I have been on the Nuvaring for 8 months, and I finally got to th...

I have been on the Nuvaring for 8 months, and I finally got to the end of my rope tonight and removed it forever. The biggest problem for me was the loss of sex drive. I didn't realy attribute it to the ring at first, but I now have almost no sex drive whatsoever. I almost loathe having sex with my boyfriend - I feel like it's a chore. When I do feel like I'm in th emood, my body sort of betrays me; I can't lubricate myself very well, and once we get started, I don't really feel "into it." The other problems I hadn't really even considered were side effects of the ring, but here are some other things that have been bothering my life within the past 8 months: swollen breasts, intense lower back pain, total loss of energy. Much like the woman who posted before me, I used to be very physically active - I was running 15-20 miles a week, and since I started the ring, I have felt very lethargic. Running and exercise used to be a huge part of my life, and now I get to the gym once a week if at all and then I'm there, I don't feel the same energy I once had... The lower back pain was indescribable. It was so terrible at one point that I had to take off work for two days because it kept me awake at night crying in pain. I practically lived with a heating pad on my back for two weeks because it was so terrible. When I went to the doctor, he found it strange that I couldn't attribute the pain to a particiular incident... I wonder now if it was a result of the ring. But, as I said, I threw the towel in, so to speak, on the ring, mainly so my boyfriend and I can get back to a normal sex life. I will update in a few weeks when the hormones have worn off.