Breast tenderness symptoms and conditions

I have been taking Femcon FE for one month. I am on my inactive week and I have had breakthrough bleeding during week 2 and week 3 and now I am bleeding extremely heavy. I used a super kotex tampon AND an always super overnight pad as a backup and bled through the tampon in 1 hour at the worst of the heaviness. I had some vomiting and nausea the first week but after that the only thing I noticed is mild breast tenderness and my legs are cramping at night. I called the GYN and they said to stick with it until the 3 months are over. I had to leave work today to come home and lay down because I was bleeding so badly. I'm not sure if I should continue to take this or not. I have had irregular periods and had extended bleeding which was light but would last for 3 weeks at a time.

I cannot disagree with these negative postings more. I absolutely love the nuvaring. I have not gained any weight...of course I diet & exercise about 5 days a week....do those of you who have experienced weight gain exercise regularly? I have also had an INCREASE in my sex drive...I have been with my fiance for 5 years, and for the past 3 of those, I have had no sex drive whatsoever. I got on the ring & bam, it's there with a vengence...the only problem with that is that we're getting married in 2 weeks & I wanted to make it special & stop having sex a couple of months before the wedding...but I just can't get enough of it. I have dealt with depression & anxiety my entire 27 years of life, so if the nuvaring is causing that...it's not any worse than normal. The only side effects I've had is the discharge, (which yes, is very annoying) and tender breasts...but I can deal with that. Although I have noticed that I cry a bit easier...but I was always a crier as well. I cry when I'm mad, sad, happy...always have, so nope...guess that's not from the ring either. ALL birth control effects everyone differently. I'm not saying this for everyone, but sometimes a lot of people like to blame certain actions & physical changes on something & maybe this is the case...for some people. I've been on the pill before & I always got off it b/c of weight gain....well, it was b/c I wasn't eating properly or exercising. I liked to blame my mood swings on the pill as well, but once I thought about it, I still had those before & after taking the pill. The only reason I quit the pill was b/c it did give me acne. Anyway, just my thoughts....& I wanted to post something positive for the ring.

If you are just starting BC,

YOU MUST GIVE IT AT LEAST THREE MONTHS TIME.

BC is a medication. It's a man-made drug. Of course you will have side-effects and probably bad ones while you are just starting it. I really can't say that enough.

When I started Loestrin 24 Fe, it was my first time on BC and I had all the terrible side effects previous posters have had, especially breast tenderness. I had to wear a sports bra at all times, it hurt that badly!

But after that three month mark, everything improved. I stopped retaining water, and actually LOST weight. This pill has helped to regulate my appetite. My acne that I'd had for 7 years disappeared. My periods stopped being weeks long and now last only 3 days at most.

So, until we can create a BC Pill/Injection for men (wouldn't that be more practical anyway to begin with? Get someone on this right away!), we ladies have to endure Short-term side effects associated with the Pill.

I had terrible side effects with Yaz....I literally thought I had a deathly disease. It took 6 weeks to feel normal again. Get off of it if you are suspicious....there are other forms of birth control.

Read my symptoms first; at the bottom it will tell you how long I had the IUD and the time line of the symptoms.

constant pelvic discomfort
(sometimes to the point where Advil usage doesn't even help)
("zaps" or "pings" of pain...light lightening bolts)
almost constant bleeding
(sometimes with clots - in differing sizes)
(coloring can be bright red to burgundy and brown)
(odor from the bleeding is very noticeable)
immediate weight gain
(this includes severe abdominal protrusion)
(I belly dance, & the costume I had just worn 2 weeks prior to insertion no longer fit)
severe swelling of the extremities
(hands usually do swell in hot weather, however, I've never had my feet and lower legs swell up like this - I had elephant feet/legs)
immediate acne issues
(my skin is always clear except for a few during my period)
moodiness
brain fog
(I'm a bookkeeper, & I noticed an immediate problem with my making stupid mistakes or taking longer than normal to resolve usual issues in this regard)
clumsiness
(could be attributed to the brain fog)
breast tenderness
(feels like someone's constantly squeezing/poking them)
movement of the IUD
(I could feel that it was out of position; it was more on my right side and caused ALOT of discomfort)

Here's the kicker, ladies. This was all within 1 WEEK of USE.

I demanded removal of this nasty thing & the GYN office refused.
After two more weeks of hell, I insisted, & they finally removed it.

This is what I experienced AFTER the removal:
Immediate relief in my pelvic area, BUT, still having pelvic pain.
INTENSE bleeding & clotting. To the point where I bled through my clothing at work (yes, I was using tampons & heavy pads).
The GYN's office didn't seem concerned; they said this was my body's "normal" reaction. (yeah, right). I finally stopped bleeding a good 5+ days later.
Even more breast tenderness.
Weight gain/bloat has not gone away. (I'm quite active)
Still experiencing brain fog.
Acne is starting to dissipate.

I have a ****** Group set up to shout to the world about this horrid device; look for: mirenajustsayno

Report your experience directly to Mirena; they have a contact # to report an "Adverse Reaction". From there, file a report with the varying health organizations.

On another note, I also had several ultrasounds done at the GYN's office prior to the insertion. The DR stated I had no ovarian cysts, no fibroids, BUT, my uterus was overly large. I sounded at a 10 as opposed to the usual 8. I was told it didn't matter, that I was a good candidate. He also stated that I had "a little endo".
(The reason for my use was to control the heavy bleeding during my period, along with the severe cramps.)

Well, I had some ultrasounds done at the hospital late last week, about 10 days after the removal of the Mirena. This is the result:
irregular complex cyst on my left ovary
unusually thickened uterine wall (no other explanation other than it was thicker than average)
It was noted that the series needs to be repeated.
(I'm assuming they want to look deeper)
Note that I have not resolved whether or not there was any perforation from the IUD moving out of place; the GYN never ran an ultrasound to verify it - they just did a regular exam & told me "it was still in my uterus". (that exam initiated severe bleeding for several days as well)

Good luck and let me know how you're doing!

And, yes, I do have several friends that LOVE their Mirena.

What symptoms have you experienced coming off of the generic form of Seasonale called Jolessa? Right now I am so confused if whether these are withdrawal symptoms or pregnancy considering I've already taken HPT that came out neg. Some of these symptoms were only there during the last month I was on them until now which is why it's confusing. My 2 years on Jolessa I've experienced spotting for 2 out of the 3 months with a 1-3 day period, psoriasis, bloating, dizziness, and headaches. When I came off I started my period 3 days later then came all the breast tenderness, nausea, hot flashes, insomnia, fatigue, abdominal pain, and back pain. Now 29 days later is brownish-pink bloody show like substance with severe cramping. I was fine before I went on Jolessa (regular cycle, just didn't want periods) now I am messed up!

Hi, I had mirena placed two months ago after giving birth to my 3rd child. I wish I would've seen this site before I make my decision of using Mirena. My first symptom was chest pain and it was followed by heart palpitations, lower back pain, dizziness, heart burn, etc...... I asked my obgyn and he said "IS NOT MIRENA" the cause of your symptoms. I had to see a Cardiologist because I felt that I was going to die in any minute from a heart attack. My Cardiologist said you are to young to have heart problems. I had an ekg, blood work, echo, and stress test done. nothing seems to be wrong with me "Medical terms" you are fine. But I knew something was wrong, I got my own diagnosis "MIRENA" was the cause of all my symptoms. I have it removed about two weeks ago and I finally feel normal again. No more side effects. Please ladies do your own research really good before using this or any other medication that your doctor gives you and please DON'T trust your Dr. 100%, they are not always right. Good luck to all of you.

Wow, I am so shocked to read all your ladies' comments!

I just started using YASMIN about a week ago and suddenly I started feeling very anxious and depressed, at first I thought that it was because I recently moved to my current apartment and had a lot of stress.

Then the more I thought about it the more I realized that whatever was happening was not normal because that's now who I am. I felt it had something to do with the pill, but I didn't think the side effects could be so awful. I have breast tenderness right now.

I just went to my GYN today and let her know what was happening and all she said was that it was too early for me to be having those side effects and gave be a paper to go and get a blood pregnancy test done.

I am 27 yrs old and I had been off BC for a long time, but the pills I used years ago did not give me any of those side effects.

I plan on going back to the DR ASAP and let her know that I want a different BCP.

Well it is day 4 and all i have to report is some breast tenderness.. but I am a big girl up top so we will see. Also I have been having some bad lower back pain it is really bad after a good night sleep and upon waking in the morning. I have started to do stretching exercises to see it that will help. My appetite has seemed like it has decreased. But I usually have that happen when I get my period I actually don't crave. I have no horrible pinching like i usually have on my left side this time of month and not much bloating but I am drinking tons of water too. Very scared of weight gain...
Will keep ya posted

OK. I started taking this pill on the 3rd of June. I have missed about 4 pills (We dont' mind if we end up preggo, I am on the pills for a different reason.) and I have been on my period for 2 days now. I have had severe breast tenderness, and yesterday my breasts were "drawing" like they do when you need to nurse your baby. Lastnight I ended up squeezing on them a little just to see if anything was there, and little bubbles of Milk came out. I haven't read ANYTHING about this anywhere, and my doctor says that it is a side effect to the Loestrin. But my doctor is a sort of a quack in my opinion. Anyway, if anyone can give me some insight on this I would greatly appreciate it....Thanks.

Ok. I am in the 3rd week of the pills and I've missed about 4 pills total. Me and the Hubbs aren't really worried about getting pregnant or not getting pregnant because we're not on the pills for that reason. The past 5 days I've had severe breast tenderness and yesterday I started having "drawing" in my breast (if you've breast-fed before then you understand what I mean, you feel like you need to nurse your baby before your boobs explode). Last night I squeezed my breast a little and bubbles of "milk" came out. My doctor says that its the normal side effects of the pill but I have NEVER experienced anything like this before due to the pill; and I can't find ANYTHING that says this is normal. Can anyone give me some insight to this, please?

It is so funny to read all of the negativity but nothing positive! I came here looking for side effects and get a bashing about how horrid Yasmin/Yaz is! Let me first start off by listing my side effects that I wanted to know about:

breast tenderness
change in appetite
tiredness
red spot in eye

Next, let me tell you that I researched BEFORE taking this medicine because 1. I have MS 2. I suffer from migraines and seizures and 3. I take a whole boat load of medications! My doc recommended Yasmin for PMDD coupled with Sarafem to help my mood right before and during my time of the month. I must say that I have only been on it for about 10 days so I do not know anything of how it works with my period.

I am APPALLED at the fact that there are few, if any, positive comments about this pill! I know for a FACT that it works because I know 7 people personally that are on it that have NO PROBLEMS! So, I ask you all that have negative comments, what is wrong with you, other than you HATE the pill? What OTHER meds were you on while taking it? I read a few comments about stopping for a month and then starting again and then wondering why they felt like crap?? Well HELLO?! You are effing with your body's hormones! And there is a difference between Yaz and Yasmin hormones. If you had a bad experience with Yaz, make sure you are not confusing it with Yasmin! Yaz is a 24 day hormone pill where Yasmin is only 21 days.

I am not a doctor, but like I said, I have done my research. I have suffered with adult acne and PMDD for years. It sucks. If Yasmin helps, I want to know. I don't want to read a bunch of bull about people who mess up their cycles by taking the pill and smoking or taking the pill with meds they shouldn't be taking them with. I know what I can and cannot take. Most of what I take is natural and what is not, well, it CAN be taken with Yasmin. Like the website for Yasmin says and like most of the informational, non-biased websites say, Yasmin and Yaz is not for everyone. Some people cannot handle this type of hormone.

I can guarantee you that some doctor or pharm company can tell you that whatever symptom you are having is from something completely unrelated to the BC you are taking. Warnings are clearly marked...read them and obey!

i have been on Yasmin for 14 days now.i am glad i stumbled on this site. my doctor put me on it for acne. my face has not cleared up infact i feel like i have a rash that has developed on my face. i am feeling so itchy. also i feel so bloated and have breast tenderness.i do not want to wait for results. i have purchased a 6 month supply. i decided to stop taking it. does anyone know how i can sell it.please e mail me if u are interested. ******

I've been taking Tri-Sprintec for probably almost a year and love the price since my insurance plan doesn't cover BCPs. However, I haven't been able to lose weight. I have gained about 5 lbs. recently probably from just giving in to cravings, which, I'm always blaming on PMS! I run about 20 miles/week and have a fairly decent diet most of the time and can't seem to lose the weight. Definitely breast tenderness/enlargement the week before my period. Definitely have heavier periods on this pill than others I've been on. Nauseous? Yes. Usually for several hours. Headaches? Occasionally. Not sure there is any pill out there without some side effect.

All of what you have said and then some. I have had depression that's unexplainable, very dry, peeling skin on my T-zone, eye twitching, headache, stomach problems, bloating, loss of sex drive (that's one form of birth control,) breast tenderness that is more severe and longer lasting than before and irritability. I have never felt this out of sorts before and my decisions and reactions to normal situations have been erratic and unreliable. I tried to rationalize my behavior and acknowledge that I would experience changes with the intake of hormones, but this pill makes everyday feel like a train wreck.

Hi! I can't believe this all....I am reading your stories... I am on YASMIN for 14 days. I have two little children and I choose birth control again after almost 5 years. So I thought all my side effects are because my body needs a chance to get use to IT and I am over reacting, etc... Well NO, I am NOT!!!
Headache, mood swings, itchy skin, breast tenderness, got my period 4th day after my first pill (my doctor said it's the "breakthrough period") dizziness and feeling very nervous and sad, etc.....
My doctor said to stay on it, that my body will adjust to it...well, I am NOT!!! My body it totally resisting IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
But now, I am stuck with 4 month worse supply....any idea where to sell it?
thank you

So I just finished my second month on loestrin24. And I have to say things went much better. once I started the white pills on the second month - I had no breakthrough bleeding (no spotting) the whole month. My period was pretty light (lighter than what they usually are for me) and cramps were much lighter too. My breast tenderness has gone away, but I still feel a little moody (i'm not sure if this is the pill or me!). My first month was god awful - 2 weeks of heavy bleeding, breast tenderness, mood swings. I originally took this OC to help with heavy bleeding from fibroids. I just hope it continues to run as smoothly as the second month did. Doctors should really let folks know what they might experience before starting this pill.

Well i had the mirena inserted in February and was excited about the fact that i would have less bleeding and possibly no periods @ that. 6 years prior to this I had originally had the Paraguard and was very happy with it until i separated from my partner and had it removed due to a new relationship. So anyways, after my marriage the only contraceptive that we used was condoms. I pretty much got tired of doing this..so i decided to have an IUD inserted again. I had looked into the Mirena and it sounded great! Well, since February, i've had a constant bloated feeling, i've gained 6 lbs. and work out everyday with a balanced diet. I am very disgusted and just couldn't figure out what could be causing me to gain weight. Well, I'm so glad that I fell into this site. Now i know what's causing it. I also have extreme breast tenderness, acne, and joint aches. So today I set up an appointment for next week to have the Mirena removed and a Paraguard IUD inserted. I did very well with this type and am going back to it. I never had an side effects with the IUD since no hormones are involved. My periods were heavy for the first few months, but after that it wasn't bad at all. So just thought i'd share my experience..Good luck to u all.

I have been on femcon for about a year and a half and prior to that i was on ovcon for 4 years. The only side effect I have had with taking femcon is headaches. However, for the past week, I've been experiencing breast tenderness. I take Femcon everyday and I use condoms as a backup plan to be extra safe. Does anyone know all of a sudden why a person may experience new side effects despite being on Femcon for a year?? is this normal?

Since any links to other sites are going to be deleted, I will copy the texts here:

Mirena: the other side of the story
AAA Ewiesaa Consultant Gynaecologist, The Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust, Suffolk, UKa Consultant Gynaecologist, The Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust, Suffolk, UK
Sir,

I read with interest the article by Halmesmaki et al.1 that only 48.7% of women randomised to the levonorgestrel (LNG)-releasing intrauterine system Mirena, kept it in situ until their 5 years follow-up visit, while the rest either had it prematurely removed (8.5%) or underwent a hysterectomy (42.7%). It supports the growing evidence that women’s satisfaction with Mirena (Schering Health, Newbury, UK) is limited. I do not find this surprising. A colleague and myself previously reported (as an abstract) a survey including 160 Mirena users in Suffolk in which we found that 46% of women had had the system removed within 3 years of insertion (median duration = 260.5 days; range = 4–1460 days). The most common reasons for early removal were unscheduled bleeding, abdominal pain and progestogenic adverse effects; including bloatedness, headache, weight gain, depression, breast tenderness, excessive hairiness, greasiness of skin and lack of sexual interest.2 Our data related to a selected population who had the Mirena inserted under general anaesthetic after hysteroscopic examination of uterine cavity to exclude lesions, such as submucous fibroids. I would expect the continuation rate to be lower in women having the system inserted without prior exclusion of intrauterine pathology. The satisfaction rate in our cohort of women, as assessed by visual analogue scale of 0–10 cm, was only 49% (unpublished data).

Halmesmaki et al.1 reasonably attributed the detrimental effect of Mirena on the sexual function to the higher incidence of lower abdominal pain in users when compared with those who underwent hysterectomy. Furthermore, the decreased satisfaction of sexual partners could be due to the inhibiting effect of the irregular bleeding, which is the most common adverse effect of using Mirena.2,3 The observed decrease in women’s sex drive could also be due to the systemic effect of the progestogen absorbed into the circulation, indirectly affecting the sexual partner. The argument used by the authors that serum concentration of LNG is extremely low and that its influence on ovarian function is limited has been disputed recently by many investigators. Xiao et al.4 found that Mirena was associated with substantial systemic absorption of LNG and recorded serum levels of around 500 pmol/l. This is equivalent to two LNG-containing ‘minipills’ taken daily on a continuous basis. Moreover, a retrospective observational study documented that 21% of Mirena users experienced progestogenic adverse effects.3 Wahab and Al-Azzawi5 reported that Mirena suppresses oestrogen production, inducing a clinical situation similar to a premature menopause in at least 50% of treated women. The prolonged oestrogen deprivation will have a profound negative effect on women’s sex drive, which may explain the sexual partners’ decreased satisfaction.

In fact, despite the popularity of Mirena as a contraceptive method and in treating menorrhagia, the continuation rate and women satisfaction level have not been adequately assessed in the UK population. A large well-designed study is required to evaluate these important factors so that women can be adequately counselled. The idea that Mirena works entirely as a local source of progestogen should be revised, and the recent concerns about Mirena should be made clear to women regardless of the marketing pressures.5

AAA Ewiesaa Consultant Gynaecologist, The Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust, Suffolk, UK

I had my Mirena IUD removed on Monday, May 5, 2008. I had it inserted on November 10, 2005. I was having major side effects from the birth control, and every doc I went to said that there is no way that Mirena would cause the side effects I was having because the "progesterone amounts are too low to cause these side effects". I have had the following side effects:
WEIGHT GAIN
JOINT PAIN
LUMPS IN BREASTS
BREAST TENDERNESS
HUNGER (as if i were pregnant)
DEPRESSION
LOSS OF SEX DRIVE
HAIR LOSS
SWOLLEN ABDOMEN (BLOATED?)
HEADACHES
GROUCHY/ON EDGE
ACNE
CYST (had a couple weeks ago... i was on vacation in Vegas and had a cyst burst.. never had these issues... this was the last straw)
STABBING PAINS IN ABDOMEN AND IN AREA OF OVARIES
PMS SYMPTOMS EVERY OTHER WEEK FOR TWO YEARS
BREAST GROWTH D TO DD
VAGINAL BLEEDING AFTER INTERCOURSE
FATIGUE
TENDERNESS OF ABDOMEN
BACK PAIN
HIP PAIN

As of today, Friday, May 9, 2008 (4 days after Mirena has been removed) I have lost 9 pounds. I am sure this is probably water weight? I am feeling a little better every day. The night I got home from having it removed, I had major mood swings... would be happy one minute and crying my eyes out the next!!! I would not recommend this IUD to ANYONE.. not even on my worst enemy (if I had one). This needs to be taken off the market. It is not safe! I have spent thousands of dollars on ultrasounds on my breasts (thinking i could have cancer because the lumps i had in my breast) and on other doctors bills to figure out what was wrong with me.. only to find out that "Mirena is not the cause"!!!!

hi,
i have had many of the symptoms explained on here. I am 20 and getting married in August so I figured I needed to get on these soon because we do not want to get pregnant. These have been horrible so far! I have had EXTREME moodiness, headache, no sex drive, nausea, horrible breast tenderness, vomiting, dizziness, weird vision problems- I couldn't see out of the corner of my eye, leg pain, hair on my nipples?which ive never had before.(anyone have this?) I am also always bloated and tired. This is my second pack and I just started my period on time yesterday so should I stick it out or change pills? anyone have any good info or opinions??? Thanks!

My experience and a question...

Hello all,
I had mine placed 6 days ago. First 2 days were a little painful. But I was able to go to school and work (in my final year of college and am having a hard enough time in Calculus without missing a day). I have been on many different kinds of birth control (patch, pill, and shot). My problem is I suffer from severe migraines. At the worst point in my life, they were 3-5 times a week. The patch worked the best for me. I lost weight, periods didn't change at all, migraines went to 2-4 a month and I (still to this day) have never really experienced cramps. However, because of the cost and my financial situation at the time, I couldn't afford it. The shot was the worst. Gained 10 pounds every 3 months, very emotional and depressed all the time, and the migraines slowly became more frequent. Changed to the pill (Kariva) and took it so that I only had a period every 3 months. My migraines almost went away completely but I had a lot of lower abdomen pain. Had every test under the sun and they found nothing wrong. My doctor suggested changing my birth control so here I am. My question is are there any signs of complications from the placement of Mirena? About once a day or more I get a sharp pain in my lower left side. Not sure if this is just the same pains I had from the pill (didn't take anything for birth control for 2 months and all the pain stopped. didn't start up again till placement) or if others have experienced this when something was wrong. I am scared they may be something wrong but being a broke college student, don't really have $100 to spend at the doctor to have the usually *shrug*. Thanks! email ******

I have been taking Yasmin for 3 weeks now I am into my 4th week. I have taken two white dummy pills already and I have yet to get my period. I wasn't aware that Yasmin takes your period away. Is that a normal side effect of this birth control? I have had breast tenderness since I started taking Yasmin. I started the pill in the first 24 hours of my period and for the first week I thought my period would go away and just come again when I started the white pills at the end of the month but that did not happen. My period lasted 7 days while taking the pink pills in my first week. There was a lot of blood clots during my cycle which I never had before. Has anyone else had this symptom when they first started taking Yasmin? I have a doctors appt on the 29th of this month for a separate condition but I plan to ask the doctor about these symptoms. Has anyone else had any of these related experiences?

I have been on Aviane for 5 months now and love it. The first 2 months I had breast tenderness and intermittent bleeding. Once the 3rd month passed, I felt completely normal. It did reduce my sex drive though. I had no weight gain and it helped alleviate my mild depression.