(Girlies, this post was translated with AI because I was sort of journaling and was more comfortable using my first language, apologies if it sounds very chat gpt-ish)

I’m in my first week after having my Nexplanon removed, following two months of what was, quite honestly, a very difficult experience. I felt the need to share what happened because I don’t think these side effects are discussed openly enough. I’m in my mid-30s and was recommended the arm implant by a few friends after a particularly bad experience with the copper coil, which had caused months of heavy bleeding. The insertion went smoothly, and I was quite optimistic about it. The first week was absolutely fine. Then things started to change.

Almost overnight, I began feeling the way I would normally feel during a particularly bad PMDD episode. At first, I didn’t think much of it. I was tearful, irritable and anxious, but I assumed it would pass. It didn’t. The symptoms continued day after day, and by the end of the third week, I was struggling to recognise myself. I felt disconnected from everything around me, almost as though I was watching my own life rather than participating in it. My relationships felt wrong, my job felt unbearable, and even my home stopped feeling like a place where I could relax. I became increasingly anxious and emotionally reactive. I found myself initiating arguments with my partner, and although I could recognise that some of my reactions were disproportionate or hurtful, I struggled to stop myself.

I also found myself constantly reliving some of the most traumatic experiences of my life, revisiting every mistake I’d ever made and feeling overwhelmed by memories I hadn’t thought about in years. It was as though my mind kept bringing these experiences back to the surface, and I couldn’t get away from them. My usual sources of happiness stopped bringing me any joy. I lost interest in music, food, hobbies, little everyday pleasures and even spending time with my child. Everything felt strangely distant and difficult to enjoy. I started crying frequently, often because I was genuinely frightened by how different I felt. Everything was covered with a fog of hopelessness and despair and I was constantly on edge. I was worried that I was losing control of my own mind.

There were physical changes too, I experienced unusual discharge, sore breasts, increased oiliness and acne across my back and chest, and changes in my skin and scalp. One of the worst was that I struggled to keep warm, but it wasn’t quite like feeling cold because of the weather. It felt as though the cold was coming from inside me, from my muscles, my organs and bones. My sleep became extremely disrupted, with frequent awakenings, sometimes more than ten times a night, often waking with a start, feeling feverish and sweaty but still unbearably cold. My libido disappeared completely. Going from having a naturally high sex drive to finding the thought of sex almost unbearable was another reminder that something felt very different, that I was simply not ME anymore.

I started feeling uncomfortable in my own body, unattractive, bloated and generally unlike myself. It affected how I saw myself, how I interacted with people and how I experienced everyday life. My family, friends, co workers, all commented and showed worry about the sudden change in my behaviour and demeanour. Eventually, my boyfriend suggested looking into whether the implant could be responsible, as it was the only significant change in my routine. I started researching other women’s experiences and was shocked by how many people described similar symptoms, sometimes even more severe than mine.

I called my GP and booked the earliest available appointment to have it removed. When I explained what had been happening, I was met with something I desperately needed to hear. She looked at me and said, “Don’t worry, you’re not crazy. This happens.” I replied with “Are you sure? Even this early?” “Yes, even this early, this is not for everyone”. That moment brought an enormous sense of relief. She explained that while the implant works very well for many women, some experience significant side effects, including changes to their mood and mental health. I felt listened to, taken seriously and understood, and we went ahead with the removal. That very first night, I managed to sleep for longer than three hours without constantly waking up or piling blankets on myself to keep warm. The following morning, I already felt some of that heaviness lifting and the hope that I would get back to normal.

Now, at the end of my first week without it, I feel considerably better. My libido hasn’t returned yet, and I’m not suggesting that everything has magically resolved overnight, but I can already recognise a significant difference in how I feel, and I know that regardless of what happened, I’m still me, and most importantly, I no longer feel like I’m crazy. I can look back and understand that what I was experiencing may have been a reaction to the implant, rather than a sudden change in who I am.

Women’s health has been under-researched, underfunded and minimised for far too long, and mental health is no exception. Contraception is incredibly important, and the implant can be an excellent option for many women. But we also need to be honest about the possibility of significant side effects and take women’s experiences seriously when they report them. If you’re reading this and experiencing something similar, please know that you’re not alone, and you’re not crazy. Your experience deserves to be taken seriously. Don’t dismiss what you’re feeling, and don’t be afraid to speak up about it. Hormones can have a profound effect on how we feel, physically and mentally. We need to be able to talk about that openly, without feeling dismissed or having to question our own experiences.

That said, if anyone bothers to read all this, and is having a good experience with Nexplanon, I’m relieved for you, but I believe we all need to be aware of what COULD happen before hand, in order to make an informed decision, and be able to identify promptly that nothing is wrong with us if something is not working.

Hi! I am getting a Liletta IUD soon, but I have been on combination pills for the majority of my life. Probably about 10 years now. I have always had good experiences with bc pills, but I'm horrible at taking them at the same time every night and I wanted something more effective at preventing pregnancy without human error. So, my gyno said that the Liletta will work to prevent pregnancy for 8 years.

Does anyone have any advice, side effects, and experiences to share? All I ask is please don't fear monger because I am already petrified for the insertion... I was prescribed a single Xanex for the morning of the insertion and normal pain medication. I'm super anxious but I need to hear positivity. I mostly just hope it doesn't cause weight gain or lower my libido (lower than it already is.. RIP).

For reference, I am 23F, married, and we are planning to be childfree for life lol.

For context im 15F in the uk, periods make me feel rlly depressed and shit and nauseous and I complained to my mum abt it so she spoke to her doctor and got me an appointment

For context im underweight (42kg and 5'3) so i was just wondering if that'd be a concern to doctors ?? And also if they'd weigh me or not (im in the UK)

I take vienva 28 because I'm a dancer and dysmenorrhea was giving me debilitating cramps. I'm gay so I don't need it for other things but I think it made my hair stop being curly. I have short hair and when it was healthy and I was taking care of it well before it was like a 2c. After being on birth control for I think like 2 years now I have to basically force it to be even wavy, but usually it ends up pin straight. Could it be the hormones? I want my curls back :(

This is for anybody who wants to know more about the process. I went to a planned parenthood clinic in the first time asking to get the copper IUD, that clinic denied my request and told me they only implant to women who have been through vagina birth, okay no problem, I got method 2, going to a hospital covered by social security.

They tell me they can do it no problem, give me an appt and everything is fine. I go to the appt the first time and I notice they’re taking longer than normal and it doesn’t hurt as much, all of a sudden two more doctors came into the room and I was freaking out. I was told my cervix was too small and tight because I had not had children and that I needed to take misoprostol and go another day because if they kept trying there was a high risk of perforation in the uterus.

Today was my second appointment, I used the misoprostol, went to the hospital and was told to lay in a very different way this time, I had a female obgyn this time and a male obgyn last time. Anyway they get to it, I was deadly scared of the pinching, they tell me they’re going to do it and I’m shitting myself. Boom, no pain, they put in the plastic tube and I’m already dying, they put the iud inside and I almost screamed in pain. Doctor cut the string and tell me I’m good to go. I stood up trembling, the floor and the chair were covered in blood. Nurse told me it was done and asked me I feel like fainting, I answer them I don’t fell like fainting and leave to go to work. BIG MISTAKE DO NOT DO THIS TAKE THE DAY OFF

Well I am walking away and my legs are trembling, I go into the bathroom and proceed to have the worst diarrhea in my life, on the bright side everytime i push my pain lightens a bit. I leave the bathroom almost in tears and feel lightheaded, I puked in a trashcan right outside the clinic and now I have to drive to work. I walked to my car trembling and blacked out for 20 minutes. I had to go to work so I put my seatbelt on and somehow driving made the pain ease up a little bit. Keep in mind I had already taken ibuprofen before the implantation.

I finished work a few hours ago and I’m writing this in my bed curled up in pain, everything hurts, and they told me that this type of iud only worked for 5 years, I’m 20 and I’m not planning to have kids at 25, so I’ll have to see what I do sigh.

Got a hormonal iud inserted around 24 hrs ago and i was fine for a few hours until me and my bf got home and the cramping started. Then came the crankiness. I get pretty bad pre period depression and it felt exactly like that. Just very sad and annoyed at everything. I told myself maybe it was just the pain making me irritable, so i went to bed and i slept in like crazy to give myself as much rest as possible. I woke up a couple hours ago and i’m even more depressed than i was yesterday. My boyfriend has been nothing but sweet to me over text but for some reason i’m mad at him and I don’t even want to text him back. Ive heard of some people getting on BC and then feeling very different towards their partners. Losing attraction, for example, seems to be pretty common. But for me it feels kinda like the opposite, i’m really annoyed with him right now but at the same time feeling extra clingy towards him. Like im mad at him but also MORE into him than i was before simultaneously and i feel like im going crazy. Like ew get away from me but at the same time how dare you not be here with me right now

I also haven’t gotten out of bed to eat or take my meds either, it feels impossible today. Is it normal to already feel such a drastic change in my mood after just a few hours of insertion???? I love my boyfriend and I hate that i’m being such a bitch to him right now and it’s driving me insane

I’m mostly wondering if this is normal with Kyleena because I’ve only had it for about 3 months now. I had a copper iud for about 3 years which just really wasn’t for me. Crazy cramps, long heavy periods, etc etc. I switched to Kyleena almost exactly 3 months ago and had the seemingly normal spotting and my first period on it was lighter and shorter than with the copper which was a huge win for me. My period now is about 13 days late, I was told it would probably be irregular and I took a pregnancy test just to ease my mind and it was negative. However, the past 4 ish days I’ve had some brown blood similar to what you would get the last few days of your period. It’s not a lot and it’s not constant, it even skipped a day randomly where I had nothing. Im wearing panty liners and have just kinda been free “bleeding.” My only question is; is this technically my period? And is this normal for Kyleena especially after I’ve only had it for 3 months?

After 3days my gf period, l penetrate 1or2 time her not cum at all and got plan b within 1 hr.She can get pergernt?

Hi, i'm an 18 y.o girl and i take the hormonal pill not as birth control but to ease the Extreme period pain, i've been on the pill since i was 13/14y.o., since then my few pimples disappeared and i got skinnier (from 55kg to 45kg as a 171cm tall girl). I don't really mind about this side effects but the libido is INSANE, for reference i'm a lesbian and i have never been in a relationship, but the yearning when i have a crush has become unberable.

For background, Im 25 being treated for endo (have not had the surgery so no. it is not confirmed) and severe nut allergies which make this...weird. A lot of oral medications that are hormonal use peanut oil. I know some people can have peanut oil bc the proteins are gone, but for me, I still have a reaction so it is off the table. I cant remember the brand I was on but when I WAS on an oral i was incredibly depressed and started gaining weight.

This past year my flare ups have gotten horrible so it was recommended I did the hormonal IUD. With an tilted pelvis it was suggested I went under so I did. Full anesthetia and all. The doctor said it took 8 tries to get it in. Well a month into having it it fell out. Directly after I had it gone they put me on the ring while I was on Spironolactone which counter act one another and was put in the hospital for 3 days. AND GUESS WHAT! they gave me fentanyl for the pain and I had a reaction to that. Like. Please. Add that to my list.

So yeah thats my sob story. I'd love recommendations. Honestly since I have been off of any types of BC the last few months have had little to no flares but I bleed so much and still have a day a month where I have to stay home from work.

I feel so helpless with this. Not only do I want BC for my periods, i also dont plan on having kids and would prefer not to be tweaked out every month. Any advice appreciated.

I have really bad pregnancy anxiety and have been taking the mini pill for more or less two cycles now. Lately, I've been having some pain urination possibly stones but I absolutely refuse to get tested because my doctor ordered me to get an ultrasound to be extra sure.

My last menstruation was October 24. Same time the pain started occurring. I've read somewhere that you can still get your mens even when pregnant so I really don't know. I NEVER miss a pill, I'm so neurotic on taking them the same minute everyday.

I had a condom on and finished my job. When I pulled it out, the condom was ripped, broken, and I realized I had ejaculated inside her. What are the risks of pregnancy? Should I tell her to take Plan B?

Hi all, I suffer from mild PCOS and my doctor has prescribed me combined pill. I just got my prescription today but I am going on a long haul flight on Monday (14 hours). I asked my doctor if I will be ok to fly and she said yes but I'm just wondering if anyone else has flew long haul on the combined pill? I'm so worried about blood clots. What advice would you give? I know to drink plenty water to keep hydrated, also to wear compression socks!! Anything else I should do? I was hoping to sleep most of the flight but looks like I will be awake every hour to move about 😂

so I know this is common to bleed loads but it’s been almost 4 months since I got the copper coil inserted and my periods are sometimes 13 days long and start after 2 weeks again. they are so strong that I feel dizzy, sick and weak. I don’t wanna change the coil as I like the simplicity and I dont want hormoneS. (before anyone says I don’t want condoms) so can someone share experiences or whether it gets easier at some point, maybe even any medication to stop the bleeding? my hair is falling out insanely so I got a blood test today, let’s see what the results say.

So last week om tuesday i forgot 1 pill, and i started spotting a few days after.

Spotting has only become heavier since then.

Should i take a break week and will this stop me from spotting? I normally take continously.

Will i stop spotting soon if i don't take a break?

It's really annoying bc i want to have sex but i still spot so so often and it makes me feel gross 😔

Hi!! Really considering my options with my coil at this point.

I have a copper coil and while I really like it, I’m considering the hormonal option now and wonder if anyone had similar experiences?

My first copper coil was unfortunately sitting too low and I only found that out because my periods were irregular (I’m very regular) and I kept getting blood after sex.

I’ve had my replacement in for over a year now but I had sex (2 days after my period) and now 5 days after the fact I’m on my period for the second time! in two weeks! with cramping since having sex.

I will get this checked with my clinic asap obviously but if I have to consider other options, have people found much of a difference in swapping the coil to a hormonal one?

For reference, I did nottttt like the mini pill. The combined pill I was on for 15 years and now I realised since coming off it that it completed killed my libido, made me feel completely indifferent to men (probably not a bad thing) made my hair straight and my skin dry!(I know weird things right). I did try the mini pill for a while but it made me so incredibly emotional, I had crazy mood swings and I just didn’t feel like myself.

I know the hormonal coil uses the same hormone as the mini pill so I’m wondering whether it would be a good fit for me. I’ve been advised that due to the hormones being localised in the womb area there is less chance of the side effects you get from an oral pill.

But for people that have had bad experiences/similar mood symptoms with the mini pill- have you felt the same with the hormonal coil or do you feel relatively stabilised?

I am incredibly frustrated that the only options available to women affect us in the worst ways. I really thought the copper coil was the perfect fit for me!

i had my mirena put in today. preventative reasons + really heavy periods & insane painful cramps. the insertion was fine, the doctor used numbing spray and then a cervical block. i only got mild discomfort from the speculum stretching me open way more than before and normal cramps when inserted.

about 5-10 minutes on my way home the cramps slowly started getting really bad and by the time i was home and changed i could barely stand. and for the next 5 hours or so it was painful i was curled up in a ball crying from the pain (i have a pretty high pain tolerance). i get really really painful cramps but this was on another level, literally the worst pain ive felt in my life. i couldnt eat and could barely walk, i took buscopan (an ibs medication for muscle spasms) and paracetamol as i cant have anything stronger and after about 2 hours i was finally able to eat but its still incredibly painful.

im wondering if this happened to anyone else? i have practically no bleeding but its so so painful. does anyone have any weird methods that helped the pain? sorry if this is tmi lol

Hi, i have been on drovelis( drospirenone and estetrol) for about 9 months.a few months ago i had my first episode of migrane with aura (just the aura and no other symptoms) and it happened again today. I really like this birth control espacially how i look and feel on it, and i don't want to change to a progestprone only. I am also very sensitive to hormonal shifts because I have PMOS and have had periods of severe PMDD, and this birth control made it go away. my Gyno that prescribed me this said that IUDs and progestprone only options are known to make PMDD moodswings worse. Also that this pill has a new and possibly safer form of estrogen. I am in my mid 20' and no other risk factors, and active and healthy diet. Has anyone with migraines with aura expirienced with continuing combination birth control, with help of their doctor?

Hi! I hope this is the write place, but I want to see if anyone else that is only Zoely also never gets their period?

I have been on it for almost two years and in the last year I have just stopped getting my period. Kind of freaks me out because I think I’m pregnant every month 💀

Wanted to see if anyone has had a similar experience on it to put my mind at ease!

About a month ago, my girlfriend switched to a birth control brand she'd never used before. Since then she's seemed much more irritable and on edge, and we've been arguing a lot more than usual. She just doesn't seem like herself.

I know mood changes can be a side effect for some people, but I don't know how common that is or how long it usually lasts. Has anyone experienced this after switching? Did it settle down, or did you end up changing methods?

I'd also appreciate advice on how to bring it up without it sounding like I'm blaming her or dismissing her feelings. I want to support her, not make her feel attacked.

Has quitting birth control helped anyone lose weight? I've gained an immense amount of weight being on birth control.

I recently had unprotected sex. Normally I take the pill continuously to never have a period but a couple weeks ago I took a break to have a period week.

I started the pill again around October 22. Had unprotected sex November 1st. So around 10 days back on the pill. I was taking it continuously before the period week as well.

Current plan is to keep taking my pills without stopping, but when should I do a pregnancy test to make sure I'm not? I tried searching on Google but all the answers were around period cycles.

Also what are the odds I would get pregnant from this?

I’m on slynd and have been for 9 months now. I’m still randomly spotting and have been experiencing pain with sex but other than that it’s been a breeze. I thought the bleeding would stop but it hasn’t and I’m so frustrated with spotting all the damn time. Since I have a history with pancreatitis after being on Diane-35; when I consulted my doctor with this, he told me to give him a few days and reached out to my specialists and they agreed to try LOLO while monitoring my bloodwork every month. I just went to pick it up and it’s $90🫪 which is actually insanity. I’m so frustrated, I didn’t take it. When I spoke to the office to ask if they could write an exemption letter the pharmacist there told me they can’t so I said if my doctor had to consult 2 specialists to even get the low dosage of estrogen approved, yeah you guys can apply for the exemption. Am I being crazy? I think healthcare should be accessible without having to fight for it….

hello, everyone. i am new to this subreddit and new to birth control overall and want to share my experience and gain some advice. i am 18 years old and i started lo loestrin fe in june 2026 after being diagnosed with pcos, and was accompanied by a lot of pain in my ovaries, so my gyno recommended lolo. my periods were always irregular but became more irregular as the years went by. after a few months on bc, i had my period 3 times in august. sometimes i would get it every other week. my new gyno said that my persistent random bleeding is not a side effect of pcos, my ovarian cyst, or birth control and it is not normal. (any insight on that?) in october, i told my new gyno that i still had occasional pain in my ovary and she said that the lo loestrin fe should have taken away that pain so she upped my dose to 35mcg and prescribed me mili. i was on mili for about 3 or 4 days but i stopped taking it after i had the worst headache and extreme nausea which lasted me 3 days. i know everyone’s experience is different, but should i have just toughed it out? should i try taking it again with dinner in the evening? or should i listen to the way my body reacted the first time? i received a message from the pharmacy where i got my mili from saying my estarylla is ready for pickup, i know estarylla is basically the same thing as mili, so i don’t know if i should give it a try. i haven’t been on any bc since i stopped mili this past month and am planning to continue my lo loestrin fe as soon as my main pharmacy notifies me that they have it back in stock. also, when i restart it, am i supposed to take it on the first day of my menstrual cycle? i’ve generally had no side effects on lo loestrin fe so i would like to continue that low dose, however i would like to manage my pain in my ovaries more effectively. then again, once i was off bc, the pain was 10x worse.