Birth controls symptoms and conditions

This is my Mirena story. I got it inserted just over 4 months ago. Other birth controls were not working very well for me, as I had irregular bleeding with them often. So my doctor recommended Mirena. Insertino was awful. It hurt terribly. I almost passed out in the office from the pain (and I am not a wuss when it comes to pain). On the drive home I had to pull over to throw up - I was so nauseous from the pain. The extreme pain (which, to me, was worse than when I was in labor) lasted for a few days then subsided.

I bled for 30 days straight after insertion, which was awful. I also have experienced hair loss, acne, irritability and weight gain (without changing my diet and exercise levels). Over the past four months I have also had awful back pain and extreme cramps that seem to come randomly. My periods come and last 10 days.

Recently, I decided that I'd had it with the Mirena. I went to the doctor today and had it removed. After talking with her about my side effects, she was very supportive in my decision to have it removed. She believes I may be overly sensitive to the progestin in it. Removal was super-quick and easy and virtually painless. I'm looking forward to life without this thing!

I have been on quasense for 2 months, starting my 3rd month when I started to talk to my aunt about different birth controls. She told me her aunt was on Seasonale and my aunt was taking Seasonale (sp?) and they both hated it! My aunt started to tell me about the horrible 3 week periods and my sister has had the 3 week period of weird dark brown not blood but more of a solid clump? I haven't started to take the pills to help me with my period but after reading all of these comments I'm getting nervous to start taking them! I have noticed about a 5-7 pound weight gain (went to the doctors because of a yeast infection, which I have never had before), I get migraines about 7-8 times a year for about a week at a time, but after starting this new birth-control, I cannot get rid of my migraines no matter how much medication I take for it (and that medication makes the birth-control effectiveness go down :(...) and I have become quite irritable/bitchy with my boyfriend lately. I thought this was due to me starting college a couple weeks ago (the freshman 15, being stressed etc...) but now I'm not too sure. If anyone could PLEASE give me some idea as to what they think I should do as in keep taking quasense or switch to a new birth-control.

I have had Mirena in for about a year. I got it because after trying birth control pills, I was getting severe migraines all the time. My doctor told me I was at risk for stroke and should never take birth control pills again. Not wanting to have to use condoms the rest of my life, I asked for options other than the pill. My doctor strongly recommended Mirena. Well, I had it put in in September of 2008. At first I had the normal symptoms of heavy bleeding, severe cramps, etc. But after about 2 months that calmed down. However, I felt bloated all the time and started gaining weight. I was only 21 at the time, and had never had a problem with weight gain in my entire life. I wasn't over-eating, and I was still exercising. In the last year I have gained about 20 pounds. Anyways, around January I got a large cyst on one of my ovaries which eventually burst, but I still feel like I have sharp stabbing pains in my abdomen quite a lot. The real problem started a few months ago. I have been getting severe migraines again, and they are coming more and more frequently. I get optical auras with the migraines and often feel tingling in my face and hands. I am concerned that something more severe could be wrong or that Mirena is putting me at risk for stroke. I was told this would not happen with Mirena, but I have had no other significant changes that could account for the migraines. I have had migraines since I was a little girl, but never this often or with the strange tingling. The only other time I had migraines like this was on the pill. I really like Mirena because it is easy and I don't have to think about it, but I hate the migraines, weight gain, bloating, cysts, etc. I don't know what else I would use, though, since I can't be on estrogen-based birth controls. Does anybody have any advice? I am only 22 years old and don't want children for a while. I really don't know what to do.

I have been on Yaz for over 2 years. I am 20 years old. At first, I was extremely happy. I had tried multiple birth controls before Yaz, but all of them had made me depressed and angry. Now, however, my periods are heavy, my acne is back, my sex drive is completely gone, which is the worst part, I'm extremely tired all the time, I'm angry and often get frustrated, I'm gassy, my limbs often fall asleep and I get cramps in my feet and legs, and I feel sick all the time.

I'm quitting Yaz. I've looked in to IUDs, but the negative side affects scare me. I just want to feel normal again.

I had my Mirena put in 3 months after having my fifth child in December o8...i tried mirena because in the past birth controls have failed for me such as the pill even depo so me and my doctor decided that mirena would be a good birth control for me i am 29 and have been getting my period since i was 15 and never have my periods ever lasted more then 5 days but since i have gotten the mirena put in i have bleed in excess of 15 days or more currently i am on day 15 and still going the bleeding is so heavy at times i will go through at least 5 tampons a day and most of the time i have to wear a pad also cause i bleed through especially when i just wake up it seems as if the blood just collected all night so when i get out of bed it just comes gushing out sometimes starts running down my legs...im always tired and lately i been crying a lot just out of the blue for no reason i get really irritated very easy and it seems to get worse my sex drive is none i want to have it removed but ive heard stories of the symptoms getting worse after having it removed and i also don't want to get pregnant again but i refuse to get a tubal because the women in my family who have had them always ended up later in life having to have a hysterectomy i am also paranoid even with the mirena that i will get pregnant and end up with a tubal pregnancy. HELP ME LORI

i have read a lot of these posts 7 its kinda freaked me out b/c im currently taking loestrin & i jus finished my 1st pack. i have light to heavy spotting everyday. i know most females wil began 2 spot 1st when they are taking a birth control that can decrease your period. i also feel moody & sort of depressed but i feel other things in my life are causing that. my cramps aren't as ad as when im not on bc. my breast are tender to but no acne, acne has never been a problem for me, thank god!lol. ut the only think that really bothers me is the constant spotting! i was on the shot, depo-provera for 2 yrs. straight. u get the shot once every 3 months. i spotted at first for like a month & then it began 2 decrease & my period stopped all together but still had increase breast size, extreme weight gain, cramps(not unbearable ones), & the worst migraines. these are jus typical side effects of birth control. i liked the depo shot cuz i didn't have a period or had 2 remember 2 take a pill everyday but the side effects are probably not worth that bargain. the any birth control especially the shot that stops your period & you take it for years straight can make you sterile i have a cousin who had a few miscarriages b/c of it b/c the shot might not ware of from a month to a year causing sterility. the shot also can cause bone density. im just so fed up w/ irth control b/c they all have a bad side effect. i hope they can invent something w/ way less side effects because the negative out ways the positives with most if not all birth controls but i guess im gonna try loestrin for a while before i give up on it.

I started Loestrin 24 Fe about 6 months ago. The first month was pretty rough. I was nauseous all the time, had headaches and even had cramping. My biggest concern however were my major mood swings. I consider myself to be a pretty easy going person and when I started taking Loestrin I became angry and irritable pretty much all day. My boyfriend was literally begging me to switch birth controls. Well, I decided to duke it out and try it out for at least 3 months to see how things would go. My moods swings went away by the second cycle, the nausea stopped, and the cramping only occurred during my periods. I believe my breast size increased a bit as well. Unfortunately Loestrin did absolutely nothing for my acne. Hope this helped! And if anybody knows of another low dose birth control that can help me with my acne I'd greatly appreciate it!

I was put on Femcon FE to regulate my periods and because I am sexually active. I have been with my boyfriend for 1 year and 9 months now and just recently did we start having sex. I know birth controls don't protect against STDS which I'm ok with, since we're both each others firsts. I am 19 years old. I have been on the pill now for a little over a week and a half, not that long. All I have noticed on it are. 1. headaches, which Tylenol definitely fixes, 2. nausea, which isn't that awful but it's not the greatest 3. an increased sex drive, It makes me want it all the time and 4. a decreased appetite. I know I haven't been on it long and these symptoms aren't unbearable, I just hope they end. I guess my body just needs to get used to it. Oh yes and one more thing, I have recently been getting zits, they aren't bad like some people have mentioned but they aren't the greatest either, I never really get zits. It might not be Femcon related at all, since I work around oil and stuff and have been working a lot lately that and it's been hot out and sometimes in the summer I get them. But if they continue and my other side affects continue I'll keep you all posted. So far, everything is bearable and I don't think Femcon is that bad, minus the minty-ness. It's slightly awful haha

After being on several birth controls for 5 years, the past 3 have been on NuvaRing. It was great for 2 years but the past year hasn't been great. I was getting my periods on Tuesdays and very light flow that lasted 3 days. Now I get it on Wednesdays and it lasts 5-6 days. Not to mention the horrible, painful cramps I get when I take the ring out. I have gained an enormous amount of weight and become very emotional with constant mood swings. I know with the other birth controls I have been on my body got so used to them to that it started rejecting the hormones. I have to say that the same thing is happening with NuvaRing. While by body was accepting it, NuvaRing was a great alternative to a pill. But, all good things must come to an end so today was my last day on it. I'm curious to see what happens next.

My doctor prescribed Loestrin24 to me after three failed attempts at other birth controls. I was on the Depo shot for about 9 months, and had my period for 4 months which is why we decided to switch. My period went away within 4 days of taking loestrin which was great. I haven't noticed any side-effects until now. I have been taking this pill for 1 month and 1 week, and for about 5 days I have been extremely rude and moody. I am having horrible stomach cramps that make me feel very depressed. I don't want to leave my bed, and I don't want to eat. I have lost 7 lbs in a little more than a week. My sex drive has increased, which is great, but the stomach pain and mood changes are too much for me. I just feel like giving up on birth control because nothing seems to work for me. If you have any suggestions for a better birth control pill I would appreciate it very much.

I've been using birth control for nearly 8 years now. I've never noticed a major weight gain other then what is normal for a growing girl (14 -22) I gained some weight on my transition from High school to college and I expected to gain a little weight going from unmarried to married (which I did) but I changed to Tri-Sprintec a while ago (sometime after I got married I'm guessing about 8-12 months ago) and over the past year I've put on nearly 80lbs I can admit some of this is probably from working midnights and not eating properly but over the past 4 months I have changed how much I eat (only about 1/2 of what I ate before and I eat more small meals then I did back then) and I stopped drinking coffee and all Sodas but I haven't lost a single pound actually I think I've went up about 10lbs in the last 5 months. I've started exercising (walking, bike riding, and jogging) but still nothing. I'm debating on getting off Tri-Sprintec because of everything I've heard and the fact that all my life i've struggled with my weight but NOTHING like the past year. I've put on 80lbs since I got married and I figured I would put on some but 80lbs in one year... its never been this bad before.

My husband is ticked because my sex drive is down to nothing and this started about the time that I changed pills but at the time I attributed that to stress and job/schedule changes but the more I read everyone else review the more things are starting to click into place.

This pill DOES NOT shorten your period all my other birth controls have shortened it at LEAST 2 days but with this I'm on anywhere from 7-9 days which really kills me. Watch out for this side effect!!!

I got mirena implanted April 14. insertion was terrible- if having a baby hurts that much i think i will pass- and had cramping til the next day, but other than that it seems good so far. i was on depo provera for 8 years, was off birth control since my last shot in august until now, and don't feel significantly different on mirena. i am kind of tired and moody recently but am about due for my period so it could be because of that. i'm really surprised to see these kinds of terrible symptoms being described, but want to point out these symptoms can happen with most birth controls. i felt low sex drive and some depression on the shot, as well as experiencing weight gain, but i've lost about 15 lbs since stopping the shot and haven't gained any back so far.

I thought that all the problems I've had the last 3 months that I've been on Yaz were unrelated....I thought between stress, IBS, my job as a teacher, and being a single mother, that all my problems are just stress. I've been on the pill for three months. I am taking the pill to help with adult acne and mood swings. I really think that it has helped both of those things. However, the last month I have noticed some symptoms and I think that maybe I can tie them all to yaz???? Here's the list:
Headaches
Weight gain
Muscle cramps
Extreme GI problems (worse than my normal IBS)
Blanking out (short time frames where I do weird things and I don't remember them). Is this a symptom? I haven't read about this one. I'm scared to death I have some mental disease or something! Anyone else have this problem? I am so scared that I've lost my mind and have gone crazy.
Night mares
Anxiety
Panic attacks (I think)
Abnormal heart beat

Well I have looked at a lot of web site for information about birth controls and this one by far seems to be the best. I'm 22 years old and have been on and off birth control since I was 15. So far every one I have tried has caused either nausea or Sever Break through bleeding. Last November I decide to give the depo shot one more try, for the first month I had no break through bleeding. But in December it started and never stopped, here it is April 30 and I experienced maybe 5 days during my duration of the depo shot no bleeding. So I went to the doctor today because I have come to realize that my body may need a higher dosing of hormones so she prescribed Femcon. Now in the past I have had the same problems that have been posted on here but when I was not on birth control! Birth control, controlled my symptoms a little but never stopped them. So im hopping that Femcon control that awful breakthrough bleeding I experience with many other contraceptives. At the end of my pack im going to update! Todays day 1

I've been taking Aviane for a month now and I must say it has been the BEST birth control that I have ever taken! When I was a senior in high school I started taking birth control, Apri (I think that's how you spell it idk), for my mind-numbing cramps and horrible PMS. While it did fix that my mood swings were out of wack, I got horrible acne, and I was hungry 24/7. My body was constantly hungry and I ate SSOO much and ended up gaining 35lb.
Then after a year and a half of that I went to Yaz. Yaz helped my acne and my periods, but made me moody, still hungry, and it KILLED my sex drive. The decreased sex drive was definitely the worst part of the Yaz. I was so dry 'down there' that sex was painful and I was never turned on.
Now that I'm on Aviane my sex drive is INCREDIBLE. I love having this feelings again for sex and my boyfriend definitely loves it lol. Also, it has decreased my appetite and I've already lost 10lb. from being on it. I will admit that when I started taking it I was a little moody, but now I feel fantastic.
Different birth controls have different effects on everyone, but I'm more than happy that I found one that works for me :)

I had the Mirena put in 2006 after my third child. I talked with my sister who had it put in a couple of years before. She could not handle all the other birth controls. It was very uncomfterable being put in but not untollerable. I spotted off and on the first couple of months. Had cramps for the first few days. After that nothing at least i though nothing till i read all these. My husband is in the Army, we moved to Germany the next year, I got very depressed. I also gain some weight not a lot but enough to notice. I was very moody the time i had the Mirena and felt very stressed all the time. I had the Mirena removed in 2008 so we could try to have another baby. It was not so bad getting it taken out as being put in. I bleed heave after for about 5 days. I also lost some of the weight not doing anything different. When my husband got home we tried to get pg for 18 days straight and nothing. The Mirena is not for everyone and you should think about it before you get it and keep in mind all the things different women have gone through to see if its happening to you as well.

I have been on Loestrin for about 2 years now. I haven't noticed any side effects, other than not having a period, or having a short one for a day or two. Loestrin was the 1st bc I was ever put on. After about 4 months of taking it, I didn't like the fact that I wasn't having periods. I went to my doctor and expressed my concern, and she told me she didn't see what I was complaining about. She said that most women enjoy the plus of not getting a period. After trying 2 other birth controls that were terrible and gave me the worst periods of my life, I went back to Loestrin. This month, when I got to the last brown pill I bled for like a half a day. Then, two weeks later, in the middle of my pack, I started having mild cramps and a tiny bit of blood. That is kind of normal though. I go months without having periods and then all of a sudden I have one, or two small ones in the same month. Good to know that I'm not the only one experiencing the no period thing. I don't have any problems with the pill other than the random periods (if you can even call them that).

I have been on Nuvaring for almost two months. At first I liked it and now I have noticed I am depressed and cry all the time and I am never depressed! I have read other posts that sex is painful with NuvaRing. I am getting married May 30th and have never had sex so I am worried NuvaRing might make it painful. Any suggestions should I switch birth controls before the wedding? I already tried the pill and it made me sick and I couldn't remember to take it.

I got the Mirena in August 2008 after having our second child. We thought it was a great idea b/c I wasn't ready for my husband to have a vasectomy in case we ever did change our mind about having more children. Although, we definitely have decided that we won't have anymore. Anyways, I have had spotting ever since and the three months of spotting is a joke because it has been way longer than that! The last two days I have had SEVERE lower back pain through the tops of my legs aching. Reminded me of having back labor it was so terrible. I couldn't sleep at night good because it was awful. I called my doc today and I am having it removed tomorrow. Can't wait!!!! I just wished I had read this website before I had decided on Mirena. And the comment I read about the hurt you experience having it inserted is the darn truth! If I had knew that I wouldn't have gotten it either. Besides that, my doc had to clamp my cervix while trying to insert it...so needless to say it was horrible!!!!!!!

I am 22 years old and have tried four different birth controls in the past 5 years. Less than two weeks ago I started taking Yasmin and stopped taking it yesterday. Three days into the pack I began having heart palpitations. They would come and go. Some days one or two, other days none. Yesterday alone I had 35 heart palpitations, and was at the doctor today. They told me to stop taking these pills immediately. I've never experienced side effects like this with any other pill, nor have I ever had any heart problems. The pill is different for everyone... but I will stay far far away from Yasmin.

I'm 28 yrs old and I've had the Mirena for about 10 months now and I know it's to blame for my ACNE and WEIGHT GAIN, BAD BACK ACHES, BLOATED STOMACH, HEADACHES, CRAMPS AND BLEEDING AFTER SEX. I don't know why there is so many complaints about this product and yet it is still considered one of the best birth controls.....That's BS and I called the Bayer Company to complain because I want my money back and they claim to write down everything I'm saying to report it to the Higher ups. I didn't believe them and have to go thru 10 different people before they make a decision on weather or not to refund my $600, that I paid for out of pocket. I really think it's sad that our doctor's don't listen to us, I think I may have to write a letter to the company and send them this website to check out because they are CLUELESS. I will be getting mine out within the next 2 weeks and I'm scared that it has already done so much damage that it will take me forever to get back to feeling like myself again. I was on the NuvaRing before this and I didn't like that either. It definitely made me gain weight and I always had a yeast infection and it kept falling out during sex. I don't know what to do but get my tubes tied even though I still want to have 1 more child. I don't know or think there is any birth control out there without 50 million side effects. I also know that everyone is different and don't have all of the same side effects we have. Good for them, but it seems to be more with side effects than without. I hope if someone is thinking about getting the Mirena to look it up and research as much as possible. I did research on the actual website, I didn't see none of this but if I had I still might have gotten it and learned my lesson on my own. So, please reconsider what you are putting in your body, especially if you see this many complaints. Someone hit me back if you agree!!!

I was on Loestrin 24 for 9 months and thought it was wonderful....until I was recently hospitalized for 2 weeks with blood clots in both lungs. The doctors determined that it was the Loestrin. If anyone knows of a class action lawsuit against them, please let me know.

I have been on other birth controls, and more recently have been off for 8 months. Not trying to get pregnant, just sick of the side effects of my other pills (generics). Doc gave me yaz, I didn't take it until now, 5 months after prescribed. I have been taking it for 7 days, and I feel like crap. I thought my back pain was from sleeping wrong and sitting at a computer, but you guys have it too. I didn't have a BM for the first 5 days, and when I did it was painful and smelled like someone died (completely unlike me). I feel like I don't want to do anything fun. I have gone to bed by 9 every night and have no interest in doing anything else. Even thinking about my Sunday plans, which are normally fun and exciting, all I want to do is lay in bed.

This pill is whack, and I'm going off it immediately. I would rather get pregnant or be stuck using icky condoms again than deal with this crap. Thank you everyone else for sharing. I hope someone else eyes get opened like mine just were.

I started taking Yasmin about 5 years ago. At first, I experienced a little nausea as my body got used to the drug, but after the first few months I was fine. Fine until about a year and a half ago. In the past year and a half, I've had absolutely NO sex drive, and terrible PMS. I swear I have PMS symptoms 3 weeks out of the month. It's miserable. I'm always moody and get aggravated at the smallest things. VERY unlike me. I also feel bloated a lot of the time. I work out regularly and eat healthy, so I know the bloating is not caused by eating badly. My doctor assures me my problems are with my birth control. I started a new birth control yesterday, so I hope it works! The main thing to remember is that different birth controls work differently for different people, and your body also changes through the years. What worked for you at one time, may not work for you 5 years later. This is why it's very important to communicate your problems to your doctor so he/she knows exactly what you're experiencing and can help you. While diagnosing yourself online can be helpful, it's not as good as expressing your concerns to your doctor.