Having children symptoms and conditions

Most of us that use this seem to have it inserted soon after delivering our babies. Therefore it makes us wonder if it is postpartum depression or the IUD.
I had mind inserted on Aug 1 2008. I started back to work on Aug 4, 12 weeks postpartum. I kept thinking I was feeling so tired, depressed, tons of anxiety, basically not like myself at all, because of my new schedule of being a working mom. Well it has been only about 3 weeks and everyday I feel dizzy and tired at work. I have ridiculous anxiety that people are going to try to turn my baby against me. I have constant anxiety about my mother in law, when before she never really bothered me. I would consider myself severely depressed a lot of the time. We all have so many changes going on with having children but it does seem that it might be the IUD. I'll probably have it removed because I would rather have more children than be worthless to my family. I wanted to wait 5 years before having number 2... but do I want to be depressed and anxious all the time during my sons baby years? No thanks!

Hi all, I have had the Mirena since May of 08. I had twins in Feb of this year and was given the little plastic ring for birth control. That gave me TERRIBLE migraines. i hardly ever even have headaches let alone migraines. It was impossible to take care of twin infants along w/migraine pain. I really shouldn't be on estrogen anyway because of a clotting problem in my family. So my doctor recommended the Mirena. I wanted it anyway because I can't remember to take pills now, (I'm a little busy.) Since I had it put in I have been losing my hair in unbelievable amounts which my doctor attributed to my just having twins. My depression and anxiety meds are NOT working anymore. My fourth and fifth toes on my right foot are completely numb and stiff, almost like I have arthritis or something. I have NO interest in having sex w/my husband. But after taking care of twins, who does?? Just kidding. I am not very happy with this IUD, but have decided the alternative (being pregnant) is not a better option at this time. So, for now I will continue to be a bitchy, balding, arthritic, celbate mother of two. Good luck to everyone else

I got Mirena put in on July 5, 07...never had a child but Dr. said since I was 36 and not planning on having children, Mirena was a good alternative to the pill which I had been on since I was 19. On the pill I had very light 2-3 day periods and with diet and exercise, could lose weight. Now, almost a year on Mirena...the only good think that has gone away from when I was on the pill is the migrane headaches that I was starting to get on a monthly basis...but, in their place...I have gained weight, tired, have acne, cramps erratically throughout month, never know when my period will show up...some months it does not, some months it lasts 4 days (like last month), and I always feel bloated - esp. in the abdomen. I've even wondered on occasion...am I pregnant?? why do I feel so bloated?? One other weird thing, since I started running this year, I get this weird sensation that I have to go empty my bladder...this also occurs while doing intense stomach crunches...but it is not incontenance..nope never have bladder problems...it is just this funky feeling - sometimes almost a burning feeling around my uterous. Have not seen anyone post this - but it did not happen before Mirena when I ran or did sit ups...now it does - doubt this is coincidence.

Some of these symptoms truely could just be simply the result of ovulating again - that is what my Dr. told me...that on the pill I never released an egg...so now my body was getting used to ovulating again. Well...if that is the case, I just can not stand it anymore...I get it removed June 26th - next week so hopefully I'll be able to post back that these symptoms are gone or have removed. Going to go on the pill again...which has its own side effects...but I sure did not have as many when I was on it. Husband has offered to go under the knife to take care of him...but I'll see how the pill does again. Hoping to reclaim my life and actually lose weight as I've been dieting and exercising while on Mirena to no avail!

I have had the Mirena for four months. I am 45 years old and finished having children. I cannot take the birth control pill because I'm a smoker. I talked with my physician about a tubal ligation versus Mirena. She actually recommended the tubal ligation but I was afraid of the general anesthesia. However, after the side effects I have experienced, I will be calling my physician soon to schedule a tubal ligation and have the Mirena removed. I have always been fortunate to have three, light days of a period each month. After the insertion of Mirena, I have 20 days or more a month of spotting which necessitates the wearing of a mini pad daily. I would rather have three days of light bleeding every 25-28 days than 20 days of pesky light spotting. Also, my knees are killing me. I feel like I'm 95 years old. I can hardly walk up and down steps without pain. This was not an issue prior to the insertion of Mirena. Within the last couple weeks, I've noticed an increase in acne. I have NEVER had acne problems so the three or four zits on my face now is very unusual and I can only attribute that to Mirena. I guess I need to overcome my fear of general anesthesia and get those tubes tied and end my birth control woes!

Hi,
I have been on Warfarin since 2002. I suffered multiple pulmonary embolism's in both lungs. My first was in May 2002 and even though I had excruciating pain in my left shoulder area & could not lay down as this worsened the pain, the NHS x-rayed my torso!!!! & sent me home with medication for a kidney infection. I gave it a few weeks but the pain did not go completely & was moving to my right side, I was coughing up 'tablespoon' size clots of blood. My GP was not happy & spoke to a colleague at the hospital. I was sent straight in,(July) thorough tests done & I was found to have suffered multiple PE's.
I tried to sue them for medical negligence but it was turned away by the court as there was not enough evidence on my notes ie; some info was not written down & most was unreadable to even other medical professionals.
Since Aug 2002 I have been on Warfarin & am on this for life.
A blood test showed that I had a genetic blood disorder called 'Factor V (5) Leiden heterozygote'. This causes my blood to form clots much easier & quicker than the average person. If you have this disorder, as a woman it is important that each time you have a child you are treated with Heperin after each birth. I had 5 children & was not treated therefore I suffered with my PE's.My children have been tested for this & 3 of them have it. My daughter was glad she found out before having children as she hasn't had to suffer what I went through.
I ask one thing.... Please TELL your GP that you want a test for the above disorder. As I suffered my PE's & that I have this blood disorder I have to stay on Warfarin for life.
If you need any more info I will tell you as much as I know. Feel free to ask questions. my email is; ******

Hi all! I am actually really glad to have found this site, i've been on Yasmin for 2 years now. I have been on several different bc pills before this but I was told by my Doctor that Yasmin would be better for me as my weight fluctuates terribly. Normally after being on the same pill for about a year my body starts rejecting the hormones. However, Yasmin has sent my body into overdrive, I feel ill all of the time, have constant headaches, break out in rashes at lease once a week and my sex drive is non-existent. I have also been experiencing extreme pains and my stomach bloats to the size of a football (seriously!) about a week before i'm due on. My periods have also become heavier and extremely painful in the last six months. After reading all of your posts i'm feel happier knowing i'm not the only one and that its not just my body! I am definitely coming off this pill now! Has any bc pill worked for anyone?? I guess i'm going to have to try different things now. However i've heard such bad things about the injection and the implant. (My nurse said they could prevent me from ever having children? - I'm 20 and have my whole life ahead of me. This is the last thing I want!) Thanks again! xx

I've been on Yasmin for about 3 1/2 years and had nothing but GREAT experiences. My face cleared up (not that it was ever bad though), I lost weight and it elevated my mood and evened out my mood swings. My husband thinks it's the greatest thing ever. One thing I do find interesting, however, is that I have been experiencing more headaches the last year or so. I never thought it was related to Yasmin and neither do my doctors (other than the week I go off of it to have my period and my hormone levels drop). I have stopped taking Yasmin this week as we will be trying to conceive soon. For any out there who are nervous about starting Yasmin after reading these posts, please know that all types of birth control will have side effects. I have had a great experience on Yasmin and so have some of my best friends.

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 had Mirena in for about 10 months due to being 35, a smoker and in a fantastic relationship, and having children 7 and 5-just had it removed 2 days ago (Thursday Morning)...I met my boyfriend just before insertion and although he thinks I am wonderful (God love him!) I am looking forward to feeling and showing him the "REAL" me...I have always been very patient and calm and happy and emotionally and hormonally balanced (even before and during my periods!) But have progressively gotten worse over the 10 months and gained 10 pounds! I eat pretty well and am extremely active and the pounds just coming on!! So, between this crappy synthetic hormone and the weight gain...who can be happy??? I was the amazing most happy pregnant woman with both of my children for goodness sake, this shouldn't effect me this way!!! For the most part up until a couple of months ago, our sex life was still active, but started to subside (on my end) I've had NUMEROUS UTI's and some of them were just feelings of them but no bacteria so I decided enough was enough...now 2 days after removal I am bleeding heavily (heavier than ever, bled right through tampons and soaked my shorts...thank heaven I am off work this weekend!!) But the way I look at it is I am just getting rid of all the crap this Mirena has caused my body to undergo and I am excited to get back to myself again. My children noticed I wasn't normal and my boyfriend, well, I am looking forward to showing him the "true" me...if he thinks he loves me now then he's in for it...lol!!!! Good luck to all of you ladies who are also having the problems with this stupid thing...but keep thinking positive, I believe it will make our transition back to ourselves much easier and quicker!

I am 20 years old and had basically tried every form of birth control before Mirena (the pill {multiple kinds}, the NuvaRing, and the shot). My OBGYN talked to me about the possibility of Mirena. Normally they do not do it for people who haven't had children but with my track record with other forms of birth control we decided to go ahead with it. I got it put in place in October 2007 and passed out on the table. It was the worst pain I have had in my entire life and had to lay down in the hospital bathroom for 45 minutes after insertion because I couldn't even stand up. I cried the whole hour ride home after and my boyfriend had to carry me up three flights of stairs into my apartment. I bled for a month and a half after insertion and then didn't see any blood until a month ago. I started getting very bad cramps (have had them all along but not bad, they said my body had to get used to it so I could have some cramping for a few months), after one day of the horrible cramping I finally had to go to the ER. The Dr's told me I had a 3inch ovarian cyst that had ruptured. After CT scans, and multiple internal and external Ultrasounds they found it was still 1 inch long and put me back on the pill to shrink it. They claim Mirena couldn't be the cause but I am doubtful, I have never had a cyst until Mirena and I think it is the cause. Ovarian cysts are on the side effects chart for Mirena so it is interesting that they told me that can't be the cause. Anyway, after weeks on 3 Vicodin a day and constant pain I started feeling better but occasionally still have pain. The doctors also thought they might have to surgically remove it which could put at risk my possibility of having children (SCARY!) If another cyst comes I will get it removed, I have had it for 6 months and can't deal with anymore. I'm about ready to be celebit until I'm ready to have kids because going through all of this is not worth it. If anyone has had the same problems and got it removed can you email me and tell me how bad it hurt? I am going to be really upset to have gone through all of this to have more awful pain to have it removed. Thanks- my email is ******

All, I am researching new birth control methods since the pill was giving me migraines and the Mirena was one I was considering....not anymore. I don't know if any of you have heard of this procedure, but I talked to my doc about it yesterday, its is called Essure at www.essure.com and it is sterilization for women (not tubal ligation). Some of you women on this post may want to think about doing this instead of Mirena if you are positive you are done having children. My husband and I are finished having kids, but its always hard to make that permanent decision. However, after reading all of this here, I am getting Essure done. My doc says its an easy procedure, done in the office, takes 30 minutes, no anesthesia necessary.

I started taking Lamictal about six weeks ago for epilepsy. Now keep in mind, I was on Dilantin which worked great for 17 years and then suddenly stopped working. I have been in medication hell since then. First Topamax made me dumb as a rock. I would space out all the time. Worst drug ever. Then Keppra which was better in that my memory/ability to speak came back but I had these intense ups and down. I had rages constantly. Now I'm on Lamictal. So far, it's better than the Topamax and the Keppra, however the dreams are very intense as are the night sweats. I'm also experiencing much hair loss. Fortunately I have a full head of hair but I'm afraid I will eventually lose it all.

I am a 30 year old mother of three young boys, and my husband and I are pretty sure we are done having children, but not 100% positive, so we thought the Mirena IUD would be a great birth control option: no muss, no fuss, and it would allow us the time to make the decision later. I had mine inserted in April 2007. I bled for a few months on and off, had a seriously bloated stomach (that never went away), almost constant nausea, stomach pains both dull and sharp at times, and shooting leg pains. After I waited this all out, I thought the IUD was pretty OK. If someone would've asked me, I would've told them as much.

The past six-eight months have been much rougher. I had constant vaginal discharge that was an effort to get out of my underwear! How gross is that? Periods came more often than before the IUD, sometimes only 2 weeks apart, they were longer and PMS was constant and horrendous. I felt terrible about how mean-tempered I had become to my kids and husband. I used to be the calm, even-keeled one who could laugh at three crazy boys! Now my husband has been on a mission to get a vasectomy because life has become so stressful due to how I handle everything with them. I began to resent my own children, was not interested in spending time with them because they annoyed me to the point of rage. I was ready to sign him up for the vasectomy as well!

Listening to my instincts, I had the IUD removed on Friday. It did not hurt at all, was easier than a pap smear. Later that afternoon, for interest's sake, I googled IUD side effects, and have been unsure whether to jump up and down or cry ever since.

I look back at all the things I worried about over the last almost year, never realizing any of them could have anything to do with the IUD. I could tell my hair was thinner, so I put myself back on prenatal and all sorts of other vitamins, thinking I was deficient.

I couldn't figure out why I had fingerprint bruises all over the tops of my legs, so I worried about blood disorders until I researched that I had no other symptoms of those types of things. Then I just gave up trying to figure out what it was from.

I thought my horrible headaches (which I never had in my life) were caused by stress. I was at the chiropractor for the first time 3 weeks ago because I've had neck and back pain since last June that would not go away. I also had to take tylenol a lot for leg aches and weird pains in my limbs.

I thought the tiny hairs that started to pop up on my face might be related to the IUD, but I wondered how could that be? Mirena only gives localized hormones and they are not MALE hormones, right?

I researched strokes and aneurysms because many days I felt so enraged, so upset by the littlest things my kids would do, I felt like my head might literally pop off. I wanted to make sure that I couldn't bring something like that on from getting so worked up! My husband and I have been married almost 10 years and he has never before advised me to get on an anti-depressant until I had the IUD. That made me even more upset, because I knew he was right, but this just wasn't me!

My restlessness at night, lack of quality sleep, I didn't attribute it to the Mirena either. Even when I wanted to take a nap, I'd pop awake after 10 minutes, but still feel tired.

The craziest thing of all is that I had anxiety to the point of panic attacks. I was never afraid of flying on airplanes until I had the IUD. Last June I got on a small jet to take a weekend getaway with my husband and almost had to get off. The claustrophobic panic kept coming in waves. The whole weekend I couldn't relax because I knew I had to get back on that plane to go home and it was unbearable. Mentally, the trip home was absolute torture. I had two more flights on tiny planes to take last summer after that, and fretted constantly beforehand to the point my heart would race, my face would flush, and I would almost have a panic attack just thinking about it. I had to go see my GP and get Xanax to make it through those next two trips. She and I both agreed it was probably anxiety about leaving my kids and worrying subconsciously about what would happen to them if something happened to me.

Additionally, day to day worries and anxiety consumed me. I constantly worried about my own mortality, something horrible happening to my kids, something horrible happening to my husband, etc. I knew thinking negatively about that stuff was just not in my best interest, but I couldn't get those types of thoughts out of my head! My teeth ache all day because I have spent the better part of the last year grinding them in my sleep, something I've never done before. My heart did race at times and I found myself deep sighing a lot. Dizziness came and went sometimes as well.

That is why, when my OB asked why I wanted it out, I simply told her it was making me nuts. I didn't know until afterwards, what an awesome decision I had made based upon my intuition. I am so thankful to have found out all this stuff is a result of that thing, and that I can look forward to an eventual full return to my normal laid-back positive self once my hormones readjust.

Already I feel calmer, and tired, but in a good way (the way you feel when you have had a long day and can look forward to a hard sleep, not the crazy restless tired I've felt for so long). I just started my first period since removal, so we'll see how that goes. I'm sure it will take awhile for all my hormones to straighten around, considering how funky they had obviously become.

My husband is a wonderful man who never minded using condoms before, and so that will have to do it until we do something permanent some day. I'm sure he will be thrilled to wear one at this point, since we basically weren't having sex at all before (the thought disgusted me), so what was the point of having the IUD anyways? Yes, like everyone else, I had NO SEX DRIVE. And, during sex, I was SO dry (kind of ironic, since there was so much discharge the rest of the time!) It just wasn't enjoyable.

I am sure there are women out there who tolerate this thing with little or no side effects, but it sure seems like there are a lot who don't!! And what is terrible is that the doctors and the pamphlets all make it out to be so great and dismiss that these other freaky side effects are a result of the Mirena. Had I known that this was a possibility, I never would have thought twice about trying it, especially for the cost. I would advise anyone who asked me to stay as far away from it as possible.

Thank goodness its not just me! Of course i have been to other websites that do not make the MIRENA sound this severe, so i thought it was just me. I have never had any luck with any bc since having children. I have 3 kids and don't want any more. My doctor is a female and just raved about how wonderful the MIRENA is so decided to try it.....OH where to start. I had it inserted and bled heavy for 4 months straight! i called the doctor and basically said, hmmm well we can just remove it. I decided to give it more time. I had about 2 weeks off from a period but still spotted and then continued to have more periods. Every few days i would just start again... Then 8 months into it i had the most severe pain that bent me over in pain, i was sick in bed for 5 days when i decided it has to be the MIRENA so i called my doctor went in and had a vaginal ultrasound. Low and behold i had cysts on my ovaries. My doctor said that is associated with the MIRENA because you body cant sluff enough. My body had just sluffed for 7 months straight! So they passed on their own. Then here at 11 months into it i have the cysts again! I have miserable cramps for weeks on end and yes i finally bleed less, but the side effects are not worth it! This morning i woke up with severe back and chest pain that radiated into my jaw. i felt like i was having a heart attack. I'm 28 and in very good physical condition with no prior high blood pressure or medical conditions. This has gone on long enough. Monday i am making an appt. to get the MIRENA out! P.S. also mood swings. I have been short tempered and feel rage at times. I have never had that bad of a temper before this. My husband agrees. Also loss of sex drive almost completely.

Hello,

I have 3 friends who have liked the Mirena, so on their testimony and after talking to my OB/GYN, I decided to give it a try. I have a history of a J Pouch surgery when I was 19, and I'll be 37 in June. My husband and I luckily have one little girl, but it's doubtful we'll have more due to multiple reasons, and I was doing this so that we could finally have spontaneity. We've been together for nearly 18 years.

I had it in for only 5 days. I suffered things I've NEVER suffered: raging hormone headache, bloating like I couldn't believe, anxiety, a panic attack, not just crying jags - SOBBING jags that would come on in a panic, a "doom" feeling and this horrible feeling of loneliness. I was jittery... I don't drink caffeine, but this felt like I'd just had 15 espressos... I had all this nervous energy, but no focus.

After just 5 days, I went in and had it removed. After removal, I continued with the headache for 4 days, these were headaches unTOUCHED by any pain meds, bloating that finally abated and fatigue like you couldn't believe. I never nap, and I spent one full day on the couch without any motivation to do anything, and I also napped everyday and slept at night for 10 hours three nights in a row.

My doctor and nurse were understanding. They said I might have been "Hormone Naive," as I've not been on any kind of birth control, but whatever... it was a horrid experience and I'm so glad it's out. My doctor said I was in the minority of people with this kind of experience to birth control, but she didn't deny its existence, nor did she persuade me to try to "give it more time," and for that I was thankful.

I have been on Yasmin for about four and a half years now. I just stopped taking it because my husband and I want to start having children. I have noticed some horrible side effects. I am SEVERELY bloated, irritated at everything, and even more depressed. I also have headaches all the time. My mind races and I can't control my thoughts. Has anyone else experienced this? I am so glad I found this site. I was really getting down on myself over the past few years because of my depression and anxiety. I even had to go on medication. I have never been like this before so I was so confused as to what was going on. Now I see that it may have been linked to Yasmin. My doctor always asked me how I was doing on it and I never made the correlation between Yasmin and my downward spiral of health. About four months ago I started to get migraines about everyday. I went to the doctor and they did an MRI on my brain. They found lumps in my brain. Not cancer but just lumps. They just come and go. And when they come I can tell because of the debilitating migraines. I wonder if someone else has had this? I don't know if there is a connection but I am not ever going to take Yasmin again in fear of the cause. My doctor said that BC can be linked to migraines. Thank you for making me feel that I am not alone. I should make my husband read the comments on this site so he can see it isn't all my fault that I get moody!!!

I started taking this pill about 2 weeks ago. The very first night I woke up with awful nausea. That continued for about 3 days. Like some of you, I feel like I'm not even myself anymore. I cry for no reason at all. My fiance says he doesn't even know who I am anymore..I'm SO moody! This is the first birth control I've been on, so I don't know what else to compare it to...but so far I don't like it. It's made my face break out a little too, which never happens. And I do feel bloated a lot. This sucks.

This is crazy that I stumbled across this website.. as I went on the official website and could NOT find any of the symptoms that I was having listed in there. In fact they state that the side effects would be less than the pill. Well it has been 3 weeks since I have had the Mirena inserted and I have had and extreme headach since, nonstop bleeding, vomiting on some occasions, dizzy and fainting spells, loss of appetite which has caused a sudden loss of weight (some may not mind that part but I really shouldn't lose any more!!), run down, and depressed. I finally called my dr today and explained all of these and they stated that they must see me today. I have 3 beautiful girls and my husband and I are both FINISHED with having children. My reasoning for choosing the Mirena was that my husband was told that he was high risk for excessive bleeding for a vasectomy so I figured I would give this a try. I am not happy with this and would just assume go and have a tubal done!

I am 19 yrs old. I am have 2 surgeries to cauterize my endo. My doctor recommends I take the lupron shot. Im not so concerned with the pelivc pain with enod, its tolerable. Im most concerned with infertility. I am so young, and having to choose between going into menopause and not having children is not something i thought i would have to do. I have suffered from severe depression for 6 yrs, and i finally have it under control. Im terryfied that taking the shot it going to make me depressed again. Any words of advice?

I came across this site last week after finally getting fed up with vaginal dryness/painful intercourse that my obgyn couldn't explain. (She put me on yeast infection medicine..but obviously, that wasn't the problem.) It hit me all at once that my weird, very uncharacteristic crying spells (ex. unable to complete sentences without feeling like tears are welling up)....to extreme anger and a flared temper....to a recent fainting/diarrhea spell...to overnight changing my feelings completely on having children, to hating my job!! (I mean really...my feelings are ALL over the place.)I've never been one to blame things on others or for this matter, a pill. But I realized that a lot of my strange personality changes may really be attributed to the Yasmin. I have had insomnia for the last 4 months...which I've also never ever experienced before. In general, I've become a worrier and feel all around numb and no love for myself or my boyfriend. And for no reason. It's putting a real damper on our relationship actually. I told him about this site and explained what I've been dealing with...silently for the most part because I thought it was just me. So I guess we'll have to wait it out....I started taking Yasmin in November 2005...and now in retrospect...can start adding up small changes to my personality starting back in Feb. 2006. My last pill was this Friday. I'm day 6 off Yasmin and have my period this week. I am not going to go back on the Yasmin this weekend. (after my period ends) I'm afraid to go on any hormonal birth control because of the way this affected me so badly. In a way, I feel like I may have never been "myself" around my boyfriend. We started dating in Dec. 2005, and I had started it a month before. Does this make sense? I had been on OrthoTryCyclen a long time ago....and remember when I moved to England...I got off of it and felt as though my feelings in general went from black and white to colorful and vibrant. I think I'm going to explore non hormonal options from here on in. I've done some research on IUD's. In particular, the copper IUD.
Anyway, sorry for the ramble ladies. My point is to say thank you for speaking up. I come and look at this site everyday to just remind myself that I'm not alone. And that I can look forward to feeling myself again one day. And mostly, that feelings of butterflies and happiness will come back to my relationship with my boyfriend. Who is simply wonderful. Just a fantastic guy.
Keep those chins up ladies!
Vicki

Hey Everyone, I'm really sorry to hear about all the problems everyone is having. I feel fortunate because mine aren't as severe as others. I do have mood swings, at times I feel like I am totally out of it and in a numb state, other times I'm very energetic and have a super HIGH sex drive. I refuse to take any medication except for a daily viatmin and fiber for IBS (which I think was caused by BC) I know that it's just a matter or clearing these darn hormones out of my system, then everything will be back to normal!

twogirlsmom- keep your chin up! I find that doing yoga and exercise helps a lot, I start my day off by doing that. I also have refused to sleep any longer than necessary, otherwise I feel tired and depressed all day. When I feel panic coming on, I use all my internal power to ignore it and quickly find something else to focus on such as the TV, music, cleaning, reading, etc... You will be fine in time!

Oh yes, I am strongly considering an IUD, my husband doesn't like condoms that much, either do I, and I definitely need some form of birth control. I also do not want to consider the morning after pill, I don't believe in that. Has anyone had an IUD prior to having children? How was it?

It was a beautiful thing to sleep...after a lifetime of insomnia. But then my boyfriend confronted me about my silly behavior at night -making elaborate desserts and leaving a big mess. I would have no memory of this. He told me I looked like I was wasted. I gained ten pounds. One night, I went out in my car to get ice cream! I had no memory of this trip, but I dented my car and knocked a tire out of balance. I have read other postings of people who have tried to drive and been arrested for DUI! Scary.

Still, this didn't worry me nearly as much as my declining health: tremors, fatique, depression, lethargy and worst of all severe all-over muscle pain, sinitus... I was becoming completely debilitated and suicidal because I couldn't work, travel, play...etc. Just suffering all the time. I've been off Ambien for one week and my symptoms have suddenly lifted! (I also increased Zoloft)

I still don't know if it's a coincidence or just a temporary respite. I miss sleeping, but I can't believe I feel so much better! Has anyone else had severe body pain with Ambien?

Thank you to everyone who has been so sincere and honest in sharing their experiences while using Yasmin. I am the proud mama of three beautiful children and I began using Yasmin on the advice of our obstetrician last month. We had been relying on a diaphragm, but recently I was more nervous about the timing of an additional pregnancy. I told our doctor that I felt the birth control pill had been negative for me in the past and suspected it was linked to a depressive episode nine years ago. He was very dismissive of this and told me that "the pill" has changed considerably. I was shocked at how quickly I felt side effects. I have been exhausted and have started experiencing severe heart burn (I even thought I was having a heart attack) almost everytime I eat. I was also still nursing my 17 month old son and my milk supply has completely gone away. For nursing moms...please be aware of this potential problem. My doctor did not inform me of this before I started Yasmin and I feel a bit regretful that my nursing relationship with my son ended on those terms. QUESTION...for those who have stopped taking Yasmin...what alternative methods of birth control are you exploring? My husband and I are not 100% that we are finished having children, but definitely want some control over that decision! My doctor is also advocating the Mirena IUD, but I am fearful that it will have the same effect.

I guess I'm lucky - I suffer periodically from "pimples" under the arms that turn to abscesses. I've had one drained surgically, two nearly at that stage and a few luckily gone away. I also had one on my leg that was surgically drained.
I was prescribed Doxyclcine and have been on it for a month.
I noticed sensitivity to temperatures - particularly sun. I would step outside and almost straight away feel my arms burning (I've never worn sun block on my arms, legs before). The burning leaves quite different reddedened areas - like blood spots.

My condition is very periodical and comparatively minor so I've chucked the doxy out today. Fingers crossed it doesn't recur again soon.

p.s. my skin condition only started after having children.

I only added this just in case someone else suffered in the same way - there don't seem to be any reports of it - only moer serious side affects.