Having sex symptoms and conditions

I began taking this pill in August 2009, to prevent pregnancy. I am nineteen years old. In the first month, my sex drive increased, I had no "breakthrough bleeding" or spotting, no mood swings that I could tell...everything seemed fine. My doctor put me on this pill because I told her I wanted a pill that wouldn't make me go crazy. This is the first bc pill I've ever been on, and hopefully the last. Let me put it this way: before I got on Loestrin 24 Fe, I actually WANTED to have sex. I had a sex drive. I have absolutely NO SEX DRIVE now. Sex is a chore. What's the point of taking a pill that enables you to have sex without the risk of being pregnant, if you completely lose interest in having sex anyway? I'm extremely frustrated. Over the past two months (I'm now on my fourth pack) I have been extremely fatigued, depressed, and especially anxious. I also have a blistering headache 90% of the time, I kid you not. Additionally, my blood pressure has gone way down, which makes no sense, as I am a very active and healthy person. This pill is literally deteriorating my mental and physical health. I refuse to put these pills, or any bc pills, in my body any more. I would much rather deal with the terrible cramps and heavy periods that I had before. And I still experienced bad cramps while on the pill anyway. I'm sticking with condoms.

I just got the mirena inserted October 19, 2009 and haven't had any major problems until yesterday after having sex. I started to feel a burning sensation and the same thing today and its worse. Last week I did have a few dizzy spells the worst one I was driving and had to pull over but they have stopped. I have also noticed that I am really irritable. I'm a very easy going person usually but since I got the mirena I've been real angry and irritable. I have never had a yeast infection but after reading posts on this page and another I am wondering if that is what I have. I am going to call my doctor in the morning and have him check it out I think.

I had mine removed this week - thank the lord above!!! However, it has been rough and be forewarned that I experienced horrific cramping and HEAVY bleeding for nearly five days. I also had terrible back pains and some pain down my legs as well as some mental fogginess. I only had it in about one month and had gained 3 pounds and outgrown my bras! So now, two boxes of tampons later, I finally stopped bleeding altogether about 24 hours ago and the cramping has subsided. I feel mentally clearer and, believe it or not, have some semblance of libido - my husband is thrilled!

I am exploring other options for managing hormonal changes in perimenopause - including evening primrose oil and am still doing lots of yoga (even during the pain periods I did lots of yoga to help me manage)...Mainly, I feel so betrayed by the doctors (two women half my age) who insisted my symptoms were "all in my head" - to those of you planning for removal I encourage you to tell the medical professionals you work with that you are NOT crazy and NOT the only one experiencing these side effects. I personally believe that many women get too much progestin in the Mirena (which is not Progesterone, either) and this, in addition to overloading our estrogen, is enough to make us completely insane and miserable. I say let nature work its course as regards my own perimenopause and to those out there using Mirena for birth control I managed to avoid pregnancy with little concern using natural/rhythm methods and condoms as well as a diaphragm, conceiving my two beautiful (now teenage) sons without any intervention from hormones except my own. I am going to do peri and menopause the same way here on out. !!!!

Would love to hear how long it took for weight and stomach fat to go away after the removal from anyone who has been there - I eat very healthfully and exercise daily so I knew the pregnant look I got after that month with the Mirena was not due to one too many cookies )as my doctor seemed to infer !

I am 20 years old and get my birth control through my university health center (it's only 15 bucks a month). Im not having sex now and have not in QUITE some time as my boyfriend and I broke up almost a year ago. I have been on birth control for three years now and NEVER had any problems. Since i get my meds through the school they give me what they can get in. I had been prescribed solia when i first started taking it and it was perfect. I had shorter periods, NO cramping, barely any weight gain if any at all and it even helped with mood swings during my period. This past month, the center got in Loestrin 24 and that's what they gave me. I am VERY pissed about it. I started taking it and within days could tell a difference. I would cry for no reason and the slightest things upset me. I was cramping all the time. I missed my birth control ONE day and made up for it the next day, BUT i also got my period. That was two weeks ago. I have not missed another pill and i STILL have my period! I am cramping irritable and just a downright bitch, and that is NOWHERE near my normal self. Im the type of person to let most things roll of my back in time and just go with the flow. Im glad I got on here and found out im not the only one having problems.

omg i am soooo glad that i came across this website.
i was beginning to think that i was the only one with this problem.
i have NEVER EVER had problems with vaginal dryness..... but after about 6 months of using NR that all went to hell!!
i have lost of my AMAZING sex drive :( and that has made me feel really down... i love having sex, but with a dry vagina it is very painful to have. after i finish typing this i am going to take out my nuvaring. but i have one question for those of you who have gone to the doctor? will my vaginal lubrication ever come back??

Sooo happy to find this site! I started the nuvaring for the first time 2 months ago after my daughter was born. I was happily on the patch before but my husband and I still got pregnant so I decided to try another BC. The past 2 months have been hell! I went from being very sexually active (we even started having sex regularly 2 weeks after my baby was born) to never wanting it. I was never an angry person before and now I go off at anything. Ive cried several times to my husband begging him to not judge how I am now and told him I have no idea why I have changed but after reading these im thinking its my BC...so Im going to take it out and see how I feel after a few weeks...

Looking back at a post, it was 8 months ago when i first posted re long periods. and I'd had 3 two week ones then. So 11 months of bleeding...I've been to the docs, taken more hormones, different hormones, tried not having sex, tried having lots, but still bleeding and bleeding. Mirena used to be great. Have had it for over 3 years..... but it just stopped working. The acne has got worse.. the mood swings are worse, the dizzy spells before the "period" pain.....

I feel so guilty for recommending it to so many people as the answer... but it just isn't right for me anymore. Got an appointment to have it removed - scared of the removal pain and possible Crash... always struggled to keep hormones in check!

Thanks to all for their posts ... nice to know we are not alone. Would be nice to hear from anyone who has used Mirena to control Endometriosis.... or is thinking of it.... think it's pretty good... but hard to tell as it was inserted when I had my lapaoscapy and removed the adhesions. All Mirena side affects confused with endo.... but still think Mirena is the big cause.... enough is enough. Three years is a long time. (and a period constantly for nearly a year is insane!!) Good luck.....xx

I hate this thing and can not wait to have it removed!!! I'm 45 and thought this was a great choice for me with menopause on the horizon. NOT! I had the very painful insert on Aug 4th 09 and have been bleeding ever since. 2 weeks of bleeding straight, I'd rather give birth to a razor blade! Then spotted for two weeks. Went back to have a recheck on Sept. 3rd and have had a tampon in all day and night for a month! I 'm now worried about TSS and I'm now also 10 pounds heavier, have experienced tingling in my arms, pain across my shoulder blades and I cry, a lot! I called my Dr. and she said this was normal and would subside! WHAT? Sex is not even an issue because who wants to be down in the red zone! I'm having it expelled on Tues. the 6th and can't wait to lose the symptoms and be back to normal. I look forward to having sex again without towels down like I'm house training a puppy. Good Luck to all of us and yes I think we should sue!

I am 22 years old and I have two kids I have had the mirena for a year and a couple days before my period comes on I have really bad cramps and my right leg it is so bad I have to take four pain pill to make the pain go away I want to get it taking out but how long does it take u to get pregnant I don't need anymore I all so be tired and don't feel like having sex and I also have discharge and heave bleeding will it ever stop

Not only have I been experiencing horrible depression and moodiness from this drug, but this week I found out I'm pregnant!! I took 5 pregnancy tests and their all positive. I'm on this birth control and we used a condom so how the hell did that happen?? I'm 17 years old, a student, a model.. this pregnancy has turned my whole world upside down. I'm seriously considering suing this company!!!

I have been on the Nuvaring since about July of 2008, so just over a year. I am glad I found this sight because I didn't even connect some of these things, but they seem pretty common. I noticed after I had been on the ring for a couple months I was just exhausted and had no energy. I would sleep as late as possible and still go to bed earlier than I ever did before. I just thought it was because we were in a basement apartment without many windows. But now we are in a new house and I still have that. Has anyone had problems with dryness? It seems that no matter how long we foreplay or how much lube we use...I am always so dry and I am getting to the point of hating having sex and it is hurting my marriage. I have a lot of viginal discharge, but never any itchiness or infections. I have actually really liked the nuvaring because it is simple and I haven't had to worry about it. But with the dryness and pain with sex, I am contemplating taking it out to see if it helps. Advise?

Well, I've finally figured out how it is that Mirena works as birth control: if you're not having sex, you can't get pregnant. The first few weeks after having it inserted (about 2.5 months ago), I was fine - spotting pretty regularly, and having significant cramping, but nothing I couldn't handle. Then slowly I began having other side effects: dry, brittle hair that falls out in handfuls, dry skin, irritability, depression, fatigue, lack of motivation to do anything physical, extreme bloating through my mid-section (I am too terrified to get on the scale to see how much I've gained, but it's been about 4-6 dress sizes), swollen hands, migraines, and no sex drive. I mean, ZERO. My husband and I had a very active sex life which has now gone down to a couple times a month if I'm not too tired at night. I was a runner up until this summer (used to do 4-6 miles three or four times a week) and now I can't go more than a mile without becoming completely exhausted. I absolutely intend on getting it out, but ironically I'm so brain-dead tired all the time I can't seem to remember to make the phone call.

I did my research prior to getting Mirena, and read page after page of women who had extreme side effects from the hormone, but somehow assumed I would be one of the blessed few to escape them. That was big, fat, giant mistake. Bad pun intended.

I'm 25 yrs old. I started NuvaRing about 2 months ago. I've been on Lo Ovral for about 9 years and never had any issues other than having a hard time remembering to take my pill everyday. So I thought NuvaRing might be a better option for me. It's not!
ACNE: About a month into the ring I noticed my face began to break out. I've had occasional pimples here and there and some bacne. Well, my back is so bad I haven't worn a tank top all summer. And my face looks like I’m going through puberty.
DEPRESSION: I've been really bummed out about life lately. I have a business degree and a great job but lately I feel like I should just quit my job and live a life full of hopelessness and despair. I told my friend I feel like a troll that should hide in a dark corner. I’m normally the office cheerleader but lately I keep my door closed and my conversations short. I haven’t answered my cell phone in a month! You can’t even imagine how many unchecked voicemails I have. It’s really sad.
WEIGHT GAIN: I normally live in the gym. I run, swim, lift weights, do yoga and play sports. Now, instead of going to gym I go home upset that I'm a loser with no motivation to do anything- I eat fritos and any other carbs I can get my hands on for that matter. Then I take a nap (because eating can really wear a girl out). Wake up, eat dinner and go back to bed.
NO SEX DRIVE: The thought of having sex makes me cringe. They said you shouldn't feel it when you have sex but I sure do! And things get real crowded up in there when we're doing it. It's not pleasant and I feel like a contortionist trying to find some comfortable position. My husband gets frustrated with me and then I just get upset and then it ruins the entire mood.
Basically it took me 2 months to tie all of this to the NuvaRing. I just thought I was going through some sort of quarter-life crisis where everything was falling apart. So, I start my pills today and hopefully my life will be back in order again.

I had the mirena put in when I was 17 and I absolutely loved it. I was like yay no periods and no forgetting to take the pill. I am now 19 and within the last two weeks Ive been having mood swings from hell, I cry for no reason, my breast have been sore, break outs and I feel like Im being ripped apart from the insides on and off. I have no sex drive....what 19 year old girl doesn't want to have sex? I haven't ever been pregnant so I don't honestly know why they gave me the mirena. With all the things going on that I just listed I definitely thought I was pregnant but my new boyfriend and I just started having sex like two weeks ago so its too soon to show these symptoms and thats how I knew it was the mirena. I don't have insurgence I cant go have it removed. I cant feel my strings which worries me too death I have no idea what to do. Heres a video about a woman whos mirena got lost in her body! ******

I am so relieved to has found this page. I had no idea how many people on the NuvaRing were having the problems I've been having. I started using the NuvaRing a few years ago soon after starting to have sex. I wasn't very good at remembering my pill everyday, so I thought it would be a good option. I was so happy in the beginning because I could depend on it.

However, the first major thing that happened a few months later was IBS symptoms, which has put a big damper on my life since. I never know what food item will cause me to cramp and bloat next. It changes every day. I have always doubted this symptom attributed to Nuva until now. I thought my metabolism was changing because I was entering the workforce and exposing myself to new levels of stress.

Next, I never expected that it would diminish my sex drive. I have to convince myself that I'm in the mood, feeling responsible for maintaining a healthy sex life with my husband. That sounds so horrible, and it is. I'm almost never in the mood, not even to masturbate, and I have to keep a calendar to keep track of the last time I pleased my husband. I have not had a real orgasm since before starting the nuva.

It doesn't help to not only be not in the mood, but also when I do have sex, it's uncomfortable, burning, and very painful urinating afterwards. On many occasions, the ring gets pulled out a little during sex, causing a moment of uncomfortable prodding plastic for both of us, and I need to stop long enough to take it out and put it somewhere so I remember to put it back in again. Sex is more comfortable without it after that, but the irritation is still there. It takes a few days to heal before having sex again.

The last straw is more recent. I began to get discharge - a lot - starting the second week in the cycle. It wasn't a yeast infection, as I had a physical and pap at this time and the doctor would have picked it up. There was some itching, but mostly, I've had to wear panty liners 3 out of 4 weeks, including my menstrual cycle. This makes me feel less appealing, and much less interested in having spontaneous sex because I have to clean up first.

It just sucks that this has effected me for almost my whole relationship with my husband. Our dates, our honeymoon, our first anniversary vacation last month. All this time, and I find that the only prescription drug I'm on is what has caused me so much stress, sexual tension, and digestive ailment. One can only imagine what all these other happy commercialized medicines have in store for us, and in multiple amounts!

im 14,and my acne is just depressing.my parents even point it out and it just quite awful.i did a lot of creams and they just made me break out more and after a couple weeks i would stop taking them. i have even been called a pizza face before and i don't want be judged just because i have crap on my face. i would talk to mom about just popping a pill to get this off my face. but she knew that if i was on birth control that i might be thinking about actually having sex. but trust me i don't. so i went o the doctor and my parents finally gave in and let me take yaz. i am just about 5 days away from the white pills and i pick at my pimple and pop them just something i cant control. my dad has noticed a change.but im not sure i have. and i have read post and about having no sex drive but i don't if it is just my hormones or what but i have a sex drive and i am only 14. i am always tired during the day but wide awake at night so my sleep schedule is just messed up. i have a urge for chocolate and nothing else. i only 103 and my weight hasn't changed. my nipples are sooo sore. i might not be to far a long to know if this is a good pill for acne or not. but i am going to keep using it bc i have faith in it. i haven't had one headache but i do see stars when i get up. not sure what it is. thanks for reading;] wish me luck!

I been taking BC since was 15 then i stopped having sex for about 9 months, so i stopped taking the pill! I started taking Aviane 16 days ago. Gosh the first day I took the pill, I felt so sick i couldn't eat anything I just wanted to vomit. This continued for like the whole week. I then became so irritated, like everything just got me super angry. I was yelling so much at everyone for very stupid reasons. The thing that freaked me out the most was i bleed for like two weeks (I wasn't sure if i had a miscarriage) I still have bad cramps! and still have super bad mood swings. From reading all of these comments it seems like my body just isn't use to all the hormones, a lot of people mentioned that waiting for 3 months is the right thing to do. Everyone's body is different, I'm emotional as it is when it comes to my period. So will see what happens! I mean it sucks to go threw these symptoms especially when your only 17 and not sexually active! Oh yeah I want to add one more thing, i haven't experienced any weight gain. I'm already tiny (108 pds) so I actually wouldn't mind gaining like 10-15 pds! and my breast's haven't gotten bigger =( there's no swelling. So I think I'm fine. I just want the moodiness to go away!
hope I helped!

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 started the nuvaring back in Nov 2005, Dec 2005 I found out i was pregnant. Since then I delivered that baby in aug '06, tried to get pregnant again but it took 6mo of trying but finally worked, delivered baby number 2 in jan of '08, and then had an IUD inserted but within 5mo of that was pregnant again!! I delivered my 3rd daughter just 2mo ago on June 6th '09 Now I have 3 babies under 3 and my doctor is completely at a loss for what might work for me. So we decided that I would go back on the IUD and also use the NUVARING as a backup since the IUD was non hormonal. I started the NuvaRing and I am due to get my IUD inserted this fri, but tonight i finally said enough is enough and took out the NuvaRing. I put it in on the 22nd of July but will not be going back for month number 2. I am so short tempered with my 2 older daughters all of the sudden, I was steadily losing weight and now im at a standstill, my husband and i were having sex once a day and now i barely want it once a week, and i was having severe pain in my right calf, and headaches that were unbearable, and most importantly and most obvious is severe severe depression. I am constantly questioning my self worth and whether or not my husband loves me and if im a bad mom and so on and so on... Im really scared now because i am so afraid the IUD wont work again and I honestly don't think i could handle yet another pregnancy. Being pregnant every other 9mo for 3 yrs has taken a major toll on my body and emotional level alone, i don't need my birth control to do it too... So i guess my question is, are there any other forms of BC like The IUD that are non hormonal and could possibly be taken along with the IUD? I just don't trust only one since 2 of my pregnancies were conceived while on bc... any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

I have experienced prolonged bleeding years after insertion. My mirena was inserted in May 2007 with no negative side effects. I ceased to have a period for almost two years. Then in February of 2008, I started bleeding continuously. My "average" period now lasts for 20 days out of a month. I am searching to see if others have had this problem.

I have been very happy with my mirena until this started happening. No other symptoms, just bleeding all the time years after insertion.

I have been on the NuvaRing for over 2 years. At first it was great! I loved not having to take the pill everyday. Im so happy I found this wedsite and read everyones stories. I thought that I was not having any side effects until now. For the past couple years I have had an uncountable amount of UTI's. I also experience painful burning and redness after having sex for a short period of time. I would even have swelling. Its horrible. I didn't think these things were related to the NuvaRing, but now its all making sense. Even though I have been on the ring for 2 years it seems like more side effects have popped up in the past 6 months. I have felt more moody since iv been on the ring but im now having crazy mood swings that are totally out of character for me. I have also gained 20 lbs in 5 months. I didn't think that the ring had anything to do with this until last night after having sex with my boyfriend he told me that his penis burned. When we turned on the light he had a red rash right under the head of his penis. This redness looked like the same thing that would happen to me. After reading everyone eles storied Im going to get off this ****** ring as soon as I can. Im sick of the pain and I hate that its effecting my boyfriend too.

I am 26 years old, 5’6” and weigh 112 lbs. I have had the Mirena in since June 2008. Where do I start? This IUD was suggested to be by my OBGYN after the birth of my second baby. I really trust my OB so I agreed to have it inserted. I made a quick decision with LOTS of emotions behind it (I got pregnant with my second baby when my first was only 5 months old…so I was a little freaked out by the thought of getting pregnant for the third time in the near future). I can only take one other hormone-based form of birth control (the pill with NO estrogen), so this seemed like the answer to me. I was given a Mirena pamphlet from my OB, and it did NOT list several of the side effects that I have experienced over the last year. The insertion was indeed pretty painful. To me, it felt like I was having pretty strong contractions. It took about 20 minutes from start to finish. I had cramping and steady bleeding for the first 3 months. I then had no period for about 6 months, which was nice. I did, however, completely lose my sex drive. I am always tired, moody, irritable, and emotional (all of which are not common for me to experience on a regular basis). I have trouble focusing and thinking of the right word I want say. I have mild but annoying acne on my face and neck, eczema on my hands, elbows and a few spots on my legs. I have knee pain when I run/jog, and I just don’t feel like myself. I am in perfect health otherwise, and no history of the above symptoms that I listed. Currently, I have a normal period every month that lasts a week (before they only lasted about 4 days), then a week after it stops, it starts up again. I called my doctor and they say that’s normal. After intercourse, I have cramping and bleeding (that’s a fairly new symptom). So imagine having sex when you don’t feel like it whatsoever and then knowing that you will have cramping and bleeding afterwards…sign me up!! My husband has been so patient with me, but has finally had it. He wanted me to look into it and make an appointment. I am so thankful that I found this site. I was so worried when I didn’t have a sex drive and I felt myself blaming my husband for things that I assumed he was thinking. I have been praying about it and know that God led me to this site to see what other women are suffering from and going through with this IUD. Aside from all of its nasty side effects, I wanted to let all of you know what I have discovered could happen to an unborn baby if the mother has an IUD. First of all, if you become pregnant, you need to get down to your doctor right away and have it removed. However, there are no guarantees that during the process of the removal, they won’t bump the baby causing either a miscarriage or birth defects. That just breaks my heart. To me, it’s not worth it. The other thing that worries me is that, after getting it removed, are my chances of having a perfectly healthy baby in the future lessened because I had a foreign object inserted into my body? No one can say for sure. It’s just something that time can only tell. I really would discourage with all of my heart, NOT TO GET THE MIRENA or any form of IUD.
Anyway, I have an appointment scheduled on August 18 (wish it was sooner). My insurance doesn’t see this as an emergency or life-threatening, so I have to pay my full detectable of $200 to have it removed. That kept me from doing it a few weeks ago. I now know that you can’t put a price on the happiness of your marriage, your health, and the health of the baby that you could very well become pregnant with. I wish you all the best and will definitely update you on the removal and how I feel. God Bless. SAO

I'm almost 16 years old. I'm almost done with my 3rd pack. With the first two packs I had my period off and on the whole time. My mood swings were crazy. I'm just happy I warned my boyfriend before taking the pill what my moods might be like.

When I started my third pack everything got normal. My breasts have got bigger, witch i'm not upset about. But they get very sensitive towards the end of my pack.

Sex after taking the pill is very different. I know I'm young. But my mother put my on Loestrin after my 4th time, maybe. I've only been with one boy, so its hard to compare before and after. But how I feel about having sex is different.

I plan on staying with Loestrin. Other than the mood swings, I have no problems.

I am 24 years old and have been on the nuvaring for more than 3 years. It has been pretty much impossible for me to have sex for most of that time. Although I have not noticed hair loss or weight gain since use, I do experience a burning pain when having sex. The pain almost feels raw, as if there were an exposed cut splitting in my vagina. I have had multiple tests for STDs and all have come out negative, and am in a stable relationship. I have often been diagnosed for possible yeast infections, and the medications prescribed have not relieved this pain. It is until now that I have associated the nuvaring with my problem, and I will try removing it to see if I notice any difference. I hope that those who have tried this method and noticed positive results will keep in touch and let me know how long it took them to see results. Thanks for posting your stories.

I am SO glad I ran across this site.I am not crazy! My Mirena was put in about 3 months ago after my gyno finally put it together that my birth control pills were causing menstrual migraines. I will say the Mirena helped with the headaches, but lately I have not felt like myself. I have gained 10 lbs. in 3 months (even though I have been eating well and exercising more to avoid this side effect), my hair is oily, I have little dry itchy patches on my skin, fatigue, joint pain, no interest in having sex (after we do have sex sometimes I get horrible cramps and pain, like when the Mirena was inserted) I am super moody, and have anxiety/depression/anxiety problems, bloated almost constantly, and I feel like I can't focus or concentrate on anything! I called my gyno this morning because I do not want to feel like this anymore, and told her about all my symptoms. The only thing that makes sense to me is that Mirena is causing all my problems, since I never had any of them until I got it put in. The gyno tells me its not Mirena, that it definitely does not cause all that, and to get my thyroid checked because that is my problem. However, after reading all these stories, I am convinced that it is Mirena, and I am definitely getting it out. There is no way so many women can only have Mirena in common and have the same problems, even if they are not listed as side effects on the Mirena brochure.
So I am definitely getting it taken out, but I am curious about experiences after having it removed. How long till you feel like yourself again? Do the side effects go away quickly? Does it hurt more or less than getting it put in? Does the weight come off easily?
Hopefully this post helps someone as much as the other posts helped me. Thank you all for taking the time to post.