First period symptoms and conditions

I am 18 years old and ive been taking Yasmin for about 2 years, and tonight i came across all of these stories of bad experiences.
after putting together the pieces, ive realized that im not crazy after all! i have had every symptom out there for this pill except high blood pressure and nausea.
i used to be 135 pounds before i got on this pill, and now i am 160 pounds.
i find myself crying all the time, im surprised my boyfriend can put up with it.
i have no energy, all i want to do is sleep. i get sharp pains behind my eyes that cause me to shift them to find a spot where it wont hurt. i have no sex drive at all. i constantly feel depressed and sometimes don't want to live. im so tired of feeling this way.
the only good thing that happened for me was that my skin had cleared up tremendously!
and now i want to just stop and quit this pill right now! im just afraid my acne will come back.
this pill should not be given to women, all of these stories show great reasons on why its harmful.
PLEASE DON'T TAKE THIS PILL!! ITS NOT WORTH IT.
im glad i found all this out before it was too late.
my boyfriend wants me to finish the rest of my pill pack but i just want to stop right now.
i don't know what to do.
if i continue taking this pill for the rest of the pack i will feel worse about it each day knowing its harming my body and life.
help.

I have been on Loestrin 24 Fe for about 2 months now and I haven't really had any problems per se. I had my first period after starting the pill for only 3-4 days and it was very light. I started taking it in the middle of the month since my ob/gyn told me not to wait until my next period since we didn't know when that would come considering I just had a baby in June. So far I've only had one day of spotting at an unusual time, no cramps at all, my face a cleared up considerably, no facial hair and just a tad bit of weight gain (like 5lbs.) which I don't think is from the pill. Although I am concerned considering I'm about 10 days late for my period and I've taken a pregnancy test and it was negative. I also have noticed an EXTREME decline in my sex drive. I guess I'll stick with it and hope it gets a little better.

Im so happy I found this site, as I too thought I was alone in this. I really beg someone to tell me, oce they came off the pill, how long did it take for them to recover? and for their first period to come? I was on the pill for less than a year, and came off it in Feb 08. It's now Sept 08 and still have not had a single period since. My weight has been fluctuating ridiculously, and the mood swings have made me lose SO many friends its unbelievable. i don't have energy to do anything, ive it a total depression. Im begging someone to just tell me how long after they stopped did everything feel back to normal? im worrying as its been 6 months for me and still nothing!!

my 11 y/o daughter has a chronic headache condition (NDPH), a non-stop headache since Oct.29,07. She had a supraorbital nerve block, occipital nerve block using Kenalog. Her first injection was only the occipital nerve block, then 2 weeks later, repeated the occipital nerve block and added the supraorbital (above eyebrow) nerve block. This was July 2nd. On July 10th, she started her first period...it lasted 19 days! Then, she had a week off, a week on, a week off, a week on, a week off........now, it's been 2 weeks since her last one. NOW.....I am seeing that the period was probably brought on by Kenalog and that the irregularity was too!
The other thing: She developed INDENTIONS across her forehead, they showed up on Aug.6th. One if very significant, the other 3 are smaller. There is some discoloration (greyish) and there is scarring at the injection site. We took her to the pain mgmt. doctor who did the procedure and she had researched it, after our call, and told us SALINE INJECTIONS would help to plump the indentions back up. She sent us to a Cosmetic Dermatologist b/c she'd not seen this or treated this before and he had. We saw him and he is waiting to talk to our pedi-neurologist to find out if she is a candidate for Saline Injections without effecting the nerves that are already messed up from the NDPH.
I am very upset about the side effects....we were NOT informed this could happen!!!!! The indentions are VERY TENDER! They are already at the site where her headache/nerve pain was severe..now you can't even touch across it! Hopefully her periods will regulate and stabilize! What a way to start your first one!!! UGGGHHH!!!! No one told us that could happen either! We had a doc fixing to put her on hormone therapy (BCP's) to regulate her! We are now waiting to see if it stabilizes.
My daughter has a great attitude about it, she has bangs and just said, "I'll just keep my bangs long enough to cover it up!!!"

I would NOT have taken the chance on this and do NOT recommend anyone with a child to take the chance with it! It wasn't worth what we ended up with!!!!

My daughter has Aloepecia Areata. Has anyone taken Kenalog to grow hair back. My doctors saying this may work and did mention about the dimpling effect. Not in the detail I read here, though. He made it sound like it would just be a dimple. I did not get the shot in his office, wanted to research some more. By the way, she is only a 11 yrs old. Not sure whether to try this stuff after reading all this.

i've started the nuvaring almost two months ago. i've been spotting EVERY DAY since i first started, even after my first period since starting the damn thing. it's absurd. my doctor told me to wait it out three months until my body adapts, but it's getting so frustrating! has this happened to anyone else?

Hi all. I'm wondering if anyone can help me. I'm a 34 year old woman. I gave birth to my daughter in October 2005 and in December 2005 I had the Mirena coil inserted. It's due to finish up this December as it's approaching the 5 year mark.. In the last 6 months, my skin has gone from being clear as a frosty sky to that of an acne ridden 15 year old. I'm breaking out on both my cheeks, neck, jawline and chest. Could this be a side effect of the "winding down" hormones in my coil? I've had the coil in almost 5 years but I'm only getting really bad skin now...... for the past 6 month or so. I've always had relatively good skin so as you can imagine, this is most distressing for me. Could it be the "last of the hormones" in the coil? Could anyone shed light on this for me? I would have thought that if my skin was going to "break out" with the coil, it would have done so almost immediately after inserting the coil in in the first place..... Not almost 5 years later! I've no allergic reactions to creams, lotions, foods, etc. My diet is quite good (I've never changed my diet so it's not diet!), I'm not stressed. I get at least one new spot every day. They last for days, or a week. They are really deep rooted so most of them I can't even "pop"! Can anyone help? It's my birthday next week so it would be the perfect birthday present......

Regards and thank you in anticipation

Yvonne xx

I had Mirena put in on August 15th. It hurt like crazy. Worse than labor pains. I had it put in on what should have been the last day of my cycle. Well that was 11 days ago and I am still bleeding. I cramp some and i have had very blurry vision. I did not have a sex drive being on the pill and that has not changed. I am going to try to wait it out a little longer to see if it gets better. I have several friends that have it and they love it. We will see.

well i've had two endo. surgerys and my last dr. put me on lupron and i only had to take a 3 mth supply but i should have had my first period and i haven't, i feel like i've gain about 5-10 lbs and i'm not sure if it's the bloating from not having my period or if it's the shot? my hot flashes haven't stopped and i sweat all the time now! my mood isn't as bad as it was and my headaches are going away i just wonder when i'm gonna beable to get pregnant? please let me know if you hae anything similar

I've been on Loestrin 24 Fe for a month now, I'm surprised I haven't had any side effects. I had my first period this week and it has been really light which is nice. I guess if I had any side effects at all, it would be that after a couple of hours haven taken the pill, I feel really tired and I have wild and animated dreams, but other than that everything seems to be going fine. I do feel a little moodier than normal, but then again, I am planning a wedding and dealing with a crazy mother-in-law.

hi
i am on my 2nd month of Yasmin. the first period i had was awful really bad pains and a lot of bleed compared to my normal period. I had headaches, trouble sleeping, been anxious and thirsty. Now on my second month headaches have gone, now have increased trouble sleeping and im even more thirsty as for weight gain i haven't gained or lost.I am going to see how my next period goes, take its for month 3 and evaluate the situation from there.But i used to have spots and now have very clear skin.the sleep problems are usually waking up in night and not being able to get bak to sleep not usually to start with and go away with herbal nytol tabs. as for severe thirst i hope its going to stop. No problems in the bedroom or dryness down below.

My last post was on August 6th. I got my Mirena removed that day! OMG! What a relief! My cramping stopped as soon as the Dr. got it out! Couldn't believe it! I've started my period since then, but for the first time in a long time, I've had a normal period. I have not experienced not one severe cramp since it was removed and that awkward feeling of it in me is totally gone. I feel better, not as moody or tired all the time. I just can not believe the difference! Even the constant feeling of bloatedness is gone! I'm SO GLAD it's out of me!!!!

Hi, I have been off Yasmin now for about 4 weeks - I've had my first period without birth control - I just wanted to know if anyone else has experienced having painful little bumps appear on them after coming off Yasmin - not spots as such - but just little lumps which are sore. I have them all over my scalp? I also feel a bit more dizzy and forgetful off Yasmin, slightly anxious and find it difficult to concentrate at work. Would be grateful to hear if this is normal and I will return to normal...

I've been on Loestrin 24 Fe for about a year, my periods were never only 3 days and they were barely periods. They were very weird and painful!

I became a royal bitch and my skin was ok but I have always had great skin so when I got a blemish or two I felt that it was because of the pill. To top it all off I gained weight on it so I started restricting my diet and working out harder. My weight didn't go down at all, but I didn't gain. As soon as I stopped taking the pill my working out and eating little helped me dropped 5 pounds (it has been 2 weeks). I'm thinking the pill didn't allow me to lose weight.

I also had a diminished libido which sucks because I like sex. It was only the last week on hormones, I was crazy for sex but only then.

I decided to get off the pill because I was hating myself on it and now I see the beginning of bad acne. I haven't had my first period off the pill yet but I have a feeling it won't be pleasant.

I've had my Mirena in for about a month now, and honestly, it hasn't given me any problems. Of course I had cramps in the first week, and spotting for the first 3 months or whatever...but I can truly say that I love this birth control, and I hope not to get the negative side effects like most of these women. If you are considering the Mirena for birth control, talk with your doctor. If you have problems, talk with your doctor...if you're pissed off because you feel like you wasted your money, maybe you should take a second to think about it...neither you nor your doctor can look into a crystal ball to find out how something will effect you. But please, if you are considering the Mirena, don't decide against it because what a bunch of middle-aged women (with less than healthy reproductive systems) said. I'm 20 years old, and this IUD is a blessing.

Hello-

I got my Mirena inserted about two and a half months ago. I got my first period and have not stopped bleed since. I also have a foul odor all the time that it very embarrassing!! My doc keeps telling me that I have Group Strep B and that I have always had it...I am 27 years old with two children. I have NEVER had any issues down there!!! I am beginning to think that my odor is a S/E from the Mirena. It's also very embarrassing when I am with my husband. He is very understanding and acts very cool about the whole thing, but I don't want him having to deal with this either. Has anyone else experienced an odor?? I did read that Vaginitis is a possible S/E with Mirena.

i have been on Yaz for almost two months and i am stopping this pill after i finish this pack. at first i thought it was great, but did not consider that the reason i got a severe bacterial pneumonia, as that it might have to do with this pill. when i read from the makers of Yaz itself that a number of trial patients came down with a URI and that it may or may not be the result of the pill, it started adding up.

so i got through that and now i am still dealing with nausea that lasts all day some days. i am also having some stomach cramping and my stools have recently been very dark, which is unusual.

i don't feel that it is helping my PMS. My first period was lighter, but the kind of cramping it caused was different and still very painful for me.

i just don't get a good feeling about this one and don't like the idea that it affects your kidneys processing of potassium to the point where you have to get your blood checked for elevated levels.

also, i had a certain amount of cellulite that seemed to appear within a short amount of time. i don't like this at all. i didn't have that before. i had a little, but now it is like doubled.

i am also having dizzy spells and blurred vision and since i have fibro, i have noticed that i am in more pain lately.

so goodbye to Yaz. no more BC for me. this just motivated me to try and balance my hormones doing everything i can naturally.

Thank God I found this site. My doctor thinks I'm mad, she has a Mirena herself and thinks it's wonderful. I had the Mirena put in because of severe blood loss anemia two years ago. I've had a headache on the left side of my head for 18 months. Heart palpitations right before my unpredictable periods, chest pain, serious stomach upsets, numbness and tingling that made me think I had MS or a brain tumor, and countless other frightening symptoms. I had Hodgkin's Lymphoma when I was 23 which was successfully treated, this Mirena has had me concerned daily that I had relapsed and that it just wasn't being picked up. I've been so frightened of what's been happening to me, but now I will INSIST that the thing is removed right away. Thank you so much for you honesty about your symptoms, I no longer feel alone.

This is my second NuvaRing after getting off of Yasmin for 6 months. I will be taking out my NuvaRing in a few more days.

The first time I used NuvaRing, my eyes started to hurt and could not tolerate contacts. Now it's fine. I had a bit of cramping. My boyfriend could kind of feel the ring and so could I. My first period came and it was HEAVY! I had to change my Super Absorbancy tampon every 2 hours, even at night, for at least 5 days. My periods are usually 7 days, with the heaviest during the 1st and 2nd days. However I've never had a heavy period like this before. I thought I was losing too much blood.

Right now I'm on the second NuvaRing, and I've been getting bad cramping that ended up with me going to the bathroom to relieve myself. This has been happening for the past two weeks. After eating, cramping. Sometimes I even have to lay down as it feels like I am rupturing my abdomen from the inside out. And tremendous bloating. I could not zip up my pants because it causes cramping.

I've cramped and bloated with Yasmin, but not as bad as this. When I am on top of my boyfriend, it is highly uncomfortable and hurts for me to try to move. I felt that I'm on an emotional roller coaster all the time and headaches come and go. I have almost no sex drive because of the discomfort.

I'm done with the NuvaRing. I'm going back to Yasmin.

I had a baby 2 years back and had my first period after delivery in Feb'08. Since then I am bleeding. So my Gyn suggested me to have Femcon fe and I started on this Sunday 18th May. I am feeling nausea and wanted to check what could be the other side affects. Thanks for this site. I would like to discuss these side affects with my doc in next week's appointment. Thanks all.

After reading everyones complaints about the Mirena, I am convinced that everything I have been feeling is because of the IUD. I have a new name for it, I like to call it the b---h maker. I had mine taken out on 5-15. Started bleeding 1 hour after removal. The bleeding has gotten heavier as the week progressed, and am passing large clumps. Was all this blood just sitting in there this whole time, could that explain the 15 lbs I put on? Maybe I need a DnC?

I went off the pill 12 years ago and started on Yaz in the summer of 2007. I had pretty significant mood swings for about two weeks on the first pack. In fact, it was like the worst PMS I've ever experienced, with my anger and rage surging up for no apparent reason. The mood swings were gone after my first period, though. The only other problem was that my first cycle lasted 10 days, the second 7 days, but by the third pack my periods completely regulated to a light, 4-day cycle.

Since the "old-school" pill had made me gain weight, I was expecting to do the same on Yaz. To my surprise, that didn't happen. Also, I didn't experience any PMS at all, before, during, or after my periods. I only went off Yaz because of surgery for fibroids on my uterus resulted in a uterine hysterectomy last month.

The older brands of birth control come with many warnings of potential blood clots and other side effects and, while I am sorry for the illnesses and losses people here have experienced with same, every prescription medication has its risks. Yaz was wonderful for me!

basically, this was my experience with the paragard:
1. Dec 2004 - Paragard iud was placed post-partum after my 2nd daughter was born. i was breast-feeding, and had no noticeable symptoms until Nov 2005.
2. Nov 2005 - had my first period since my daughter was born. it was heavy and crampy, but i thought "i haven't had a period in 2 years, so this is the price i pay..."
3. Each period hence was heavy, long at 6-7 days, and cramps were intense. again, i just decided that i could manage.
By the end of 2006, my periods were so bad that my husband and i decided i had to see the doctor.
4. Jan 2007 - saw the doctor about removing the copper IUD. she said that the paragard should not be causing such bad symptoms, and since i was did not want to get pregnant, she decided we should try to control the symptoms with birth control pills and Prometrium. I did not want to try Prometrium since I was unsure of how I would react to the hormone. she believed that i might be suffering from severe pms, called PMDD. note that i loved and trusted this doctor - i had some complications during my 2 pregnancy, and some problems post-delivery, and she was attentive, personable, and caring. i was very comfortable and trusting, so i listened to her recommendations. i tried yaz, yasmin, and 2 other pills over the next 3-5 months, but was extremely nauseous and sick with all of them (plus break-thru bleeding).
5. Feb - September 2007: i started having pre-period symptoms of nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhea, abdominal cramps, severe fatigue. the first 2 months that i had these symptoms, they were so bad that i believed that i had an intestinal virus - same cramping, throwing up, and bad diarrhea, plus this was BEFORE my period. I then made the association between my symptoms, and the fact that they occurred 3-5 days before my period, and then they would subside about 3 days after my period started. my periods were still long with heavy bleeding.
6. September 2007 - was having same symptoms, but started 7-10 days before my period, and they were so bad that my husband had to take off from work to take care of our 2 girls each month (i stay home with them). i went back to the doctor during September, and was told to modify my diet (no white flour, sugar, low fat, high protein, lots of water) and to try some vitamin supplements since i didn't want more medications. she again recommended taking 100 mg Prometrium to help ease the symptoms. I asked to remove the IUD, again, and she said that "before she took out something that expensive, she wanted to make sure that something else was not wrong" - I was shocked at her statement, but agian I liked her and trusted her, so i went along for the sonogram.
7. October 2007 - In the meantime, I was desperate, so i took the vitamins and Prometrium, which sent me into what i can describe only as a psychotic episode. i had severe emotional outbursts, i was irrationally angry and irritable, and had absolutely zero patience. i am usually a smart girl, and in my normal "mental state" would have associated that the Prometrium had caused this severe reaction, but I was no where close to my normal state of mind, and i just thought that my physical symptoms were now affecting me mentally.
8. LAte Oct 2007 - BY this time I am so down and really ready to get my life back. I am still sick with nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, severe abdominal cramps, severe fatigue, and now my abdomen stays sore and tender through the whole month. FINALLY the doctor calls with the ultrasound results. she said that there were 2 small ovarian cysts - and i was relieved - i thought that FINALLY, we were getting somewhere - but in the next sentence she said that she didn;t think that they were responsible for my symptoms. i was deflated - and at such a loss of words. i listened to her tell me how she thought that i had IBS, and that she was going to refer me to a GI doctor. i know that IBS is a catch-all category of symptoms that some doctors throw on people they can;t diagnose. and remember, i was just a few days out from recovering from 1) having a severe personality reaction to a drug, and didn't know it was because of the Prometrium - i thought i was going mad, and 2) i was just getting over being sick before my period - AGAIN.
I finally called her back a few hours later and left a message with the nurse "since she doesn;t think that the cysts are causing the symptoms, could we please remove the copper IUD?" i never got a reply.
I called my niece who is an RN at a respected women's health center in NC and cried a lot and told her what was going on. she got me an appointment with a doctor there for mid nov 2007.
10. Mid Nov 2007 - tell the NC doctor my medical history, and she says "we need to get that IUD out". in less than 30seconds it is gone with minimal discomfort, 25% of the abdominal soreness and tenderness is gone within 24 hours of removal, and completely gone within a week. THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME IN MONTHS THAT MY TUMMY WAS NOT TENDER OR SORE!!!
i have a follow-up appointment for mid Jan 2008 with the NC doctor and possible placement of the Mirena
11. Nov 29, 2007 - have my first period in over a year where i am not sick etc - it is heavy and a bit crampy, but is shorter in duration.
12. mid dec 2007 - i start to suspect i may be pregnant, but think that we have been cautious, and my period is probably going to be irregular with all of the crap that has gone on
13. jan 5 2008 - yep - i'm pregnant!! but that was ok - we wanted another anyway.
14. jan 7, 2008 - catch the respiratory flu that has been going around and stay VERY sick for 4 weeks, and i just know that something is unusual - i can't eat i am so sick and am so weak that i shake whe i stand up - call a new local OB doctor and see them.
15. jan 30, 2008 - have miscarried the pregnancy
16. April 2008 - the new ob doctor places a mirena
17. first of may 2008 - my husband is asking if i feel ok, that he has seen similar but much less severe symptoms in my mood as when i was on the Prometrium. i have never had acne this severe on my face, neck and back - it actually hurts and i have some scarring even though i have not picked at it.
By the way, my new local OB told me that HE WILL NOT PLACE PARAGARD COPPER IUDS FOR HIS PATIENTS BECAUSE THEY WORK BY CAUSING INFLAMMATION IN THE UTERUS.
however, he also said that i shouldn't have any issues with the mirena, and now i am starting to wonder if i am going slightly mad...
i want my life back...
i now realize that there is a side effect to EVERYTHING that you put in your body...
i am terrified of getting pregnant right now even though a few months ago i was excited about this wonderful possibility...
i am now talking to a counselor to try to work out the events of this past year+ so i can move on...
i feel like my voice was NOT heard or even acknowledged...
the reality is that WE are ultimately responsible for our own well-being, both physical and mental, and that doctors do treat with preconceived notions about the way health should be and how medications and devices should work...they listen to pharmaceutical reps and not their patients...
i don;t know what to do about birth control now...i suspect the mirena is making me feel this way, but i am terrified of getting pregnant, i can't take birth control pills, and am hesitant to put any thing else in my body that is a chemical...however, i have no libido anymore (my poor wonderful husband) and i use to enjoy the closeness and intimacy of being with my husband...
i don't know how this affects your decision about the copper iud, but i just caution about 1) be careful with sex after the mirena is removed and 2) be mindful of anything that we eat or place in our body.
i do know that i could not find any other information from women who experienced my symptoms, but i find it very difficult to believe that i am the only one who experienced this.
lots of luck, and thank you for sharing your experience with the posting site! it has helped me make an informed decision about removing the mirena, and i hope that the information here will help you make an informed decision about the copper iud.

I made my appointment today to have my Mirena taken out in 2 days.
I have had similar symptoms, low libido, hair loss, and weight gain.
I have been on Weight Watchers since Jan. the same time I got my Mirena inserted and I am at the same weight. I am so frustrated with the weight and the other symptoms I just want it out.
But I did like not having to take a pill everyday. Is anyone considering having the Copper T inserted? It releases no hormones.
Just wondering.

4 days post removal. I had a bout of nausea today along with some pretty severe abdominal cramping. I have been having some leg cramping too. Has this happed to others? I have had some light bleeding but it stopped today. I had it for 2 days. I feel like I am on a hormonal roller coaster all day. Feeling good, then bad. Back and forth.Please tell me it gets better. I know it does it is just difficult. I have not felt anywhere near as foggy and not as much anxiety/panic attacks. Thanks.