Depo provera symptoms and conditions

I'm a 20 year old female, 125 lbs, exercise everyday, and eat very well. I recently had an the mirena IUD put in after a year on depo provera. I cramped for about a week after insertion and then started to have pain on the left side near my pubic bone. I also was having nausea, blurry vision, difficultly focusing my eyes, dizziness, severe chest pains, and a pin prick sensation along with hot flashes all over my body. After finding this site, I called my doctor who didn't believe that the mirena was causing this, even though many of these are listed as severe side effects. I'm a 20 year old woman! Why would i suddenly develop some disease that made me feel this way? Despite her claims that the mirena wasn't responsible, the chest pains were unbearable and the uterine pain was shooting down my legs. I demanded to have it out. One day later the uterine pain was significantly better and my vision was back to normal. I still have slight chest pains but they have diminished appropriately. the hormone in mirena has a half life of about a day and a half so in two days it should be completely out of my system and the chest pains should subside. To conclude, if you are having these side effects and have no other conditions, try getting the mirena removed. It fixed me completely.

I used NuvaRing for 1 year and 5 months before I threw in the towel. At first it was great. No weight gain, no change in my cycles, no problem during intercourse, everything was perfect... a great alternative to a pill. Until I started taking NuvaRing in 2008 I had not been on any birth control. The last time I was on anything was in 2000 after the birth of my only daughter. In 2000 I used Depo Provera (spelling?) and had horrible side effects from that. I had extreme hair loss & the worst mood swings you could imagine. I knew that his time around I didn't want the Depo shot & I can't remember to take a pill everyday. I struggle to take a full round of antibiotics without accidentally forgetting a dose. After talking to my Gyno in 08 I decided to try NuvaR. After getting my 6 mo. checkup with my doctor we decided to keep me on it since I was pleased with the results. So months went by, still no problem. Then one afternoon I started getting a pain in my left side that was the worst achey/uncomfortable nagging pain I had ever felt. I started to keep a log of when my pain would come & how long it lasted before it finally subsided. After a few weeks I began looking through the internet to find out more of my anatomy & try to come up with an idea of what was causing my strange pain. As it turns out the pain was in the same area as my spleen & a little piece of the liver comes across to the left side as well. I knew that this was not a kidney issue since I am prone to kidney infections at least 3 times a year. I know kidney pain & this was not it. My boyfriend started complaining about how I was always complaining about not feeling well. When we started dating in July of 08 I was somewhat outgoing, always going here or there for any get together-friends from work, daughters cheer stuff, jazz shows, beach etc. He was tired of me being tired. That is when we started wondering if I had anemia. The spleen pain could have been explained by that. Or maybe it was my gall blader we thought. I started looking for signs & symptoms but nothing was obvious. I just dealt with the pain in my side and wondered too if I was developing a stomach ulcer. Then one day my shins started hurting for no apparent reason. Then it was the forearm bones. I literally hurt inside my bones. The shins were the most painful of all. It hurt to walk, I couldn't get comfortable sitting, lying, standing, sleeping & I was at my whitts end. After talking about it with my boyfriend he said that I needed to go ahead & make an appointment because my quality of life has been reduced to zilch. I was always uncomfortable with pain or aches or moody. I went to see my doctor. Of course when I went I had a UTI, as usual-nothing abnormal about that. I told him about all my pain so we ran some tests. He did some blood work & saw that my white blood cells were through the roof. We decided to culture my urine specimen & a few days later we found I had a MRSA staff UTI. Typically you get these if you are catheterized but I fell into the unlucky 5% that just get it w/o any reason. (In the back of my mind I still wonder if NuvaRing had anything to do with it.) So, I took all the antibiotics making sure not to miss a dose. 14 days later at a check up I still had a little bit of bacteria in my urine & we ran more blood tests. My white count was even higher. Now my doctor takes my bone pain & side pain more seriously. The infection was getting better but my body was fighting something else or was it? He decided to check my kidneys by ultrasound to make sure there were no cycts. They also did a full abdominal ultrasound to look at the spleen & liver for enlargement. No enlargement but possibly a little kidney stone. Then I had an appointment with an infectious disease/internal medicine Dr. He made sure my infection was gone. I told him about all my weird pain & he ran a lot of blood work. White count still high, did a lap stain to look for leukosytes for leukemia, all was clear. So, after a week, off for a CT I went to check on the stone. Of course no stone on CT. Finally my boyfriend said hey, don't put a ring in this month & see if that's the problem. Sure enough after spending soooo much on all the tests after I took it out I was back to my old self in about a months time. I still had a pain in my side once in a while for the first 2-3 months but I have been completely symptom free now for 4 mos! The only worry I have now is that I started gaining weight after I stopped taking it. I have gained 20 lbs (some of that is because I got lazy & lethargic for so long) and my hair is beginning to come out more often in clumps again. I have an area thinning in my eyebrow & my nails are breaking more easily. I think I need to go get my thyroid checked. Yet again, I can't help but wonder- was it caused by the NuvaRing? Have I damaged myself thanks to what was supposed to be a great easy alternative to a pill? I guess we'll see how it goes. Never again will I use it, nor will I recommend it to anyone. Oh, and my love life is great again, I go places & do things again now. It's amazing how far I spiraled down before we realized it was preventable. DON'T USE THE RING!

I'm 24 years old and have never had a child. I've jumped around to different birth control methods.
I was on Depo-provera which made me gain mad weight, stop having my period all together and loss of sex drive. Then I decided to try Nuvaring...another poor mistake. I started having my period again and lost the Depo weight (plus some) but I became a loaded gun waiting to go off! I was biting everyone's head off and felt extremely bitter. It never stayed in place though and I felt like I was always fooling with it.
My next great venture (with which I'm still experiencing the "joys" of) was Mirena. I went to have it put in while on my period, a rather light one. The insertion wasn't agony but was no pic-nic in the damn park either. Afterwards I reinserted my tampon as my Gyno said was fine to do. I was in a world of pain by this time. I only walked a block before stopping at the nearest restroom and realizing that I was covered in blood and the pain was getting worse with each passing moment.
My boyfriend came to get me and I spent the rest of the evening crying, in pain and in the fetal position. It got better after a few weeks just in time for my check-up. The Gyno went on about the pain being 'normal' and that 'it would fade over time'.
Well, it's been 2 1/2 years and it still hurts. Sex in certain positions kill me, my hair is thinning, I've gain all the Depo weight back and just to remind me the bastard is there I feel stabbing pains randomly that last from a few seconds to a couple of days. I can still feel the string but c'mon....what's the freaking deal??

I got the Mirena inserted when I was 19, had no children, but had had awful experiences on the Pill... I had tried a number of Pills, including Yasmin (became depressed and moody), Loette (spotting), Levlen ED (Crazy moods and insanely tender breasts)... etc etc.
When I am not on the Pill I am a fun loving, easy going girl with my head-screwed on, but when on the Pill I become so unreasonable and emotional.
After having Mirena inserted (so painful as I hadn't had children), I had bleeding for 3 months, cramping and bloating etc... BUT - I felt WONDERFUL for the 4 years following. NO moods, no cramps, my periods stopped completely after about 6 months, no other side effects at all.
I had to have it removed recently as I developed an Ovarian Cyst the size of a lemon and got a UTI that developed into pelvic inflammation.
I had a month with no hormonal contraception, then tried the NuvaRing (Moody and incredibly sore breasts), had another month off contraception and now im trying Yaz. It is indicated for PMDD, but I feel crazy, emotional, irrational and unreasonable on it.
I have no idea where to go from here. Mirena really suited me, but I cant have another one inserted because iv had the Inflammation. I cant stay on the Pill... I hate myself, I am a different person on the Pill.

I am having very weird stomach pains. I've had Mirena since February 2008, and I'm always afraid I'm gonna get pregnant and either have to take it out and possibly have a miscarriage OR leave it in and the baby have defects. My husband and I were having sex yesterday and it was hurting real bad (which has recently become pretty common), then I coughed real hard and it felt like he penetrated my cervix. ??? I made him stop and ended up rolling around on the couch for 3 hours in agonizing pain after that, and I even threw up a lot! I didn't bleed or anything, and I can still feel the string in there but it still hurts today. Especially if any pressure is being exerted down there, in my stomach. If I run, if I cough, if I pee... it hurts. I want it taken out and NOW! Not to mention that I don't really have much of a sex drive anymore... Anyone else experiencing anything like this??? If so, or any advice.... please email ******

I have been on NuvaRing for 3 years now. I was using Depo Provera shots for 2 years prior, but struggled with consistent weight gain, mood swings, and no sex drive. Since I have been on NuvaRing, I have had none of those side effects. I have been very pleased with this product, except for the 2-3 times a year that I get a yeast infection as a side effect. I do also get a headache the first day I take it out. I love not having to remember a pill. I never feel the ring at all. I am a happy customer!

I have been on the ring only 2 months but have decided to take it out and be done with this medication FOREVER! First of all-I have lost my sex drive completely. Also, it came out during intercourse (gross) and my breasts have grown and are very sore. The main reason though is my intense anxiety-I have been snapping at my husband and others around me...becoming VERY angry quickly-and have been extremely paranoid. I took the ring out yesterday and I am hoping for the symptoms to subside any day now. I got on this BC b/c I thought that it was easy and no fuss-what a JOKE!

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.

Wow. I had Mirena insertedin March 2009, following two years of horrible periods following my third c-section. I would have a heavy period for an average of 10 days, then get two weeks off and start again. They originally tried giving me Depo Provera - BAD! I was losing blood clots the size of my fist for three months!

At first Mirena seemed ideal, though I don't need birth control - I had a tubal ligation with my c-section. The periods were just awful! They inserted the mirena during a D&C and hysteroscopy because I also had uterine polyps. My hair is falling out (my thyroid has been checked, thank you);I have acne on my face and back; I am growing hair on my face; I am irritable; my back hurts; I am bloated; I am gaining weight even though I am on a reduced calorie diet, gave up drinking wine AND run two miles a day; I have yeast infections; sex hurts and I bleed nearly every time I have sex; I have a low sex drive now; I bleed when I exercise or go for a walk; I have ruined every pair of panties I own, and I am still having 14 day long periods. No longer heavy periods, but 14 days of bleeding, then nine days off before starting again!

I had a doctor's appointment yesterday and told him all of this: his responses were that the spotting and irregular periods are likely for the FIRST YEAR (WHICH IS NOT IN THE FINE PRINT INCLUDED WITH THE MEDICATION!!!) and that doctors can't find or treat the cause of heavy periods and bleeding, only treat the symptoms.

We need to band together to demand that women's health issues are taken seriously. It is not acceptable to have a doctor say that the cause of these problems doesn't matter. Treating the cause should be the primary goal, not peddling drugs or covering up symptoms! The New York Times ran an article yesterday recommending Mirena as a solution to heavy bleeding in women! This is not a solution. And neither is a hysterectomy - I am only 31.

Hi, I was taking Yasmin for around 3 years when I started becoming really tired and lost half my hair among other symptoms. I went of BCP all together and read up my symptoms on the net as I suspected my thyroid was under active - sure enough TSH levels were too high but T3 and T4 levels came back normal - was put on 50mcg of thyroxine but because I was still symptomatic this was upped to 100mcg, I have since discovered I also have multiple nodules on my thyroid. 18 months later my doctor talked me into getting a Depo Provera Injection and in the last 9 weeks since I had it I have never felt so ill in my life. Night Sweats, fever, swollen glands, nausea, sore throat just to name a few. I have had to halve the thyroxine tablets and I am still feeling lousy. I am seeing a throat specialist this afternoon. Wish me luck. N.

Im 22 yrs. old and have two little boys. My husband says he hopes to one day have a girl so i figured 5 years should be enough time to decide. I got the Mirena last year and the only side effect i had was hair loss,BUT i'm not quite sure if it was the mirena or from just having another baby. But other than that I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT! I have been reading all these reviews and they were almost all negative I was wondering if something was wrong with me. Since I got the Mirena last year I lost weight, no more cramps, lightened periods, and a better sex drive(probably cause I don't have to worry if im going to get pregnant, I feel safe). So would I recommended the Mirena , YES but it clearly seems that every woman's body is different so it might be great for one person and not so great for the other.

I searched the web trying to find answers. I tried to access the Mirena website only to find it "under construction" for at least 2 months. I did more investigating to find out that in April 2009 the FDA issued Bayer a warning letter. It stated that Bayer neglected to list the risk factors in its literature. The Mirena website is up and running now, but it still doesn't have all the side effects listed.
I am 35 years old and never had a child. I was formerly on the Depo-Provera shot for 10 years. I was instructed by my doctor to change my birth control after several bone density tests revealed I was borderline osteopenia. I tried the patch, but I could never get it to stay on for an entire week. The Nuvaring was next and it simply wouldn't stay in place. I went thru a whole list of different birth control pills with no avail because of constant bacterial/yeast infections and vaginal dryness. I even tried estrogen cream. My doctor then suggested the Mirena.
The Mirena insertion process wasn't too bad with some cramping during the procedure. The cramping lasted for 1 1/2 days afterward. By the second day, my sex drive skyrocketed.
The 1st week on Mirena is what I call my "testosterone" madness. I was extremely antsy,edgey, and ready to fight. The 2nd week the hormones settled down and my mood was calmer. I noticed excessive hair loss and breast swelling/tenderness. Also, I had spotting for 2-3 months following insertion. It seemed that right before my cycle it would feel itchy like I was getting a yeast infection but the symptoms would disappear after my period.
It was fairly smooth sailing until the 5th-6th month. I started to develop constant low back pain, constipation, mild acne, cystic acne, eye twitches, heart flutters, severe cramping, constant bloating, itchy skin, and wrist tendinitis. Plus, every time I would sit down I could feel the pressure of the Mirena push against my bladder. I still was going to stick with it UNTIL I developed an itchy rash. The rash was small red bumps on my back and stomach with flesh-colored "goosebumps" on my arms and neck. The rash was present for 2 weeks. I went to the doctor and got medication for the rash. I felt like it was going away when the rash reappeared. I had a rash for a total of 4 weeks! This time the rash started at my neck and went to my ankles. I thought it was a coincidence the first time, but I knew the Mirena was the cause the second time it appeared. I tracked my cycles and the rash occurred at the same time during my cycle.
I went to my doctor and told him my thoughts. He politely gave me all my options before I chose to have the Mirena removed. The removal process was quick with a slight twinge cramp.
It has been 4-5 weeks since the removal of the Mirena. I am now free of cramping, excessive hair loss, eye twitches, heart flutters, breast swelling/tenderness, cystic acne, itchy skin, and rash. I still have some occasional low back pain, bloating, constipation, and mild acne. I had NO acne before the Mirena. Plus, the wrist tendinitis is getting better everyday.
Wish me luck ladies! I have to start from square one again. I hope that my experience with Mirena will help you.

I got the mirena removed today. It took about 10 seconds with only a slight pinching feeling with removal. It cost me $300.00 bucks though. That's about a $100.00 for each year that I was suffering. Anyway it was worth every penny at least that's what my husband thought when he seen me walk out of the office with a smile on my face. He whipped that credit card right on out!! I know that I will get better after this. The weight will start to come off, the hair will grow back, the cramps will stop, the sex drive will return, the mood swings will cease. How do I know ? I've been through this before with the depo provera shot and the birth control patch. I should have known better. I wish you all better health.

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've posted on here earlier but now I decided to stop taking Loestrin 24fe since I felt I hadn't been taking them correctly last month and could be pregnant. (Not taking them at correct times & doubling up in week 1)

I hadn't found much on the net where other women weren't sure if their symptoms were because they went off birth control or really where pregnant with this particular pill (lots of info on other pills though) I believe now since I took them at different times I caused an hormonal imbalance before I even stopped the pill. So I'll be the guinea pig in case other women are feeling like me.

Symptoms when I took them incorrectly were excessive saliva, sore/shooting pain in breast, back pain, cramping, bloating, headaches, HEAVY fatigue, appetite changes, heavy white or clear discharge, dry hair & skin, and VERY emotional. (like a month of PMS, very b!tchy lol ) Then I had a sweet smelling clear discharge which made me think pregnancy or UTI. (Diabetes not a factor, I know for sure) It was the day before expected period (placebo pill) and a couple times more when I discontinued them.
NOTE: when I took them perfectly in Jan, I had NO period. Confusing but I had no sex so I knew it was my impeccable consistency with taking the pill.
I had one brown spot on Fri. (never happened) and a patch of pink/reddish blood on Sat. (similar to what I am used to on this pill) I stopped taking them on the last placebo pills. (not that it would have harmed the pregnancy if I was with child, but I just wanted to know! I wouldn't mind the "surprise") That Sunday began a headache that I can only try to describe... It was a "burning headache" I looked this up and it's not really well known. My face felt like it was hot with a burning/tingling sensation & pressure! I could've sworn I had a fever but the lovely nurse said my temp was normal and I needed to go to ER ( I think she thought I was crazy?) Any who it was around my face and neck and sometimes a migraine or sinus headache would jump in. Since I thought I was preggo I didn't want to take meds that I had (no Tylenol at that moment) All I had was Midol. I felt so bad I gave in and took it. It relieved my symptoms immediately. The "burning headache" came when I woke up everyday for about 4 days. Then lesser headaches and I bought Tylenol for them. Long story short because of the imbalance (I charted these symptoms) I had intense back pain, SORE nipples, yeast infection, frequent urination (due to yeast infection, it kind of lessened up once I treated it) actually I believe I have a systematic yeast infection because it was on my tongue (going to DR to diagnose this, it causes A LOT of symptoms I've always had) night sweats, heart palpitations, oily face, still emotional, indigestion, dizzy, vivid dreams (crazy symptom I know but hormonal imbalance can do anything to the female body) Idk which could be mainly cause of imbalance... just saying this is not my "norm" (hence the further thought that I was preggo)

I've bought preg test (neg), UTI test (neg), yeast infection meds but I will go to the DR to get checked out. (I'm currently not able to go) My period is due in a week (I'm a very regular person, when i came off Jolessa, generic Seasonale, I had 3 months of 28 day cycles until I started Loestrin for 7 months) Hopefully this will be the same. Don't know which BC I'll try next but Loestrin isn't that bad if you take it correctly! (I did have nausea EVERY month whether I took it correctly or not... read previous post) I take prenatal vitamins now (Idk I think I read somewhere any vitamin/mineral helps with withdrawal symptoms? Nonetheless they're good for you) I believe I might have already ovulated (cramping, CM changes) so to the women who want to know how soon they might return to "norm" cycle, low dose BC might not be so bad if you want to jump back into cycles? (Still waiting on period so don't quote me. Or as with some you can do one w/o the other. ie, period, but not ovulate. vice versa.)

Sorry so long but I hope this helps anyone who was frantically searching the net for answers! I will update once this is over...

I was previously on Depo Provera and I decided to find another form of BC because of the side effects. I had previously been on Depo Provera for 4 years with no side effects (that was when I was 17 - 21 yrs old). I then had my son at 22 yrs of age and decided to get back on Depo Provera because it had worked so good. But this time around I had numerours side effects, bloating, mood swings, no sex drive (hurt my marriage) and I bled (medium to heavy) for a month straight. I just got the IUD today (strong pain upon insertion and still having on-again/off-again cramps right now) and after reading these reviews I am very frightened. I'm afraid that this will be a repeat of the Depo Provera. Even though, I'm paying closer attention to the reviews given by ladies in my age range, I still have my doubts. We shall see.

okay, I was on and off the depo provera for about 6 years. I have been in for a bone density screening and theres no trace of osteopenia. I have however been to the dentist many many times. At first I had 17 cavities, all along the gumline and just below it. About a year ago, I had another bunch, didn't count that time, which I had filled and I had two teeth removed. Luckily molars so you cant tell. I just went back two days ago and I have 6 now. I brush twice a day and floss. I also have a tooth thats really sensitive because the gumline receded. I am tired of this and it almost seems like my dentist is afraid to tell me anything but "make sure you floss and brush regularly." I think when the FDA really discovers what depo does to the teeth, maybe we can get a lawsuit and make pfizer pay for real nice implants....

i hope you can help me. my daughter is almost 17 and started on yaz for severe cramps, heavy bleeding, and pmdd. within 2 weeks, the boyfriend that she hated to be apart from, annoyed her. he was all she thought about before.
about a week later, she said that everyone was bothering her and she needed a break from everyone. she stayed in her room in the evenings-not like her. she even broke up with her boyfriend. she said she wasn't upset with him, just not interested. she got back with him 2 days later. her gyn switched her to loestrin. after 2 days, she seemed to be doing better, but only for 3 days. i don't know if it's the hormones or if she's going through something. she is normally an upbeat, optimistic person. i don't know what to do. she was very serious and happy with this boy 3 weeks ago. i don't know if she could be depressed because she doesn't feel the same about him or she doesn't feel the same about him because of the pills. any opinions or suggestions?

I decided to use this form of birth control because of convenience and in order to stop my periods. I have been on the shot for about 10 months, and have only had 3 months without a period. For the past 4 months, I have had non stop bleeding, and occasional clotting. I haven't experienced weight gain or hair loss, just absolutely no sex drive. I also noticed that during intercourse, it was extremely painful each time. I am so upset about this birth control, that I am changing to Loestrin. I really wouldn't recommend Depo Provera to anyone because of my personal experiences. However, I know many girls that use the shot and their periods have gone away completely, and have been happy with it.

I can relate to many of these experiences. Started out in my 20's with very irregular cycles, went to my first gyn after a miscarriage - the emergency room dr referred me to a dr that was at a fertility clinic. I had no idea why until I was actual a little more "awake" I was diagnosed with polycystic ovaries. I went through at least 6 or 7 different birth control pills, depo provera shot, nuvaring, then back on another birth control pill. finally we started doing the continuous suppression as I was bleeding at least a little bit every single day... for 2 years. I would still have my full blown period every 4 weeks or so, which also included a monster migraine on day one of the menstruation. Not only was my life being altered but I was starting to get anemic. Finally after a month of the continuous suppression my bleeding stopped. As did the menstrual migraines. I continued this way for 4 years. Didn't have a single period or migraine, life was wonderful.. or so it seemed. I have been over weight for most of my adult life. Finally decided to do something about it. I joined the gym with a friend and started losing weight. I dropped 55 pounds until... the dreaded bleeding, pain and hormones got out of control. I started bleeding every single day again. Finally made an appointment with my dr. She stated that when you lose weight it releases estrogen out of your fat cells. Gee, I thought losing weight was supposed to make you feel better!! I went on with it for a while thinking it would stop eventually and it just HAD to get better. In fact, things got worse. I started having horrible abdominal pain, eventually it got to be daily. To the point where I could not stretch or even hyper extend my right leg backwards. My abdomen felt like something had a rubber band tied to it from the inside. My dr said that she suspected endometriosis. However, due to my anemia... we had to wait. So back on the iron pills and wait wait wait. Finally, October 15th I went in for my lap. Sure enough, stage 4 endo, huge cysts on both ovaries. My endo had gone all over the place and attached itself to anything it could. Including folding my bladder in half! Good grief. I thought that I was just getting the weak bladder from getting older (I am 35 by the way). For the next couple of weeks after my surgery I felt pretty good. Finally pain free (still a little bleeding but not much). But, the end of December rolls around and here it is, back with all its fury. The pain is again horrible, my migraines are back, my energy is dwindling. The good life was short lived. My doctor suggested a series of Lupron shots. One shot a month for 6 months. My first shot in January (took me a little bit of time to decide if I wanted to do it) finally bit the bullet and got the shot. First few days, fine, no problem, no relief either but no life altering experience. Then one morning I woke up and realized I was not in pain. It was a strange feeling actually. But the time I got the second shot, no more bleeding, no more pain... However, the hot flashes, night sweats and the emotions came on. Holy cow. Drama drama drama. I could find any reason on the planet to argue, with anyone. Thank god I have a very understanding family and an even more wonderful partner. I think he has the patience of a saint. I still don't know how he puts up with me. If I am not trying to find some reason to pick a fight then I am crying like a baby... for hours and hours. These hormones are so out of control. I honestly don't know what is worse, the pain or feeling like the world is going to end in the next 2 minutes if I don't get this spill picked up.. I literally cried for 2 hours Saturday because my cat knocked a stupid bottle of car wax off a shelf in the back room. Good lord, I had the most horrible feelings coming over me and just could not stop crying. I bought a new bed 2 weeks ago and let me tell you. If I am not on one of my 13 hour sleep fests then I am laying in it crying and feeling sorry for myself. Or the even better part of indegestion or my favorite part.. gas. I honestly don't know if I can go on like this. I made an appointment to see my doctorr this Friday to determine what she thinks will happen if I don't complete the other 3 shots. just give me back the pain if you have to!

i was on the depo shot for 2 1/2 years, and the first 6 months i had daily bleeding and that was with the shot in my arm. after the six months i had moved states and the state i was in only did the buttox shot and as soon as i started that for the next 2 years i didn't have a menstrual cycle. i still had mood swings and a few odd head aches, and ridiculous tooth decay. how ever for 6 months after being off the shot i still did not have a menstrual cycle so i went on Yasmin for a month just to make myself have a cycle. after that month i did have a cycle and went off the Yasmin. after that 1st cycle coming back i had a cycle every other week for about 2 or 3 months. everything finally regulated, and after it had regulated i spent the next 2 years trying to have a baby and it didn't work. I then started monitoring my ovulation, which i apparently no longer have. i monitored my ovulation for about 6 months and it never showed up. i don't know if this was result of the shot or not but i know i had an ovulation before because i had gotten pregnant before i went on it and miscarriage.

I went on the NuvaRing in November of 2008 and have been on it for about 4 months. I'm on my 4th ring. In that same amount of time I have gainded 10 pounds. I didn't put the pieces together until today.

With normal weight gain, you know, when you stop working out for a few weeks, you feel like you gained weight all over. You notice that your arms and legs and abs are all less toned. But, with me, I feel like my upper thighs and lower abs are huge! It's like all the weight is just around my upper things and abs making it feel like bloating. My pants feel tight. But, meanwhile my lower legs, waist, and arms are still toned. My face feels a little bit bloated though too.

I called my gyno today and they said that some people do experience weight gain on the NuvaRing. I was on Depo for 2 years prior to this and never experienced weight gain on that. My gyno said it's more common to experience weight gain on the Depo. So, she thought I might be the "reverse" example of someone that gains weight from extra estrogen from the NuvaRing, but does not gain weight from the progesterone only Depo Provera.

I'm taking the NuvaRing out and continuing with my healthy diet and 4x a week exercise schedule. And, I'm hoping these 10 pounds come off and that my pants fit again! I can't afford to go buy new clothes!
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I have been on the shot for going on a year now. I had a 3 month break. I was diagnosed with endometriosis about 2 years ago. I am currently 23. I think this shot was the best decision I ever made. It has been the best thing for me and the only thing that really seemed to work. I had the hot flashes and night sweats, but other than that it was amazing! I had heard nothing but horror stories and I was nervous about taking the injection. I can't actually use anything take anything else. I have been on many different oral contraceptives since I was 15 years old because irregularity, pain, and various other things. I also tried increase hormones levels in oral contraceptives and the depo provera shot. I would def not recommend that shot to anyone. I have found this to the be only thing that levels me out and allows me to feel normal! My only other options right now are the nuvaring (to see if it will work) and a hystorectomy (not really an option). I would recommend it to anyone, but do your research and don't expect miracles!

I just got off the Depo-Provera, but not as a result of some of the horrendous side effects many of you have had. I was on it for 8 years and maintained my weight at 135. I had a good experience for the most part with it. I loved the fact that I didn't have to remember to take a pill everyday and the affordability of it, not to mention the fact that I completely stopped having periods altogether which was WONDERFUL! Anyhow, I've considered myself to have a pretty voracious sexual appetite-- until about a year ago. My libido right now is at about a 0, and it's upsetting and frustrating for both my boyfriend and I. He thinks that it's his fault, but I keep explaining that I just don't have the drive anymore.

One night on Discovery Health I caught an episode of this show called "Strictly Sex with Dr. Drew". He talked about this study that they did on an alpha male gorilla and his 3 female gorilla mates, where they injected all three of them with Depo-Provera, and then all three refused to have sex with him. The male then flew into a homicidal rage... or something along those lines. I also found out that prisons use Depo as a method of non-surgical castration for male sex offenders -- pedophiles, specifically -- to take away their urge.

I started NuvaRing yesterday, and I'm hoping that all goes well with this.

I was sexually active for two years using nothing but condoms about half the time, and the other half cycle planning and withdrawal, and never had so much as a scare. However, upon going to college I started Ortho Tri-Cyclen. I had lost about 15 lbs the summer prior and was down to 150, and in my first year of school I gained about 20... leaving me at 170, heavier than I had ever been. I know the 'freshman 15' is a real phenomenon, but my residence hall had really healthy food and I went to a school where we walked/rode bikes everywhere so the weight gain was really random. I also started experiencing intense mood swings, and a lot of lethargy... just a general unwillingness to get out of bed/off the couch and do things... for no real reason. About this time I noticed a drop in my sex drive. I switched to Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo with no improvement, then I switched to the Depo Provera shot. On that I skyrocketed to 195 lbs, and my sex drive pretty much ceased to exist. Wanting to avoid hormones altogether I asked for an IUD, explaining my dislike of hormonal side-effects to my doctor. I got one, faced the frightening $1000 medical bill and luckily insurance covered all but like $30... but then I went home and looked up the name of what I had received... Mirena... only to find out that I was STILL getting hormones through this thing. I was really angry that my doctor heard IUD and instantly thought 'mirena' instead of actually listening to my explanation that I desired something without hormones. After three months of not taking off any weight despite lots of exercising (I have always been one to respond well to exercise) and not gaining any libido back whatsoever I removed the Mirena myself. I was just kind of feeling the strings and it tugged kind of a little loose... and that made me paranoid it wasn't in right so I just took it out entirely. I went for three months without any hormonal birth control and when my libido started to return and when I had taken off about 5 lbs my doc recommended nuvaring. I got a sample and tried it, but my weight loss plateaued and my desire for sex waned again, and my lethargy returned.... so I finally said that's it, took it out and swore off hormones once and for all, it sucks but I have a partner willing to use condoms so we just have to resign ourselves to that until we have kids and I get my tubes tied. Or he gets a vasectomy.. either one.

Also, last year I had some SERIOUS heartburn. I thought I was having a heart attack the first time because I have never had heartburn in my life. After taking Zantac150 (or whatever the max strength is) for a couple weeks and facing the fact that I may never be able to drink coffee again, it subsided and has not returned since. I can drink as much coffee as I want :) I only just now realized that happened the same month I had the Nuvaring in.... wow.

A year later I am back down to 173 lbs and the weight is coming off easily with running 2 miles once a week, that's about it. My libido is back 100% and as long as I eat healthy (fresh food) I have tons of energy. I don't restrict my food intake, I just try to switch out 'healthy' for 'unhealthy'. I've seen several friends gain 50lbs or more on Depo-Provera, and I had a friend almost attempt suicide on Yaz. I can't believe hormonal birth control is being touted as so normal. I have another friend, upon declining birth control, whose MD told her to get on prenatal vitamins! It is very possible to not get pregnant using just condoms, cycle planning and withdrawal... you just need willpower... and maybe lube.