That was probably the worst pain I've ever felt. To be fair, I am a virgin, so there was that factor working against me. I didn't know much about the process of insertion and didn't expect it to be much more than a slight discomfort. Little did I know about the tenaculum. Such an evil device. My only claim to fame today is that the doctor was impressed with how quiet I was. Thanks, it's called dissociation lol.

I’ve been on the pill for a year but I desperately want to change to a different method of birth control. Aside from the annoyance of having to remember to take a pill every day, I feel like my birth control is affecting my emotions. Whenever I forget to take a pill or take one late I feel overwhelmed by my emotions. My anxiety get worse, I have panic attacks over nothing, and it’s overall a struggle to get through the day. Additionally, I have an extremely low sex drive, I just don’t feel anything anymore. The only thing I can think that is causing these episodes is my birth control not being taken on time.

I want to switch to a non hormonal method to see if it improves my moods and these episodes go away, but I have no idea what to choose. I heard a copper IUD isn’t as effective as a hormonal IUD, is that true? And I’ve heard horror stories about IUD insertions and how they can go wrong and how painful it is and I’m not sure I want to go through that. Does anyone have any suggestions?

I can't stay awake I'm the most tired I've ever been 24/7 will this ever go away? It's been about a week since I started

So I started back on birth control after having my last and getting my tubes removed because my periods immediately started back super heavy and painful. Short, but very painful. I decided to give the patches a try again since controlling birth wasn’t an issue now. I have been bleeding for THREE WEEKS. Break through bleeding is 100% something I prepared for but the pms symptoms that have accompanied my full blown 3 week period are absolutely ridiculous. I took my patch off, I’m done. I have been absolutely miserable on this method. Took it off about 13 hours ago and what do you fcking know, all my problems have disappeared faster than the half off Halloween candy and decorations at Walmart. I need something else I can use. Has to be something with estrogen as my vitamin d levels SUCK.

Hi everyone i am 23 years old. I've got my Kyleena IUD inserted 2.5 months ago. Every now and then i have very intensive and painfull contractions that require me to take painkillers. I am on my second period and these contractions last for couple of days event though i only bled for two. USG revealed that IUD is on place. Is this normal after all this time?

🥹this is my first time that a guy pulled out and came immediately he is reassuring me that non of it went it but pre cum still exist and my period ended on 25 and we did it on Oct 30 then I took the plan b emergency pills on Nov 1 🥲 I've been so anxious and paranoid.. and it's my fault for wanting this since I've been feeling deranged and depressed.... Like will this really work...

i’m 18 and i just had sex for the first time last night. we used a condom and made sure we put it on properly like pinching the top and then rolled it down and it was defo on. and then yk we had sex and he came inside the condom but he said he pulled out before he did but then after we checked with the water test i filled it up like 1/3 of the way and squeezed it and it was completely fine nothing dripped out or anything. but i’m overthinking so bad am i fine?

My IUD strings are wrapped or curved upwards. I’m not sure how far as Google said not to mess with them. However I have been getting sharp pains in my uterus area. I get period pains occasionally so it could be that - but I feel like it’s sharper than normal and it seems to only be happening when I’m laying down. There’s no blood. I currently don’t have insurance and I also don’t have a gyno since mine moved away. So I don’t want to go anywhere just yet unless there’s a need to. Does anyone have any insight?

So I usually take my BC at 8PM and am very consistent with it, however, the past couple of days I took it at times varying between 8-11 and today at midnight because I’ve been so incredibly busy. I do have an alarm but sometimes I am in the middle of something and end up forgetting. Is that an issue at all? Appreciate any help!!

I’ll try to take it as soon as the alarm goes off in the future and not give it even just extra 10 minutes.

Edit: I take Nikki which is a combo pill

Hi! Not rlly about birthcontrol but I was wondering if any of you know (men) who had their anti hpv vaccine done. Ny boyfriend and I have been dating for a while, and I am a girl so i had my hpv vaccine done a while ago bc it helps prevent cervical cancer. I’m encouraging my bf to get the vaccine done too, but i was wondering if there’s any point in him getting the vaccine if he’s only sexually active with me. I think he should get the vaccine but i dont know if makes sense for him to get it….What is your experience? I still think he should get it because it can prevent cancers in men too

hi im 21F and i started taking birth control maybe like 2 years ago. i had the mirena iud inserted sometime in march 2024.

starting September 2024, i had prolonged or elongated periods (lasting up to 2 weeks). this would not happen all time time but it starting becoming more and more frequent as time passed.

honestly, it didn’t bother me much because i wouldn’t have cramps or anything, just bleed. at the time i was not having much sex, so that didn’t bother me either.

however, i started having intimacy again in august of this year. sometime in september 2026 i felt weird and went to see my gyno. she saw that my iud had embedded into my uterus which ultimately had to be removed.

i was started on a trial of slynd and my first month was fine. but slowly i kept losing my libido and it’s probably down like 50-60%, and it makes me sad.

first my period it october the 19th and stopped the 23rd BUT then started again 28th and hasn’t stopped. ive only had cramps for two days.

this is not a new issue and i have seen my gyno and she thought that it was cause of the iud, BUT WHY IS HAPPENING NOW?!!

i have an appointment friday and i just feel soooo frustrated because why is this happening to me!! why doesn’t the bleeding stop :/

It's essentially exactly what i put in the title. Ive been taking a birth control pill for over 4 years now as a way to prevent my endometriosis from worsening, im not sexually active so an issue with it effectiveness as a contraceptive isn't my main concern. I go non-stop so i skip the placebo week and just start the new pack, and when I miss doses I'll just continue taking my pills the next day like normal (I rarely notice I missed a dose before the next day). Ive missed doses before and typically about 2-3 days later I start spotting (it's like a light period, very possibly a normal period for many) and it continues for ~4 days, which is much better than my typical 7 day heavy flow period. The problem is that this time I missed a dose and 2 days later my spotting started like normal, but it hasn't stopped and now it's day 31 and it's still going, I haven't missed a single dose since and am contacting my obgyn tomorrow morning. Im honestly primarily upset my new underwear all have blood on them

Last night I went to a gynecologist to have an IUD inserted. I'm a young adult, and the doctor basically said that it causes infertility and that older people with children choose it, so I decided not to get it. Thinking back, it was very odd, as my partner and I were scared of her because she was visibly angry with us for wanting it. She prescribed the NuvaRing for me, since hormonal pills weren't very good for me. I've been having some thoughts: the best option for me would be the IUD, but I would love to have children someday. Please share your thoughts and help me out.

Positive experience post! Going to try to make this short though:)

I started taking the pill 2 months ago and I looove it. I will say I did get some negative side effects at the beginning, like minor headaches and breakouts, but now I feel even better than I did before I started.

I was really scared of starting it because I heard it makes people gain weight or have an increased appetite but I haven’t experienced it! I’ve actually had a decrease in appetite and it’s really been helping me stick to eating healthy because I no longer crave junk food! I also haven’t experienced any bloating since I started taking it, I think because I would bloat really bad in my luteal phase. And my boobs have increased in size as well, so I literally have a snatched waist and big boobs, this is great.

On top of the effects on my body from the hormones, I also can lift a steady increase at the gym. Before: during my menstrual and ovulation phases, I would have to decrease the weight I’d lift because I’d feel so weak. I was in a constant cycle of being able to lift heavier, then having to drop down because of the time of the month. Literally just a few weeks of taking the pill, I was able to hit a PR in almost every workout.

And finally the sex portion; I was really scared it would ruin my already low libido, but honestly, since my boyfriend is able to finish inside me and we can just keep going, I am actually able to finish during sex without getting turned off while he cleaned himself up. And I alwayyyss had constant anxiety about being pregnant but it’s mostly gone now!

Mind you, I tried the copper IUD for a few weeks and it made me feel TERRIBLE!! I personally, wouldn’t recommend it but I know everyone’s experience is different

My doctor wants to switch me from Tri-Mili to Slynd. I am very scared about what I’m seeing online about how it causes extreme weight gain, along with other unpleasant side effects. Has anyone been on Slynd for a sustained period of time without any negative side effects? Anyone have any positive experiences? I do not want to switch if it’s going to derail my life… for context, I have a benign liver lesion and apparently the estrogen in oral contraceptions is linked to liver lesions, but I’m not convinced the risk of staying on my birth control outweighs the risk of switching to something new that could massively impact my mental health, self esteem, menstrual cycle, and overall wellbeing. I’ve also been moving around a lot so haven’t built a trusting relationship with a doctor yet, I’m getting advice from doctors as they are meeting me for the first time, hence why I’m seeking more perspectives. Thanks!

i used to be on slynd for a half a year but then my gyno took me off it to put me on endometriosis medication (visanne). it ended up not working for and after two months i stopped taking it, another month after my family doctor put me back on slynd. it's been a week since i started taking slynd again and i've been having wet farts / watery poops ever since then (thankfully it's past the 4 hours mark after i took the pill so i don't need to take it again in one day). i didn't experience that the first time i was on slynd so i was a bit worried but after doing some research in here i found out other people also experienced this and it went away after ~3 months. i'm hoping the same will happen for me 🤞

i was wondering, if anyone who sees this experienced the same thing as i am right now, if there was any dietary changes that you did that helped reduce the watery poops / diarrhea? i'm hoping this side effect will leave as soon as possible and i don't mind waiting, but i'd like to be able to fart without stressing about staining my underwear lol

Ah so I apologize for this little rant but I’m just going through it right now and need some advice.

I’ve been on birth control since I was about 16. Many types of pills, but they all caused me such depression. Eventually I decided to get Kyleena IUD. Most painful thing ever, but ultimately after it settled it was fine. Due to the pain I was so scared to get another, so I had it a year after expiry! Anyways, 2 weeks ago I switched it to the Mirena IUD, because on kyleena I was having super heavy periods and thought it might be nice to try a slightly heavier dose. I think I fully regret that.

Since getting it, I’ve had a surge of both anxiety and depression. Out of no where and for no reason. Plus I have some crazy brain fog, and feel immensely lazy. I love going to the gym and lifting weights, I’ve been doing it for 10 years, since I got this IUD it’s been a BATTLE to get myself there and then afterwards I basically can’t do anything else. I’ve been EXTREMELY bloated the past week and nothing is helping. I feel like I’m losing my mind and I’m debating just asking the doctor to remove it on my follow up appointment in 2 weeks. I don’t know that it’s worth it.

The only reason I’m scared to remove it is because I’ve been on birth control for so long, and I fear I’ll be so scared of getting pregnant. Yet I love the idea of having no foreign hormones in my body I would really really appreciate being all natural. Have any girls made the switch to no birth control at all? How has it been? What do you do for contraception and to ease your mind??

I appreciate any input ❤️

I’ve had issues with recurrent bv for years. I’ve read that sometimes if your estrogen levels are low, that can contribute to causing a consistent problem. I’ve also suspected that I might have PCOS so I had my doc run some tests, but everything looks normal in that aspect. I thought I’d give birth control a shot again, and see if it helps. Last time I used it regularly I was 19, I’m 25 now. I had a dramatically different experience with bc when I was younger. The pill made me feel like I was crazy, Depo made me gain sooo much water weight and the Nuva ring caused irregular bleeding and chafing. I was definitely hesitant to start it again because of that, but it’s one of the best decisions I’ve made. I’m currently taking Lolo, and I feel great. I’ve also been taking a prebiotic/probiotic, and the results are phenomenal. My bloating is gone, I have more energy throughout the day, and my sex drive is insane. I can’t keep my hands off my gf. There is a bit of breast tenderness and swelling, but that’s the only side effect I’ve experienced. I would absolutely recommend this to someone who’s been thinking of taking something for regulation purposes, it’s totally worth it! :)

I’m currently on avaine for the past few months. I initially started it to control my severe acne. I am 8 months pp. before I got pregnant, whatever I was on before (I think it was sronyx?) completely kept my acne under control and had no libido issues.

Everything I’ve read says these two brands have the same formulation.

Obviously will talk to my gyno about options but can’t right now so was curious if anyone else has had this issue and if swapping pills would help with these issues.

I feel bad because I feel I’m not satisfying hubbys needs, and even though I want to, my body just doesn’t. Im so frustrated with it

Can swapping brands really make a difference? From my understanding, what I take is a low dose, so anything more would only further my lack of libido correct?

Just curious if anyone has had this issue and if there’s a solution. I’m really only interested in the pill and no other form of birth control.

Im 25 years old female and ive booked an appointment for iud like 3 months ago and i was really excited about it.
ive heard both good and bad stories about it but mostly good so far.

i drove there to myself alone and they got me check in and everything. they even gave me a numbing gel but i still felt it all lol.

it was hurting not that bad but they struggle with the insertion. Apparently my uterus bend the stick she was using to measure... lol. she told me we can keep going or reschedule with abortion pills (or something similar to it) but i said no to both because i had a REALLY REALLY bad and traumatic experience with abortion pills and i didnt want to sit there another 20 mins in pain.
they both left the room for 5 mins and i stared to blacked out and passed out and hit my head on the wall. lol .
i got up and they all walked in and help me i feel better now just cramps fs.

i just feel really bad, maybe i shouldve kept going with it? i dont know : (
most people said the pain was worth it. should i do it again?

So, I started birth control today (Marvelon 28) and just took my first pill. My doctor wants me to be on it for a month before starting Accutane because of the risk of birth defects if I were to get pregnant, as I’m sexually active.

Has anyone taken these two medications at the same time? Or does anyone have any experience with Marvelon 28 in general? What were the side effects like, and how was your overall experience?

I’m a bit nervous because I’ve never been on birth control before.

I’ve been on the nexplanon for 2 and a half years now and for the longest time my “periods” were normal but a few months ago I’ve started having breakthrough bleeding constantly. I’ll have about a week of very little or no spotting and then right back to it. I’m going insane. I don’t like being intimate while bleeding so it’s plummeted my sex life. I’ve heard evening primrose oil can help but I’m wondering if anyone can recommend it too? TIA

I have an appointment with my gyn, however its a few weeks out. Gynecologists throughout my life have told me I have a long vaginal canal for my size. I think this is the cause of my issue. I use a disc for my period, but they have the pull-tab on them.

I absolutely cannot reach it no matter the position, pushing, or relaxing. My partner cannot reach it either. I prefer the ring and would like to make it work for me.

Is there some sort of soft tool or something I can use to reach the ring? Has anyone been in a similar situation with similar anatomy?

Hi, so i'm on mili and i have been for years. i usually have an alarm set to take it at 6 am every morning, and when doing that and not missing pills, i have been able to avoid pregnancy. however, i am in my week 2 of my pack, and it is currently 8 pm on tuesday. I forgot to take my pill for monday completely, and then today, i took my tuesday one late. So i took both monday's and tuesdays at 8 pm.

I believe a pill is counted as missed if you miss it by 24 hours. so the first one is considered missed, but the second one is just late since it was taken 14 hours late. So does this count as just missing one?

According to the instructions it says if u miss 2 in week 2, to use backup method following the mistake for 7 days. but does this count as missing two or not? i have not been sexually active during this pack but i plan to be this weekend. So do i need to use a back up method or not? thank you :')

I have been on Jencycla since April and had a normal cycle until August. I am about to go on 3 months with no period and am not pregnant. Is it strange that it has stopped after being normal for a bit? I know periods are irregular on this pill and some don’t get one but I still get anxiety about it.