Birth control options symptoms and conditions

Hello, my name is E. I have been taking Yasmin for 4 years now. Every month the week before my period for exactly 3-5 days I would feel crazy. Like my moods would change fast and extremely emotional. That was fun. Well, now I am having problems with my heart for the last month and a half. I have an irregular heartbeat, high pulse rate, and high blood pressure. I have been to the cardiologist and have been wearing a heart monitor 24 hours a day until I can get my Stress/Echo test done. My mother was the one to tell me to call my OBGYN and ask about my birth control and if this could be contributing to the problem. I called the nurse today and researched the side effects and problems women have been facing with this drug and was shocked. Could it be what did this to my heart? The nurse called me back and told me to stop taking the Yasmin/Ocella. Until I find out the reason for my heart problems I will not be using any birth control options, except condoms. Then, I will find out the appropriate method to be used for me. After I find out the results of my heart problems, I will repost to let all of the women know what came of all this. Until then, take care. E. (32 years old)

Well I have been on Yasmin for over 6 years.My youngest child will be 7 in November...After I gave birth and went to my 6 week check up I weighed 145. I now weigh 167. I am very depressed, an emotional basket case, and to top everything else off my period has been going on for 2 weeks. Does this pill cause weight gain and the rest of the side effects? I requested that I be put on these at my 6 week check up because I heard on TV that in Germany the women lost significant amounts of weight....HELP

Thank God I'm not alone. I have been on NuvaRing for ten days and life is aweful, I'm exhausted all the time, which I thought was due to having an 18month old. I wake up in the middle of the night with my heart racing, but so tired I can't fall back asleep, I want to nap during the day but my body wants to keep going but I'm so tired, plus I have severe mood swings. I yell at my son and take it out on my husband life in my house is terrible right, now and after I scream and yell, I cry. I had severe depression in life before and this is what it felt like, I never wanted to be in this state again, and here I am with a family like this and my poor family is taking it all. I called my doctor to see what to do and they told me this is actually supposed to have reverse effects because its low hormone and to stick to it for another month. I'm just scared that the depression will get worse or I will lose control.

For those of you who are ridiculing the ladies who are sharing their personal stories on here, shame on you. I'm GLAD you are happy with your Mirena and that you are not having problems with it. That does not change the fact that many women have suffered due to their Mirena and want women who are considering birth control options to be aware of the symptoms that the company and doctors deny.

I had absolutely no pain with placement of my Mirena 2 years ago, and removal was a breeze. I had no periods after the initial, short and light period I had after placement - which was AWESOME. However, I gained a lot of weight, I was incredibly moody, and had no energy or sex drive. It got worse with time to the point I was considering antidepressant medication. We decided we want to have another baby so I had it removed 4 days ago. AMAZING! My husband could tell that very afternoon that I felt good. I had energy to spare, my appetite was down and despite the stress of traveling 7 hours with a 6 and 2 year-old to visit family this weekend I was able to hold my temper in check and have a good time with my family. No one will convince me, or my husband, that Mirena - though it served its purpose well - only causes the side effects we're warned about in the pamphlet. There's too many of us complaining about the same things for it to be coincidence. For those of you who aren't experiencing these symptoms I am truly happy for you... but do not make the rest of us feel like whiners or like we're in the pocket of some other birth control company trying to scare women away from Mirena.

I used to be on tri-cyclen for about 3yrs, and it gave me terrible side effects like constant nausea,depression,weakness,it messed with my pH and irritated my acid reflux disease badly, it took me so long to realize and then i was switched to Yasmin. I had been off all bc for a month and i felt great, started Yasmin and within 2 weeks i noticed my depression worsening and my sex drive dropped very much, I feel like I have developed IBS, my weight dropped randomly and I experienced lightheadedness and blackouts, I also became b12 deficient and need supplements, my periods were only 3 days long but I got bad cramps which i had never experienced before and even now after 2 months their just as bad as they were, I cant sleep properly anymore and my blood pressure and heart rate have increased, I get numbness and palpitations and I really notice this because I smoke and already have some sort of circulatory problems. I also felt weird pains/twitching in my stomach and lower body, most of these symptoms i still experience... I was only on it for 4 months before i quit all bc pills altogether. I'm only 19 years old and I feel like this pill has caused me some serious heath problems and discomfort, we all need more healthy birth control options...

I WISH I had done research on Yaz earlier!!!!! I have been taking it for probably the last 10 months. At that time, I moved to a new city with my fiancee, started a new job that I hate... and becoming more and more depressed and anxious. I blamed it all on life changes. It eventually got so bad that I would lock myself in a bathroom and cry, snap at my fiance for EVERYTHING, snap at my daughter.. I was just this horrible woman and I couldn't control it. I would see myself being SO unreasonable but there was nothing I could do to stop it. I really felt like I was going crazy. I started seeing a Psychiatrist a few months ago and he put me on Wellbutrin. It helped the depression but not the anxiety or moodiness. So, last week he put me on Lexapro.
Finally, I'm starting to put 2 and 2 together and seeing that all my issues started as soon as I started taking YAZ!!! Not to mention, I have been having horrible skin allergies since I started as well. I can't believe I didn't make the connection sooner!
So now i'm off of Yaz and on 2 antidepressants, upset that I started something that I probably didn't need to, and don't really know how to get off them.
What really upsets me is that the doctors either don't make the connection or don't believe it. I am going back in in a couple of weeks to talk to my gyn about other birth control options...

I've been on the NuvaRing for 2 years now. I think it reacts differently to everyone. It has made my life much better. My periods are shorter, lighter and less painful. I used to get sore muscles and sore breasts a few days before I started now I have none of that. I'm not moody and for the first time in my life I don't have to spend the first day of my period in bed. My body adjusted to it quickly and I didn't have any spotting. I still have my sex drive and there is no pain during sex. I have a lot of stomach problems (bad gallbladder) and if I were on an oral contraceptive I would likely be pregnant because my body wouldn't absorb the pill properly. This has been a lifesaver for me.

This post is for the ladies who wonder will they feel better or notice any change after having the mirena removed. This is my own personal experience . I've had it out for about 2 weeks now after having it in for 3 1/2 years. I feel Great! I couldn't have a panic attack if I wanted to. I have had more energy, haven't had a headache. I have a returned sex drive. Sadly my hair is still very thin and patchy. The big kicker is I've lost 4 lbs as of today. My stomach now looks like I'm 3 months pregnant as opposed to 5 months. The big difference is noticed in my face and waistline. I don't feel so hungry all the time now and feel motivated to keep this going. I haven't had one heart palpitation since either. Yes I still yell sometimes, but not out of anger or rage. It's now to be heard over the yelling and screaming of my happy kids who used to cower because of my yelling that was so mean spirited and full of frustration from being so tired and feeling ill most all the time. I just worked last night 13 hrs got 5 hours of sleep today picked the kids up from school, played with them and cooked dinner to boot. I would have been in bed 2 weeks ago waiting for my husband to come home and rescue me. This has been my experience thus far and I keep posting to give those ladies hope that they can feel better once they get mirena removed. I hope others will have a positive experience with removal like I have had. Good Luck and Happy Recovery.

Here's an update to my previous post from a couple weeks ago. After reading all the posts here, and talking to several close friends, I had mine removed last Tuesday, May 26, 09. Wow! I can already see and feel the changes. I do want to say one thing though, I did not gain weight with the Mirena. In fact, I lost weight. Now I'm concerned that it will have the opposite effect on me and I will start to gain. I hope not since I am very happy with my current weight and hope to maintain it. Tomorrow will be a week and I can already tell a difference in my sex drive. Plus, my partner could feel it. He said it hurt and was starting to leave a permanent "place" on the end of his penis. But here is my dilemma. I'm a smoker. Yes, I know, bad, bad, bad. Trying to quit but not having a lot of luck. I am also 41 yr. old. There are not a lot of birth control options out there for women over 40, let alone those of us who smoke. I would be interested in hearing from anyone else who is in the same situation as me.

Also, I'm sure that the Mirena is a wonderful thing for a lot of women. I agree with Kimboslice that it is an individual choice for each person. Don't let all the comments scare you. It's just not the choice for us. Do what I did, try it for a while and if you don't feel it is the right thing for your body, have it removed. But give it long enough to make sure. Personally, I think you should give it at least 6 months. Good luck to everyone!!!

I don't have a Mirena, but I have been thinking of getting one. I am doing my research and I am shocked!

I made an appointment w/ my gynecologist to talk about birth control a month ago and I was very, very, very uncomfortable with how hard she pushed the Mirena on me...I felt as if there was some sort of benefit she would receive if I actually got one. Sounds a little nuts going back and re-reading this, but I have never had one form of birth control forced on me like that.

As a 35-y-o mother of three, I don't need these kinds of side effects. Thanks to everyone for sharing their stories; Mirena is officially off my list of consideration of birth control options.

I was looking through these Mirena side effects to make sure I was experiencing the same effects as anyone else using Mirena. I have used other birth control options before, but I chose to switch Mirena because I can be forgetful about taking the pill and my fiance and I aren't planning on having kids anytime soon, plus I loved the thought that my periods would be shorter and lighter after using Mirena for a while. I had Mirena placed in January of this year and my very next period was extremely light and only lasted two days, and my following cycle was even lighter. I thought this was too good to be true (I thought Mirena had to be used for several months to start seeing these results), so I thought I'd check to see what other ladies had to say about their effects from Mirena. Now I don't doubt any of these horror stories one bit, but I want women to know that not all results are not exactly horrifying. For any product out there you can find all the negative effects, but it's rare to hear the good results because nobody takes the time to post them. I do have to say that it was quite painful to have Mirena placed, but the cramping ceased within a couple of days. The cramps were like any normal menstrual cycle. The only other side effect I have had was some more than normal acne, which has already cleared. Like I said, my periods are already very light and I've had no weight gain, no mood swings, and my sex drive has stayed up! Mirena is everything I have expected and I would recommend it to other women too!

I'm surprised at all the comments about Mirena...about how painful the insertion was and how horrible the side effects are. I can honestly say that I've had NONE of those issues.

I'm 28, and I've had Mirena for 2 years now. I have NO children, but the procedure was NOT painful. It was slightly uncomfortable for a few moments while she inserted it, but I did not receive any anesthetic. I had slight cramping for a few days, which is normal. Over the course of several months after having the Mirena put in, my periods began to subside and after about 4 or 5 months, I had no period at all.

I have noticed absolutely no difference in my sex drive, weight, mood, hair growth, etc. I recommend Mirena to anyone who is interested in it.

Of course, every woman is different! And, our bodies all react differently. So, if you're interested in Mirena, please don't make a judgment call based solely on this message board or any other message board, for that matter. Some of us have had horrible experiences. Some of us have had great experiences. But, your decision should come from the ONLY two people who know YOUR body best: you and your doctor. Good luck!

I am trying to hold back the tears after reading all of this. Everything that is posted happened to me. I had my Mirena removed this morning after discovering that it may be the cause of my high blood pressure and weight gain. I had it inserted 6 months after my daughter was born (11/07). The doctor really promoted this method and had info posted all around the office. I chose this dr. after I had a major concern with my OB. She gave me the ring-while I was still breastfeeding!!! As a result of struggling to produce milk for my baby and knowing that I was possibly feeding with this unapproved method of BC for breastfeeding moms, I thought I was doing the right thing about choosing the Mirena with the new dr. Unfortunately, I could not find any thing on negative side effects or probably didn't look hard enough. At first, I thought that I was in heaven- no nausea or side effects like all of the other methods and I can even keep breastfeeding. Long story short, I gradually began to loose my mind!!!! I thought I needed to see a doctor for drugs ( moody, anxiety, irritable, confused, shortness of memory). Then all of my hair fell out. I have shortness of breath. I too could look in the mirror and see between the strands of my hair. And it continued to fall out and I now wear very expensive weaves and I hate it. I was loosing lots of weight and around the time my periods changed to just spotting for a day or two I gained 15 pounds. No matter what I did- close to starving myself, treadmill 5 x a week, no loss only gaining. I had cravings for sweets and I never did before. Almost everything that has been mentioned by others has happened to me. The headaches and dizziness caused me to go the doctor yesterday. She said that the Mirena works like Depro provera, (sp) aka the 3 month shot, and I used that almost 15 years ago but the doctor took me off after a year because of the weight gain. I could not believe I was using something similar. If I get back on an IUD I think I will use the one without any hormones or estrogen. Until that time, I will give my body some time to heal before our next baby, no BC for me. Please be careful with this drug and thanks to all for sharing.

Had mine removed yesterday. had an interesting conversation with my doctor also. he said, now get this ladies, a lot of people complain about the weight gain and anxiety, etc., but it has nothing to do with the iud. i'm sitting there like, HELLOOOO?? if a lot of people complained about it, wouldn't you think that the iud DOES have something to do with it?? goes to show you that a lot of doctors are book smart, but don't have an ounce of common sense.
i just read the post about facial hair...LOL!! is that y i'm tweezing everyday?? i had whiskers all over the damn place! and lets not mention the hot flashes!

I gained 20 pounds since i got the mirena :-( now i'm 40 pounds in the hole because i started out wanting to lose 20. i'm afraid this weight will not come off and i'll be stuck with it. this is not good for an unmarried, late 30-something, single mom. i wouldn't be able to snag a guy even if i drugged him!

oh yeah, he wanted to discuss birth control options because, as he put it, I could get preg tomorrow. I'm like Yeah ok, you have to have sex to get preg. Who do you think i am? the blessed virgin mary? oh please!!

i wonder if in like 10 years or so we'll be seeing those commercials that go "If you or a loved one suffered from serious side-effects from using the Mirena...." lol

I was on Yasmin for almost a year, and then on Yaz, and I've never felt so crazy in my life. The mood swings were so bad that it was like I was bipolar and became a different person. Worst part is that I couldn't realize it until I was out of the "bout" of anger, depression, and even paranoia. I have had emotional side effects with birth control before, and these were some of the worst. I just really wish there was a non-chemical birth control that didn't involve plastic, latex, or stingy spermicides! I know many women who cannot take hormonal birth controls, and we all complain that our sex life is not as good, and even causes big problems for some. Does anyone have any suggestions?

My birth control journey (including Nuvaring) has been horrendous. I was on Alesse for several years when I moved to a different country where it wasn't available. I went on Yasmin for 3 months and proceeded to gain 15 lbs. of weight I had worked really hard to lose only a few months before. I was depressed, moody, and nauseous all the time. My doctor then put me on a different pill which made me so nauseous I would sometimes vomit in the first week of the pack, then when the nausea subsided the PMS and moodiness started. Again I researched birth control options and heard about Nuvaring. I asked him if the lower dose of hormones would help and he said I should try it. 4 months later, during a routine medical exam I was told I had EXTREMELY high blood pressure. I had never had high BP before. I couldn't figure it out, I had my kidneys tested and they were fine, my diet was healthy, I just didn't understand until I took it into my own hands and googled it. It clicked that it was the Nuvaring. I took it out and have never felt better. I feel less bloated, my mood is amazing. I am having my BP tested again in 2 weeks and only hope that it's gone back to normal. I am NEVER returning to hormonal birth control methods.

I had Mirena inserted after the birth of my 2nd daughter - November 07. Things were going ok (at least that was what I thought) until about two months ago. I really did not think about the Mirena much. Maybe that was because my sex drive has been soooo gone that I have only used the benefit of the Mirena about 3 times. The problems I guess really started when my period disappeared. That happened 3 months after I got in inserted. I thought that was going to be great because my periods usually last 7 days from start to fully finished. But with this thing, I did not bleed but I definitely was still having a period. Bach aches, mood swings, headaches, bloating, etc. I started to think something was really wrong when I got a headache that lasted about a week, and I don't normally get headaches that last longer than a few hours. I could not figure out what was wrong with me. I even went to the emergency room to have them tell me that there was nothing wrong and it was probably just stress. I started to think that maybe it is the Mirena. I started doing searches on the adverse side effects of the Mirena and thank God I found you guys. I have most of the symptoms described here and other Mirena side effect pages. I will be having this awful thing removed in about two weeks. I don't know what my husband and I are going to do about birth control. We both do not want anymore kids but I am only 28 and do not want to have my tubes tied.
Headaches
Joint Pains
Low Back Pain
Mood Swings
No Sex Drive
Massive weight Gain (I have not lost any of my baby weight plus i put on a few more pounds)
Breasts Double in Size
Fatigue
Dizziness
Depression (low self-esteem)
My feet have even grown (probably because of the weight gain)

i have been on Loette for almost a year now. I have not felt 'right' the whole time. I've been excessively emotional, had a lot more headaches, night sweats, swollen and/or tender breasts, decreased sex drive and difficulty having an orgasm, to the point where i was wondering what the hell was wrong with me. Also had moments of insane anger followed by depression. I had been off the pill for about 3 years, having previously been on Diane since I was a teenager for acne. I didn't realize how much I liked being off the pill until I went back on it! Now looking into alternative birth control options.

Has anyone had extreme heavy bleeding/clots after having the Mirena removed? This is day 3. The last time I had such heavy bleeding I had just had my son. When do you start to worry about the bleeding?

i am 14, and i have never use a nuvaring before but wanting to look for an easy to use contraceptive method, i had been doing it with the withdrawal method for 5 months now and wanting to consider using some sort of contraception... but i also want to know what food i can eat to reduce the risk of getting pregnant?

I got Mirena 10 weeks after having my second Child. That was in December 2007. Since then I have absolutely NO sex drive at all!! I get irritable about sex and angry at even the thought of it. I have had low abdominal pain for the last 3 months and feel like I have put on weight around my belly and Butt and hips that I don't remember having even after my last child was born hmmm. I was told to get this because it is a low dose hormone that is localized to your uterus and not your whole body but now I am having major thoughts of getting it OUT! My hands have been sore and feel swollen in the morning and my joints have all been hurting for the past 4 months or so. I am young but feel as if I am aging very rapidly because of my health issues. I feel the same way as some though that if I get it out I don't have any options of birth control because I am nursing and I got pregnant last time while taking the mini pill and breastfeeding. I don't want to do anything permanent either because we may want to have another child in the distant future. After reading all the complaints from others though I am going to call my Doctor today and see what she says.

I'm glad I have found this site because as for most of you it has opened my eyes and answered a lot of mysteries about what is going on with my body.
As a 35 year old I gave birth to my first child in November 2007, gained all in all about 30 pounds in my pregnancy and like every one of you I was terrified if I was ever going to loose the weight. I am naturally athletic and slim so I was determined to lose it for all it took.
Within the first post-delivery month I have lost about 20 pounds, most of which was retained water and I felt great. In January 2008 me and my husband have decided on an IUD after debating few other options, this one had seemed the most logical and practical.
Because I have a heart defect and take meds for HB, I was never able to be on “the pill”, but my doctor has reassured me that Mirena is only localized hormonal contraceptive and that I will be fine. After 3 months and Mirena as my “companion” slowly but surely my weight was creeping up. It felt like never ending battle, me exercising, being on what I thought was a good balanced diet (with the occasional snack ) let’s face it, it’s hard work raising children and we need a chocolate reward here and there. My blood pressure as well took the upward clime not to mention a lack of sex drive and exhaustion.
After reading many posts on this and other websites about women with similar outcomes, me and my husband have decided to opt for other birth control options. I had my Mirena removed yesterday. My doctor was fine with my decision, she also didn’t think my symptoms were related to Mirena but admitted that she had several women come in with the same problem. She told me she has administered countless numbers of this contraceptive with many satisfied customers. And that is why we have options.
I am now considering the Para Guard IUD with copper, which is the same shape and size as Mirena IUD but without the hormones. I have decided I’d much rather have few heavier and longer periods, but be happy about my body and not feel bloated and tired all the time. It will take some time to loose the weight, but now what I’ll put in exercise and diet will actually show on the scale. On a positive note this morning my scale read 4 ponds less than yesterday, which gave me great boost. I know it’s only water weight but it’s a start .
Good luck to all of you on your search for the right birth control! May all of us be happy, healthy and strong, after all we deserve it! Amen

In order to counter some of the very negative postings regarding side effects of NuvaRing, I'd like to share my experience.

I had at, at one time or another, tried many different birth control options, all of which gave me terrible side effects. All variations of The Pill left me depressed, with heavy cramps and acne. The Depo-Provera shot made me gain a lot of weight and suffer through continuous spotting and cramping. The patch made me consistently nauseated.

NuvaRing has been the only method of birth control that has given absolutely no negative side effects! I have used it for over 2 years and I love it. My acne has cleared, my periods are shorter and lighter. I have not felt an ounce of depression or decreased sexual appetite, and my boyfriend doesn't feel it at all.

I post this only as a reminder that BIRTH CONTROL AFFECTS EVERYONE DIFFERENTLY. I would hate for anyone to read these postings and be frightened away from trying a medication that could be as helpful to them as it has been to me.

Many of those who experienced severe depression on this message board also mentioned having been depressed and treated for depression before using NuvaRing, which to me indicates a clear connection between having an already existing mental condition and the increased occurrence of depression with the medication.

Again, I have been using NuvaRing for over 2 years and have not experienced any of the side effects listed here. The only way to know for sure how you will benefit or not from a medication is to try it for yourself.

I used the ring for five years and really didn't recognize the symptoms. I gained 9 pounds, got worse acne but it was really my happiness that suffered the most. My boyfriend broke up with me and so I stopped using the ring. Even while I was incredibly sad about the break-up, my mood improved so much I began to suspect the NuvaRing had been messing with me. The weight dropped off and I became way more recognizable to myself. I then tried it again. My appetite increased, I got really crabby and tired, I took it out after two weeks and the effects disappeared. I think I just have to realize these birth control options are serious medicine, and not built for everyone. I am thinking about getting a copper iud but am worried about that, too.

I'm so glad that I found this site and know that I'm not going through this alone. I started the NuvaRing after not being on birth control for 2 years. Previously I've been on the pill and the patch. I'd heard great things about the ring and thought I'd give it a try. The first three months I loved it. Around month four, I started having pain during sex. It felt like I wasn't getting lubricated enough. Then on top of the pain during sex, I would have a burning sensation after sex when I went to the bathroom. I've also been experiencing a lot of hunger and weight gain around my stomach, which hasn't ever been an issue before. The past month I've had little to no sex drive, and have to wait at least a day after sex before I can attempt to do it again. I'm only 27 and know this isn't normal. Last week I had my period for only 2 days. I thought there was something psychologically wrong with me, especially having no sex drive when I'm with someone that I'm incredibly attracted to. After reading everyone else's similar experiences, I'm taking this ring today and voicing my concern to my doctor first thing tomorrow. Best of luck to everyone in getting back to how we were before the ring.