New birth symptoms and conditions

Hi, my name is B. and I am 24, this is my first time using birth control and I have been on Femcon FE for a little over one month now. I always had irregular periods, sometimes i skipped, sometimes i bleed for an excessive amount of time. The reason why I was put on birth control now is because I had very heavy bleeding, which i clotted badly, passed out, was extremely dizzy, and so forth. It is normal to have periods like that in my family but after a few days i went to the hospital cause i noticed that my situation was getting worst, i was told I was anemic and i had to have 4 units of blood transfusions...

My gyno put me on Femcon FE and i was told to take two a day to stop the bleeding first off, she also gave me additional meds for the nausea. Well, at first I stopped bleeding for about a week and after the week was up I went down to one pill, well I started spotting, but my gyno told me that was normal. A few more days has past and my bleeding is getting heavier, not as bad before, so my gyno told me to start taking two a day again, and i did and still am. Well I am STILL bleeding, and I have been bleeding for 16 days now. I have been taking Femcon FE for a little over a month and I am almost done with the 3rd month's package of Femcon FE.

Some of the side effects I have been feeling:
-vaginal cramps (some REALLY painful)
-depression
-moodiness
-being tired most days
-some weight gain
-bleeding

Since reading these stories you have shared with me, I am going to discuss with my gyno on Thursday about maybe trying a new birth control, so thank you for your opinions.

I am so relieved to read all of your posts knowing that i am not the only one who becomes an entirely new, sad, pained person when i tamper with BC. I have been on the Nuvaring for 2 weeks now and am experiencing some weird chest pains. at times it feels like i'm being kicked or squeezed in the heart, and other times it feels like i have air blocked in my chest. i am so fed up with this toxic ring already i just threw it out 5 minutes ago. is it bad to stop a birth control mid-cycle? i hope not, i really wanted to wait the next 8 days to end the 21 day cycle, but i cannot wait that long. i am miserable. what bothered me the most about reading all these posts, aside from the fact that so many females are suffering due to excessive hormones, is that it seems to be a common thing for doctors to write these problems/complications off so damn quickly! there is enough evidence on this page alone to suggest that nuvaring has serious negative side effects, and yet when i went to urgent care today, none of the doctors seemed to be concerned with my chest pain and possible relation to the new birth control. our medical field is fucked up.

I have been on quasense for 2 months, starting my 3rd month when I started to talk to my aunt about different birth controls. She told me her aunt was on Seasonale and my aunt was taking Seasonale (sp?) and they both hated it! My aunt started to tell me about the horrible 3 week periods and my sister has had the 3 week period of weird dark brown not blood but more of a solid clump? I haven't started to take the pills to help me with my period but after reading all of these comments I'm getting nervous to start taking them! I have noticed about a 5-7 pound weight gain (went to the doctors because of a yeast infection, which I have never had before), I get migraines about 7-8 times a year for about a week at a time, but after starting this new birth-control, I cannot get rid of my migraines no matter how much medication I take for it (and that medication makes the birth-control effectiveness go down :(...) and I have become quite irritable/bitchy with my boyfriend lately. I thought this was due to me starting college a couple weeks ago (the freshman 15, being stressed etc...) but now I'm not too sure. If anyone could PLEASE give me some idea as to what they think I should do as in keep taking quasense or switch to a new birth-control.

Okay. I have been on Yaz for the last year. I have been having horrible migraines. I have been told to switch from Yaz to something else. The doctor prescribed me Loestrin 24. Now, ever statement I read someone says they have had a lot of spotting. Is there anyone taking Loestrin and is not spotting? I am not sure if I should take this pill now?????? I also need to loose about 10 pounds from taking the Yaz. I am afraid that taking the Loestrin I will gain more........ I just don't know what to do.

I was on Desogen for over a year and a half, during which time I had symptoms similar to IBS. Frequent diarrhea, severe intestinal cramps after almost every meal, bloating, weight gain, gas, and subsequent depression and lethargy. I even went to see a GI specialist, who asked if I had recently started taking a new birth control or had any other hormonal changes. At the time I had been taking Desogen for a year, so I didn't connect the two. Now 9 months later I finally got off of Desogen and have had no more IBS symptoms. The doctors I have spoken to since then have no explanation for it, aside from 'hormones can do strange things sometimes'. I don't know if I have been depressed since I have been on Desogen, aside from the anxiety and depression caused by IBS, but I am so glad not to be on it anymore. I hope the symptoms stay gone and I am able to lose the weight I gained while on it.

NR has been great birth control...but only because my crazy mood swings & crying jags don't exactly put either my BF nor myself in the mood for love. I've always been one of those "stiff upper lip" types & have never been able to remember when asked when the last time I cried was (nor the reason)...at most, I cried once or twice a year, usually out of sheer exhaustion from work. However, in the past two months since I started NR, the answer now would have to be either "yesterday" or "I'm crying right now". Even my mother (with whom I talk daily) has noticed that I'm not the same strong person I used to be & it started with the NuvaRing. I am so tired of feeling like lying in the dark, listening to Joy Division & feeling sorry for myself, that after sobbing though (yet another) commute, I pulled the ring out & threw it in the trash on the way into the house today. Now, all I need to do is find a new birth control method...

ive been on aviane for about 8 months after switching from yaz because it made me SUPER emotional (crying everyday for no reason) and previously ortho tricyclin (made me feel flu-like symptoms the week before my period). the first month on aviane wasn't great, i was spotting and had cramps every time i took the pill. i decided to wait it out because it typically takes your body about 3 months to adjust to a new birth control. im glad i waited because i have no complaints now other than a loss of appetite. i lost close to 15 lbs (which is not necessarily good for me bc im 5'8 and now only weigh 110 lbs) and i went down a cup size (i miss my full C that yaz gave me hah). otherwise, my sex drive has increased drastically. before i barely even touched my boyfriend, poor him..but now i cant keep my hands off him. i don't really PMS too bad, so thats good too. i have some joint pains but i don't think it has anything to do with aviane.. all in all i say try it and just wait it out, the first few months may not go smoothly, but its not likely to with any new BC you try. give it a shot

I am telling the story of what has happened to my wife on YAZ.... My wife is a 23 year old female, previously in good health, 5'5", 120 lbs, and a non-smoker. In January 2008 she gave birth to our amazing daughter. She has rebounded back to the same shape as she was before birth. Well originally, she had the non-hormonal IUD implant for birth control. Her body rejected it and it had to be removed after about 2-3 months. After it being removed, the Doctor recommended she take this new birth control YAZ, because my wife had previous problems with hormonal birth controls. Well, my wife started taking YAZ. Late summer 2008, my wife began complaining about feeling tired and weak all the time. She went to the doctor a few times about it and they could not determine the cause. Well, in December of 2008, while working her job as an EMT on an ambulance, my wife began feeling light headed and weak. They put her on the cardiac monitor and found her resting heart rate to be 160 BPM. They immediately rushed her to the ER. The ER doctor immediately admitted my wife into the INTENSIVE CARE UNIT! After a couple days, they determined that she had micro pulmonary embolisms (blood clots in the lungs) that they believed were caused by YAZ and that blood tests showed no pre-existing condition that would cause it. They informed her that they were a known side effect of YAZ. Well due to her heart trying so much harder to push the blood around the clots, he heart became weekend and began heart failure. Her Ejection Fraction was at 30%, which is about equal to a 70 year old in heart failure. A normal ejection fraction is 65%. The heart is a non-repairing muscle. As a result of this condition, she was prevented from working by her doctor, she cant drive, and cannot be alone for fear that her heart will stop. Well, of course the FMLA has now run out (March 2009) and her work has informed her they don't intend on letting her come back and her Doctor will not allow her to go back. I am currently working overseas as a US Department of Defense security contractor just to try and make ends meet. Because of the current economy, I cant even come home to take care of my wife and daughter because we wont be able to afford to live. I encourage everyone to avoid this medication. Please don't let your life get ruined by this birth control. My wife is 23, may need a heart transplant, or may die at anytime and I cant even come home to take care of her. This medication has ruined our lives.

I am telling the story of what has happened to my wife on YAZ....

My wife is a 23 year old female, previously in good health, 5'5", 120 lbs, and a non-smoker. In January 2008 she gave birth to our amazing daughter. She has rebounded back to the same shape as she was before birth. Well originally, she had the non-hormonal IUD implant for birth control. Her body rejected it and it had to be removed after about 2-3 months. After it being removed, the Doctor recommended she take this new birth control YAZ, because my wife had previous problems with hormonal birth controls.

Well, my wife started taking YAZ. Late summer 2008, my wife began complaining about feeling tired and weak all the time. She went to the doctor a few times about it and they could not determine the cause. Well, in December of 2008, while working her job as an EMT on an ambulance, my wife began feeling light headed and weak. They put her on the cardiac monitor and found her resting heart rate to be 160 BPM. They immediately rushed her to the ER.

The ER doctor immediately admitted my wife into the INTENSIVE CARE UNIT! After a couple days, they determined that she had micro pulmonary embolisms (blood clots in the lungs) that they believed were caused by YAZ. They informed her that they were a known side effect of YAZ. Well due to her heart trying so much harder to push the blood around the clots, he heart became weakend and began heart failure. Her Ejection Fraction was at 30%, which is about equal to a 70 year old in heart failure. A normal ejection fraction is 65%. The heart is a non-repairing muscle.

As a result of this condition, she was prevented from working by her doctor, she cant drive, and cannot be alone for fear that her heart will stop. Well, of course the FMLA has now run out (March 2009) and her work has informed her they don't intend on letting her come back and her Doctor will not allow her to go back. I am currently working overseas as a US Department of Defense security contractor just to try and make ends meet. Because of the current economy, I cant even come home to take care of my wife and daughter because we wont be able to afford to live.

I encourage everyone to avoid this medication. Please don't let your life get ruined by this birth control. My wife is 23, may need a heart transplant, or may die at anytime and I cant even come home to take care of her. This medication has ruined our lives.

I have to say that with my previous experiences with a VARIETY of birth controls, OTC-LO is the best i have been on so far! The first birth control i was put on was Seasonale. Which sent me into days of bleeding and depression. I quickly changed to Femcom only to have extremely painful periods and headaches. After about 4 months of that i was put on Yaz. Which i must say was the WORST ever. Yaz gave me terrible mood swings,bouts of depression, fatigue and again painful periods. After 4 months of that i decided to try Ortho Tri Cylen (the regular not lo)..This started to give me dull aching pains in my arms and joints and the mood swings were terrible. I cried all the time. Ortho Tri Cylen Lo was my last hope for all birth control. Granted because of my mood swings while and a few days before i am on my period i was prescribed Zoloft. OTC Lo has not given me any side effects so far. In the beginning i had a lot of cramps but nothing like i had before. My periods are better and my sex life is unbelievable unlike the others which take your sex drive away, OTC-Lo dosent! If anything it has made me want sex more! My boyfriend is very pleased as am i! I recommend this birth control to any female who is having alot of issues with other birth controls. I am glad i tried it!!! Thanks for reading!

I was on Loestrin 24 for 9 months and thought it was wonderful....until I was recently hospitalized for 2 weeks with blood clots in both lungs. The doctors determined that it was the Loestrin. If anyone knows of a class action lawsuit against them, please let me know.

I started taking Yasmin about 5 years ago. At first, I experienced a little nausea as my body got used to the drug, but after the first few months I was fine. Fine until about a year and a half ago. In the past year and a half, I've had absolutely NO sex drive, and terrible PMS. I swear I have PMS symptoms 3 weeks out of the month. It's miserable. I'm always moody and get aggravated at the smallest things. VERY unlike me. I also feel bloated a lot of the time. I work out regularly and eat healthy, so I know the bloating is not caused by eating badly. My doctor assures me my problems are with my birth control. I started a new birth control yesterday, so I hope it works! The main thing to remember is that different birth controls work differently for different people, and your body also changes through the years. What worked for you at one time, may not work for you 5 years later. This is why it's very important to communicate your problems to your doctor so he/she knows exactly what you're experiencing and can help you. While diagnosing yourself online can be helpful, it's not as good as expressing your concerns to your doctor.

I have had the Mirena IUD for 4 1/2 years. The last two years have been hell. I have gained 50 pounds, suffered from depression, anxiety, acne, NO sex drive and have basically become a totally different person. I used to be a fit confident women and now I am a total train wreck. I can't believe I never connected all my problems to Mirena before now. I started researching new birth control since my Mirena is up in 6 months. Now I want to run to the Gyno and get this thing out of me asap. Thanks for everyone sharing -- it's nice to know I am not alone.

I am on the nuvaring, but I am not having the same complications that everyone else seems to have. I have been on the nuvaring for about three and a half years. Everything seemed to be going great with this new birth control until about 4 months ago when i didn't start my period. So, my fiance and i decided to get a pregnancy test and sure enough it was positive. With me being in my third year of college and having to change our wedding date, our lives have taken a drastic turn.Now that i am 18 weeks pregnant i am trying to keep a close look out on any other nuvaring pregnancies. I had found 2 others around my area who were having the same problem as me, so i knew i was not alone. Then the most shocking news came to me when my brothers girl friend called me one morning telling me she hadn't started her period yet. She was on the nuvaring too, let me remind you. The odds of her and I both getting pregnant on a birth control that is 99.9% accurate is a 1 and a million chance. What are the odds of that? Sure enough she is pregnant too. So our question is, was there a bad lot of nuvarings sent out around the same areas or what? And its not like we misused them either. we have both been on it for a long time, so we know the do's and don'ts. So, id there anyone else out there with this problem?

I feel so much better after reading this site! I've been on NuvaRing for two months and have had serious bouts with depression for the first time in my life. I mean, I've felt down before, but never like this. Just today I wanted to cry for no reason about 90% of the time. I've had abdominal pain and back pain that I never had before. The mood swings are really the worst (just ask my boyfriend). I relate to what another girl said; that her mood swings range from white hot anger to serious depression. On days like today (less than a week before my period) I just want to sleep the day away. I don't want to interact with anyone and everything makes me miserable. Also, it's changed the way everything smells down there. My boyfriend is really good about it, but even he admits that it's unpleasant to him. I've asked my gyno and she said that I don't have a UTI or a yeast infection, so right now the only explanation is this new birth control. Thankfully Monday is the day I take it out, and I'll be taking it out for good. I hope more women review this site before trying out this birth control because everyone should know the real side effects...the ones your doctor won't tell you.

I had been on the pill for years until my OB suggested the NR. It sounded like a great idea (no worries about missing pills). I was on it for a week until yesterday when I was on my way to a metro station from work. I suddenly felt faint, nauseous, I was hyperventilating, shaking all over and I could barely walk. I stopped at a local store I tried to drink some water and eat something but the food just sat in my mouth, I couldn't swallow and my throat felt as if it were closing up. All the things that could be wrong with me flew through my mind. Was I having a stroke, a heart attack, was I dehydrated, did I have a brain tumor, do I have diabetes, I am going into a diabetic shock. All I knew was that there was something terribly wrong and whatever it was couldn't be stopped and I was going to die. I had to call a co worker to come pick me and take me to the nurse at my office. It was the most terrifying moment of my life.

Once at the nurses office she determined that I was having a panic attack. She ran off a list of possible causes and one that stood out immediately was that it could be hormonal. I knew then that it was my new birth control (the nuvaring). It was the ONLY thing that had changed. This explains the fatigue, mood swings and the general malaise I've been experiencing over the last week. I thought I was just having a bad week, things that never used to bother me suddenly became unbearable.

I immediately took the ring out and I will NEVER use it again. I have had only one panic attack before this, and that was 3 years ago, but it was mild compared to this one. I was absolutely crippled yesterday. I have never felt so helpless/crazy/terrified/alone in my life. I'm still not 100% today (a little weepy/depressed), but it feels like my body is getting back to normal.

So if any of you start feeling depressed or fatigued shortly after using this product please please please consider using another form of birth control. I don't want anyone to EVER go through an anxiety attack like I did.

I HATE FEMCON!!!!!

FEM-GONE!!!!!!!!!
AND ON TO NEW BIRTH CONTROLS!

WHO'S WITH ME?! FEM-GONE! FEM-GONE! FEM-GONE!!!!!!!!!!

I had my mirena fitted April 08, and four days ago I had it removed... What a relief! A week after it was fitted, i went to a gyn because of the cramps and they scanned my uterus. Everything was in perfect order. But the cramps didn't stop and I was bleeding more or less all the time. Sometimes I could feel it when having sex, and my boyfriend did too. I also had that PMS feeling for about three weeks before having my period, getting irritating and moody. Before period I got acne and blisters in my mouth (never had any of it before!). I had to convince the doctor to take it out, she said it was such a good birth control.

Now I am feeling happier with no mirena in my body. But I am bleeding quite heavily. I can't find any information about what happens to your body when mirena is removed?

I just started my 3rd pack of Aviane. One of the reasons I started taking birth control was to lighten up my period due to anemia. Well, so far its only made my periods worse. The first pack i had breakthrough bleeding for almost 2 weeks. It was heavy, the cramps were worse, felt sick, and worse depression/anxiety. I went to the doctor and he said this was "normal" and that I should continue the pill. During the second pack I bled for over a week and it was heavier, bad cramps and a headache for a week. Not to mention my "period" never came during the placebo pills but I know it can take time to regulate. I just started my 3rd pack of pill and I'm not feeling well. Just nauseous, sick and depressed again. Just last week when I was on the placebo pill I felt just fine and now i've started Aviane again and i feel horrible. All I know is that if bleed irregular/heavy this month again, i'm either going to go off this horrible stuff or go to the doctor to find a new birth control that doesn't make me feel sick and depressed all the time!

I had Mirena put in after I my second baby. The doctor who seemed concerned because I was literally pregnant for two years in a row said I aught to use a form of birth control that would allow me to get on with my life without another pregnancy. I thought she was right since having two babies back to back really did a number on me. I gained like 45 to 60 pounds on my pregnancy. And right after my second baby, I had mirena put it. It's been four years and since then, and things have been really bad. I have major depression, I am very moody, and I feel lazy. I feel so tired and over weight. After attempting to loose weight with a combination of diet and exercise I realized that it's not working, Mirena is keeping from actually loosing weight and more than this it has contributed to my weight gain. Fatigue is also a factor, there are days I struggle to get out of bed. I'm only 27 and I feel so old, and fragile. The problem is I got Mirena put in when I had medical insurance, a year after my husband lost his great job. Now he works two jobs and still no medical insurance. What am I going to do since I have been wanting to be this removed. Anyway I am still glad that I found this website and read about others. And I noticed we SO MUCH IN COMMON......I'm not alone!

Im 17 years old and my doctor asked me to try this new birth control......it's terrible i'm on my second pack and only have one week left until my brown pills!!.....my breast got swollen first and then they became tender....but by night fall the tenderness goes away and returns 2-3 hours after i take the pill the next day. im ALWAYS bloated even when i awake in the morning.....i suffer from headaches from time to time and even feel tingly sensations in my right arm....i bled for about a day on my first set of brown pills and had some spotting here and there.....and not to mention i gained 5 pounds!!!....im way to young for this so i'll take my 3rd pack of pills and see how it treats me but if it doesn't get any better i'm starting some new pills!!!!!!!

I had the Paragard IUD for a year and 5 weeks ago I had it removed and replaced with the Mirena. Since then I have had acne all over my face and back which is uncommon for me and have had absolutely no sex drive. I want a good birth control with fewer or no periods but the acne has too stop. They say it's not from the IUD but what else can it be from? Did I just waste $1,000 or can I get my money back or a new birth control in place of this one?? Please help me, I hate the acne!!

Like many others who have posted here, many symptoms have been present, but I failed to recognize that NuvaRing may be the cause. After another restless night, lying awake at 3 a.m. and considering seeking help for my increasingly unpredictable mood swings and depression, I had an epiphany, which led me here.
I’ve long suffered headaches, so I won’t pin that on NuvaRing, but I used to be one who rarely cried. I’ve felt absolutely crazy lately, both crying and being openly hostile to my husband. It’s a relief to think there may be a cause I can do something about. Now I can’t decide if I should remove it now and risk having my period while on vacation next week or leave it in and be miserable.
I’d finally been able to lose a few pounds, but only two months after beginning NuvaRing, it was all back, plus a few more. I hadn’t thought to connect it to the new birth control, as I’ve been on various pills since 1999.
Stomach problems are another issue I was already dealing with, but the possibility that they've been compounded by this birth control is frustrating.
Another symptom that I’m not sure is related: raised bumps on my upper arms and thighs, dry and slightly itchy. Has anyone else experienced skin-related symptoms with NR?
Many thanks to all who have shared their experiences.

WOW!!! I am so glad i decided to google Yaz. I actually stopped taking Yaz 3 days ago. Not because i felt i was having problems...but because i just no longer need birth control. Little did i know that it was the cause of a lot of my problems. I was diagnosed with Anxiety disorder at 18 and i am now 28. I stopped taking antidepressants about 2 years ago. I have been doing great! then i started taking Yaz...UH O! all of the sudden i was having mood swings, anxiety attacks, headaches, dizzy spells...ugh i thought i was loosing it! of course i related it to my anxiety disorder and fugured i just needed to get back on meds. Surprise, surprise my doctors said the same thing. I even asked "Could it be the new birth control i am on?"..DOc- "O no, Yaz is great ...no anxiety side effects"...
So of course i listen to my doctor and continue the pill. I got back on prozac (I really didn't want to) but what else could i do...i was going crazt and my doctors said YAZ had nothing to do with it...UM HELLO!!! did they research this drug?????? Obviously not..it says right on the website "May cause anxiety" UGH!!!
I just stopped the Pill 3 days ago and i am hoping that all these problems go away and i can eventually get off Prozac as well. THe only major problem i am having now is that i stopped the pill mid cycle and now i am having a really HEAVY period. i never had heavy periods before :(... I am hoping that this goes away and all goes back to normal...
CAN ANYONE TELL ME IF THEY TOO HAD A VERY HEAVY PERIOD AFTER STOPPING YAZ?????????
AGAIN THIS IS NOT NORMAL FOR ME..NEVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH HEAVY PERIODS!

THANK YOU,