Low back pain symptoms and conditions

Thank you Thanks you Thank you!
I am literally crying - tears - reading all of your posts because I have been totally stressed this week trying to figure out what is wrong with me... I am 33 and mother of 3 so I just thought it was normal to be tired constantly. I had Mirena put in Dec of 2008 so almost a year now. At first not a big deal, slight spotting here and there. Now I am headed to the doctor with 100 symptoms. I have felt ALL the things you all are saying, the mood swings, random crampiness, feeling like a period is coming, but nothing happens. Cramping after sex and almost always spotting the following day. Low back pain, hip/groin pain too. Feeling bloated/ full/swollen in my low abdomen. I've had a headache just about everyday for the last 2 weeks and I have been nauseous (feeling like I'm preggo again) since I got the Mirena. Anxiety, dizziness, etc etc etc. Finally called the Dr because after 10 months of no periods, I have now been actually bleeding for a week. It has scared me to death thinking I have cysts, or worse!! It has helped tremendously hearing your stories although I am sorry that so many of us are going through this.
Of course my doctor won't get me in for another 6 days - but at least I am going. The nurse made it sound like the IUD may be out of place! I have felt uncomfortable all along knowing that there was this foreign object lodged in my body so I am sure I will be getting it removed no matter what they tell me. I just have to figure out what my next step is.... I am not prepared to have any more children!
3 is amazing, but just about all I can handle right now! : )
Thanks for your posts, they have calmed my fears tremendously.

I have been on Yasmin for 5 yrs now and was diagnosed with a heart condition at 16 yrs old and dealt with it for 2 years, I started have really bad cramps and going 2-3 months with no period and 2 months of straight bleeding! I came off of Yasmin (Yaz) 6 months ago and since then have come off my heart medication and have had no other problems with my heart. I changed from Yasmin to Ortho Tri Cyclin and have experienced severe cramping heavy bleeding and horrible low back pain! My dr just proscribed me Loestrin, I'm gonna try it at least anything can be better than having a period for 2 months straight and severe pain!! Anybody had problems like mine on OTC?

To all the women still taking this drug: I beg you to stop taking this medication and read all of the posts on this site!!!! Here is my story... I was on Yasmin for 6 years. About 4 years into taking the drug, I noticed a mass on my right side. It was a painful mass that I could easily feel, and it eventually because so uncomfortable that I could no longer sleep on my right side, and it affected basic movement. At the same time, I was beginning to show some side effects of Cron's disease (which runs in my family), so my gastro doctor told me to get a CT scan and an MRI. The tests revealed a gigantic mass on my liver and I was told to see a liver specialist right away. I went to KU Med and was told that I had to have emergency surgery right away, and that I was basically a walking time bomb.... If I tripped and fell, it could cause this mass to rupture and I could bleed to death. He also told me that if I had gotten pregnant while I had the mass, it would almost certainly lead to death for me and the baby. Nonetheless, they cut me open from the middle of my chest clear down to my belly button. They did a liver resection and removed my gall bladder and several lymph nodes. The mass on the scan turned out to be 2 grapefruit-sized benign masses, called Focal Nodular Hyperplasia - most commonly caused from the hormones in birth control pills!!!! Ladies, this was major surgery.... I was in the hospital for 9 days and out of work recovering for nearly 2 months.... and this all took place 2 months before my wedding!!!!!! The MASSIVE stress I endured caused me to have panic attacks and I thought I was going to literally die. Keep in mind that my CT and MRI were purely coincidental. If my GI doctor had not ordered the tests, I would have never known about the masses, and God only knows what would have happened to me.... Anyway, this whole ordeal has DRASTICALLY changed my life and affected all of the people I love, my husband included, who has to endure all of my pain and anxiety. BOTTOM LINE - IT'S JUST NOT WORTH IT! TELL EVERY WOMAN YOU KNOW!

I posted my experiences on June 5, 2009. I thought I would do an update. Yes, I am overjoyed that I had Mirena removed. It took 3-6 months for the side effects from the drug to disappear after removal. In the first 1-3 months following removal I haven't experienced another rash, itchy skin, hair loss, anxiety, heart flutter, bloating, cramping, breast tenderness,or eye twitch. It took about 3-6 months for the mild to cystic acne and low back pain to finally vanish. I still have problems with tendinitis in my wrist. The depression and feeling of laziness is also a side effect of the medication that can disappear if the device is removed. I paid for all the expenses out out pocket with no insurance, but I'm glad I didn't wait to have the Mirena removed because of the expense.

I love It! I have been experiencing low back pain when standing for over a year. I could hardly walk when I crawled out of the bed in the mornings. I was diagnosed with one point away from osteoporosis. The supportive tissue between my discs was deteriorating. I was given Evista to drive the calcium into the bone along with Limbrel 500 mg twice a day for the arthritic pain. My nails have become stronger which to me indicates my muscular structure must be getting stronger. I took Naproxen and Arthrotec previously to Limbrel and experienced severe stomach distress. I am 65 and I see a daily improvement from my previous condition. I have never experienced fever or chills. I am almost totally pain free and look forward to the future continuing to take Limbrel!

So here is the caveat, I am not sure these symptoms really are related to Lisinopril or not, but they all started about three weeks after taking 10 mg a day. Waking at night with rib pain, hip and low back pain. At first this was only at night, for several months (the pain was very intense). The pain would move from rib, to right hip, to low back (mid), left hip seeming to make no sense. I have had every test under the sun, MRI, CTSCAN etc. Now rheumatologist believes I have a thing called Ankolosing Spondolytis which is an auto immune disease in which the body attacks the large joints of the body (I tested positive for the HNLAB27 marker). I will be having a special MRI to test for AS.

So maybe Lisinopril has played no part in this, but I think it is very coincidental that this all started when I started taking the Lisiniprol. I am wondering if Lisinopril could have been the trigger for AS (if it is AS). Until this started I was in excellent health, 40 year old mom of 4!!

I posted a month or so ago that I was having my Mirena removed. I did and within a week there was a noticeable difference in my energy and attitude! Then my hands and feet deflated from the swelling - Thank God! The low back pain is gone, my blood pressure has lowered, I've lost a bit of weight, the cramping/pain in my lower abdomen is gone...

If you are looking for reasons to have one, do more research before you do... If you are considering having to removed because of similar side effects, you need to make your own decision... but in my opinion I would have it removed.

I have been on Mirena for 6 months now. I am 35, with a 1 year old and a 3 year old. I am so happy I found this website! I thought I was going crazy! I too have had terrible low back pain, migraines (never had them before), fluttering (feels just like there's a baby in there), hungry constantly, and worst of all, EXHAUSTED all the time. I thought I had some terrible disease until I found out all of you wonderful ladies have the same symptoms. Thanks for making me feel normal.

On the other hand, it is a very convenient birth control, you don't have to think about it. My insurance covered it 100%. Although I had daily bleeding for 5 months, it's finally stopped and I have not once had an actual period, which is wonderful. We are discussing getting my hubby "fixed" so I can get my energy back. I miss the old me!

I was on Lisinopril for 6 years, and feel as if I was robbed of those years of my life. I experienced depression, anxiety, racing heart, body heaviness, abnormal EKG's, chronic hives on hands and feet, extreme hives all over my body off and on, swelling of face, lips, eyes, hands and feet, extreme fatigue, and insomnia. I was sent to cardiologists, allergy specialists, psychiatrists, and then pain specialists when, after 2 years of Lisinopril, I developed extreme lower back pain. None of these doctors ever mentioned that any of these symptoms could be side effects of the Lisinopril. After 6 years, I one day ran out of the Lisinopril and did not have the money for a refill, and after only 3 days without the medication, all of the symptoms stopped, except for the low back pain. I felt like a totally new person, and was able to resume my life once again. Though I still suffer from extreme low back pain, I'd take that any day over all the other debilitating symptoms. I'm still not so sure that the Lisinopril did not induce the problems in my back, which continue even after 3 years off the Lisinopril. (As a side-note, my doctor put me back on the Lisinopril 3 months after I quit it, and within 3 days ALL the symptoms came back. Needless to say, I stopped it immediately.)

Holy crap! Thank you all for helping me to justify my pending MIRENA removal on Wednesday, June 17th. I thought I was pregnant again - but I wasn't. Instead, via ultrasound, they found a large cyst on my ovary - the kind that's an UNDEVELOPED FETUS - it can have hair, fingernails, teeth and sweat glands - but never had a heartbeat! I have to live with this til it goes away or they decide to remove it... It's really sad for me to think about a little one that tried to make it but didn't...

After insertion when my son was 8 weeks old (he's now 20 months old-I've had this for a year and a half), headaches, incredible fatigue, weight gain - never lost the baby weight and gained more, low back pain-constant dull achiness, high blood pressure-mine's always been very low, incredible moodiness (I threw a carseat at my guy), huge depression swings-got a new anti-depressant, anxiety attacks, horrid cramping... The only good thing was no periods.

We decided to have them take the Mirena out so I can be "me" again. We decided that having what could have been a baby sticking around inside of me was unacceptable. I just hope I can be fertile again as I'm already 40 and we might want another.
Thanks again for helping me confirm that it's not all in my head!!!

I searched the web trying to find answers. I tried to access the Mirena website only to find it "under construction" for at least 2 months. I did more investigating to find out that in April 2009 the FDA issued Bayer a warning letter. It stated that Bayer neglected to list the risk factors in its literature. The Mirena website is up and running now, but it still doesn't have all the side effects listed.
I am 35 years old and never had a child. I was formerly on the Depo-Provera shot for 10 years. I was instructed by my doctor to change my birth control after several bone density tests revealed I was borderline osteopenia. I tried the patch, but I could never get it to stay on for an entire week. The Nuvaring was next and it simply wouldn't stay in place. I went thru a whole list of different birth control pills with no avail because of constant bacterial/yeast infections and vaginal dryness. I even tried estrogen cream. My doctor then suggested the Mirena.
The Mirena insertion process wasn't too bad with some cramping during the procedure. The cramping lasted for 1 1/2 days afterward. By the second day, my sex drive skyrocketed.
The 1st week on Mirena is what I call my "testosterone" madness. I was extremely antsy,edgey, and ready to fight. The 2nd week the hormones settled down and my mood was calmer. I noticed excessive hair loss and breast swelling/tenderness. Also, I had spotting for 2-3 months following insertion. It seemed that right before my cycle it would feel itchy like I was getting a yeast infection but the symptoms would disappear after my period.
It was fairly smooth sailing until the 5th-6th month. I started to develop constant low back pain, constipation, mild acne, cystic acne, eye twitches, heart flutters, severe cramping, constant bloating, itchy skin, and wrist tendinitis. Plus, every time I would sit down I could feel the pressure of the Mirena push against my bladder. I still was going to stick with it UNTIL I developed an itchy rash. The rash was small red bumps on my back and stomach with flesh-colored "goosebumps" on my arms and neck. The rash was present for 2 weeks. I went to the doctor and got medication for the rash. I felt like it was going away when the rash reappeared. I had a rash for a total of 4 weeks! This time the rash started at my neck and went to my ankles. I thought it was a coincidence the first time, but I knew the Mirena was the cause the second time it appeared. I tracked my cycles and the rash occurred at the same time during my cycle.
I went to my doctor and told him my thoughts. He politely gave me all my options before I chose to have the Mirena removed. The removal process was quick with a slight twinge cramp.
It has been 4-5 weeks since the removal of the Mirena. I am now free of cramping, excessive hair loss, eye twitches, heart flutters, breast swelling/tenderness, cystic acne, itchy skin, and rash. I still have some occasional low back pain, bloating, constipation, and mild acne. I had NO acne before the Mirena. Plus, the wrist tendinitis is getting better everyday.
Wish me luck ladies! I have to start from square one again. I hope that my experience with Mirena will help you.

After reading other people's experiences with Norvasc, I realized that my symptoms are almost identical. I thought it was rheumatoid arthritis and asked my doctor to give me some tests and all came back negative. I started 5mg of Norvasc about 10 months ago and about 6 months in I started to get muscle spasms in my feet, then spasms and muscle twitching in legs, arms and hands. Extreme flushing in feet, small freckle-like rash on feet, lower legs and ankles. Also have what I would call chronic fatigue and just cannot get myself up and down stairs well. I'm 57 and feel like 100. All over body pain is very debilitative. I've gone from an active, happy person to a cranky person in pain 24 hours a day. So, now I have taken myself off Norvasc and am waiting to see if there is an improvement in my health. I'm still on coversyl for my blood pressure and will talk to my doctor again. It is so true that you must be your own health advocate and try to stay on top of all your health issues.

I have had the mirena for almost 4 years and after reading all this posts, I'm removing it tomorrow. Did anyone feel nauseous and have a slight fever, breasts really sore and really tired? I have had it all anxiety, depression, palpation, low back pain, you name it.

I have had all 5 types of migraines for 30 years. It seems I have had them longer then husbands : ), my children thought it was normal to "go to the ER" or to be in a dark room. I became very good at overcoming the incredible pain and pressure, rising to the top in my profession and being a single parent. I applaud my neurologist & his compassionate assistant. I toughed it out, ultimately, until Topamax came available. I still have migraines. I still must manage all my triggers. And people still don't get that migraines are all consuming and to overcome a migraine to attend a function is huge. However, I am currently, as others, backing off of several medications in a safe manner. My vision is not consistent. I tend to not play games, or read out loud as I cannot see what I used to. When I get up in the morning, my feet are sore. I have a dry mouth when I am speaking. My hands tingle and my ears ring. My gums bleed from pressure. It feels like I have a sinus infection. I have a constant headache and muscle soreness and weakness along with joint pain and low back pain. Having been on 75 mg Topamax since it came out, I no longer have the benefit of weight loss and weight gain is suddenly upon me--suddenly!! I do not wish to influence anyone in his or her choice. Personally, I am considering titrating off Topamax to see if any or all of these health issues change for me. I, too, have memory issues that are not associated with menopause. The problem with the list of side effects is that they could be present with other drug therapies or conditions. Once I have isolated the problems to Topamax, I will then have to weigh the cost of migraines vs. fewer migraines. I must remember to manage all triggers, as I hope others will also. I hope to be migraine free, with the benefit of good vision and better rest. I desire this for the readers of my post as well. Blessings.

I had delayed a recent refill of Welchol because of the cost and found that the hip and leg pain of the last 3 years on Welchol disappeared. Tried it again and pain returned. Still suffering horrible low back pain requiring an MRI (which was negative) I also stopped taking Zetia, which I'd taken for 5 years. Am three weeks without either drug, and have absolutely no back pain, some muscle weakness in legs but no pain, am no longer limping, have noticed that the dark circles under my eyes have improved dramatically - and I can now sleep without sleep aids. I am truly enjoying a pain-free life again and am adopting a dedicated cholesterol lowering diet. Hopefully, exercise will follow as the muscle weakness improves.

I'm a 53-year old male. My BP was 150/100 before starting the medicine. A few days after starting lisinopril, I developed severe low back pain. I thought that I had aggravated an injury that occurred 25 years earlier. It did not abate for about 10 days. I read on literature that came with the medicine that "muscle cramping" was an infrequent side effect. I decided to stop the drug on my own, and the low back pain subsided in 2 days. My doctor put me on HCTZ only and I have not had a recurrence of the back condition.
dt326

I began having right hip pain a month after the mirena was inserted. I assumed it was from running. All the doctors I have seen for the past year stated I strained a muscle. They ordered MRI's and physical therapy. I have completed all, but still have the same hip pain-over a year now. Has anyone had hip pain due to the mirena? And did your hip pain stop completely after your mirena was removed? I am considering getting it removed. Although the doctors tell me they are not connected, I can't help but think there is a coincidence.

I have been on Simvastatin for several months. I am now experiencing low back pain, stiff neck on the right-hand side, fatigue feelings in back when standing, fatigue, dizziness and generally feeling "awful." My MD cut me back from 40mg daily to 40mg every other day, but I still continue to feel sick.
I read complaints from others on this site and want to share my symptoms. I have a 78% blockage in my right carotid artery and a 58% blockage in my left carotid artery. I am 72 years old but what else can I do to prevent a possible stroke should these blockages increase without the use of a statin drug????

I am a 65 year old female taking 20mlg of lipitor for almost 10 years. All of a sudden I started having severe pain, shaking and weakness in the calf muscle. The pain is unbearable. Doctors after doctors including a cardiologist, rhoumatologist and internist don't know the reason. I have stopped lipitor for 3 days. I cry and pray to god to help me everyday. I cannot exercise which is my passion for many years. I am hoping the lipitor is the reason and not something else. I have to wait and see. But I suspect it is.
SR
I do have nausea, depression and low back pain and arthritis and frequent headaches.

I commenced Lipitor 14 years ago at age 47. At that time I was a regular tennis player, walker and generally fit for my age. No problem with Lipitor for the first couple of years until I began to experience hip and low back pain. My GP diagnosed arthritis. Gradually became worse and I started to gather injuries (over stretched ligament in right knee which refused to heal, plantar fasciitis twice) My back pain became far worse, I persevered with tennis believing that exercise would help. I began to "trip" on the carpet and going up stairs (foot drop). I was sent for a CT scan in 2002 which showed spondylolisthesis and root canal stenosisss. On advice from doctor I stopped tennis. Referred to a neurosurgeon who after several months carried out a laminectomy in July 03. Cleared to recommence exercise in December 03 which is when my nightmare commenced. I developed bursitis in one hip, stopped walking until it settled, then excruciating pain in feet, and then bursitis in the other hip and continuing foot pain. I developed rib/back pain, again diagnosed as arthritis even though I felt the pain was muscular. I had one session of aqua aerobics and woke the next morning with plantar fasciitis which continued for 3 months even with doctor, physio and acupuncture treatment. I was then referred to a Spots Medicine Dr who ordered bone scans/x-rays which revealed a stress fracture in my foot. In 2006 I began to notice that my right arm had a tense feeling all the time, I had a loss of dexterity in my right hand which assumed a claw like appearance and my normally neat handwriting became practically illegible. My physio recommended I see a Rheumatologist who said I had "no more arthritis than I would see in any 62 yo", he sent me to a Neurologist who after 5 mins diagnosed Parkinson's Disease. Within 7 weeks of commencing the PD medication I was experiencing Restless Leg Syndrome every night. The neurologist said that my condition had "progressed" and increased the medication - twice. I was then getting RLS DAY AND NIGHT and getting no relief OR SLEEP!!! Finally after 12 months misery my GP suggested that I try coming off Lipitor to see if that was causing my body pain. Within 6 days I felt better, my muscles became less stiff and relax. I went back to my Neurologist who refused to accept my claims, he insists I still have atypical PD (because I do not have tremors). I told him the cure is worse than the complaint and against his advice I weaned myself off PD medication and Lipitor. It was hard going but I NO LONGER SUFFER FROM RLS AND MY DEXTERITY IS SLOWLY IMPROVING. I still have dexterity problems with my right fingers but the tense feeling in my right arm has gone and my "claw" hand is starting to relax My muscles feel bruised all the time. I am still taking my blood pressure tablets and 150mg of Co-Q10 a day. I have been off Lipitor 9 months. It has been a painful journed for the last 8 years and a nightmare for 12 months. My GP has marked my records as "allergy to statins" but says she just doesn't know if I have Parkinson's. I know that I will never take this awful drug again. My cholesterol has skyrocketed but I will have to try and lower it naturally and take the risk. I constantly feel like I have worked too long and hard in the garden, all my muscles are so sore. I really need to know if this damage is permanent and if this drug has caused Parkinson's Disease itself or just PD like symptoms. I guess I will just have to wait and see. I don't think doctor's believe us when we say Lipitor is doing damage to thousands of people. They love it!! When we are aging we are not surprised to get diagnosed with arthritis and this is why we take this medication unwittingly for so long.

If you want to punish yourself, feel hallow inside, get fat, hate sex, get horrible headaches, have an itchy vagina, and feel like throwing up all time, then I would recommend nuvaring to you.

I took nuvaring for 10 months. During this time I got headaches all the time, increasing in severity and frequency the longer I was on nuvaring; esp. during the week I took it out to have a period. I had very angry mood swings and felt apathetic towards everything. I have been depressed before, so I figured it was just me and it would pass soon, it did not.
I also ate out of boredom. I wasn't hungry per se, I just felt like eating all the time, so I did and I gained about 15 lbs. I was on the same regular exercise routine, and I still gained the weight.
I felt nauseated at the beginning and end of every cycle. I had zero sex drive, it hurt to even have sex most of the time. My husband could feel it inside of me the months it would not stay in place. Some months I could hardly feel the ring,and other months I would have to reinsert it almost every day. I ended up taking the ring out during sex and putting it back in afterwards. This helped some, but I still had no interest. I had abdominal cramps ALL day EVERY day reguardless.
I had vaginal itching and irritation as time progressed, and mild vaginal dryness which caused us to use a lubricant during sex.
It does not get better, it gets worse over time.
I have been off nuva ring for 3 weeks and I feel so much better! I'm happy and interested in things again. I don't have as many headaches and I don't have intense abdominal/low back pain any more. Sex drive is back, and it feels normal now. I don't feel nauseated or as angry. I don't feel the need to mindlessly eat. My nipples have been very sore for a week now, though and I have not yet gotten my period. I have all the signs of it: normal moodiness, mild cramping, really really light (like pastel) pink spotting, so I am just waiting for it come. Hopefully I will be regular, but as I have been reading on here, that's not always the case.
The ONLY benefit from nuvaring was a shorter and shorter period.
I will never use nuvaring again.

I can't believe I came across this. I have been having the weirdest things going on with me and had no idea they were attributed to my IUD: Mirena. I have had Mirena for a little over a year and actually love it. I stopped having periods all together on it after only having it for 2 months. Never had any cramps, bloating or spotting. I also didn't gain any weight on it. In fact, I lost a lot of weight. However, all my other symptoms are the same as every one else on here. I have an extreme amount of hair loss. I am terrified of the amount of hair I have been losing. I have extremely irritable with my husband and think just don't feel like anything matters anymore. I just feel depressed. Having a two year old doesn't help. :) I also have zero sex drive. I have chronic headaches anyway, but I have had an increase in my headaches. I have had weird low back pain and joint aches in my knees and feet. I have also had a lot congestion and sinusitis, which I read can be a side effect. I have also had some eye and vision problems. Not to mention fatigue, acne, flaky skin, numb fingers and just basically, for the past year, I haven't felt like myself. I am having it removed on Monday and hope that I start to feel like myself again. I am so happy that I started to do some research and discovered this, otherwise I might still be miserable, wondering why. If anyone knows anything about a lawsuit let me know.

Have been taking Diovan HCT for 2 1/2 years increasing dosage to 320 mg. Good control of blood pressure, but have developed severe pain in low back and hips, with pain, numbness of feet and legs when walking. In fact unable to walk more than 3 blocks without legs and feet going completely numb, sore and stiff to the point of stumbling and falling. Told Doctor about it 3 months ago and he suspected PAD, for which I was tested. The good news is that those test results came back negative. Doctor doesn't think Diovan can be the cause of my symptoms, so I made an executive decision and stopped Diovan 2 days ago and after "withdrawal" headache first day, have noticed marked improvement in hip and low back pain. Feet no longer go numb, but am still having some discomfort in calves.

I've had Mirena for about 14 months now. Yeah, I HATE it.
The day they put it in, I was in the category where it took forever to place. Like 3-4 tries to place it. Thank God I'd had experience in handling this type of pain, having 2 children w/out epidurals.

I bled for 6 weeks straight, so the day I went for my follow-up, I stopped bleeding. Figures. I'm looking at the brochures in the office for a different type of contraceptive. The doctor thinks I'm stupid, why would I want to do that? Um, because it pokes my husbands penis head and I can see the red poke marks on it. So the doc trims the tail and loses a piece of it somewhere inside me. CRAZY!

The following month, I really started having low back pain. Then I herniate my L-5. I'm not sure that any of that is related to the IUD. Just speculating. Also speculation, I battled with thrush the entire 13 months I nursed my son. That was never the case with my first child.

So I go about a year with out a period that I can really speak of. Maybe some spotting, but I haven't thought about the thing much. Although, I don't remember ever having a positive thought about it. I could feel it during sex. I can't explain that feeling, but, it's like I could feel it poking my husband at times.

Now, I am having some CRAZY stomach bloat and I'm extremely exhausted. My back is still constantly hurting me. I'm spotting ALL the time. Mostly brown blood, though. Does that mean it's old blood? Every time I have sex, I will spot within the 2nd day. I've held off going to get it removed simply because I don't have insurance and am not looking to get pregnant again. However, I know that it needs to be done. There is something wrong inside me. I never had the weight gain issues other women had. But I am up 5 pounds right now and my belly looks to me like I'm 4 months prego. Matter of fact, I'll probably take a home test tomorrow so I don't have to pay for one at the GYNO.

Anybody know much about getting pregnant with an IUD? And why are doctors so gung-ho for IUD's? Is it because they are like $2000?

I am 44, have had an endometrial ablation surgery to try to put a stop to heavy, ridiculous, debilitating periods (I also have a tipped uterus...) and had very intermittent periods for a couple of years after surgery. Now they're back on a 28 day cycle and I reluctantly went back on birth control. Since on nuvaring two weeks I've had a heavy discharge, low back pain-- and the worst of it is breast tenderness, moodiness and tiredness that mimic the symptoms of pregnancy. I, like many contributors here, feel like condoms and spermicides are a better option. My GYN whom I trust a great deal is a big fan of NuvaRing