Hormonal contraceptives symptoms and conditions

I have been on the nuvaring for almost 3 years.
The first year was great! I hated taking a pill everyday, so at first i opted for the Depo, which was great for a year, but i really didn't trust it and not having periods made me uneasy.

The nuvaring seemed like a blessing! I had no trouble for the first year and a half. I recommended it to all my friends. I didn't have any side effects, and I loved the convenience!

However, now i am experiencing some serious side effects, and thanks to this website I realize I am not the only one. I have two concerns that i link to the BC: depression and no sex drive. Some days I just want to lay in bed, and sleep. I do not want to leave the house, or see anyone. I have told my BF (of 3 years) that i just need some "me time". I am fatigued and show many symptoms of depression.
I am only 24 years old, and i have NO sex drive. It has taken a tole on the relationship with my boyfriend. Many nights i try to get in bed before him, so i can appear asleep. There have been so many nights where i would tell him "i'm sick", "i have cramps"... sooo many excuses. When we do have sex it is usually forced, and i do it because i haven't in a week!

This past year I have also had digestive problems, which seemed to have appeared out of no where. Im not sure if I blame them on the nuvaring, but I've noticed a few other people have mentioned it as well.

Thanks to all of you for posting your experience with NuvaRing. I've decided to take it out after a week and a half of use. There is the possibility of my body becoming used to these hormones over time, but I can't take these side effects for one more day. I've never been a huge proponent of hormonal contraceptives after having been on the pill previously in my life, but now I am certain that it's not in my best interest -- especially this method! I must say that the physical side effects are much milder than those of the pill; no severe cramping like I've had in the past, only mild nausea. However, my mental state has been completely unbearable! I am a very active, cheerful, love every moment type of person. Of course I become moody and even bitchy from time to time, are we not women? =) This is different. I have been severly depressed to the point of demobilization and even suicidal thoughts. I knew that the ring may be a factor but I planned on just pushing through until these hormones worked with me. Now I see they are working against me, endangering my work, my relationships, and even my life. Totally not worth waiting to see if it may subside. I've lost my all my optimism, motivation, and rationality since inserting this foreign thing and I'm willing to blame it all on NuvaRing for the chance that my state of mind will return to normal. TAKE IT OUT and find another way.

My body must not be shaped properly for this thing because even after 6 months it still slides out partway all the time. I had to tie it in a knot to get it to stay in for more than 2 minutes. that aside, I had many of the side effects everyone else is talking about:

extreme anxiety. weird tingling in my arms and feet and 'on edge' all the time. waking in the night with horrible panic attacks and feeling sick to my stomach. so bad that I'd be afraid to go back to sleep for fear I may not wake up. I can't even describe how anxious I was. It was like I was outside of my own body all the time. I'd have to wiggle my toes or pinch my arms at times to make sure they still moved. In the night I'd wake up and intentionally wake up hubby or a kid just to know that I still existed.

Total bitch. I even hated being around myself. the sound of someone eating would irritate me so bad I'd have to leave the room before i hit someone or broke something.

totally down in the dumps. not suicidal, but didn't find joy in anything. I didn't want to do anything, yet felt bored all the time.

headaches non stop. Literally had 2-4 headaches every single day for 3-4 months. Not one day without. went to bed with a headache, woke in the night with a headache, woke in the morning with one... painkillers would take off the edge, but not eliminate it.

I seriously was terrified I was going mentally insane.

I had used the pill years ago with no side effects. I've been off nuvaring for 6 months now and don't know what to do because I have problems with cysts (and possible endo.) and their 'solution' is hormonal contraceptives.

I was better almost immediately after stopping the nuvaring. the headaches lingered for a bit more, but the rest disappeared.

Having now had the mirena out for almost a year I feel like a different person. I think that generally, hormonal contraceptives do not work for some people, causing mood swings and even suicidal thoughts, acne and painful menstruation. Personally I cannot. I don't see why women should be prepared to put up with such side-effects. If it is causing you problems, get it removed! I had mine for about a year and a half and I can't BELIEVE I waited so long to have it taken out. Only thing is, I still suffer from acne. It is not really bad or even very noticeable, but I had never had acne before(I'm 24) and now I have a kind of roughness on my back and chest and a bit on my face. HOWEVER, I do not suffer from depression, mood swings and cramps in the way I did before. My boyfriend just uses condoms now and although at first it was a bit of a pain, its fine now!

Apart from the mood swings and terrible irritability (which I have experienced with most contraceptive pills I have tried) Yasmin gave me uncontrollable, incurable THRUSH. It first started about three months after starting Yasmin and I had it for 8 months straight until I went off Yasmin. Within weeks the thrush subsided. It was HELL. I was at the doctor every month, using creams, taking oral anti fungals. But within a week of ceasing treatment, I would get that dry, irritated feeling for a day followed by the itch and every other depressing symptom of thrush. Each time I would be in tears. I was swabbed for EVERY STD imaginable just in case, but (thankfully) all clear. It was horrendous and I am disappointed that neither my GP or Gyno could identify Yasmin as the problem. I also asked my Gyno if Yasmin could be causing the depression I was experiencing and he said not likely that it was probably some other underlying issue which baffled me as I have a wonderful life in all aspects. I have just started using the NuvaRing after not being on hormonal contraceptives for over 3 years. I am about to rip that out too! I cannot use hormonal contraceptives, not if I, and the people around me want to live a happy and harmonious life. Poor husband will have to wear the trusty old condom until we've had all our kids and he goes in for the snip!

So glad I found this website!!! I have Mirena for 1year and four months. My period stopped like six months ago. I have experienced increased anxienty and for three months already almost panick attacks, heart palpitations, nausea like morning sickness, and developed high blood pressure related to the anxiety. Never thought the Mirena has anything to do with it but I will call my doctor tomorrow to have it removed as soon as possible. I had never been on hormonal contraceptives so did'nt know what side effects i could develop.

I have had the Mirena OUT for about a year now and have almost completely recovered. It really didn't agree with me, as with all the hormonal contraceptives I have tried. I wondered if anybody had used the 'patch'? It has come out recently and supposedly doesn't have many side effects.
I would like to try it, because I'm getting a wee bit sick of using condoms, but I am a bit concerned and obviously want to do some research first.
thanks!

I have had it out for about 6months now. My sex drive has completely come back, so now I feel a bit more human! Also, I am not the depressed person, with the mood swings, that I once was. But the acne is the thing which won't go away. Its left my skin all marked and discolored and I keep getting weird spots on my back, chest and face. It makes me feel blue. I NEVER had spots before the Mirena, which I had in for 2years. This thing sucks.

I do wonder how many woman go through life feeling depressed, with low sex drive and mood swings due to their contraceptives, just getting added to statistics. I reckon that so many people would be so much happier if it wasn't for hormonal contraceptives.

I use condoms now, I don't think that we should muck around with using hormones-they cause so many problems.

I don't know if this a side effect of this drug or long term effects from the Prednisone and having mono, but ...lack of sex drive, can't perform sexually, depression. Anyone have these?

Been on Nuva Ring for about 1.5 years...just now starting to realize the potentially bad effects its having on me. 3 months ago i started having wierd issues going on with my body. Nervousness, shakes, racing heart, trouble breathing, FATIGUE, constant "floating" feeling/dizziness. I am in good/normal shape, exercise about 2 days a week, but have had no energy. I went to a dr and had some blood tests done. My Thyroid numbers came back unusually high. My Dr recommended an Endocronologist to check out the possibility of Hyperthyroidism (the Thyroid controls the metabolism and hormones in your body). Went to the Endocronologist and am waiting for test results to get back. She said that it is a big possiblity that Nuva Ring could be the cause but wanted me to do further blood tests. I am being opened minded to what the real reason to my symptoms are, but i know that putting any extra hormones in your body has an effect on you, regardless. I took the ring out about 45 min ago and i'm hoping for no bad side effects...cant be worse than what i've already had. I have a boyfriend and he was totally ok with it (encouraged me to take out the ring to see if it helps)....he doesn't like the thought of using condoms, but its a small price to pay to see if birth control with hormones (NR) are causing all these horrible symptoms. I'm going to look for other non-hormonal contraceptives to use!

I had my Mirena in for about a year and 9months and eventually went to get it taken out on wednesday- 17th Oct, cos of all the side effects- mostly mood swings and acne that never disappeared, despite being told it would. I have NEVER in my life had a spot on my back or chest until I got this put in. I thought, I have had enough and my boyfriend and I decided to just start using condoms because I have had it with hormonal contraceptives. They just dont agree with me, and many others it would seem. I never really put on weight with it, but my stomach is a lot more bloated than it used to be, unsure if it is cos its making me retain water. Whatevs, I feel fine at the moment, having now had it out, but not hugely different.

my period finished the day before I got it out, so I dont know when I'll be due another. I reckon it'll take a while for my hormones to balance out and get rid of the spots etc. So I'm not expecting a quick recovery. I am currently at Uni in edinburgh studying to be a Herbalist and I may see about taking some herbs to help speed up the process.

One thing before I go, I was really pissed off that the nurse in the family planning clinic more or less dismissed my sympthoms, saying it could'nt cause them. I was in no mod to argue, but bloody hell. They must be covering up for some reason or another, or maybe they just don't realise that it DOES cause side-effects and they are WRITTEN ON THE LEAFLET that you get when you get the thing inserted. D'oh.

Anyways, I will try and come back and let you know how it goes, how quickly my moods and spots get better, etc and if anyone wants to ask anything, feel free :D

I've been on NuvaRing for the past three weeks and decided today to abandon this contraceptive. I'm disappointed, especially because it's incredibly easy to use and doesn't give me the side effects i experienced on the pill (which included intense vomiting after one or two drinks). Only this morning did I realize that the irritability, lack of sex drive, migraines and depression I've been experiencing recently could be attributable to NuvaRing. I have been dealing with a massive workload recently and thought everything I was experiencing stemmed from that. But this morning after my boyfriend and I discussed my mood swings and complete lack of sex drive, I checked the side effects in the NuvaRing packet. No mention of loss of sex drive (can someone explain this--I feel like I've had tons of friends experience this side effect from hormonal contraceptives so why is not an official side effect?), but the packet advises women with a history of depression to consult with their doctor frequently. I have a history of depression (my doctor didn't inquire) and have been experiencing suicidal impulses the last two weeks for the first time in years. Though I originally attributed those impulses to overwork and exhaustion, I'm now wondering how much of this can be chalked up to NuvaRing.

Has anyone had any sleep disturbances with Mirena? I have had horrible nightmares and wake up feeling really shaky and horrible, and still really tired. Maybe this isn't caused by the mrens, but I can remember when I was younger i used to get pre-menstrual insomnia, the night before I got my period...just wondered if there was a link with all the progesterone/progesterin. Also, people who have had mood swings, have you noticed if they are particularly bad at one part of your cycle? Mine I would have to say, are really bad a few days before bleed and 3 or 4 days into the bleed, when I feel suicidal.

I've still not taken it out yet. Maybe 'm being a bit stupid, but I'm so scared of getting pregnant-I'm still at uni-and I can't think of any non-hormonal contraceptives....cept maybe something I've heard of called the 'sponge'. Has anyone heard of this or used it/know where I could buy it in the UK?I'd appreciate any replies! Thank you

I love the NuvaRing. I've used it off and on over the past two years. In my 20's I took the pill and swtiched to depo. It took a year after going off depo for my period to come back which seems odd to me. Wanting something that could reverse itself faster than depo I switched back to oral contraceptives. However, they started making me sick to my stomach everyday. I tried the NuvaRing and it is seriously the best thing I've tried in my more than ten years of using hormonal contraceptives.

Hi Katyh,
I was on yasmin for over 4 years and suffered all the symptoms you listed. I also had the same response from my doctor. Although my previous doctor refused to prescribe yasmin for me because she was not comfortable with it. I wish i had listened to her. I am off it now for about 8 months and am feeling much better. It takes some time but you will be glad you stopped taking yasmin. I decided not to take any hormonal contraceptives ever again as i feel my body has been through enough. If you believe you will get rid of these bad side-effects then you will. Just try to look after yourself for the next few months and gradually you will be ok again. Surely soon the medical profession will have to sit up and take notice of all the things that are happening to women while on this pill. Not to mention the withdrawal side-effects. I wish you the best of luck and good health.
Murph70

I wanted to post to this website because, unlike most of the women on here, I experienced very few side effects with Nuvaring and actually like it very much. I was on numerous types of birth control pills and experienced SO many different side effects (yeast infections, decreased libido, mood swings, weight gain, migraines, etc.). With Nuvaring, I only really experienced some headaches and that was mainly near my period. I didn't experience any problems with insertion, had no problems with any vaginal irriations, and neither myself nor my boyfriend had any problems during sex. I didn't feel a thing and neither could he. Like with all hormonal contraceptives, everyone's body will react differently. I just wanted to post this, to let people know that Nuvaring does really work well for some people and it is definitely my chosen form of contraception.