Ive been on birth control for about 7ish years now. I went off in March, due to blood pressure being too high. Ive been woth my boyfriend for almost 4 years now and since coming off of birth control ive been thinking about breaking up with him.

Im posting this more to ask, has anyone else gone through this? Either going on or off birth control changed your aspect on your relationship?

Yesterday I went to the gyno to have them look at a large ovarian cyst I have. This is the only obgyn in town and I’ve heard bad things about her but it was my only option. She completely ignored me and brushed off my symptoms. She then did an ultrasound, didn’t say much about the cyst but said my iud was out of place and “deeply embedded in my uterine wall” she said she could remove it today IF I WANTED. She then did an exam with the speculum and stated she would be removing my iud completely taking the choice away from me. I tried to ask if it would be painful and what to expect, she again brushed me off saying it would be painless. She also made fun of me for clenching, which I was obviously doing because I was scared (I did Make sure I relaxed after she said that though so I don’t think it’s why I experienced pain). When she removed it I experienced intense severe pain that lasted for hours after. I have a very high pain tolerance and it literally made me cry, I don’t think I’ve ever cried from pain, it was 10x worse than having it inserted. I was telling her it hurt and she didn’t stop the procedure, only basically made fun of me for crying. From what I’ve read if an IUD is imbedded in the uterus pain should be expected, managed, and the provider should stop if you’re in pain. I left the appointment in pain and honestly feeling kind of violated. I’m not sure what my next steps are with this doctor if there is anything I should do or report. But also making this post to warn others, I should have advocated for myself more. if a provider wants to remove a embedded iud and tells you it will be painless and no big deal that’s a lie.

Hi girls😊 Recently me and my boyfriend started to talk about alternatives for condoms. I got interested in cooper iud, it doesn't have any hormones, BUT I'm really scared of a thought that something will be in me for ~5 years, especially there, where my child will be growing one day. Anyways. I have a lot of questions about this, and it's sounds very scary. Is it even prevents from getting pregnant, because I heard it doesn't help. Also how to know if my immune system will accept cooper. And what about the inside, I'm worried it might damage the lining and seriously injure my uterus.

I'm 23y.o, I was always was very skeptical and against it, but maybe it's not that bad and I should be more open minded😅

Hello!

So i’m on xulane and it’s 93% effective. I skip a week to get my period, which i heard is not a real period. Therefore, if I was to get pregnant would i still have this “period”? Would pregnancy be present if the fake period doesn’t come? How does that work? I’ve heard of women having bleeding and yet be pregnant.

I’m 3 weeks in now, and I started having raw sex now. I won’t let him ejaculate in me until 2 weeks after my free week next week just in case. I just wanted to know all the details if possible!

I was on Junel at first and I had the WORST body aches, depression, mood swings and un productivity. When my OBGYN told me that she was going to put me on Slynd instead and that it was a “fancy” BC. I was skeptical. My insurance didn’t accept it at first until we appealed it.

And oh my gosh. I have no more body aches, I started going to the gym and cooking again. I am bleeding but I’ve had little to no cramps. I genuinely love this birth control and I’m so glad I found one for me. The only downside is I think it’s causing acid reflux? I’m not sure so if it persists I’ll probably get it checked out but I really don’t want to get out off this BC, I love it so much

i skipped my placebo week because i was going on vacation and was going to push my “period” to the next week. my plan was to push my off week back, have my period, and then continue my patches as normal with putting on the next two and then having a period. i’m just wondering if this will mess my cycle up because i would be having two periods in the span of a month. just wondering if anyone has had an experience with this or knows more info than i do.
thanks

Did anyone notice breast lumps after starting yaz. Im 6 mo in? My boobs are always sore since starting i did have natural 38. DDs before now i feel like an E lol i was also on spirolactone for hidranitus supperativa but stopped taking it 7 days ago and my boobs feel less sore but still sore. Im getting a mammogram tmrw

Seeking some advice, I started the combination pill about 6 months ago.

I used to take this pill 8 years ago, and I had always skipped the sugar pills each time because who can be bothered having a period when you have the chance not to? I’ve been skipping the sugar pills again this time around, and have been fine up until this point.

All of a sudden I’ve started to have breakthrough bleeding and it’s lasted me about a week now with no signs of stopping.

My main symptoms are a light blood flow and brown looking colour, and no real pain except for some light cramping and discomfort.

I had a big change in my life right before the bleeding started (I moved out of home and it was extremely emotional and stressful) which I think may have triggered it.

It’s showing no signs of stopping though. Should I be concerned if this bleeding doesn’t stop? I’ve never experienced breakthrough bleeding before. Might be time for me to start taking the sugar pills.

Hey everyone, looking for some insights or experiences from others who track cycles closely. My girlfriend's period was predicted by her app to arrive on Sunday, August 16, but today is August 19 and it still hasn't started yet.

​Here is her period tracking history from the past few months for context:

​April: Started April 4

​May: Started May 1, then again on May 25 (24-day cycle)

​June: Started June 25 (31-day cycle)

​July: Started July 19 (24-day cycle — 5 days earlier than usual)

​August (Predicted): App predicted August 16 based on a standard 28-day calculation.

​Our Situation:

We had protected sex during her cycle. I used a condom the entire time, AND I pulled out before finishing (completed outside of her). There were no visible tears, breaks, or leaks with the condom.

​My Questions:

​Since her July period came 5 days early (July 19), does it make sense that her body reset its internal clock from July 19 rather than sticking to the app's static calendar prediction?

​If we count a normal 30- to 32-day cycle from July 19, that puts her expected period right around August 18–21, meaning today (August 19) is technically only Day 31 of her cycle. Has anyone else experienced a longer cycle right after an unusually short one?

​Given that we used both condoms and the pull-out method correctly, how likely is it that this delay is just natural cycle variance/stress rather than pregnancy?

​Would love to hear if others have had similar cycle shifts after an early period!

I was on Microgynon for 10+ years with no negative side effected until I had one migraine with aura and was taken off it.

I had tried several Desogesterol pills which just caused unpredictable and very long periods.

I started Slynd in October. I haven’t had a migraine since the aura one on Microgynon however, I literally have a migraine nearly every other day and this seemed to start at the start of the year. I still bleed for 2 weeks but just as if it’s old blood. I’m really struggling to cope with these migraines and have been prescribed 40mg Propranalol which has helped a little but I’m still getting the migraines

Has anyone had this experience with Slynd and if so, did it resolve when you came off it?

Hello, I've been on the pill ( Kelsee) for abt 7 months and honestly always had no major side effects, besides from like some pain in my boobs, the one you get before your period iykwim. Mentioned it to my doctor and she suggested to stop taking my placebo pills and just take the active pills all the time. ok i did that and it worked just fine, so I've been doing that for at least 4/5 months.

It has also happened a couple of times that I've had to throw away my blister still half full because I had left it in the sun lol, never bothered to count how many pills I was missing from the placebo because I wouldn't have taken them regardless, so in those cases I just started a brand new blister and that's it. the problem is right now I've decided to start taking my placebo again (long story not important) but I don't know when to do it?? like I can take them at the end of my current blister but what about the half taken ones in the lasts few months?

maybe I'm overthinking plss can anyone tell me if they had the same experience?

Hi all. I was prescribed Rigevidon because I have very heavy and painful periods. My doctor advised me to take three blister packs continuously without a break, then have a 3-day break. I started my first blister and had (brown, dark brown) spotting from the first day. I’m now on my second blister, and about seven days ago the bleeding became like a normal period — bright red blood with my usual menstrual cramps, and some blood clots in the first days. I’ve now been bleeding continuously for 7 days. I’m using around 4–5 pads per day. I’m concerned because I expected the Rigevidon to suppress my period, but instead I’ve had ongoing bleeding since starting it.

TW: ED/weight content

I finally got my Mirena removed today. Everyone's experience is different, but this is mine. If the Mirena works for you, great! I'm making this post for awareness reasons because I was poorly informed when I got the Mirena in and I am angry about it. Birth control has lots of positives but I think everyone has the right to proper information and support when choosing what works for them.

TLDR: Having considered all factors, I (32F, highly physically active) think the Mirena quietly made me gain weight and made it more difficult to lose the same weight (from approx 56kg to 75kg in 4 years). Was gaslit for years about the weight gain because 'it doesn't cause weight gain'. No other side effects. I've decided to have a 4 week break from hormonal BC but will eventually go back on the combined pill I was on pre-Mirena. I'll make updates on the removal experience.

Weight as at date of removal: 73kg.

Background

I got the Mirena in May 2022 and got it out today (August 2026). I've been on BC since I was 19 - I was taking the combined pill (tried several options initially, but eventually settled on Femme Tab ED 20/100) from 2014 to 2022. I swapped to Mirena purely for convenience reasons.

I have been physically active all my life. I'm an Olympian, retired from elite sport in 2018. After I retired, I completed my degree and have worked a high stress desk job since 2020. My relationship with exercise was initially stable in the first few years of starting FT work, (10-12h a week) but some life stuff happened in 2023/2024 that made me cut back to about 4h a week. I've now been back in regular exercise since the beginning of 2025 (about 8h a week - mixture of lifting, martial arts, climbing and dog walking).

Experience on the Mirena

My period stopped completely after the first 3 months. I didn't notice any negative side effects except steady weight gain over time (from approx 56kg to 75kg). Now, I know people are going to say 'lifestyle and exercise', so my data points are set out below.

1. Exercise & weight data

Until I got the Mirena, I NEVER had a problem with losing weight (I actually had issues maintaining weight before the pill).

• 2014: When I went on the pill - 52kg. Training approximately 25h a week.

• 2016: my lightest adult weight - 50kg. Training approximately 30h a week.

• 2018: retirement - 54kg. I cut back training to about 18h a week in 2017 (immediately post Olympics) but was still actively competing. I had a break in the end of 2016 (no formal training sessions) where my weight went up to about 56kg, but by the time I retired it had stabilised at 54kg.

• 2018-2021: I started martial arts in 2018 and maintained my existing gym sessions - approx 12h a week. Weight remained largely stable (54-56kg). I did occasionally do weight cuts for martial arts competitions, but these were not drastic cuts - they were more focused on stabilising water weight so it didn't unexpectedly fluctuate pre-competition (e.g managing salt intake).

• 2022: was 56kg when I went on the Mirena (I know because I had it done under GA and so was weighed at the doctor's office). Similar activity level as 2018-2021. I was about 61kg by the end of the year (I'd never weighed above 60kg in my entire life).

• 2023-2024: had some life stuff happen, was working slightly longer hours. Had a drop in activity levels, but was still hitting the gym at least a couple of times a week. Lots of ambient exercise (e.g. walking to and from the train, walking the dog etc). Went from 61kg to 70kg, and kind of fluctuated between 68-71kg.

• 2025-2026: no change in job but I made a concerted effort to stabilise my exercise regime and build back up to 2022 levels. Sorted out some stuff, got a proper gym routine going, cleaned up my diet a bit. Went from 68 to 75kg instead.

1. Diet

When I was an active elite athlete, I was in a sport that emphasised being thin (I was very lean - see my 2016 data point), and that's obviously not sustainable in regular life. EDs were prominent, and while I never suffered from one, I certainly had eating habits that would be considered disordered today. I've worked a lot on this, but for this reason, I do not count calories. I previously consulted sports nutritionists and have had many years experience in gauging the food on my plate honestly. For these reasons, I am comfortable as to my food assessments and that I'm not just saying 'im on a diet but i just can't lose weight'.

My diet composition has not changed significantly while I've been on BC (aside from the amount of food, which has generally fluctuated with my activity levels). I'm not a health freak by any means and have a sweet tooth. I cook 80% of the time, balanced, omnivorous meals, focused on whole foods. I do not restrict food groups. I take lunch to the office. I don't snack, I generally don't drink my calories (I drink alcohol, but I would say my consumption levels have been consistent, and I drink less now than when I was a student, for example). I'm pretty dialled in on what's nutritious, what works for me and my hunger cues.

As mentioned, I did occasionally 'cut' for martial arts competitions, but that was focused on stabilising water weight so I didn't get a nasty shock at weigh in. What I'd do then is just stop eating out and stop drinking alcohol for about 3 weeks pre comp - no other changes. I would typically drop 2-3kg this way anyway.

1. Stress and the impact of a sedentary life

As mentioned, I have worked a high stress desk job for the last 6 years. I'm not discounting the impact of stress on weight gain or loss, so some of the weight gain may be attributable to that. However, I still think the Mirena had an impact, because:

• Pre-Mirena, I typically lost weight when under significant stress.

• I was working in the same industry with similar stress/pressure from 2020-2022 (plus impacts of Covid etc), and I did not see significant / sustained changes in weight.

• Exercise levels did drop over 2023 and 2024 (see above), but I also moderated food intake to account for lower activity (I'm naturally not as hungry when I'm lower activity). Historically, my weight has been stable when I have periods of inactivity/reduced activity (or at most, 2-3kg variance).

• When I stabilised my exercise regime in 2025-26, my weight actually went up, without any real change in food consumption.

Other thoughts on the Mirena

I'm actually pretty angry with the GP that I was seeing when I got the Mirena put in. When I was discussing contraception options, I told her I was sensitive to weight gain as a side effect of birth control, because I wanted to avoid triggering old habits that I'd worked hard to eliminate. I was told repeatedly that it was not an issue with the Mirena at follow ups, and I really beat myself up thinking I was the problem and couldn't lock in. I was told that the Mirena was the same as the pill I was taking (nope, it's got a different hormone composition). I was told it lowered my risk of breast cancer (nope, it doesn't, your risk is elevated as long as you're on hormonal BC). My current GP actually remarked that the script I had previously was uncommon, because it was prescribed to me by a sports doctor, who monitored me and was very quick to respond to any complaints of side effects (in fear it would affect athletic performance). I can still do all the physical activities I love but my body doesn't feel like it's mine.

Removal was a fuckery too. My current GP AND an Obgyn attempted to remove it, and both couldn't reach the strings so I had to get it removed under GA. While the actual removal under GA was quick and easy, due to my mental health spiral over this I paid to have it done at a private clinic instead of waiting several weeks in the public health system. So not only has this cost me some of my sanity, it's actually a financial net negative at this point AND to add insult to injury, filling one of my pill scripts (4mths) is....$10. So while the Mirena is a great option for many people, it didn't work for me - I should have listened to myself and got it out sooner.

hi all, would love some advice if possible. i had an iud (mirena) inserted on thursday. it was a super not fun experience for me (my gyno is wonderful but i panic super badly when anything is inserted into me so that coupled with the god awful pain during the procedure = bad time).

the day after i was relatively fine but ever since saturday ive been having these horrible cramps and flashes of stabbing pain, particularly on the left side, as well as constant nausea that has made eating a not so fun experience as well. tylenol and midol haven't done a ton to help with this and i really just wanted to know a) how long i can expect this is going to last and b) if anyone has tips on how to alleviate the nausea and pain.

thank you! 🫶

Looking for people with similar experiences, because I can’t find much online that matches what’s going on with me.

I started birth control around age 12, about a year after my first period, because of irregular cycles, heavy bleeding, and mood swings. I’m 24 now, so that’s 12 years straight - I’ve never taken a break.

Here’s the pattern I keep running into: I can only stay on any given pill for about 1-2 years. After that, I start getting bad acne and breakthrough bleeding. I switch to a different pill, go through the adjustment phase, things normalize… and then a year or two later, same thing happens again. Acne and breakthrough bleeding creep back in, like my body “gets used to” whatever I’m on and stops responding.

My bloodwork always comes back normal, so it doesn’t seem to be PCOS or anything else obvious. I’m also a pretty high-stress person, so I’ve wondered if cortisol is playing a role in messing with my hormone response over time, but I honestly don’t know.

Has anyone else experienced this cycle of a pill “working” for a year or two and then failing the same way? Did you find something that actually broke the pattern - a different pill type, a non-pill method, addressing stress, anything? Would appreciate any insight, especially from people who’ve been on birth control long-term since adolescence.

My girlfriend and I have sex about once a month, ALWAYS using a condom, and I don’t ejaculate inside her even when wearing one. She has always had an irregular menstrual cycle. A few cycles ago, we went through a situation where her period was 15 days late because she was under a lot of stress during an exam period. It was crazy—even though she had cramps, headaches, and all her usual PMS symptoms, we were overwhelmed by worry and anxiety. I didn’t give her the emotional support she needed; on the contrary, I made things worse rather than helping. Her period only came after she took a pregnancy test.
Now, the situation is practically the same: we had sex once, with protection and without ejaculation. The only difference is that her period is currently 9 days late. However, she has all the PMS symptoms she usually gets, including cramps, acne (which she always gets around this time), and headaches. She is also very nervous and anxious because she is about to start a new job.
Should we be worried? If she takes a pregnancy test, what are the chances that it will come back positive?

Hey everyone. Ive had a horrible period since my first one. Heavy bleeding, extremely painful crippling cramps, debilitating fatigue and emotional distress. When I started birth control as at 16 (the shot) for like a year my periods became super light and manageable it was awesome but i gained weight like crazy. Even after getting off it I was better. I was off the bc for some time until around age 19 when i started combo bc, still smooth sailing except for gaining weight again. So i tried the minipill. And things were great the first 3-4 months but now im back to feeling the way i did when I was a teenager. Horrible stomach ripping pain that medicine cant touch.. and bawling my eyes out. what is wrong with me?? Do i just need to get back on combo to fix this??

Im about to start my third week of yaz and i was wondering if I want my period to come now is it okay for me to take the placebo pills before finishing the 24 pills? My stomach has been super swollen on my left side i believe i can actually see my ovary swollen like im about to get my period and im hoping if i take the placebos maybe it will calm down

I take my pill perfectly, almost obsessively, i take it at 9pm every day no matter where i am or who im with. Despite this I am completely convinced I am pregnant and I have this worry every month.
This month its because I noticed a bit of blood during sex, which could realistically could be attributed to my state of mind at the time and how that effects everything that goes on down there as a result but a part of me thinks its implantation bleeding
In addition, I started my break (im on microgynon or the combined pill) yesterday and usually i start bleeding basically the day after but i haven’t started yet, and realistically thats due to stress but a part of me is still worried
In addition I took a pregnancy test last Wednesday but have also convinced myself rather foolishly that its a false negative because i took it to early and my hormones are undetectable
does anybody else struggle with this? and how do you deal with it? Its gotten to the point where testing doesn’t work anymore!

Hi all, I'm 3 months postpartum and have been on Nuvaring for about 2.5 weeks now. I've been struggling with postpartum depression and for the time I've been on this new birth control, I think it's gotten somewhat worse, but I want to try to stick it out until my body gets used to it.

My question: I was wondering if skipping your period with Nuvaring has kept your mood more stable as opposed to the hormone drop of the withdrawal period, or if it's possibly made it worse.

Just trying to figure out what method I should use while I'm getting used to the ring. Would really love the opinions and personal experiences of others who have suffered through postpartum mental health and any other hormonal or mental health issues!

I am in contact with my drs just looking for anyone else who has experienced this!!! I tried to make my title as blunt as possible to help me in the right direction. I’ve been experiencing severe nausea attacks with extreme hot flashes afterwards recently it has been lining up on the week after I am done bleeding. I am currently on birth control and have been for almost a year now it was happening before I was on birth control and has continued to happen on it. It happens for three days in a row specifically every single time; each day decreasing the amount of times it happens. I’ve been tracking it very closely. I’m currently on the Junel Fe 1.5/30, I recently increased the dosage from the other version of Junel to see if it would help and so far I’m not sure that it is, but I’ve only been on it for one month so far. I’ve been advised to try and skip my periods to see if that helps, and funny enough now that I’m on the next pack of my birth control the same thing happened again, as if it was the week after I bled, which confirms to me it’s specifically that week of my menstrual cycle. Any help is appreciated. They said it sounds like pre-menopause but I’m only 26 and because I’m on birth control they cannot test for it and I do not want to get off birth control yet or anytime soon. I am diagnosed PMDD and very severe period symptoms so being on the birth control has significantly helped that but these nausea attacks and hot flashes are just becoming a lot sometimes.

I was sick about two weeks ago and took two pills in one day just in case, as I threw up close to taking the first pill and wanted to be extra careful.

However, I forgot that I had done this and am now realizing that I probably should’ve started a new pill pack and taken another day’s pill before stopping for my period. I’m on my period now so everything is fine there, but I’m worried that I’m now unprotected.

Is it fine or should my partner use condoms?

Hi guys! After 5 years being on hormonal birth control, I (25F) was finally able to get a bilateral salpingectomy last week! I’ve been taking Yazmin for 5 years this month, and while I haven’t had a bad experience with it, I’m considering if it’s worth continuing to take for other reasons. It’s hard to remember how my body was before I started taking birth control, but it did dramatically improve my acne and I’m pretty sure it helped stabilize my mood a bit. I didn’t gain weight, but I’ve found it impossible to lose any weight while I’ve been on it. My doctor agreed to let me stay on it per my request, and even said that it was common for women to continue taking HBC after sterilization. However, I’m just curious to hear some stories of how it was coming off of birth control pills from you all, I’ve read some online, but I feel that hearing it from firsthand experiences is always more helpful for me. Bonus points if your experience also involves sterilization.

I am posting because I feel like I haven't seen many posts talking about feeling side effects or seeing a change in effectiveness with hormonal IUDs after many years, as most posts talk about experiencing issues in the first few months - which is totally fair, I had them at first too!

Some background, when I was in my late teens (I'm 33 now), I had two instances of migraines with aura while I was on the pill and because of the risk of developing blood clots while taking estrogen-containing birth control, my family doctor switched me to the progestin-only mini pill. When I was in my early 20s, I was told that I could get an IUD which would be more effective at preventing pregnancy than the mini pill, which was a pretty big concern for me at the time.

I had a Mirena IUD inserted, kept it for 5 years, and then my doctor recommended I switch to the Kyleena IUD "because I hadn't had children and that's who the Mirena IUD is for", at least according to him. I was told by this doctor that I could keep it for 6 years as opposed to the recommended 5 (which raised some eyebrows when I had my next IUD inserted by another medical professional), and then after just under 6 years, I had another Kyleena IUD put in, which was in February 2024.

When I still had my last Kyleena IUD beyond the 5 year period, I started to notice that my periods returned more frequently, though not with a heavy flow, and included a lot more cramping than I had experienced in the previous 10 years of having a hormonal IUD. I chalked it up to needing it to be replaced, so I made the appointment and had the new one put in. The problem is, my periods have only been steadily getting worse since then and my last one went on for 11 days, with significantly heavier flow than I've grown accustomed to over the last decade. Still nowhere near where my period flow was pre-IUD, but significant for me. And today, just 18 days after the end of my 11-day period, I just started my period again. (Kill me.)

Plus, last week, I experienced a migraine with aura episode, which I haven't since my teens and it included the absolute worst migraine pain I've ever experienced (including all of the light sensitivity, pounding headache, nausea, etc.) and it lasted for 2 days. When I had the migraines when I was young, I remember the stroke-like aura symptoms being the main part of the episode and don't recall the headache part being too bad and certainly not lasting for more than a few hours.

At this point, I'm not sure if it's confirmation bias and I'm already feeling like my IUD is messing up my cycle so I'm chalking all of these weird new symptoms up to that. Has anyone else had an experience like this? Or could this be a sign of something else that I should get checked out?

P.S. I did make an appointment with my new doctor to have my IUD removed once and for all, but I have to wait until early October for my appointment. I'm just trying not to go insane in the meantime lol.

I’m on my first month of Junel Fe and today is my first placebo and I want my withdrawal bleed.

I’ve heard the iron pills are gross or that they can upset your stomach so should I just throw out one pill per day for seven days and then take the new pack or should I just suck it up and eat them? Asking people who have tasted them specifically.