Vaginal dryness symptoms and conditions

I am suppose to get my fourth shot tomorrow!!I have been experiencing a lot of I am get hot flashes,vaginal dryness really bad, increased appetite,night sweats,and weight gain,last one that has been horrible to deal with is my severe headaches.I am 24 years old and mom of 3 children.We wanted to have the option open if we did decide to have another child.I am still having the cramping to the point that I can not be the mom I want to be.I really don't know what I should do.Now reading all these messages I am very scared.Any one with comments please feel free!!

I am much like the rest of you and have just finished talking about this with friends at work....
1. no sex drive - used to be twice a week and sometimes more, but now just after one month with the ring, this has decreased to almost non-existent!!!
2. Headaches that come out of nowhere
3. Hot flashes and low grade temp
4. Vaginal dryness
5. Depression and wanting to be alone and having difficulty in coping with tasks at work.
6. weight gain

I too much like all of you here, am taking this as a mens stabilizer, offered by my OB/GYN which she raved about!!!

Taking this out and never using it again.

I got mirena inserted in feb 2009, I bled off and on every month up until this last month. I have had drastic mood swings with my deployed fiance. One minute we are okay and for some weird reason I would just get so angry for something very minute. I have been experiencing discharge with a foul odor.
I have had increase episodes of migraines, insomnia, cramps, and throbbing pain in my vaginal walls. I have experience vaginal dryness and having to use lubrication more than often.
I have no desire for sex. My fiance is 24 and I am 28. He is always ready to go like 5 times a day sometimes if we don't have the kids at home with us. I feel really awful putting him through this, especially being he in Kuwait, he doesn't deserve my attitude. The problem is I can never remember to take the pill. The MIRENA is more convenient and a safer method to prevent pregnancy, My fiance does not want us to have any kids right now. I am nervous if I take out the MIRENA we will slip somewhere and get pregnant again. Pregnancy right now with really cause a strain in our relationship related to him not wanting us to get pregnant right now.
I feel so trapped because I don't know what to do at this time.
By C. W.

57 YO Male taking this in 5/6.25 for almost two years. I should have gotten off it in two weeks. I allowed my physician to convince me that I should give it a chance. I suffered from ED and he gave me Cialis - too much leg pain but worked very well. The problem I have has is with not being able to focus on my work and it has gotten worse with time till the point where I don't feel like doing anything. Major dry eys and trouble getting a full nights sleep. My wife started with this at the same time and has vaginal dryness, eye dryness and lost sex drive. Keep BP in check but not worth it. Scalp dryness and itching and rash on arms if subjected to sunlight. It has had my mind so fogged up that I couldn't make a rational decision to get rid of it. I have cut dosage in half for a few days and took nothing today and my head is clearing up. However, my BP is elevated to 165/104. I am going to start lisinopril tomorrow and hope that I do not have the side effects that many people have listed here.

I'm so glad to find this website. I'm 21 years old and I've been on a dozen different BC's over the past 5 years because of my irregular cycles and PCOS. I switched to Yaz a little over a year ago because the military didn't carry my previous BC (lo-estrin24 which I liked). A few months into it, I started having these weird side effects, but just blew them off because they seemed small and I didn't want my new husband to think he just married a hypochondriac! Plus I see those lawsuit commercials about Yaz every day and I didn't want to be the type of person that freaks out when they see something like that.

The first thing I noticed was nausea on a daily basis. It's not bad enough to where I actually vomit, but enough to where I notice it and it affects my day to day routine. My cycles while being on it have been "normal", as normal as they will get for me.

However, over the past few weeks I have been getting the worst headaches/migraines, bad enough to where you can't function on a day to day basis. I thought they were because we just moved up to Alaska and the weather change was getting to me. (We've been here for almost 2 months) It's been over 3 weeks now and I still get them on a daily basis. The doctor told me they are from stress, but I've been stressed my entire life and have NEVER had a problem with headaches. I've had to resort to taking Excedrin every day (which I KNOW is NOT good for me but I can't function without it). Like others have said, I experience the vaginal dryness, lack of desire, but just assumed it was my body/lifestyle changing and that it was nothing to worry about. I also feel like I'm getting..for lack of a better word..dumber..and I can't remember anything that I did the day before, much less a week or month before. I honestly don't know if I'm any more moody than I was a year ago without asking my husband, and I don't think I actually want to know lol. My mother (who is in the medical field) swears to me that it's the BC causing all of this.

Thank you so much everyone for your postings, I will be scheduling yet another doctor's appt next week and will make sure I'm switched to another BC this time.

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

I started using Nuvaring about 13 months ago after not having been on any type of hormonal birth control for many years. Other than being a little weird out about having it inside me all the time at first, everything seemed fine.

I am just now realizing that my year from hell could be linked to the ring, especially after reading the other testimonials. The least of my problems have been headaches and vaginal dryness. But it is much worse than that; I'm anxious, nervous and moody all the time. I know I shouldn't be upset about little things (or nothing at all) but I can't help it. And I mean screaming, yelling, tearful, throwing things upset. I have missed a lot of work because I'm just too anxious to be there. I have crazy thoughts about my coworkers being angry with me even though I know they are my friends and it's not true.

My poor boyfriend of 14 months thinks I'm unstable, emotionally unreliable and that I have anger management issues. We have come really close to breaking up multiple times because we just can't handle the stress of my mood swings. I even started seeing a therapist a couple of months ago to see if it would help. I can't figure out why I'm there and it isn't helping. Even when my life seems at it's best and least stressful I still tell her that my anxiety level is a 3 out of 10. When she asks me why, I have no idea what to tell her. I have moments in the day when I feel like I am going certifiably crazy and just want to crawl in bed and stay there but I'm too anxious to relax enough to sleep. I have panic attacks in the grocery store, I get an overwhelming sense of dread if my boyfriend leaves the house without me.

Before the ring I road and mountain biked all the time, typically for 2 or 3 hours at a time 5 days a week. I have a hard time motivating to do it now because I feel nervously distracted, fatigued and emotionally dragged out. I even stopped going to my martial arts class which was my life for years. I have dizzy spells and heart palpitations.

Basically, I'm a wreck. I have a great life-I know that there is absolutely no reason to feel like this all the time. I keep telling my boyfriend that I'm not like this, that this is not me. Poor thing has no idea what I'm talking about and doesn't believe me because he's basically only ever known me since I have been using Nuvaring. After another moody day, another near break-up, and another sleepless night I decided to get online this morning to see if I could find any side effect information. I'm so glad I found this site! I called my gynecologist's office as soon as they opened and told them that I feel like I've turned into a psycho and they told me to take it out right away. I hope this works-I am now feeling a little hopeful that I'm not seriously losing my mind after all. I just want to be the happy, energetic me that I used to be.

I started using Nuvaring about 13 months ago after not having been on any type of hormonal birth control for many years. Other than being a little weirded out about having it inside me all the time at first, everything seemed fine.

I am just now realizing that my year from hell could be linked to the ring, especially after reading the other testimonials. The least of my problems have been headaches and vaginal dryness. But it is much worse than that; I'm anxious, nervous and moody all the time. I know I shouldn't be upset about little things (or nothing at all) but I can't help it. And I mean screaming, yelling, tearful, throwing things upset. I have missed a lot of work because I'm just too anxious to be there. I have crazy thoughts about my coworkers being angry with me even though I know they are my friends and it's not true.

My poor boyfriend of 14 months thinks I'm unstable, emotionally unreliable and that I have anger management issues. We have come really close to breaking up multiple times because we just can't handle the stress of my mood swings. I even started seeing a therapist a couple of months ago to see if it would help. I can't figure out why I'm there and it isn't helping. Even when my life seems at it's best and least stressful I still tell her that my anxiety level is a 3 out of 10. When she asks me why, I have no idea what to tell her. I have moments in the day when I feel like I am going certifiably crazy and just want to crawl in bed and stay there but I'm too anxious to relax enough to sleep. I have panic attacks in the grocery store, I get an overwhelming sense of dread if my boyfriend leaves the house without me.

Before the ring I road and mountain biked all the time, typically for 2 or 3 hours at a time 5 days a week. I have a hard time motivating to do it now because I feel nervously distracted, fatigued and emotionally dragged out. I even stopped going to my martial arts class which was my life for years. I have dizzy spells and heart palpitations.

Basically, I'm a wreck. I keep telling my boyfriend that I'm not like this, that this is not me. Poor thing has no idea what I'm talking about and doesn't believe me because he's basically only ever known me since I have been using Nuvaring. After another moody day, another near break-up, and another sleepless night I decided to get online this morning to see if I could find any side effect information. I'm so glad I found this site! I called my gynecologist's office as soon as they opened and told them that I feel like I've turned into a psycho and they told me to take it out right away. I hope this works-I am now feeling a little hopeful that I'm not seriously losing my mind after all. I just want to be the happy, energetic me that I used to be.

HI, i have had my coil for almost four years. I had it inserted in October 2005, 4 months after my first son was born. it wasn't really painful but felt a bit weird like someone was opening an umbrella inside my uterus. Anyway since then (the past 2 years in particular) i have had crazy moon swings, my breasts are almost always tender, i have a really offensive discharge(which is awful) no libido! my poor husband. i never really had this problem before having the coil. i am quite depressed, cry spontaneously, am irritable and have little patience. when im due on i have really bad lower back pain, stabbing pains in my sides, nausea, bloating, and constipation. but the most recent one is acne! i don't get spots( maybe one when im on but not one every day!) they are mostly on and around my jaw and chin. i feel like a kid again, im 28! my confidence has suffered and i have put on about a stone in the last 6 months. i also get almost constant stomach pains, mostly just under my diaphragm and get heartburn with most foods i eat. i have very light and irregular periods but always get all the pre-period symptoms. the most awful ones are the acne and bad odor. has anyone else experienced bed odor? i also feel tired all the time and just want to sit and do nothing. i don't feel productive at all and have lost my desire to be productive. I am going to see my doctor this week so hopefully she will be able to shed some light on everything. i really want to get it taken out but am scared that i might fall pregnant again. i have one beautiful son but don't really want anymore children. should i put up with all these symptoms? anyway, will let you know how my appointment goes. take care and thanks for making me feel better and not so alone!

Tearful within hours of inserting the ring. Since, a constant sense of dread; dark thoughts, foggy, sluggish thinking, no motivation (and I'm a go-getter in a highly competitive profession), contact lens intolerance/changes in vision, vaginal dryness (UGH!!) irritability, fatigue, flu-like aches and pains with chills from time to time. Puffy like the Michelin Man. Yuck. Just threw the damned thing in the trash and couldn't be happier. Paragard, here I come. No more synthetic hormones for me. I quit.

A constant sense of dread; dark thoughts, foggy, sluggish thinking, no motivation (and I'm a go-getter in a highly competitive profession), contact lens intolerance/changes in vision, vaginal dryness (UGH!!) irritability, fatigue, flu-like aches and pains with chills from time to time. Puffy like the Michelin Man. Yuck. Just threw the damned thing in the trash and couldn't be happier. Paragard, here I come. No more synthetic hormones for me. I quit.

I've been only a week with NuvaRing. I've experienced depression, vaginal dryness, vaginal itching, after only 3 days of using it I got a nasty yeast infection, I didn't find my boyfriend attractive anymore, I got offended easily, Also I got this BAD headaches, and cramps "down there" very frequently. Also I got a strange rash on my vag, accompanied with the itching. I don't like NuvaRing at all. I took it out today, since I couldn't sleep because of the itching and the cramps. Bad experience. When is my boyfriend going to get fixed... Back to condoms it is.

I've been taking Quasense for about 5 months now in which I had changed from the nuva ring because it was beginning to cause abnormal pap smears but I had really loved the nuva ring. When I started Quasense, I basically had the same symptoms of the bleeding even after a month being on it, so much I bought a pregnancy test b/c my gyno kept telling me that it's normal to occur it that my body is just trying to regulate itself. I also am experiencing acne, in which when I was on NuvaRing my skin was beautiful! It has gotten a lot better with the breakthrough bleeding but gosh, look how long it took! I still have little to none spotting( the brownish stuff). The most serious side effect that I have noticed in this 5th month of taking it is that I have become real melancholy. So much that I've even had suicidal thoughts and I'm generally a happy go lucky person. If I feel like I've hurt someone's feelings, it's like I get so depressed! Usually I would feel like, okay, let me apologize and then life goes on, but I think Quasense makes me so sensitive that I dwell and dwell on small issues to where it's like the end of the world! I've never felt so down in my life and that's what made me think about researching the side effects of it, and I found this website. Also, after intercourse with my b/f , I have severe burning, in which I never experienced and I figured it was from the Quasense pill because I've noticed it makes me have vaginal dryness. I mean who wants that at age 33, I'm not ready for menopause yet! I'm considering switching to something else, I just don't want to have to go through crazy side effects to achieve the same goal. Thanx for creating this website, for now I know I'm not the only one experiencing these side effects.

I have great experience with this pill unlike others. Just like with any pill you can get melasma which is dark spots on your skin. I got few but from my previous pill witch was Yaz (it was terrible; daily headaches, no periods which is normal but kept buying pregnancy tests because of it, terrible breast soreness, vaginal dryness, zero sex drive). With this pill, at the beginning of taking this pill, first few days I felt little nauseous but nothing that bothered me. First month I had some breakthrough bleeding but that was gone after a month. No headaches, slight breast increase which I am not complaining about (it can happen in pills with higher estrogen). No breast soreness, no weight gain, no darkening of the skin so far, sex drive is normal. The only negative, this pill costs $75.

I am 41 year old medical professional. I have been using NuvaRing for 3 years, since my youngest son was born. I have recently developed severe heart palpitations and bigeminy (an irregular heart rhythm which occurs 20 or more times a day). My heart tests are normal. I stopped all allergy and other meds except NR when my heart problems started. I also have constant anxiety and feeling down, moodiness, insomnia with frequent waking during the night, fatigue and constant feeling sleepy, very low libido and vaginal dryness, frequent yeast infections, and skin itching and rash. I am trying to get an IUD but my GYN can't get a good pap smear because my cervix is so friable (bleeds easily) and the blood obscures the cervical cells. I took my ring out today because my friend saw an ad from a lawyer talking about the side effects of Nuvaring and thinks my heart problems are from the ring. I am done. Either my husband can get a vasectomy or it is back to condoms! It's not worth it! Good luck to all of you.

I'm 27 years old and have been married for four months. I've been on the nuvaring for about 2 years straight (i've been on bc for a total of 9 years more on than off). The first year was great despite the weight gain and constant bloating. My partner and I agreed that the pros outweighed the cons. But for the past 4-6 months or so I've been experiencing the following symptoms, all gradual but definitely in effect:

vaginal dryness, itching, yeasty discharge, migraines on the OFF week, nasal dryness, dry eyes/ intolerance to contact lenses, irritability, mood swings, weight gain, brittle hair, short-term memory loss, severe anxiety.

it seems to me that the cons outweigh the one pro that we were defending. pregnancy. i am definitely speaking with my doctor and getting more information on hormone-FREE pregnancy protection.

I have been on the NuvaRing for a little less than 2 years now. Everything seemed fine until four months ago when I started to get very intense "irritations" in my vaginal area. I thought I was inflicting this upon myself because I switched to boy shorts underwear and a little tighter jeans. My ob/gyn attributed my problem to using a new brand of soap and a new brand of pantiliner, and she simply suggested I "soak my bum" in the tub 1-2 times a day to reduce the irritation. (She's British.) She also suggested I use as much A&D diaper rash ointment (which is mainly petroleum jelly) as I wanted or needed. After 2 months of continued vaginal irritation, my ob/gyn simply said that what I had can take a while to clear up, and that I should just continue to soak my bottom and use as much A&D ointment as I needed.

After reading everyone's postings, I've learned that it's not unheard-of for one's body to take several months to show NuvaRing side effects. I share the same symptoms of complete loss of sex drive, vaginal dryness and intense pain during sex that many of you have described. I went through so many months of accepting these conditions because I thought all of those things were happening because I was nearing my 40th birthday and simply getting older. Those of you in your 20's that described similar symptoms helped me realize that what I was experiencing wasn't natural.

I've decided to take my NuvaRing out and stay birth control free for a couple of months to see the irritability goes away. I am very eager and hopeful to lose my dependency on A&D ointment, to want to have sex again, and to wear boy shorts and tight jeans again.

I was injected with Lupron and the shot last for three months. I had the shot in order to stop my periods to increase my blood count for surgery to remove fibroids. The first two weeks, I spent having a very light cycle. I'm 2 1/2 months in and haven't had one since. I have, however, had menstrual cycles and never had them when I had my cycles before Lupron. I have a high tolerance for pain, but I was constantly popping Motrin to deal with the cramps. I experience pressure in my head during the second month, but it has gone away. My sex drive sky rocketed since I've been on the shot, but I have some vaginal dryness. My energy has also decreased since being on the shot and I don't work out like I use to. The three months is almost up so hopefully I can get back to normal once it's over.

ok, so I am 28yrs old just had my second lap for endo and my doctor has recommended lupron, after reading this I am soooooooooo scared to even get near this med. Its like you either take this with the hope of saving fertility and no pain..or not and have endo ravage your body and you will live with unbearable pain!!! I have no idea what to do, my post-op surgery appt is this week, and i am so scared after reading this. Is there anyone that did not have weight gain, headaches etc...anyone that can testify that lupron actually worked for them? Cause right now its my health on the line, my ability to have children, my ability to have a normal life free of endo pain or these crazy, horrible side effects...please help me!!!

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.

I'm experiencing vaginal dryness and I think it may be related to being switched from ortho-tri-cylene to tri-sprintec a few months ago. Also experiencing many of the mood swings and emotional side effects described above. Help. Feel like I'm going crazy and concerned about my relationship.

I had my Mirena for only 2 months. My experience with the Mirena was horrible. I could not hold anything down, I was moody as hell, did not want to have sex at all then if I did the vaginal dryness would not let me enjoy it. I had my Mirena removed today.

I have been on Lupron for almost four years for my endo. I have yet to get my period but have to say that while on the shot I had hot flashes, severe mood swings, and night sweats. All of the symptoms came in cycles and for the most part I felt great. I actually lost weight, and the best part, never got my period (duh). My sex drive fluctuated and I did experience vaginal dryness. I just want to get my period, it's freaking me out that I haven't gotten it over a month after I was supposed to take it last.

Holy Moly...Basically I think all birth control methods suck, especially hormone based ones. Women always bear the brunt of the hideous side effects.
Used rhythm method for years, no problem. Conceived 2 kids when I wanted to. Afterwards, I thought Mirena would be good idea. AWFUL! Stupid thing poked him and me. OUT! Started Nuvaring 2.5 months ago. Sound familiar: Great for first month...I thought. Didn't fall out which was the big thing I had heard about. Now, noticing 1) weight gain despite running, tennis, etc. and following weight watchers. 2) Thin, brittle hair. 3) knee and joint pain which makes exercise hard (thought it was my sneakers) in addition to upper-thigh soreness. 4) IBS symptoms for first time in 38 years! Bloating, diarrhea, gas, etc. 5) trouble staying asleep despite fatigue 6) new level of fatigue 7) vaginal dryness which never had EVER before hormones! 8) increasing disinterest in sex.
So, yup, took it out yesterday after finding this site. NO more hormones for me! Abstinence or condoms, I guess. Geesh.

Let me start by saying WOW ... I've been on AVIANE now for roughly 6 months or more yet have been on Try cyclin and Alesse in the past. I went in expecting to get Alesse, came home to notice it was Aviane (Pharmacist must have switched without saying anything), didn't think anything of it and just started taking the pills (thinking it doesn't hurt to try a new brand, to not let your body get too immune to a certain kind). However I have had nothing but problems and have finally decided to research it more.

For the first few months, if I were to miss a pill i'd spot for the rest of the month (nothing like having your period for 30 days) ... I've gained at least 15 pounds which is ridiculous as I play for 3 indoor soccer teams, bounce on my trampoline daily and can not seem to shed any pounds (only gain).

I'm waking up frequently throughout the night, have had heart palpitations, my hair is thinning, have had more yeast infections in the past 6 months than I've had in my life, etc... Luckily my sex drive hasn't decreased (thank god) but I have noticed its more painful during sex (vaginal dryness) and now reading all these posts things are starting to make A LOT more sense.

Luckily as well i'm able to control the irritability and depression however it does come quite frequently.

OH also not to mention the acne, I wash my face twice daily and seem to be getting acne quite often.

Other symptoms i'm experiencing are:
Dry mouth, no motivation (even to play sports and that's a passion of mine), lack of confidence, bloating, increased hunger, heart palpitations, memory loss, etc...

I'm going to look at switching IMMEDIATELY!!
Thanks girls for all your posts ... helped me figure out what my symptoms were caused from :) Good luck to all you!