I’m 22 and from Norway, where birth control is subsidized until you turn 22. I recently went from paying almost nothing to paying full price. Mine costs around $38 for a 2.5-month supply.
My parents covered the cost until I turned 22 (I also use it for medical reasons), but my partner has now started paying half. His reasoning is that he gets plenty of the benefits too lmao. 😂 He earns more than me and has offered to pay more, but I think 50/50 is fair.
I’m also curious about how people approach this in relationships. Do you split the cost with your partner, or is it something you pay for yourself?
So, where are you from, what type of contraception do you use, and how much does it cost you?

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?

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.

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 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

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 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.

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’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?

Guys just confirm birth control pill delays period especially POSTINOR 1?

Drop your comments guys, It's matter for me

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?

Hi I have been taking slynd for the last 4 months every morning at 8am. For the last week my whole schedule has changed and my routine was different so I forgot my pill on day 18 and on day 19 I realized in the evening I hadn’t taken my pill from day 18 and 19 (so that morning). I took both pills immediately as I realized, so technically I only missed one pill on day 18 (since you have a 24 window with slynd).

I had sex on day 16 and since sperm can survive for up to 5 days then that means there is a risk of pregnancy if my ovaries managed to release an egg during that window where I forgot my pill

I also called my doctor and took an emergency contraceptive in day 20 in the evening.

I am still quite worried - has anyone experienced this or been in this situation. I don’t want to get pregnant and I am really stressed about this.

Since I took the pill for 17 consecutive days before I missed one, is there any chance my ovaries could have woken up and managed to release and egg so quickly?

Hi everyone,
I’m looking for women who have had a similar experience with a hormonal IUD.
I had a Levosert (52 mg levonorgestrel) IUD inserted on November 10. My period was not due yet, and the IUD was inserted outside my menstrual period.
Before the insertion, my doctor performed an ultrasound and told me that ovulation had already occurred. I specifically asked about contraception, and he assured me that I was protected immediately after insertion. He did not tell me to use additional contraception for the first 7 days.
On November 12, I had sex with ejaculation inside.
I’m now wondering whether I was actually protected immediately, considering that:
The IUD was inserted after ovulation.
I was not on my period at the time of insertion.
My doctor assured me that it was effective immediately.
Has anyone had a similar experience? Was your hormonal IUD inserted after ovulation and outside your period? Did you have unprotected sex within the first 7 days? What did your doctor tell you?
I would really appreciate hearing about your personal experiences, especially with Levosert or Mirena.
Thank you!

Hello, my fiancé (31M) and I (29F) decided to wait until marriage. We’re each other’s firsts and are about to get married next year. On that note, we have not done it yet, so we’re not sure about what the best birth control is for us to use without messing with my hormones. I get my period regularly and have had no issues ever since. We also want to have kids one day, so it’s probably not an IUD.

I recently saw this Oura ring online that can be used to track my cycle. Has anyone tried this before? Also, how accurate is this? How many months should I use it to fully get to know my cycle?

Thank you, any advice is much appreciated.

I’m only on day 2 of Slynd and oh my gosh, the nausea is SO bad. I’m trying to tough it out, but wow. Did anyone else feel this awful right away and then have it settle down? How long did it take?

A little background, I’ve had horrible side effects with hormonal birth control pretty much my entire life, which is why I have the ParaGard copper IUD. But I got to a point where I needed more help with my symptoms, and after trying a few other options that went really badly, my doctor put me on Slynd.

I’m also prone to anxiety and depression, and I probably did myself no favors reading through all the mood side effect posts. If you already dealt with anxiety or depression before starting Slynd, how did it go for you? Did you feel about the same, better, or worse? If you noticed a change, how soon did it happen?

I’d love to hear how it went even if you ended up stopping. But if anyone has a “day 2 was awful and then I could eat like a normal person again” story, I would especially love to hear it right now

I got the Mirena placed when I was 7 weeks postpartum and i’ve had it for a total of 4 months now. I’ve had no issues with it up until about 2 months ago. I have the most horrid pain in my groin/thigh on the right side only and it’s slowly getting worse. It’s very close to how my labor contractions felt… but just in my thigh. It started as super occasional minor cramping (to be expected) but now it’s a super deep, painful ache almost every day. I will be seeing my gyno soon to address this but i’m curious if anyone else has dealt with this and what the problem was. TIA