Birth control symptoms and conditions

wow, guys, so...i have had mirena in since april 08, and experiences minimal side effects that i was told would happen. slowly but surely though other things kept coming around, including:
-10-15 day periods
-constant cramping, extremely painful at least 2-3x a day on either left or right side
-no sex drive
-high irritability at unpredictable times
-muscle cramps
-headaches about 2x a week
-nausea at least 3x a week
-fatigue abour 2x a week

When i first got on i thought all these people complaining were whiney, whusses. but now i see that all these little annoying things add up, and arent good.

so i am getting mine taking out tomorrow, and the only form of birth control i will use is the easy fertility awareness method. charting your cycles is natural and fairly easy, and can help you avoid pregnancy, or get prego. Taking Charge of Your fertility, by Toni Weschler is the book i use, It is totally the fertility bible! Man-made hormones are just going to screw you over eventually, why not try just educating yourself and knowing when not to have sex, or to be protected? It worked enough for me before i got prego, i got pregnant exactly when i wanted to. I just went on mirena cuz it was easy, paid for by insurance, and i didnt have to avoid sex with my hubby that one week a month, haha now i dont even want it. funny stuff, eh?

I will try to up date after i get it taken out to see if i get the same relief that many of you felt!

I started NuvaRing last week, it had been years since I've used a hormone birth control method, but now, as a recent single decide it was time to start again to be on the safe side. The nurse, a user herself, encouraged me to ask the doctor about it, and I was really excited about the prospect of not having to remember a pill every night. That night, after inserting the NR I experienced a migraine, and I typically get headaches, but not migraines. I think I've had 2 in my life. The very next day, I'm nauseated, and yet strangely hungry. I'm not pregnant! I have also had a tingling in my right toe, and nightmares that keep me awake all night. I thought it was the stress, but after reading about some others who experienced the same side effects I'm relieved that I'm not losing my mind, but seriously reconsidering the NR.

I'm 31 years old & started taking FEMCON FE for ovarian cysts detected on an ultrasound 10 days ago which my RE now tells me due to my hormonal profile which came back could have possibly been my ovaries in fact finally ovulating. Little too late. Within the 1st few days of taking it I did notice a "big" change in my attitude towards others, particularly my boss, hubby & kids. I am no longer the patient & loving one but an emotional, irritable wreck. I cry for no good reason, my hair is falling out & somehow everything that I or anyone else does is wrong wrong wrong. I have road rage which is something I have NEVER experienced & I've generally been a nasty person in which I've been fully aware & feel horrible about. Now I remember why I've always refused birth control to regulate my cycles. YESTERDAY was the last night Femcon will ever enter my body. Good luck to the rest of you!
content with my"as is condition"

I just started the NuvaRing about two weeks ago and have since have had severe headaches, and stomach cramps.. I haven't been on birth control for about 6 months but even when I started to pill I didn't get headaches. Also today I started bleeding and I put the ring in that Sunday after I started my period (which was done by that day) I've never had bleeding between my periods on the pill or when I wasn't on any BC. Anyone else have this happen to them? I do feel a little down but I figured that might be because I've been working overnight the past week and last time I went on overnights this happened to me too. I don't think I want to take any more risks with this thing. I didn't have the dryness or lack of sex drive, but I don't want to get to that point either. Thanks ladies.

I have read a lot of these responses and here and have noticed a common thread among all responses. This may or may not help.

You need to give any new pill a full 3 months before judging it. Your body needs to stabilize with the new hormones that you are giving it. It generally takes about 3 cycles to do so. ANY pill, whether it is Femcon, Loestrin, Yaz, Yasmin, or any other will have the same side effects. So, for that matter, will Nuvaring or other hormonal based birth control methods.

I had problems with Femcon during the first month as well, just like I did with Yasmin. The solution to the problem is giving it a full three months before making your decision. Anything else, and you are simply not making an education decision. Good luck ladies!

I had an injection into a Bursae about a week and a half ago. My face was hot and bright red for about three days, if i went out in the sun it made it worst almost like i was allergic to the sun. I have had headaches daily, since. Vicodin will not help these headaches, my heartburn was so bad i stopped taking all medicines, birth control, antibiotic, pain meds. My stomach hurt so bad the second night that i could not make a sudden movement. and i couldn't stand straight up. i have been so nauseated, ive thrown up twice, once i was taking a sip of milk to get rid of the side effects and as soon as i swallowed i puked, the second time i just smelled something. i have been bouncing around in the bed all night. and so depressed i need to be committed. my head has hurt so bad many days i don't want to hear my one and a half yr old speak. but i am stay at home mom and i have to do what i have to do. i had told my doctor that i had these effects, but another physician treated me. i told him and he assured me it would be a very small amount. also a my ankles hurt especially, feel like they are gonna snap, as well as all my other joints when i come off of these. someone email me plz *******

Most comments on here are from women who recently started taking Yaz. Their opinions are biased. When you start taking a new pill of any kind, your body has to adjust to it. Yaz, along with other birth control pills are going to have some unpleasant side effects because look at what they are doing to your body. They are stopping a natural occurring process that your body has done for years. So if you just started taking Yaz, and the symptoms are unpleasant, but bearable, keep taking it. You will feel better. However, if you are on the extreme end, then stop. Coming here to complain really is not going to make you feel any better, because yes, we are all having side effects. When i first started taking Yaz, I was an emotional/anxious mess. My breasts and back were sore, nausea, and flu like symptoms. Yes, they sucked. But now, they were worth it. I feel good. People just need to give their bodies the necessary amount of time for their bodys to adjust, and if you don't want to, stop taking the pill.

I suffered from major depression last spring. The worse in my life ever, with a lot of anxiety.
I have been on Effexor XR 75 mg for 6 months. My main problems are :
LOW SEX DRIVE 9could also be from the birth control pill), SHORT TERM MEMORY PROBLEMS (a bad one), DIZZINESS.
My doctor felt that i needed to increase to 150mg because she thought i still had problems (like lack of motivation and negative thoughts): we started by adding 37.5mg extra. By day 2 or 3 of this increase, I was waking up constantly during the night, and felt extremely agitated. Like I would crawl right out of my skin. I couldn't lie still and moved about a lot in my bed, especially my legs. By day 6 of this increase, my anxiety was SO BAD, I was back to nearly the same anxiety I had in the spring before starting treatment. BE CAREFUL about increasing your dosage. TELL SOMEONE to watch if your mood changes and to take you to the ER if necessary. thank goodness I didn't need to go.
I now take fish oil (omega 3) and within a couple months of that, I noticed that my anger/impulsive and concentration seemed better. I am also going off the birth control pill this month 9ortho tri cyclen lo). I brought it up to my GP, to a psychiatrist and to my opharmacist that I was depressed and could there be a link with the birth control pills and they all said "I don't think so."; "no", "very unlikely". Well my major depression, MAJOR MOOD FLUCTUATIONS, anxiety and ANGER control problems all started with the beginning of the birth control pill.

My boyfriend's mom who is an OBGYN gave me 12 samples of this pill (a year's worth) after I ran out of my Ortho Lo. So I said "Sweet! Free birth control!" Not so sweet.... I have been on this pill for only 2 months and I have experience a huge change in my personality. I feel like a zombie, I don't feel like myself at all! The most severe uncontrollable mood swings ever. I go from very happy and loving to a total train wreck! It's really sad... My boyfriend cannot handle me. I am usually always calm and mellow and this has made me feel like I am going insane. I have weird thoughts in my head, weird dreams, night sweats. I cry over anything petty! I do have lighter periods and they only last for 2 or 3 days but it is definitely not worth my mental health and happiness. It is the worst pill, I cannot discredit this pill enough! Avoid this at all costs, unless you want to be moody and depressed all the time.

I can't even type fast enough to describe how astonished (and relieved) I was to run across NUMEROUS web sites with women describing the same symptoms as have been perplexing me the past few weeks. I had the marina iud inserted a little over a month ago and the past couple of weeks I"ve noticed such a dramatic change in myself, but couldn't figure out what was wrong with me. Depression, lethargy, extreme irritability, mood swings, cramping, back pain, swelling in my abdomen, abnormal and irregular bleeding, headaches, nausea, dizziness, lack of motivation, reduced interest in sex...these just top the list. I thought maybe I was pregnant again, but knowing that it wasn't possible when you haven't had sex because I've either been bleeding, in pain from cramping, irritable, or just couldn't get "excited". These are all things that I've never experienced before and I cannot place blame to post partum depression because I had 6 weeks post partum that I felt "normal"....energized, happy, motivated, patient...all the things that are "normal" to me. I wish I had done further research about iud placement before I decided to go with this form of birth control, but the pamphlet made it sound so dreamy and my doctor swore by the thing. Before this thing does any permanent damage to my body, or my relationships; I'm having it removed. Pregnancy is a better option for me at this point (at least without the iud I wouldn't be so frustrated with my children!) I couldn't imagine dealing with these symptoms for years. I've read of women even being driven to attempted suicide and being on the verge of divorce. NOT ME....I knew from the beginning I had a bad feeling about getting the iud....and I wish I had listened to my intuition!

I've had Mirena for nearly two and a half years now. About 6 weeks after I got it in I had to take a pregnancy test because I was dizzy, nauseous, bloated, and had sore breasts. I was not pregnant. But I've had a repeat experience every few months since then. Sometimes I feel so sick and tired that I can't do anything but lie on the sofa. After I stopped nursing I got bad pregnancy symptoms and cramps so horrible I thought my IUD had punctured something. Currently I feel sick to my stomach, and I've been getting headaches, and I'm tired and terribly thirsty all the time. I've read about others who had the same problem. I've also had nearly continuous yeast infections and vaginal irritation since I got it in. My libido has dropped incredibly and I'm always kind of dry during sex. I had problems with depression before getting the Mirena, but now I have anxiety on top of that. At the two-year mark I started getting nasty under-the-skin acne under my chin, and I've gained ten pounds since then. Some of that might have been my own fault, but I currently eat healthily and exercise 1 to 1 1/2 hours most days, and it's taken weeks for me to stop gaining, and I know I'm losing way slower than is natural. I put up with it this long because I haven't gained huge amounts of weight or had really bad mood swings, and I'm afraid of what might happen with other types of birth control, but I am sick of being sick all the time. I'm getting this thing out!

I had Mirena inserted 2 years ago. When I first had it fitted, I bled heavy, straight for 7 months. The cramps were almost unbearable. I went to my doctor several times during this 7 month period, which he told me that all of my symptoms were normal. I decided to wait it out.
The bleeding stopped but the cramping never really eased.
I got used to being in constant pain.
I also had severe migraines that would keep me from doing anything until the pain subsided.
My libido was non-existent (which in my opinion, is probably why this form of birth control is so effective). My relationship with my husband deteriorated partially because of this.
Fatigue is an understatement. I could never get enough sleep.
I also felt depressed most of the time and became VERY moody.

After coming to this site a few days ago, I decided to get this thing out of me. It was removed yesterday. It kind of hurt but not as bad as putting it in.
Cramps are gone. I feel energized and HAPPY today!!! I'm SO ready to get romantic with my husband again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

First of all, some people are right.... some birth control pills are different for everyone.. and i have to totally agree with TOWN...right on the button!
I had some nausea in the beginning, but hell..I have been on every birth control pill, Iud, depo fat shot, and they all still made me bleed heavy and cramp.....My family are heavy bleeders big time...My insurance finally approved Loestrin for me and this is a blessing in disguise! I have no periods! I may have occasional lil, I mean lil, spotting every now an then, but it is worth it. Sex drive? You can't get horny? Think of something... And every birth control pill there are chances of depression in every one, read. I have a tubaligation so I am only on this pill for period purpose only, but I am staying on it.

I have had the Mirena since October 2006. My Public Health Nurse suggested it...It was to help with my mood swings, such as crying all the time, and the feeling that something bad was going to happen. Once I got it,,,I noticed that I did not cry on a whim, in fact I could hardly cry! My nose and sinuses would actually hurt if I did have the need to cry...almost like my body was fighting the urge to cry. I did get neck pains and also I was not having my period for MONTHS! Until, I went to see a traditional healer and he told me that I was very sick...he gave me a special root to help me...and I bleed for 7 days straight..I felt so much better! and lost a little weight. But, the feeling of panic went away. But, now i notice that I am getting dizzy constantly, I cannot even bend to put my socks on. I walk with my hand on the wall to help me just in case I do fall....I have fallen 2 this week alone. I did have some neck pain recently, and I went to the doctor he basically told me I have fluid in my ear and it would take 6 weeks to go away...I told him about the neck pain in my neck on the right side...he never even bothered to check it. I am starting to wonder now If this birth control is even worth it...and I am seriously thinking of having it removed and then getting my tubes tied. I hope anyone out there who has the same symptoms like me would send me a message....******

I got anxiety when I took birth control pills so I had to stop taking them. I'd hoped that with an IUD that the progesterone would be so low that I could handle it. Unfortunately, the anxiety kicked in within a day of getting the IUD put in (painless for me btw).

Has anyone managed to ride through the anxiety and have this symptom go away? Can my body get used to it since it is lower than bcp?

My doctor doesn't think that the anxiety is a result of the IUD but I haven't had any anxiety since I took bcp a year ago. Why doesn't she believe me?

Just food for thought, with any hormone that you take into your body you will have side effects and it will change your body. Not just Yaz, but all birth control. There are blood clot and stroke risks with all of it if you look up other brands. Best bet to not suffer is to not take any

I'm in the middle of my third month on Loestrin 24 Fe. I used to be on Estrostep years ago, before I had children, and now am on this because of the low dose and my age (37). The first month, there was some staining near the end, then a lighter period (mine used to be 7-10 days, around 5 oz of fluid). On Loestrin, it's about 4 days, only a couple of oz. However, month 2, in the first week of pills, I took one pill about 8 hours late, then a few days later, took a pill about 6 hours late. The day of the second late pill, by two hours after I normally took the pill, I was cramping pretty badly and started bleeding like a full period. The bleeding lessened over the month, but never went away. Light period following. Now, on month 3, about 2 weeks in without having been late on any pills, I have had spotting the last few days and light cramping. Plus, the one time my husband and I had sex about a week after my period, there was some brownish blood afterwards, which he hates. So basically, he now refuses to touch me.

I have also noticed being more emotional, like I felt the two weeks after giving birth, crying more easily. I think that might be lessening now, though.

I am going to call my doctor to see if he recommends trying it one more month. I do remember that it takes around three months for a person's body to get used to oral contraceptives, although the first pill I was ever on (Ortho Novum 7-7-7) made me bleed lightly the entire six months I was on it, and when I switched to Nordette 28 that problem was solved. I just know that I can't have this spotting continue since my husband is so sensitive to any hint of blood, and I don't relish the idea of never having sex again. NOT the way birth control pills are supposed to work!! ;-)

I WOULD NEVER RECOMMEND THIS PILL! This pill is the reason why I will never use birth control again! It altered my life completely, and changed ME for the worse. I had the WORSE ACNE on this pill! It is supposed to clear up minimal acne (which I barely ever had pimples) but it gave me so many! My face is still recovering from the acne, months of being off the pill! I suffered depression, migranes, cramps, bloating, feeling more hungry, and I was always MOODY. I could be in the best mood then start crying because of the stupidest, most little thing. My boyfriend could not tolerate me on this pill, it jepordized our relationship! I was so depressed and upset on this pill that I cried all the time! I'm normally a happy person 100% of the time, but this pill caused me to be a complete bitch! I only took two packs of this pill and it changed my life drastically. Never take this pill!!

I too am one of the many women who wishes that she would have seen this site before getting the Mirena! I thought that I was dealing with some sort of postpartum depression. My MD had me convinced that NONE of the side affects that I am experiencing are Mirena related. Now after reading all of this I know I'm not the only one!
I had my son May of this year. Before I had him my MD had talked to me about the choice of a birth control after birth. Well I knew very little of Mirena, but once my MD had explained it I was SOLD! No kids for 5 years (not looking to have my next one until about that time) and "little to no side effects." What could have been better. He was singing music to my ears about Mirena. 6 weeks after my c-section I went in for my follow up and was given the ok to get it. I was told that the procedure shouldn't hurt. Liars. I can't believe that they don't numb you for that. Hello.....YOU ARE MANUALLY DIALATING MY CERVIX!!! I bled that day and afterwards and the cramps were out of this world! The doctor just told me to take the left over vicodin I had from my c-section. Two weeks later the craps were still in full throttle!
A few weeks after the insertion I was starting to to become this other person. Mood swings and a total bitch came out of me. My poor husband got the bad end of it. He thought it was postpartum and just let it be. A while after that I began to feel bloated and I started to gain the pregnancy weight back. I wasn't eating any different so I know something was not right. Fatigue was another effect that set in around the same time. I thought it was just trying to adjust with a baby in the house but here it is 5 months later and I have no energy. I promised myself I was going to start going to the gym and I can't muscle up the energy to do that. I'm wiped out by the day's end with taking care of the baby and getting simple house chores done. Also my back hurts ALL THE TIME. I thought that it might have been from the epidural but now I think not. I've always had some breakouts but not that bad. Now I break out all the time, and they are bad. Not to mention that I'm getting breakouts all over my neck, chest and back. I've never broken out like this on my body before. Not even when I was pregnant. Even more recent is my hair that is starting to come out in alarming clumps. I can get a good fistfull in the shower when I'm ringing my hair out, another good one when I blow dry it, and then just randomly during the day. For the most part I've always had thick hair and I'm noticing a DRAMATIC difference!
I've made several calls to my md about the cramps and the things I'm going through and he asked me to just give it a few more months. I'm going to call ASAP and demand that this thing comes out!

Thank goodness it is not all in my head. For the past year, I have been feeling as strange as the comments I have just read. Life is hard in the first place, but since having this IUD, life has been hard and very overwhelming. I have had constant mood swings, at least 3-4 days out of the week. Not only do I feel extremely nauseated 10 days before my period, even after it has come and gone, I feel nauseated again a week later. I had hoped that this new method of birth control would give me new freedom to have relations with my husband without being overly concerned about getting pregnant due to the less likelihood of the device failing. Boy was I wrong. I don't even think about sex. Nothing for the most part that he does turns me on. I can't even concentrate on feeling sexual when we are having sex. I just want to hit him or flip out on everyone. I feel a flush of anger go through my body that makes me think of very dangerous ideas, such as harming myself or others that are not really doing anything to deserve my anger. I have been very paranoid about everything and feel that I can not trust anyone, especially when I am telling them how I feel. I think that they just think that I am crazy. I have had extreme pain in my back near my spine, which I had thought before reading your comments was perhaps a side effect from the epidural I received during my child birth. I also have extreme pain in my sacral and hip areas that I never had before. My stomach is bloated with more stretch marks than I had when I was pregnant, my feet hurt. And I have an uncontrollable hunger at times. My short term memory is passe'. In fact, I took off my engagement and wedding rings in the house and can not for the life of me remember where I might have put my engagement ring. I am going to have this thing removed as soon as I get on my husband's insurance, before I go completely mad and hurt myself or my family. In closing, who cares if our doctor doesn't believe these things are not side effects. The truth is that God created all of us with common sense to know if something is blatantly wrong with us. We need to be wise and take care of our bodies and minds. This is something that God expects us to do. We have to live up to our obligations and commitments to our families like we promised we would when we got married.zfcII.

Ok, I had my mirena inserted 7/17/08, mind you I haven't had any kids yet. From that day forward it has been hell. I called my doctors office because the pain was so bad that I couldn't even stand up straight. They told me that this was normal and it will get better. After two weeks of calling I finally called with an attitude and told them, something is WRONG. I went in and seen a doctor, my doctor wasn't in that day. As this doctor went to do the exam he said I don't see the string. I freaked out, they sent me for ultrasounds, still couldn't find it. Long story short, they tried to tell my it expelled my body, well after they did more xrays they found it in my abdomen. Since I have had it surgically removed, I have been in pain, it was done on the 2nd of August 2008. I am still bleeding, not like a period but enough for annoyment. I also, haven't been able to have sex because of all the pain I have been in. I am now seeing another doctor because I basically had to tell my last doctor what to do, I felt I should see another doctor. He is waiting to see if my bleeding will stop on its own in the next few weeks, if not then we are going to do another laproscopy to see what the problem might be. I am on birth control, have been since a week after the removal of the mirena.
Is there anyone else out there that might be going through the same thing as I am? This is really disturbing, I thought I was getting better for a few days then, again I start bleeding. The pains are sometimes unbearable, but they are not cramps, they are shooting pains. I am sick of taking pain meds. If there is someone else out there that can relate please respond.
Thank you

I just started the Nuvaring YESTERDAY after being off of all birth control for about 6 months. Within a couple hours of putting it in, I was anxious, had abdominal pain, tingling in my foot/leg, dryness. I couldn't tell if I was just paranoid about having side effects or not, but I'm sure it was directly related. I took it out, felt better... tried it again hours later and symptoms came back shortly after. Tried finding info online and came across this site.. I just took it out for good and will be switching back to the pill. It's too new, not enough is known about side effects and it seems like blood clots and heart attacks are fairly common with this form of BC.

I started taking Yaz only 6 days ago and I started getting headaches and some nausea. This subsided by day 4 or 5. By about day 5 I felt like I was on an emotional roller coaster. I have been sobbing and feeling deeply depressed. I was sent home from work today (day 6 on Yaz) because of my "unexplainable" sobbing and lack of emotional control. Not only is this behavior completely unlike me, it was embarrassing. I have never suffered from depression, nor does it run in my family. Judging from this experience, I would not recommend this Birth Control pill to ANYONE, it is harmful and toxic to your body.

THE MIRENA HAS RUINED MY LIFE. AFTER 2 YEARS OF HELL, I HAD IT REMOVED, THEN I STARTED YAZ BUT I HAVE NOT HAD MY PERIOD YET SINCE I HAD THE MIRENA REMOVED 3 MONTHS AGO. IM ALWAYS THINKING IM PREGNANT BUT THE TEST ALWAYS COME OUT NEGATIVE. WHEN WILL I GET MY PERIOD? IM TIRED OF THINKING IM PREGNANT WHEN IM NOT. WHATS WRONG WITH ME? BY THE WAY DID I MENTION I GOT OVARIAN CYSTS BECAUSE OF THE MIRENA. I NOW STOPPED TAKING BIRTH CONTROLS SINCE MY HUSBAND IS AWAY WORKING AND I DON'T NEED BIRTH CONTROL. IM STILL WAITING FOR MY PERIOD TO COME. I HOPE I AM NOT GOING THROUGH EARLY MENOPAUSE. IM ONLY 27 YEARS OLD. IVE HEARD ONE OF THE SIDE EFFECTS OF IUDS IS EARLY MENOPAUSE.

I have been on b/c for about 7 years. 6 o those years was on a low dose pill and this last year I have been on the ring. I have experienced a steady annual weight gain despite a relatively active lifestyle. I would estimate I have gained a total of 15 pounds since beginning bc. I have an average of two migraines a month which I initially thought were sinus headaches and were later diagnosed as migraines, I have been able to track them to specific times in the month, which indicates that it is directly related to the hormones. I have experienced a significant decrease in my sex drive, and since switching to the ring I have had issues with vaginal dryness and pain following sex. My periods are light, cramping is very mild and it is a very effective method of birth control. However, I am at a point where I just don't feel that the side effects are worth the advantage. As a married woman with no children, my husband and I are seriously considering an alternate form on bc. Does anyone have any recommendations of success with non hormone birth control?