Vaginal ring symptoms and conditions

I get very sick when I get my period, they are long and heavy, and I have digestion problems and intense stomach pains for at least 1-2 weeks before and the week of. These symptoms disappeared for a while when I was on Apri (desogen) but after a few months, they came back, and on top of it, I became severely depressed and had such bad stomach pains, I went to the emergency room (and you pretty much have to drag me to hospitals).

This last period was so bad though that I finally decided to take the sample pack of Loestrin that my doctor gave me a month or two ago. Just a day after I started taking it, my period ended and the pain and bloating was gone. This is day 6 and I'm fine so far. On Ortho Tri-Cyclen (my first pill) I had bad side effects the first few days and gained ten pounds in two weeks.

I'm glad these forums exist, because they helped me realize that all of the depression (including suicidal thoughts), stomach pain, hair loss, etc. etc. were side effects of desogen. All of those things that contributed to the worst summer of my life disappeared as soon as I stopped taking it.

On the other hand, I have to point out that there is no "good" pill or "bad" pill. The side effects will be different for everyone. Some women need more estrogen, some need less. Some need fluctuating amounts of hormones and some need the same dosage all month. Unfortunately the only way to figure out what is right for you is to try them, note your reactions, and research the differences between pills. I realized quickly that I needed a low, stable dose of estrogen, which led me to try Loestrin. Not saying things can't go wrong from here, but now I am aware that if I fall into some depression, anxiety, weight gain, or other weird side effects, it *may* be caused by the pill I'm taking.

Is the pill worth it? Again, answers will vary depending on your lifestyle. Are your periods manageable or do they cause you not to be able to get out of bed in the morning? Are they consistent or are you praying you're no pregnant every month? Are condoms working for you or aren't they, and is the 2% chance of still becoming pregnant worth the risk?

While I've had bad experiences with some pills, I'm just grateful for this BC option in general. Until they figure out how to make birth control pills for men (pshh.. that'll be the day) then it's up to us to research and maek the best decisions for ourselves.

I am 35 years old and LOVE my Mirena. I have NEVER felt better. All these "side effects" sound so crazy to me. I know 10 women who use this product and not one of the complain about anything. They all love it. Its their word of mouth that inspired me to look into it. I have had mine since March 06. I fear for all of you who are having "side effects" that you might be blaming this product, and ignoring that there can be some thing other than the IUD causing your problems. All of these comments are hell bent on blaming Mirena. I'm not saying that its not causing any of these side effects with some of you, but for some, I am wondering if your too busy blaming it, then finding out if there is really something else wrong. I didn't think it hurt that bad at the insertion, a little crampy, but nothing we as women couldn't handle. After I saw this site, I literally contacted the women that I know use it and they all were shocked that people were having such a hard time with it. You would think 1 out of us 10 would have something to say if there was a problem. The only thing in common that we all have is that we went to the same Dr. So maybe that could be an issue with some of you. I didnt bleed for weeks or months. And the pill NEVER could regulate me . Within 3-6 months I had a 90% decrease in my periods ( just like this product states it would do) i had used the vaginal ring before this and that caused some moodiness and was a bit odd during sex, But Mirena has made me feel free, not moody, no pain, no period, I have a strong sex drive ( mainly because I no longer have the worries such as did I remember my pill? Is the ring still in place or did it fall out?) My boyfriend never feels it or the strings ( and I have a short cervical neck!) Nor have I heard such things from my friends and family who do use it. I think if I was having some problems and stumbled across this website I would panic and blame Mirena as well. But in my opinion all these symptoms are things we as women will have happen due to stress, age or routine ob/gyn issues. i actually read in one of these comments someone asking about a lawsuit.... Are you kidding me??? If I were all you with these problems I would seriously check with your doctors and make sure there is nothing else causing your issues...Don't just blame a product with out making sure you know everything thats going on within your own body. I wouldn't take that chance but I am not the one with any problems. I'm sure this method isn't for everyone but my point is that I hope you don't overlook a more serious or undetected problem. good luck to all.

Wow! I cant believe other women have had these same symptoms, I started the NuvaRing about three months ago after I lost a baby very early in gestation, I swore I would never have to go through that again, so my doctor put me on the NR and I couldn't tell If I was still hormonal from the pregnancy or if it was the ring, But Im a wreck! Im so mean and hateful to my husband pretty much mean to everyone, I feel like this big mean lady walking around, and thats not me not at all I have crazy dreams, horrible anxiety, panic attacks and PMS from HELL. I have never been on birth control before so I have nothing to compare it to. But after reading this.Im really considering taking it out so I can be myself again.

Yaz was my first birth control pill. I have been taking Yaz for the past 2 weeks and I just started my third week. The first week was Ok but I started feeling some side effects since last week: occasional cramping, often feel like throwing up, feeling down, and feeling moody. I called my obgyn and she asked that I try to cope up with the side effects for a month. She said I could take Tylenol for the cramps. If it becomes unbearable she is going to have me switch to the vaginal ring.

I am going to give it a month but if the symptoms don't go away I am going to switch to something else..

so far i'm loving it. this is week 5 (my dr told me to change every 3 weeks to prevent endimitriosis so i'm not getting a period). Last week, however, i started getting the most AMAZING leg cramps. I'm just wondering if this is a side effect of the nuva ring or just really bad dehydration (i was in the carribbean working for the past 2 weeks). Any information you have on leg cramps related to nuva ring usage would be greatly appreciated.