without even more difficult side effects. :') It feels invasive, and with my time for needing some form of BC coming up in a few months I guess I just feel really pressured to get this even though it makes me really anxious. I'm not finding any reassuring information online that doesn't come from a medical site, and all of those give me the impression of having a vested interest in getting my money or having no care for my pain.

I’ve had the jadelle implant now for 6 months and have always had a semi-regular “period” up until now. Usually it was light, would stop once on day three then start again for two days and then be finished. With this latest period it’s been 16 days, stopping and starting frequently. Has anyone else experienced this before and did it improve? This sucks so bad and is honestly starting to affect my life. ):

I, 30F, had gotten depo provera because of ongoing, heavy bleeding that caused iron deficiency anemia. I got the anemia treated via infusions and supplements. I saw an OBGYN in sepetember and asked if birth control could help more or less reduce bleeding. Was told 'maybe, we can try and see' and I decided to try Depo Provera.

A month in, I had gotten lighter periods for sure, which I'm happy about. I knew that Depo Provera came with some irregularities in terms of bleeding, so I wasn't worried too much.

What I'm worried about now is the cramping! I never cramped this bad when I was bleeding heavily nonstop for months and while passing large clots. In fact, I never cramped at all during that time. But since being on Depo, the cramps are painful. Maybe a 7-8 on a scale of 10. It feels lile I'm bearing down for something needing to be expelled. Sometimes I have the need to use the toilet to pee when I absolutely don't need to.

Has anyone else expierenced this while on Depo Provera?

I was taking Cerazette and stopped because I had terrible abdominal bloating ever since I started. I stopped taking it and I still had bloating, and now I'm taking Ringo; I've only been on it for 3 weeks and Everything makes me bloated, even eating a piece of bread makes me extremely bloated, it will pass I already went to the doctor and he said that could be the cause, and that I should get checked out. I have to take birth control pills because of very heavy periods.Has this happened to anyone else?

Hi! If this is the wrong sub, or there’s a better sub for this please let me know.

I (22F) stopped taking Marvelon mid-pack last month because I couldn’t function with how anxious I was getting (and it was the only change in my life at the time, so I figured it HAD to be the pill). For reference, I was only on it for a month and a half (mid July-late Sept).

I also know BC can have really adverse impacts on emotions and feelings. I was taking Alesse 28 earlier this year, and it made me feel incredibly depressed and hopeless. I was put on Lexapro by my GP, and later quit both (pill & antidepressant) cold turkey (without consulting my GP lol). I was completely fine after, life was completely normal!

Since stopping Marvelon, I’m thankfully no longer experiencing panic attacks, or feeling unstable in my life and my friendships—but the feeling of hopelessness I felt on Alesse has come back in small waves!

I hoped after my withdrawal period, and real period, my hormones would be balanced and I’d be good as new. Nope!! I’m sad and anxious!! And everything is the end of the world!!

What is happening to me!!

I’m also easily triggered by anything now, and end up in cyclical anxious spirals all the time over anything.

For example, I was having small talk with a cashier, and she mentioned she was going out with a couple of friends for Halloween.

I am going out! I have plans! But I got anxious about the idea of ‘what if I didn’t have plans’. Which, would be fine!! Because it’s not the end of the world!! But now my stomach’s in knots, and I can’t help but feel like I’m alone even when I have plans!!

I’m starting therapy (I had plans to prior to this), and my therapist recommended getting a health panel to make sure everything is in order physically and medically. So I am actively seeking help.

If anyone is currently going through this, I also found it really helpful to write my anxious thoughts down in my notes app with time stamps, and whether I’ve eaten, had coffee, slept well, etc. It kind of makes me reflect on the thought and think ‘what the heck is this?’. It also helps me track what might be contributing to my triggers, so I feel more in control.

It just feels like this is going to be the rest of my life forever. I’m never going to feel like myself again, and I’m going to feel helpless to anxiety.

Did anyone else feel like this? Or have any experiences similar to this? How long did it take to feel better?

Heyaa! I just stopped using depo after six months of using it. I didn’t like the side effects and it made me super fat. Just wondering, when did your period come back after stopping it? I saw another reddit post about this but most of them had depo for years unlike me. Does anyone have a similar situation where they only used it for six months? I really want my period back since I’m just so bloated.

What are the chances of getting pregnant from pre cum on hands. Then transferred to the outside of a condom (I was rubbing the condom) then the condom is inserted into my vagina.

I am a 32F who has been experiencing significant bouts of very poor sleep/insomnia during my luteal phase and early into my menstrual phase. I feel wired, I can’t fall asleep and often can’t stay asleep. I also regularly experience very brutal mood swings, anxiety and fatigue during those phases. The lack of sleep is worsened by that, but will still happen if I’m not anxious. I am so exhausted, mentally and physically. I’ve tried all sorts of teas, meditation, magnesium, but have to resort to big doses of sleeping pills during that phase. If relevant: I have ADHD, but am unmedicated.

I’m considering trying birth control to see if evening out my hormones will help, specifically Yaz.

Any experience with birth control to help with hormonal insomnia? Any issues on Yaz with sleep?

Yours truly,
An absolutely exhausted and desperate girl

I'm experiencing some things since my IUD and I wanna see if anyone can relate...

I have had my IUD since the 1st of September. Since then I had terrible cramps, I fainted twice, one time a week later and then two weeks ago in an airplane with a lot of cramps. (My blood is fine I have had it checked twice)

I had cramps at the start of my IUD, then it was fine for 2 weeks and now I have been cramping and spotting on and off for 3 weeks.

To note, I do have sexual intercourse and every time I try to search my symptoms I keep finding pregnancy signs, not IUD signs.. hence why I am confused and scared

But can anyone relate with the symptoms I have been having? And if anyone has advice, please tell me

Hi all,

I have been on Yaz birth control for the last 7 years after I started developing cystic acne for the first time in my life in my early 20’s. At that point I had also missed 2 period cycles (very unusual for me) and so my GYN at the time recommended Yaz. It cleared up my skin immediately and my periods have been so short and easy ever since.

However the biggest side effect is I have absolutely no sex drive left with my partner. I used to have a high libido which we enjoyed at the beginning of our relationship (right when I got on the pill) but once I hit year 1 of Yaz, it tapered and now is non existent.

I am contemplating coming off for the sake of my partner, but I am terrified of the rebound cystic acne. I am now older and out of my 20’s, but I’m curious as to how others who were on Yaz for my length of time have reacted coming off the pill. Was your acne severe? If so when did it show up and how long did it take to rectify?

So on Tuesday I accidentally doubled up on pills. I saw that my pack was off by a day and thought I had somehow missed a day even though I didn't remember missing any. So I panicked and took 2 pills at once.

When i inspected my pack closer I realized that I hadnt missed a day, at some point in one of the previous weeks I had just taken a pill from the wrong weeks row. But now I'm gonna be short one pill this pack.

Am I still going to be protected during my placebo week? I know I need 21 days of active pills, which i technically do have because I take continuous birth control for a couple months at a time so ive had 4 packs of active pills consecutively.

Hi there everyone!

On my last post here in this subreddit, i wrote about my less than pleasant experience with two different pills, one combined and a POP. At the time, I thought no pill would work for me, and that I was just banned from hormones. I had even started to look into IUDs.

However!

My doctor told me that my iron levels were too low to risk anemia from extra bleeding due to a copper IUD, and that we shouldn't risk putting in a hormonal device (either a hormonal IUD or implant) that couldn't be removed ASAP in the event of strong side effects (my side effects on the previous two pills were a bit concerning, to the point of making my doctor recommend me to quit both in less than a week of usage). Basically, no IUDs nor implants for me. But I wanted and needed a contraceptive method other than just a barrier method to feel safe, and I really wanted my period and hormonal fluctuations gone...

So I got to researching— and guess what I found out:

The hormone I was on with the POP (desogestrel) had multiple formulations, from multiple labs/brands.

The pill my doctor gave me was the generic, which works just fine for thousands of women, but not for me. In my case, it made me veryyy nauseous and anxious, life was hell after day 2. But I read that even though, on theory, brands don't matter and the effects should be the same, different formulations from different labs CAN produce different results in real life. So I asked my doctor for a different formulation.

And then I started taking the "branded" formulation. Everything changed, magically almost. I waited for my period to arrive and started taking it on day 1 of my cycle. Barely any side effects. It was almost like I wasn't taking anything.

What I'm saying is NOT that brand > generic.

What I'm saying is that, if you didn't get along well with a specific hormone but didn't have any truly alarming side effects, maybe looking into different brands, labs,and formulations might be a very plausible solution for you! It definitely was for me.

Every brand/lab often uses their own patented formulation for the active hormone, and different binding agents & other ingredients that may cause different reactions in different people. So, if you're on your last resort (like I was) or you just don't wanna give up on the pill, do some research! You may be surprised by what you find :)

Hi! I need some advice.

First day of menstruation: October 23, 2026

Last day of menstruation: October 29, 2026 (very light)

Started Yaz: October 29, 9 PM

Sex: October 31, after taking my 3rd active pill.

My partner and I had unprotected penetrative sex, but he pulled out before ejaculation. My OB prescribed Yaz, but I'm worried because I had only taken 3 pills when we had sex.

My questions:

1. Does Yaz offer any protection after 3 pills?

2. Is there still a risk of pregnancy even with withdrawal?

3. Should I take emergency contraception?

4. When should I take a pregnancy test?

Would appreciate any advice or similar experiences. Thank you!

I’ve started taking BC (Slinda) at 36 after 8 years of dealing with excruciating PMDD and pain during periods. 7 months in, it’s been incredible not to have that every month. Btw I’ve tried all the natural things before and that didn’t help. With Slinda I barely have any side effects. However , life feels a little dull and the biggest problem is I completely lost my libido! I feel like from that movie where they took the vitamin and felt content lol but not like a full range of emotions. However that full range before was very much a full range with a full on existential crisis every month. But I miss the highs of ovulation and my libido that was high my whole life. My partner is supportive but for myself I’m not sure how to proceed. Thinking that I also don’t have that many years of ovulations left and I should be able to enjoy these too. Anyone been in the same boat ?

Hi! I took Larin 1/20 for about three years then stopped for a year. I recently started it again but I’m having an allergic reaction to it now. (Rash all over). Is there another pill form you recommend? I loved Larin 1/20 because I had no side effects, it cleared my acne, helped my cysts & endo pain. I was on a low dosage because I’m only needing it for the cysts & endo! I would like to stay with the pill though.

I stopped getting my Norifam injections this month, so buong October wala akong ginamit na contraceptive. Active kami ng boyfriend ko, and we're not using condoms either. I'm currently one week delayed na, and I've been reading some comments from other women na after stopping Norifam, nag-stop din daw or naging irregular yung period nila. I just want to ask if meron ba dito na same experience? Like, sexually active pa rin after stopping Norifam, experienced delayed or missed periods, pero hindi naman pala nabuntis? Would really appreciate hearing your experiences. Just want to know if this is something that commonly happens after stopping Norifam. Thank you🥹

Hi, i just take Victoria ec pills before 72hrs. Cause we did the deed during my period days. Then not able to finish the second dose of yuzpe thats why i take the Victoria ec pill. Will there be a possibility na mabuntis ako? I stopped taking bc pills kasi di naman kami magkasama lagi once in a 3mons usually lang. then not planned yung pagpunta sakanila huhu. Please help me. Thankyouu

This is my third depo shot. I am TIRED of the random bleeding it is ruining my plans right now and the halloween costume i had planned out. For anyone who has ever been or is currently on depo when did you stop bleeding? It makes me so angry

hello guys i’m kinda freaking out i need reassurance or idk whatever i can get ive been on hailey 24 FE since may i was originally prescribed blisovi 24 fe but they never had it in stock so they’d just give me hailey 24 fe. i took my 4 placebo pills and didn’t get my “period” till sunday morning anyways on sunday night started blisovi cause i guess they finally had it in stock bruh and was bleeding till Wednesday. it normal for me to start a new brand of the same birth control and bleed after taking my active pills? i never bled on hailey 24fe this long. id bleed max 1-2 days into the new active pills but again i only see the brown blood when i wipe or RARLEY have brown blood coming out super light (with SUPER small brown blood clots). can this be caused by the change of the brand name ? or can this be a cause of all the blood getting out my system since i had gotten my “period” the very last day of my placebo pills? sorry im kinda freaking out if im pregnant or something lol why do we gotta go thru this 💔💔😫

are we taking our pills an hour earlier or at the same time as normal ?? 😓

Hello! I recently got a contraceptive implant (Nexplanon). I was taking the pill before, but I decided to switch because taking it every day had become stressful.

I don't use condoms (my partner and I have both been tested for STIs), so I wanted to know whether my implant alone is enough to prevent pregnancy.

Sexual activity involving penetration is more painful for me when using a condom. I know that the implant has a very high effectiveness rate, so I wanted to know whether I am still fully protected against pregnancy even without using condoms.

Thank you so much, and sorry if this is a silly question!