Hormone changes symptoms and conditions

I have been on the NuvaRing for over a year. I chose it because the medication I was taking for a neck problem was not safe for pregnancy, but I wanted to have the ability to get pregnant quickly once I was off the medication. I had no side effects or issues at all while using NuvaRing. Of course there was spotting and irregularity when I first went on it, but that is standard when there are hormone changes. Periods got lighter and shorter over time, and that is one of the stated side effects. My neck problem is resolved and now I am going off of that medication. So I did not re-insert a NuvaRing this month. Wow, what a change! I am having horrible hot flashes and night sweats. So two possibilities as I see it: 1) these perimenopause symptoms are with me for the next few years and the NuvaRing was holding them at bay, or 2) my body was expecting NR and its associated hormones but since it didn't get them, the resulting hormone changes are causing short-term hot flashes and night sweats. I sure hope it is the latter. But either way, I can't see where NR is at fault. I would recommend it.

I just turned "51"

I've been on Yasmin for the past 5 years.

I never have been on a birth control pill in the past as when I was a young teen I tried and couldn't handle the first side effects.

I have had a lifetime of the most HEAVY periods. I have to stayed glued to the toilet on my first two days.

I was diagnosed 20 years ago with ITP where blood platelets deplete. I thought my periods were so heavy because of this. I just couldn't take it anymore so my DR put me on Yasmin.

Yes at first my boobs were big and sore. But after 3 months I thought I had died and gone to heaven with a better life. Period so light.

BUT:
I've gained 40 lbs over this time frame. I look pregnant with the tummy Bloating. I've just had the most thorough physical, ultra sound for fibroids and everything came back normal except which never had previous: Borderline high Cholesterol, High Blood Pressure.

So, I've been power walking and never eat anything bad. ???? so why can't I loose even a pound?

Back in November I went off Yasmin for a month and had a period that hemorrhaged! So I went back on Yasmin. But I'm bloated now more than ever. I know it is the hormone changes.

I'm hooked on Motrin for my headaches which is like a sinus ache in my hear.... weird headache.

BUT: Hmmmmm I've had arthritic symptoms in my joints just over the past 4 years, severe Dry Eyes in the morning. All I googled is Bloated all the time and got Yasmin.

I'm in between pills and seriously think I need to just put up the the bad bleeding and get off the Yasmin. It is like quitting coffee, the headache is because of stopping the pill. I took one pill today even tho I have my period right now. My head is clearing up and I am feeling better.

I Don't think it is just Yasmin I REALLY BELIEVE WE ALL HAVE THESE SYMPTOMS WHEN THE HORMONES ARE IMBALANCED.

I Loved Yasmin for giving me back a life. But I'm so BLOATED right now I've got to try going off.

I do not take any other drug. I did a Candida cleanse but it didn't elevate the Bloating.

I will keep you all posted........

have to agree with Mrsbarrett's post right below mine...I have been a lurker on this board for the past couple of months and thank God for it or who knows how crazy i'd be right now!! Here is a list of my side effects and pertinent information:
DOI: October 2008
Side effects were gradual and most evident around the Christmas Holidays:
Dizziness
Weird eye/vision disturbance where i'd lose focus for a moment and then be okay.
Constant spotting of "old blood" nothing much but did require pantiliners 24/7
Anxiety
Hypertension (more than ever, like when I was pregnant, 150-170s/100)
Panic Attacks
Face Dryness
ZERO SEX DRIVE
No "natural" lubrication, but who cares when you have no drive, are spotting all the time, and it hurts to have sex
Vaginal Odor
Mood Swings
Depression
FATIGUE to the point of wanting to stay in bed despite having to care for my 7.5 year old.
Chest pains (kept thinking maybe I had heart trouble, had cardiac workup that came up PERFECT and bloodwork was perfect, Thyroid test was perfect)
Nausea (morning sickness type, would get slightly better in evening but not so much)
IBS symptoms (diarrhea)

DOR: January 23, 2009
2 days later heavy bleeding for a couple of days.....had somewhat of a "crash" the first week where I was still not better. By the 2nd week post removal I was still nauseated in the morning but improved in the late afternoon and got energy boost in late afternoon.By the 3rd week I was totally back to normal!!!!! (well what's normal for crazy me! hahahahha)

My husband came with me to the doc, and she had no problem with removal. I went back for a follow up this past Friday and she saw how normal I am and that I have lost several pounds as well. She realizes I am extremely sensitive to hormone changes but says i'm the only one that she has seen like that. (how many have problems that don't think it is the Mirena...that's what I want to know???)

Anyway, that's my story and i'm sticking to it!!! If anyone would like to chat or share please let me know. I will also add that I have a Masters in Physician Assistant Studies (just not practicing since becoming a SAHM) and so I looked up tons of information to figure out what was wrong with me, I really am thankful to have found this site....medical mumbo jumbo is NOTHING when you have your body telling you something and all you fine ladies......Thanks again!
~G

3 years ago i had the mirena inserted, 6 week's after giving birth to my daughter.....At first i had the heavy bleeding for 2 months but other than that thing's seemed to be ok, that didn't last for very long.about 3 months after getting mirena i started to notice some weight gain and acne on my face and arms.. I called my doctor and he said it could not be the mirena and that it was probably just pregnancy hormones still in my body..So i believed him,BIG MISTAKE!!As time went on i started to notice more symptoms ANXIETY,DECREASE IN SEX DRIVE,PANIC ATTACKS, HEADACHES,FATIGUE,DEPRESSION,INSOMNIA,IRREGULAR SWEATING,FUNNY SMELLING DISCHARGE ,and the most recent thing is itching around vagina area.I was a perfectly healthy 20 year old when i had mirena put in,I never had any of these things before not even acne as a teen.I have been thinking this whole time that i am loosing my mind....I went to my primary care Physician to see if he had any answers.He did blood tests and tested my thyroid and of course nothing was wrong.....So he put me on klonopin and lexapro,neither of those worked.I was ready to give up and try to accept that this is just the way my life is going to be...That is until i was watching Oprah and they happened to be talking about hormone changes in women and how not having a monthly cycle can stop the production of hormones women need to be mentally and physically balanced....A light bulb went off in my head!!!... that's when i decided to google mirena and it's side effect's,and thank god i found this website all the symptoms i'm having are the same as everyone else.....I cried when i read them it was like hearing myself...I FEEL SOOO MUCH BETTER TO KNOW THAT I'M NOT GOING CRAZY,AND THAT THERE MIGHT BE A CHANCE FOR ME TO GET MYSELF BACK, NOT JUST FOR ME BUT FOR MY FAMILY AS WELL!!!!! I AM MAKING A APPOINTMENT WITH ANOTHER DOCTOR ASAP TO HAVE THIS THING REMOVED...I JUST HOPE THAT ALL OF YOU THAT ARE HAVING THESE PROBLEMS WILL REPORT THEM TO THE FDA AS I AM....THAT IS THE ONLY WAY WE CAN HELP TO PREVENT THIS FROM CONTINUING TO HAPPEN...I WILL BE PRAYING FOR ALL OF YOU, AND I HOPE THAT ANYONE WHO IS CONSIDERING THE MIRENA WILL MAKE THE RIGHT DECISION AND DON'T DO IT!!!!!!! I WILL POST AGAIN TO UPDATE ON HOW LIFE AFTER MIRENA IS GOING!!!!!!

I have been on Loestrin 24fe for the past three years. The first two years were great; no period since Dec 06, it's very rare that I have any spotting. Since June 2008, my health has gone down hill. I have had extreme weight gain (20 lbs), retaining fluid, fatigue,terrible migraines, memory has gotten poor, lack of concentration, depression has gotten worse, very very moody and will cry at the least little thing. I have also experience eye floaters and eye twitching. My dr. wants to change my BC to Yaz, but the horror stories are the same. At this point, I really don't know what to do. I have been on BC for 18 yrs total. When I first started taking Loestrin, it was wonderful.....up until last year. I am still taking it, not sure if I should switch to another type or totally go off of BC to give my body a rest.

HAIR LOSS
I've been investigating the causes of the acceleration of hair loss on the top of my head, near my forehead. I'm now narrowing it to Wellbutrin. I had taken Wellbutrin before for 3-4 years with a four year gap before I went back to it a year ago. The hair loss started about the same time I first started the treatment, stabilized during the years that I was off Wellbutrin (the hair did not regrow) and now it's getting worse. The first time I noticed the hair loss my doctor attributed it to hormone changes, but I'm getting suspicious as the women in my family tend to have lots of hair, and so did I. I'm 61 years old. Besides the thinning of the hair I also I'm constantly aware of a mild "burning" in the region affected.

Let your body heal from child birth before you get Mirena, that is my opinion. I didn't get Mirena until my son was over a year old and i haven't had any crazy side effects, at first the bleeding and spotting for about a month and then my period stopped. i love it so far and reading some of these comments i realized the common theme in them is that many of the women have had problems got the Mirena right after having their child. i really think your body needs time to process all the hormone changes and get back to normal before you add birth control to the mix.

I actually LOVED the convenience of the NuvaRing. However, I felt that over time, my sex drive had deteriated, I was getting more moody and irritable, and tired all the time. After talking to my Dr., she suggested that I try a low dose pill for a while and see if that helps. Regardless to taking any form of birth control, she told me, the female body will still have hormone changes and other body changes that are not controlled by or a side affect of your form of BC. It could very well have been that my body was changing on it's own, and due to that, I needed a BC change as well. I see some of you blame the Ring for some symptoms that could just be natural to your own specific body type. Talk to your Dr. to see if a switch would be the right thing for you. There may be other factors like stress, depression, anxiety and anemia that make your symptoms worse, not your NuvaRing.

Hello
I had posted my story of the mirena on 3/17 and had the mirena removed on 3/22. I have noticed a change in my sleeping.I am now tired at a normal hour not one or two am. I am very sluggish though think it may be my body coming down from the hormones. I have had the best night sleeps since having it removed. I just started spotting but nothing major. I am still very nauseous with stomach pain and some back pain. Anyone know how long these side effects last until my body is back to normal again??

Wow! I feel so bad for all of you ladies! I am 37yo with no kids and no plans to have any. Inserting the Mirena was the best thing I could have ever done. I had my IUD inserted in Nov. '07 and the only "side effect" I have experienced is instead of my period being 3 to 4 days with no cramps (pre-IUD insertion) it is now a full week with cramps (post-IUD insertion). I've experienced no weight gain, no hair loss, no mood swings, no depression. But my period is no where near as heavy as it used to be. It's to the point where I only have to use a panty liner and no pads. I take either Motrin or Aleve for my cramps and I use Thermacare heating pads for my cramps which gets me through the day. Good luck to the rest of you.

I have been on some form of LoEstrin for about a year.At first, I thought the side effects were normal hormone changes with pills.But as months went on, I was incredibly anxious and having panic attacks constantly and that's not my personality.I was more irritable and just didn't feel like me at all.My boyfriend tells me I'm freaking him out because I'm not acting myself at all.I feel like I'm literally going crazy.
I wanted a low hormone pill because my body seems to react to crazy amounts of hormones.I have never gotten a period on this pill and being a woman, I feel it's healthy to have one and it can cause more damage in the long run not having one.Every doctor I see says it's totally normal to not get a period.I disagree.I'm off my pill this week and have no intentions of ever getting back on this pill.
I've been looking into no hormone birth control and am interested in IUDs, specifically Copper IUD.I just can't find any luck with pills and am sick of all these side effects.When are they coming out with the male birth control????

Like many of you on this forum, I am glad to have found this site! First though, I would like to say that I understand not every one taking Yasmin experiences the same side effects. I understand that some women probably have wonderful experiences with this medication. However, it frustrates me that while some women might have good experiences with this drug, I think the potential for SEVERE side effects other women could experience should be much more emphasized and researched. The pamphlet inside the Yasmin packaging briefly touches on what they advertise as rare side effects that overall outweigh the benefits of this drug. I think many of the side effects listed on this forum are not even mentioned in the packet. Personally, I believe I have had a horrible experience taking Yasmin for the past 8 months. It is very frustrating to take a medication that advertises itself to help symptoms (such as MOOD SWINGS) and in fact, causes many of these horrible symptoms in some women! I am so sick of the multi-billion dollar prescription drug industry (which seems severely under-regulated by the FDA.) Has anyone seen the fancy Yaz birth control commercial? You know, with the "we're not gonna take it" song? All those skinny models prancing around in a PMS-free world??? OMG PLEASE!!! I can't believe it has taken me this long to realize all of my horrible symptoms have started and only worsened during my time on Yasmin. I thought this pill wasn't related because my skin looks beautiful, I haven't had bad cramps anymore, I've had light periods, and my boobs have gotten bigger. Sounds great, huh? But since taking Yasmin I have also had such horrible mood swings I can't control myself. I feel like a completely different person. I've become extremely impatient, irritated by everyone on this planet, I can't concentrate, and I have looked so bloated at times several people assumed I was pregnant. My self-esteem is ridiculously low, I hate myself, my mirrors, and I accuse my loving boyfriend of the most ridiculous things. I don't see how he even puts up with me! I have become so depressed I rarely want to go out. I'm EASILY offended by the slightest comments and ridiculously paranoid. It is also very hard to go out when many of my clothes (even my "fat pants" do not fit anymore!) I have thought I was crazy, almost quit my job, left my boyfriend, and seriously wanted to kill myself. I'm aware that many of these symptoms could be caused by other things, but honestly, I have contemplated so many other potential causes (such as major depression) and I realize every thing has started during these past months I've been taking Yasmin. I am 21 years old, I do not smoke, and have generally great health. I feel entirely overwhelmed...I honestly don't know what to do.

Hello,
My journey with Minera started in September 2005, two months after the birth of my second daughter.

Previous to the insertion of Minera and the birth of my daughter I was under the care of a rheumatologist for chronic knee and foot pain. I was never diagnosed with any specific disease or disorder. When I became pregnant with my daughter in May 2004 all of my pain vanished. I stopped seeing the doctor and had a normal pregnancy.

My pain symptoms started to return shortly after I gave birth and in September 2005 I decided to have Minera put in. I had no problems with the insertion and after bleeding for about 6 weeks my period stopped. I had some cramping here and there but no more period. I felt great!

My pain symptoms worsened over time and I developed more problems. none of which I related to Minera. My problems were:

Terrible joint pain and swelling in my knees
Pain that radiates from my lower back to my feet
Pain in my right ring finger
Stiffness
TMJ
Insomnia
Hair loss
Weight gain
Irritability
Mood swings
Scarring acne
Fatigue
Lack of interest in sex
Swelling in my feet

I started to believe I had something really wrong with me. I did research and found a lot of my symptoms were in sync with Fibromyalgia. I started seeing a new rheumatologist who did tons of blood work and x-rays on me. After all the results came back she said I did not test positive for anything. She diagnosed my with rheumatoid arthritis because I had all the clinical symptoms. She prescribed prednisone and placqunel (sp?) for the arthritis which seems to be helping.

I was on a parenting forum I frequent the other day and I saw a post form a woman complaining about all the side effects of Minera. I did some research and found this site and another
http://curezone.com/forums/f.asp?f=713
It's like a light bulb went off. All of these things that I have been suffering with seem to be related to the IUD.

So I would like to hear from some of you ladies that have had Minera removed already. Do you feel better? Are your side effects gone?
Also has anyone removed Minera themselves?

I had my mirena inserted back in May 2007. The insertion was the most painful experience of my life. The Dr. could not get in on the first 3 tries! She said, "well, one more try," and got it in. I almost passed out from the pain. I can count on one hand since then the days that I haven't bled or spotted. I get mystery "shooting pains" in my abdomen a few times a week, sex hurts because of cysts on my ovaries, I have acne on my entire face, scalp, hairline, chest and back. I used to get a couple of zits (maybe) before my period, before Mirena. Now I have full blown acne that leaves scars, and I am never without zits. And to top it off, now I am getting cysts on other parts of my body, too. I don't even want to get started in on my lack of sex drive, or being always tired. I tried to let the staff know that I wanted the copper IUD instead, but they told me it was too late to change my mind. Getting Mirena was a huge mistake, and I can't even afford to have it removed, so I am stuck with it until I get insurance again. My advice, DON'T get Mirena!!!

Guest 39074,

Your experience very common to many other women's here and in other forums. It took me 1.5 years to add up everything I was experiencing as well as to develop an arrythmia, chest pain and heart murmur.

I got my period within 28 days of going off of Yasmin but it is different for each woman based upon her own hormones and body.

Don't worry about the increase in discharge. That is most likely the shedding of your uterus. I had the same thing when I came off the hormones. Assume that you do not have any discomfort otherwise to ensure you do not have a Yeast infection. Those are common with hormone changes.

See the "forums" section here as well. AT the top of this page, a link to them. There is a really informative site that has been created for many women survivors of Yasmin. I think the url is there so you can copy/paste it into your browser.

Best of wishes to you,
Jasmine

I was given a sample (two packages) of Yasmin by my gynecologist to help control terrible period symptoms. I only completed one month due to the side effects. The good news was that I did not get the horrible cramps during the one month I was on Yasmin. However, the side effects were unbearable. I bled for almost three weeks, including light cramping throughout. I was nauseated and lost all appetite; I would forget to eat until I was about to pass out. However, the worst was its effect on my mood; I was having symptoms of anxiety, depression and paranoia, with an inability to think clearly. (As a counselor, I recognized these pretty quickly, though it took me a couple weeks to link these with the pill.) This is very abnormal for me, and I normally do not experience mood swings due to natural hormone changes. Also, I would have difficulty sleeping, and would wake up in the night terribly anxious and sad.

I realize that many or all of these side effects may have gone away after a couple of months. As bas as they were for me, that was not an option. Part of the problem for me was that the hormone levels were just too high; I am only around 100 pounds.

The good news for me was that my mood went back to normal in only a day or two after I stopped taking Yasmin. The odd thing was that I noticed a recurrance of mood symptoms the week before my next period, which came on schedule. I seem to have been back to normal permanently since then. For those of you with similar symptoms, I hope your rebound is as quick as mine. Don't get discouraged with a slight relaspe!