NuvaRing and acne

Okay Ladies! I haven't been on BC for 15 years because I didn't want to deal with the side effects or popping a pill, however this little ring I am not so sure of. My side effects are as follows and are due to the ring. I have been on it exactly 2 weeks and 1 day. I have had:

ACNE on the face!!! I have great skin....now I have small acne rashes from ear to ear-forehead to chin! Unbelievable- that start within the first week!
Constant Nausea (mild-not enough to vomit)
Dizziness
cramping
Lack of motivation (yes getting up at 415 to go workout sucks, but I do it and the past few days I haven't wanted to)
Tiredness
Appetite changes....food doesn't interest me.
Some sexual side effects...lack of libo.

I am a healthy 34 yr old sexually active woman- I love working out- there is not a reason I can think of other than this ring for these changes to have started.

Its coming out this afternoon....I should have just stayed off of it!

i have been on the nuvaring for about five years, at the start before i put it in had sever acne and fluid retention, i started on the NR and i did get nausea and breast/nipple tenderness the week i put it in for about three months then i loved it, skin came good and the weight came off. in the last maybe year or two i have been had these problems, anxiety, heart palpitation, diarrhea like IBS symptoms with cramps and pelvic pain, bladder pain, stomach upsets, dizziness and yeast infections continuously, also the total loss of libido like im a dead fish!
i have since decided to go off it, im a week off it now and i have had spotting and some dark brown bleeding, bloated, aching muscles and pelvic area, nausea, and sleeplessness with a raised heart rate at rest. the main problem at the moment is the tiredness, i just cant do anything! im struggling to get out a bed and even when i do i feel lik im falling asleep and my body and limbs are lik rocks..
i hope this doesn't last long its taken over my life!

I've been on the nuvaring since march and it has work pretty good for me. It has cleared up my acne, i just have a few bumps here and there when my cycle is on.it also has my cycle a lot shorter. I have been having pains in my hip and knees to the point where i don't want to do anything but lay in bed all day, it use to been all the time but now it pain only when my cycle comes on and a week or two after it ends. Recently I just started to get real bad migraines,tiredness, nausea and numbness in my legs from time to time. sometimes my legs give out on me. Also i started to itch and i been scratching to the point where i have cuts and its burns when use the bathroom.

Thank you all for sharing your feedback here. Reading this has come as a true relief. I've had the ring almost 2 weeks now, my gyn gave me one after i mentioned i was interested in other options besides the pill. I started the pill almost 3 years ago because my period cramps were so bad. I always use a condom and use the pill as backup in case theres an accident. I hated having to remember it, so she popped in a ring before i could really say OK I GUESS. I was not sold on it because i knew there were different side effects, but she insisted that it was "just like the pill".

Lies.

Today almost broke down crying for no reason in front of all my coworkers. I have been really depressed, to the point where its affecting my work and friendships and i can barely do anything. The first week of the ring i was so tired, i took 3 hour naps in the middle of the day...

I am 24, exercise regularly and take very good care of myself, and from the first day of having the ring i was weary. I have been having so much discharge that i have to wear a liner, the discharge has an odor that's totally embarrassing (i told my gyn and she said there was no way it was the ring, probably an infection, just see if it goes away). I've never ever had a yeast infection...though I bet I will now that I have read everyone elses statements.

I feel disgusting, im so bloated i look pregnant, all i want to do is eat, i have no motivation to exercise which is a real problem as i do races and marathons. I know I have gained weight....weight that I have worked very hard all summer to get rid of...that i have gained in not even 2 weeks...

i have absolutely ZERO sex drive. I never thought I would care about that last one, but I feel like i have become a passionless robot from Brave New World or something. It SUCKS. nothing turns me on. I thought it was my last boyfriend that was the problem, but I'm dating again, and I have no desire. its becoming really sad for me.

i always had a little acne break out on my chin, but i have had a bunch of breakouts nonstop.

thats it in a nutshell. i already told my gyn i want to go back to the pill, because of the discharge alone being enough of a nuisance. she said wait and try it a while. I'm talking to her in the next couple days and insisting a switch back to the pill before i am due for another ring. i cant wait to get the thing out. i don't really think its a good idea to have a plastic thingy shoved up in there anyways.

i wish we didn't have to get all hopped up on hormones that throw our bodies off so much.... :( i hate it.

Wow, it amazes me how many negative reviews this BC (birth control) received after doing a Google search and yet this RING FROM HELL is STILL on the market. And even worse, doctors who are prescribing it are CLUELESS. They don't give you the full extent of the side effects when you ask them about it. And when you don't ask them, they don't even tell you anything!

My first experience with NuvaRing was a positive one, or so I thought. I was on it for about 1 1/2 years, if I remember correctly. It cleared up my skin, made me gain weight (which is actually a good thing, considering I was always so rail-thin), breasts got bigger, didn't affect my sex drive...it basically took care of all the problems I was having before. However, looking back, I do remember gradually losing my mind, having dizzy spells, and depression. I don't remember why exactly I took the ring out, but I think it was because I didn't have insurance anymore to cover it. The experience of going off the ring wasn't too bad at all, from what I can remember.

NOW, just recently, approx. 9 weeks ago, I decided to give this thing a whirl for a second time because I mostly remembered the high points and I was dealing with acne breakouts on my cheeks when I turned 22 (which I never had before). I remembered how well it cleared up my skin last time, when I was dealing with mild teenage acne. Unfortunately, this time around, being on it for roughly 2 months, I didn't have such a great experience. Side effects came on strong immediately, and the worst I've felt. Like this one time, I was getting ready to sleep when suddenly, I felt like my chest was being sat on, like a sensation of heaviness or pressure on my chest and I could not inhale fully. I couldn't catch my breath if that makes sense. It lasted until I finally passed out from sleepiness. It was scary...also; I started to have acne breakouts as well, and developed rash acne AND 2 deep pimples that were large in size. This made me quickly remove the ring on the spot, even though I had just inserted 3 days ago. Other side effects included painful bloating, constipation, very bad cramps, negative mood, low sex drive, vaginal burning and dryness, occasional chest pinch or pressure, and zero motivation.

Also, quick question, has anyone experienced moments of complete stiffness or dazedness or whatever? For example, I remember I was eating a great meal and watching TV with my fiance when suddenly, I just started to slow down in movement. I just put my utensils down and placed my arms on my side, and my vision became out of whack. It went from blurry to clear, blurry to clear and I felt out of it and that something was very wrong with me. Like, I was spacing out hardcore. It was like being catatonic, but not fully. Not sure if this was directly related to the BC, but I've never experienced this before until I was on the NuvaRing...hmmm

Anyway, after taking the ring out about 4 days ago, I have experienced what seems to be yet a second withdrawal period (as well as headaches). And I just ended my "period" last week. Only had the damn ring back in for 3 days?? Now I'm concerned because I've read you can have side effects even while trying to GET OFF the ring? Such as hair loss, unrecovered sex drive, acne, and withdrawal bleeding which lasts for days to weeks. And I was only on the ring this time around for 9 weeks. I will keep you all posted on how long my withdrawal effects take to subside….

This is my personal experience with it and I think that the idea to directly penetrate hormones into our bloodstream with third generation hormones is just too much for us women to handle. Why is it that we women have to suffer through all this? Why don't men create a birth control for THEMSELVES and deal with it! After all, we can't get pregnant without a sperm so men should be on BC, not us! Grrrrrr…Sorry, another withdrawal side effect from getting off the ring (crankiness).

Good luck to all,
L.A.

wow! I have been on NuvaRing since it was introduced in 2001. Previous to that I had only taken the pill (Ortho Tri Cyclen). I have been continually on birth control since 1998 at the age of 14 for acne/cancer prevention and eventually birth control. Because of that I don't really know if I have any side effects like loss of libido or mood swings since it's been 12 years! I am totally disturbed by all that I have read here but I have to say that the Nuvaring has been a completely positive experience for me. It is expensive and getting worse but for my husband and I it is worth the peace of mind of not having to worry about remembering a pill. I also like that it is better for the environment than a pill since it's not introducing hormones into our water supplies!
I'm so sorry to hear of the horrible side effects but it does work for some, our bodies are all very different.

I am 17 years old and have been on NuvaRing for about 5 months. My doctor put me on birth control because i have polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and would not be able to get my periods on my own. I've noticed that ive been much more tired and can sleep longer but that isn't what bothers me. PCOS made me have severe cystic acne but after being on the NuvaRing for a few months my skin is completely clear. Also, I find it convenient not to have to take a pill every day. The side effect that really bothers me is the weight gain. I have gained 10 pounds over the past 5 months and being 5'2 I really can't handle it. None of my clothes fit, my face looks fatter, and I am completely insecure. My boobs went up a cup size which is always a plus, but I really can't deal with the weight gain. I've been on birth control before and it made me gain 10 pounds also, and I was wondering if anyone has seen the weight gain disappear after using the NuvaRing for longer periods of time. If not, I plan on switching to a low-dose birth control this week but if the side effects of weight gain start to go away I would like to stay on the NuvaRing.

I was on Nuvaring twice since the birth of my daughter. First time was for about a year and I was really happy with it in general. I still had a bit of acne but nothing major so I sticked with it.
I then had 6 months with no bc at all and I went back on nuvaring. What a surprise when I had all these nasty side effects!
Extreme fatigue (which I still have on my pil now, so it might just be the bc in general), nightmares, sadness and mood swings, bloating, no sex drive at all, body aches and a lot of PAINFUL cystic acne!! It was much worse than with no bc!! I decided to stick to it for 3 months to see if there would be any enhancement but it went worse and worse!
I stopped it and had another month with no bc where I felt so much better. Now I'm on loestrin24fe and after the first month which was bad it is now almost heaven...

I've been on the Nuvaring for almost a yr to date & could not be more excited to be getting off it next week!!! No sex drive the 3 weeks I'm on it, horrible migraines, sinusitis, upper respiratory infections followed by the excruciating pain of costochondritis, leg pains, neck & back tension, extremely tired all the time, nausea, horrendous cramps, angry mood funks as we call them, bloatedness to the point it appears I'm 5/6mths pregnant, acne returned, weight gain, discharge is out of control & the newest symptom had a yeast infection for a month that just seems impossible to get rid of not to mention attempting sex was very painful. I only switched from the pill b/c of acid reflux and my body not digesting it promptly or correctly but I'm switching back to a diff pill. The only positive things I can think is the irritableness was not not AS extreme as the pill & you don't have to remember to take the pill every day. That's it. I really wish I had discovered this website a year ago as it probably would have changed my decision.

I started taking NuvaRing about two years ago. I really liked it because I didn't have to worry about a daily pill or anything. However, a few weeks into using NR I started getting these sharp headaches in the back of my head. They were so bad that I couldn't hardly get out of bed and I could not put enough pressure on them to go away. These headaches left me to the point that I could not function at all. Also, these headaches would occur the week I would put the NR in. A few months into it I also started to notice that my period started getting really light...and not to gross anyone out but the color started changing to dark brownish instead of like a normal period. All this really started scaring me, so I just quit using it. I mean it helped me with my acne but I think that was it because I gained 5-10 pounds from it as well. But overall, it was a horrible experience.

I last posted here that I started the ring March 6, 2008 that everything was going so far so good with the NuvaRing and its now April 5, 2009 and I'm getting off of the ring in one week and never putting in another one. In the past 6 months I have had no sex drive, few orgasms, a sharp pain underneath my left breast that comes and goes, and a 10 lb weight gain. I'm a 24 year old professional figure skater and should not be going through those side effects. I'm in excellent health and active daily. I have not had any headaches, no nausea, no depression, no fatigue, no acne problems, or spotting. I did not get on the NuvaRing to help my acne nor my periods, I got on the ring because I got into a relationship where I was having sex. I'm still in the relationship and its ruined our sex life. Not to mention I was paying $25 dollars for every ring and now its gone up to $54. I thought it was a smart idea to get on the ring because of the convenience but now I can do without it. Everyone should try the ring once to see how you react to it because EVERYONE is different. I'm just not interested in the aggravation anymore.

Had anyone ever experienced breakouts? I have been on it for less than two months and my face is outta control with pimples. I just took it out a week in a half earlier then I was suppose too. I am done with it.

I really don’t like birth control, and that includes the nuvaring. After my son was born 15 months ago, I was on the depo shot. I did not have horrible side effects, besides having no sex drive. I decided to change to the Nuvaring because a friend recommended it.
I really don’t like it. I still have no sex drive and now it burns, so I feel like I have to force myself to have sex with my husband, which is not fare to him.
I have also had horrible acne. My skin has always been sensitive, but this is ridiculous. The last time I saw my mom she asked why my face was so broken out. That is not something you want to deal with when you are 27 years old.
I also have an extra 10 pounds I can’t shake. I work out 3 to 4 times a week and I eat fairly healthy, but I just can’t shake the weight. I had a few pound I could not shake after the birth of my son. Around the time I started using the nuvaring, I joined a Gym thinking I could loose the weight, but it is just not happening.
I have also found it very uncomfortable. It is constantly falling out and I have to push it back in every time I use the bathroom. I have had problems with irritation and itching and I have problems with bladder control. I have problems with leaking. The week I have it out during my period, the problem goes away. I have not seen anyone else with this problem. Is it just me?
I am also very tired. I had some tests done to make sure everything is ok and they all came back fine. I just figured maybe it is because my son does not always sleep through the night, but even when he does and I have plenty of sleep, I still feel exhausted.
I also feel a change in my mood. Sometimes my son does not sleep through the night and I have no patience with him. I get so frustrated when he cries and I feel like I just can’t handle it. This was not a problem when I was on the Depo shot.
I am still using the ring, but I think I am going to make an appointment to try something else. Not sure what, but there has to be something better. Right?????

Wow! So after reading all of the notes, I don't feel like a nut! I have been extremely exhausted at all times but not able to fall asleep and stay asleep. Then when I do FINALLY fall asleep I wake up about 2-3 times a night drenched in sweat. These "self sauna sessions" I feel have led to a change in my type of acne...my most major breakouts before NR consisted of 1 to 2 pimples (even in my teen years!!) I am now having a constant 5 to 7 pimples on my face at all times, huge, deep, painful ones! On to my emotional state....I am a realistic, down to earth person who NEVER pre NR, broke out in fits of anger or crying. Now, my poor boyfriend just looks at me like an alien has taken over my body....not that I blame him. We will not go into my weight gain, which even though I eat really healthy and go to the gym 5 times a week can not seem to shake!!! So, long story short, I switched to NR back in September of 2008 and have been thinking that I have gone insane since then....today the dang thing is coming out of my body and I am calling my gyno on Monday! OH, the ONE pro of NR is that my severe migraines have stopped occurring....

I have been on the nuvaring since May of 08 to relieve my endometriosis. At first I loved it; less cramping, lighter periods, but then around November I started feeling stressed. Lots of anxiety during the first few days of every cycle to the point it was like I was paranoid. I'm not one to worry about what to do if my husband dies but with the Ring I was getting these feelings. I thought it was stress of work messing with me, maybe some winter blues. When I finally got around to seeing my Dr. he said it could be the ring and I needed to get off of it. He's putting me on the pill and I look forward to seeing if things change.

I've been on nuvaring for 2 years and its the best birth control that I've used so far. The only side effects that I get are occasional hot flashes. I do experience some mood swings, which are "PMS" type mood swings, which have lasted only a few hours right before my period starts.

The hot flashes can be annoying but they are manageable, these happen to me when I have had the one week break from NuvaRing and then insert the new ring, the first day or two, i experience hot flashes.

Other than that, my sex drive has not changed, it is very normal and healthy.

I have been on various birth control pills, in the past, for 6 years. Ive tried "ortho-tri cyclen", which made me feel bloated, moody and depressed. I've also tried "ortho-tri-cylen lo"and it made me feel the same way. I have also tried Triphasil and it caused me to feel depressed, and i experienced bloating.
I do have to say that all of the Birth Control pills were more effective in controlling acne than with the NuvaRing.

I still get quite medium to heavy periods with NuvaRing with some menstrual cramps, however, the cramping does not last very long and it is a lot lighter than when I am not taking any birth control.

Overall, nuvaring is working for me so far. I recommend trying it out and giving it a minimum of 6 months trial before giving up.
Also, I found that taking a break from all birth control methods for about a year, and using other barrier methods (aka condom) have also helped me, as I felt like it gave me a break from synthetic chemicals and my body was able to be "natural" for awhile, I felt that was psychologically and emotionally a good idea for awhile. So if you feel like you are switching and just completely all over the place, I suggest that you might try taking a break for yourself, as a woman, to restore the biological settings and maybe try again with something new after a long period of time.

cheers : )

i am a healthy 21 year old and i really have not had any major problems, as someone said in one of their posts the good outweighs the bad, at least for me. My fiance and I are very sexually active and thanks to Nuvaring we are even more because we don't have to worry about condoms, or any other Birth control. One things i have noticed is that when i am suppose to get my period i get extremely moody and lash out at anything. i know that it happens because of the NR, but i also know when it's coming and how to try to normalize my mood. I was also instructed to use NR differently than most by my gyno. I'm not suppose to take it out until the 1st of the month and right after taking it out i out another in. the reason for this is so that i never get my period. this is done because of my really bad menstrual cycles to the point where i can not get out of bed for a whole week. i have been through a lot worse with my period so to me the NR is a walk in the park. For the first week i had it on i started to feel all the symptoms of a pregnancy (nausea, ovary pain, tiered, moody, emotional, crying) but i was told that is normal and it happens with all birth control. it did go away after about 1 month. with any medication there are side effects and sometimes the side effects are worth the pain and sometimes they aren't. i have not had anything close to some of the things i have read on here. i have never had a UTI with the NR even though that was a mina concern of mine. i have been getting those since i was 4 years old and i'm extremely susceptible to them. as far as acne i have never had such clear skin. not one pimple for a whole year. it's great.... i believe all this great fortune i have had is because of the way that i was instructed to use...

i still love it and hope that i don't get any other side effects now because i have been using it for a year only. hope everyone who is on it stays safe also.

Wow- until I found this website I thought I was losing my mind. I started using Nuvaring about three years ago. I was initially happy because it was the first time in my life that my periods were regular. Over the past two and a half years, I have had the worst acne I could imagine. I've been to dermatologists, discussed it with my gyno and my a estetician. I've been on tetracycline and minocycline(alternating) for three years-neither has really helped! My relationship with my husband is suffering because we have always had an amazing intimacy between us. I can't tolerate the slightest touch to my breasts, I've lost the amazing lust that I had for him. I am always extremely tired and irritated. This is not me! I started believing that I was an unstable person and possible experiencing mental issues. I am nauseated often....
Oh...the weight gain....I don't eat terribly and am an active person. I constantly yet gradually gain weight with out any changes to my diet/activity levels. I have put on 30 lbs over the past 3 years. I am 33 years old.....
my legs cramp at night, my hair is drab and hasn't grown an inch in 6 months. I have a constant yet dull headache, I've even consulted with my doctor about anti-depression meds. I've NEVER had any of these symptoms before. I truly believe that nuvaring is the culprit. I can't believe that I didn't figure this out sooner. Further, I can't believe that my gyno didn't suggest Nuvaring as a potential cause.

My girlfriend and I just got off NuvaRing. The final straw symptoms were an intense burning pain in and around her vagina, extremely low mood, and for me, an itching blotchy rash on the head of my penis.
There were problems with the NuvaRing for her from day one. There was the acne and weight gain, as many people have mentioned, as well as a slight but steady rust-colored discharge. One of the main nuisances of the ring was its tendency to trap semen somewhere in the vagina, only to release it sometimes hours later at incredibly inopportune moments. (Sorry if that's disgusting... Anyone else have that happen though?)
During the second month, the symptoms became worse and more numerous: Pain during and after sex, partly caused by unusual dryness, became a frequent problem. Weight gain and acne increased. And then, in the day or two before we took the ring out, both my penis and her vagina took on a smell which I will describe (somewhat esoterically) as being very similar to that of a good brie after the rind turns orange. In a bad way.
There followed lots of burning and irritation, especially for her, and a general itch which she seemed to have all over her body. She said the pain in her vagina was on par with the worst she'd ever had, coupled with an intense low mood. We became 100% convinced at that point that the ring had to go, and immediately after its removal the symptoms began to slowly subside. It's been less than 24 hours so far, and we're both still calling each other to complain about our genitals, but the bright side is: We're off NuvaRing, the symptoms are subsiding, and we'll never have to go through that again.
As a final note, a message to the women on here who were dumped by their boyfriends because of what NuvaRing did to you: Those guys sound pretty much worthless. Good riddance.

At first, I lost about 10 pounds and was thrilled. Then after about 5 months, I slowly, but steadily started gaining weight. Nothing I do seems to help. I've been on NR for almost a year and have gained almost as much weight as I did when I was pregnant. My diet isn't perfect, but it's not that bad. Plus I work out fairly regularly, but it's like the more I exercise - the fatter I get. I'm having weight issues in areas of my body that have never gained weight previously, even when I would put on a few pounds. Before NR, I never gained weight in my butt and thighs - now they are the biggest they have ever been in my life!

Also, I have gotten the most ridiculous acne. Huge painful pimples that just keep popping up and take forever to heal. My aesthetician told me that my bad skin was the result of my NR, and begged me to talk to my doctor about it.

I'm taking this thing out before I turn into a big bloated scarface. Hope it works out.

I cannot describe how happy I am to have found this webpage. I have been on NR for almost 6 months and have begun to think i am going crazy. I have always been an upbeat person with a lot of energy and a pretty great sex drive. For the past 2 months I have been experiencing severe anxiety to the point where I wake up nervous and have difficulty falling asleep at night. I have chest pain, headaches, loss of appetite, acne (which i thought birth control was supposed to make better), pain in my legs, frequent crying episodes for no reason and absolutely no desire to have sex. I was starting to think I was going a little insane and was wondering what could make me have such anxiety and other symptoms. After reading all of your posts, i realize that it is most likely my NR since I have never had issues like this in the past. I am going to take it out in a few days and see how it goes. Hopefully it is just the drugs and not me going completely insane! I'll let you know how it goes and if anyone else has had these symptoms which have been relieved by taking the NR out, i would love to hear from you!

I started birth control a couple months before I got married. I was on alesse and it made me rapidly gain weight. I went to the gyn and she ranted and raved about NuvaRing. I was excited to get off alesse and that I didn't have to remember to take a pill everyday.
The first month was great. I didn't feel the ring and some weight was starting to come off from the previous bc. I have been on it a total of three months and will no longer continue. I cry at the drop of a dime; I am bloated in my midsection as well as even more weight gain; I have zero sex-drive; When my husband and I do have sex, I am crying because it hurts so bad; I have terrible mood-swings; acne; bad cramps (I never have had cramps before); and not to mention, horrible headaches and even my first migrane!
I thought I was becoming a crazy person and have felt like my husband deserves better than me. Come to find out, that person he married is in there still, but hiding under drugs.
What other birth control has anyone gone on that works since the NuvaRing??

After starting NuvaRing a year ago, my 1st 2 periods were much heavier than usual. Now I go through 2-3 tampons throughout my whole cycle. I've had acne for >10 years, and it wasn't as effective in helping my skin.

Other than that, it's been the greatest thing since the invention of birth control. I take several medications which compete for liver enzymes, such as an anticonvulsant, and am often on antibiotics (related to the acne). Plus, I don't have to worry about an oral contraceptive being less effective. And the sex is great!

Shame on me... I had read similar reviews when I was prescribed NuvaRing a year ago, and thought "Side effects vary among women", but the general consensus seems to be that WE are the majority, not the "occasional" exception.

I have been experiencing many of the same disastrous effects of the Ring for the past 12 months I have been on it. Depression, ZERO SEX DRIVE, headaches, intense mood swings that lead to physical aggression, frequent (nearly daily) uncontrollable crying, anxiety, more vaginal discharge, pain after sex (on the rare occasion that it DOES happen) and overall a poor outlook on life. It's ruining my relationship with a wonderful man, who (bless his heart) is nearly at the end of his rope dealing with me and all the tribulations listed above.

To those of you who thought you were crazy, BEFORE you blame yourself, consider that the Ring may be a contributing factor.

I am 29 and mother of a 5yr old Angel and 5 mth old Ayden. I started the NuvaRing after I had my son. I liked it for the first month, but the second month was not good at all! See, I was hoping to skip periods to avoid the pain that comes from my endometriosis, and PMS which seems I have had all my life! And of course, it came highly recommended from my doctor's office as well. I started to loose weight pretty steadily in the 6 weeks that followed the birth of my son, but all of a sudden the seventh or eighth week my weight remind stagnant and I actually gained 10 pounds since having it out for only 4 weeks! I have been putting on weight in my mid section and tummy area. It has become difficult to loose any weight even with working out, but the worse part has been the drastic mood changes, irritability, problems concentrating, migraines I don't wish upon anybody, acne, leg cramps, bloating, and horrible post partum depression that I think-now that I have read all your side effects that it wasn't the overwhelming feeling of having the now 2 children and having to return to work even after having 12 weeks of maternity leave after my son was born. I am relieved, and happy that I never put in the 3rd months ring. I think the NuvaRing has a lot to do with it all. I have been off the NuvaRing now for about three and a half-going on four weeks and the side effects have only seemed to become worse. It has put a strain on my marriage because my husband doesn't understand whats going on with me and I have refused to take my Lexapro because I am scared of what it may do to me with my hormones and mind all out of wack...I am desperate to find something that will make this STOP. I am not sure what my doctor may recommend, or if I would even take anymore recommendations from them. They must know that this is happening, right? I guess thats a question we should ask our doctors.

I was using every excuse possible for what I have been experiencing. I started NR in May, now it's December, I was scheduled to take it out. Since I started I noticed acne, which I never had even in my teen years. I blamed it on the towels in the gym, stopped using those, then on the sweat from workout... kept trying new acne treatments, but acne magically disappears during the ring out days. I'm not sure if I can call depression, what I felt, it was like I'm never happy with anything and many days in a month my thoughts were very dark, unhappy. I noticed serious decrease in energy, blaming it on 2 children, but my son was a year old when I started NR and I had more energy before with newborn and a toddler daughter. Again I thought, he's so active... I have hard time getting out of bed, sometimes sleep is ok, sometimes no sleep for hours, but this happens to many people. night sweats I was blaming on the blanket, the thinnest one we have(my husband uses 2 at night), I was waking up many days in a month drenched in sweat. No discharge, yeast infection for me, lower sex drive. Even more interesting- I noticed the smell of my partner to be less attractive... Then I read in a magazine that BC messes up with the smell as well. I had horrible headaches, feeling I'm going to pass out< dizzy< especially if I was trying to rush(blamed it on rushing too much). I was growling(like my daughter said) at the kids with the smallest mischief, it's like a little bomb heating up and bursting in my head, I felt rage, not anger, total rage.Life has lost any appeal for me, this is not living, just suffering, I thought all the time. But here I am at home with two little children, hardly ever see friends, always doing work around the house, laundry. Hot flashes during the day are frequent and I feel like I want to tear my clothes off. Recently I started to have a lot of pressure in my chest, like it's hard to breathe. Just last week I almost went to the ER, because I was laying on the couch unable to speak out loud, just whispering, could not move. Then couple of days ago my heart started to ache, it aches now, so last night I looked up the side effects of NR, because I didn't even know where to start with this condition, that has all these symptoms I have been listing. I was planning to go to the doc for all the test. My stomach has been hurting slightly in the last 3-4 weeks(I thought it was food, but no one in our family had any problems). I am 28year old in great shape(I cut back on my food intake to keep th weight the same), I work out 2 times a week and have a very active lifestyle. My relationship with my husband is great, my children are well behaved for their age, So I'm stopping NR before I get divorced like some other women did. If you want to try NR go ahead, it's really convenient, but be aware of all these side effects, so you know, it's not something else, before it's too late.

I started using the NuvaRing about 14 months ago to help with acne, cramping, and PCOS. I have always enjoyed the convenience of the Ring, as has my husband. No worries about a missed pill and the scheduled insertion and removal have always been key for us. The first few months I didn't notice any changes--good or bad--and I had a noticeable decrease in ovarian cysts right away. But over the last several months, I have noticed several changes in my body that I think may be related to the NuvaRing. I have gained 21 pounds since January.

I eat very healthy, and am mild active. However, nothing changed in January to cause such consistent weight gain. I get terrible and painful acne while I have the ring in, but it disappears within days once I remove the ring. While my face clearing up is a relief, I spend days feeling terrible and VERY moody. My poor husband doesn't know how to handle me those days. So now, in place of mood swings from PMS, I get them even worse during my period while the ring is out. I also have a very decreased sex drive, and experience pain from intercourse during and after. I have abdominal cramps most days that are similar to menstrual cramps, and extend into my digestive system, causing nausea and stomach cramping.

I just started Ocella (generic form of Yaz) two days ago, in hopes of decreasing these symptoms. I did warn my husband that he may be doing a lot more condom shopping in the coming weeks if I don't notice improvement. He says he actually welcomes using a condom if it eliminates all of the moodiness and crying over my weight and acne, even if it isn't as pregnancy-proof as BC.

Best of luck to all of you ladies!

After reading this I feel inclined to write. I am a 35 year old mother of 2. I decided to use NuvaRing as my bc after having the morena (sp?) IUD taken out due to weight gain and excessive acne. I was really excited about the ring as pills make me feel pregnant i.e. go to bed early and force myself to eat saltines.
I have in the past 4+ years of being on this drug noticed huge mood swings and definite lowered sex drive. This is suppose to be my sexual prime and man, I feel like a dead fish. I am recently separated and filing for divorce so it is interesting to think that all my husbands comments about my mood, over the years, may have been directly due to the NuvaRing. I thought that he was being insensitive (which he has always been guilty of).
Don't get me wrong...my marriage was abviously not strong enough to withstand such hormonal turmoil especially for this length of time, however, this is all very interesting. I have felt rageful around ovulation time. I cannot keep from yelling. Also prior to my period I am again feeling a little crazy. I had excessive eating and drinking due to depression but some of that could be my unhappy relationship.
I did have leg cramps mostly at night that I did not understand. Nausea seems to hit mostly at night and headaches were something that happened off and on. The fatigue I remember off and on over the years.
I believe that I was one of the first people to try this drug and was very happy with it. I always recommend it to others. I thought it was wonderful. I did go off at one point and remembered why I need regulation...My periods are long, heavy, painful, horrible and irregular.
I am due to put the ring back in tomorrow, however I will be heading down the road of recovery alone, with out my beloved NuvaRing that may have led me astray long ago.

The gynecologist examined me and refused to insert a copper IUD because he said my uterus was too small. After I got dressed, he handed me a FREE SAMPLE of NuvaRing. I said : "But I don't want to use hormonal bc." He said : "This has less hormones and doesn't go through the liver." Well I guessed that was a GOOD thing, which he wanted me to believe of course. The mood swings, serious anxiety, irritability (I would go as far as to say, anger and impulse control problems) and burning vaginal pain during sex seriously affected my relationship with my boyfriend. We may even be broken up now and I blame it partly on NuvaRing and other hormonal bc I took after my 2 months on NuvaRing. I am so sad that I had to go through all that! I wonder how many gifts the doctors get for giving us the prescriptions of bc. Anyone interested in non hormonal bc? There is the cervical cap in many varieties and sizes. It doesn't affect sexual spontaneity because you can insert it several hours before sex and you can have intercourse several times with it on. You can even keep it in for up to 3 days.

I started looking for side effects on the nuvaring after I seen a lawsuit commercial on television today. I am on my third ring and this last time I didn’t even want to put another one in. Lately sex has been painful for me and the other day after my boyfriend and I had sex it fell out! From the beginning I knew I wasn’t going to like it but, I liked the thought of not having to take a pill everyday because I could never remember to take it. After reading all of these I realized that is why I have been having these horrible never-ending headaches. Here are some of the symptoms that I have been having:

Crazy dreams and I never dream
Terrible headaches that won’t go away
Painful sex where the ring is
Abdominal pain (worse than was already)
It falling out after sex
Chest pains
Mood changes (not a lot)
Acne
Boobs hurting (not a lot)
Hair falling out more than usual
Feeling just weird
Extremely tired (may not be nuvaring)
Last period was heavy and my periods are never heavy
Back pain (may not be nuvaring)
Legs hurting (may not be nuvaring)
Swelling of the groin area (I had it before I started using it)

What do you think I should do? If I stop taking it may be awhile before I can go back to the doctor, but I don't want the symptoms to get worse. A lot of the women have said that they eventually lost their sex drive…I don’t want to do that! Will it get better? I have already had problems with my stomach...could it just be that? I need some advice! I don’t want it to get worse.

I went on the NuvaRing after having irregular periods with heavy bleeding which the doctor blamed on mild endometriosis. I didn't have a period the first month I was using the NuvaRing, which I was assured was normal. I continued on the NuvaRing hoping to have a "normal" period the next month. I didn't have a period again the next month either, which could have been a result of the amount of exercise I do and the weight loss from the exercise. I just thought it was my body getting used to the NuvaRing. I then noticed every time I had my nails done (I have acrylic nails and have for years) I would have an allergic reaction. My hands would swell and itch for two days after getting my nails done and then a week or two later, all the skin around my nails would peel off. I didn't have a period that lasted more than a day for the third and fourth month I was on the NuvaRing. Then, I started to get to the point that I was so tired all the time. I had no energy. All I wanted to do was sleep. I was so moody, all I wanted to do was sleep and cry. The allergic reaction with my nails was getting worse every time I went in for my appointment. I then started gaining weight, no matter how much I was exercising. I also noticed I had no sex drive whatsoever and it seemed I had lost a lot of breast tissue. My cup size went down and I looked like a boy, not to mention feeling like one because I hadn't had a real period and I had no desire to do anything sexual whatsoever. I went to my doctor for a check up and asked her to run blood tests to see if I had a thyroid problem or Cushings disease. I also had horrible acne, on my face, back and shoulders. All my blood work came back normal and when the doctor questioned me about what had happened leading up to all of these symptoms and the only thing that was different was the NuvaRing. My doctor said many people cannot tolerate the hormones in NuvaRing and suggested I go off of it and see what happened. After being off the NuvaRing for a few weeks, I had a period that lasted three days. I felt like a girl! I noticed I wasn't as tired after about six weeks and after eight weeks, I had another period and actually had cramps for the first time in five months. I also stopped having the allergic reactions after getting my nails done, but that took two months to happen because it took that long to get all the stuff out of my body. I am certain the NuvaRing was the culprit of my severe tiredness and moods, the lack of periods, loss of breast tissue and acne as well as the weight gain and allergic reactions. I will never use the stuff again! I went back to my OBGYN after I stopped using the NuvaRing and told her what had happened. She wasn't alarmed at all and that worried me because she just kept trying to get me to take another form of BC and didn't seem to care how the NuvaRing had caused so many problems. I am not taking any BC and that is fine because I am not involved with anyone. I feel normal again, finally after three months. I think the NuvaRing is not such a good thing.

I'm so glad that I have read all of these. The last 3 days have been horrible. This is my second month using the NuvaRing. I put the 2nd ring in on Monday night and I starting throwing up Tuesday night and haven’t stopped. I can’t hold anything down (not even water). I drove to work on Wednesday morning, while throwing up and literally falling asleep at the wheel. I couldn’t see anything, my vision was awful. I had lost feeling in my arm earlier that day. I took an early lunch yesterday and fell asleep in my car. I fell asleep at my desk and couldn’t see my computer screen. I thought I was dying. A few girls looked up this website and told me to immediately take the ring out after lunch. I had become so dehydrated and weak I left work early and went to the doctor. The Doctor immediately referred me to ER. I have a horrible infection that has gone through my body. I am on strong antibiotics to get better.
Now that I read all of these stories; I realized that I have been extremely tired for the past month and would fall asleep anywhere all the time. Like mentioned from the other girl below it was like I was in a coma. I have lost all my energy. Others have noticed a change in my attitude. I’m usually really hyper and now I’m very quiet. This ring could have wrecked my new relationship. (He noticed my attitude change and that I couldn’t even stay awake to watch a movie) I had a rash on my forearm a few weeks ago that freaked me out. I started getting acne on my face and dark spots on my cheek. And now that I think about it I have thrown up many times in the past month for no apparent reason.
Now that I have read all of these and have went through this horrible experience; I have a much better understanding and will never use the ring again. I feel bad for the girls that are going through this horrible experience now and in the future.

I have been on nuvaring for about 2 weeks now. I am constantly tired. I never have the energy to do anything. My acne has gotten substantially worse and im very moody. I have been noticing that i cry over the most ridiculous things. The first couple days that i had nuvaring in i was throwing up. i just thought that i had the flu but now reading some of these responses i believe that its from the ring. Its really hard to me to concentrate at school because of the massive amount of headaches that i get throughout the day. I was excited that they came out with something like this because i am really bad at remembering to take a pill everyday, now I am contemplating whether i should stay on it or not.

I forgot to mention the following side effects I've also been experiencing: acne, achy muscles, and excessive discharge.

I have been struggling with depression for the last 20 years (I am now 34), but this year has been my best ever. I have a great job, a fabulous therapist, am graduating in the spring, am blessed with wonderful friends and am realistically happy in my life. Then, within hours of inserting the NuvaRing, I became incredibly anxious and have remained depressed after two weeks. My skin has been an absolute disaster zone also, especially concerning black and white heads around my chin area. Has anyone else experienced acne? Has the acne that comes as a probable result of the hormones in NuvaRing gone away after a period of time? I have read many reports here from those who experienced remarkably similar episodes of depression, and I thank you; my heart goes out to you.

I'm 26 and i decided to go back on birth control after being off the pill for about 7 months, and i heard that the nuvaring was amazing. well im three weeks into it and i have the worst acne i have ever experienced in my life, my face, neck, back.... and I am extremely clean with my skin. I am also experiencing intense anxiety attacks about the smallest things. My sex drive is the same and wetness factor is not an issue, no redness or irritation or discomfort. I noticed my breasts are a lot fuller which isn't a bad thing. But despite that, I pulled it out today frustrated by the extreme acne and overall general mood, I am feeling like I am struggling to be happy and I have never had depression issues in the past. I just want to be myself again and not feel self conscious from acne covering my body. condoms seem like the best alternative to me at this point.

I am 25 years old. A mother of 2, and i have now been on the NuvaRing for 5 years. I got on the NuvaRing the day of my postpartum check up after i had my second child.. I loved the NuvaRing at first thought it was the best thing in the entire world, hell all you had to do was put it in leave it for 21 days days leave it out for 7. Go on your period and other then that everything was great. About 2 months into using the Nuvaring i started having HORRIBLE HEADACHES that would last 3-5 days at a time without letting up. I could not stand to be around noise, light or anything that had a strong smell or it would get my head pounding to where i just could not take it anymore. So i called my doctor and told him about the horrible headaches that i have had. Explained to him that before a bad headache would come on i would have this horrible burning sensation in my head that would make you want to die.. And the doctor told me just hang in there and give the Ring time to work, so i did and then as time went on i started having other side effects along with the headaches.. Such as BAD ACNE that scars after clearing up which has made my completion not so good. Breakouts on arms, back ,chest. So i got some neutrogena soap to help with that and it has worked.. But then i got more side effects such as BREAK THREW BLEEDING right after my period was suppose to be over and after intercourse.. Then i totally HAD NO SEX DRIVE which caused lots of problems in my marriage cause my husband began to think i wasn't sexually attracted to him anymore.. And i began to think that also. Cause i had lost my sex drive didn't want to do it, the thought of it made me cringe. After being on the NuvaRing after so long you began to develop this THICK DISCHARGE that is annoying then as time goes on you get another type of discharge that is thin WATERY DISCHARGE that is aggravating cause it almost feels as if you have peed your pants a bit almost feels like a yeast infection with out the smell. Which brings me to my next awful side effect which is the Yeast INFECTIONS and the number of UTI's i have had while being on the NuvaRing never had a UTI or a yeast infection before the nuvaring. Not having a sex drive because you cant because intercourse is too PAINFUL sex it hurts like FRICTION and STABBING because of the DRYNESS the Nuva Ring causes. So i called the doctor he told me that i would have dryness at first and to just use lube so i tried that. Didn't work still had pain from the dryness so i called the doctor again and told him about the pain so he wrote me a prescription for a numbing jelly that you use right before intercourse and that was suppose to help with the pain.But that didn't work either just made everything numb till where you couldn't feel rather anything was out or in so i quit using that and hoped to god that my body would adjust to the Nuvaring. Still today after intercourse it causes STOMACH CRAMPS similar to the ones when your on your menstrual cycle,and PRESSURE similar to the pressure you have when your 8-9 months pregnant. Going to the bathroom after intercourse is a total NIGHTMARE i have had times it has burned so bad that i have pinched my stomach as i peed to take some of the PAIN AND BURNING away.Dont always work! Another side effect that i have had is DEPRESSION i have noticed that i have been unhappy and just got to where a lot of times i don't care about things that matter to me because i don't feel that i have the energy to do so.. I also have ANXIETY ATTACKS which i have never had until i got on this NuvaRing. CHEST PAINS that i thought the first time i was having a heart attack it hurt so bad. I had to take little breaths to breathe which would then lead into a PANIC ATTACK cause i felt like i was unable to breathe like i am suppose to.. So yet again called the doctor who told me that i need to be on prozac to handle this. Never got on the prozac just delt with it hoping that it was just a little side effect and that my body would adjust to the NuvaRing, but guess what NO never did.. Another side effect that i always hate is getting SICK AND THROWING UP caused by a medication, guess what i still have this after 5 years i get to cramping so bad and headaches tied onto being MISERABLE and BLOATING and DIARRHEA and DRY MOUTH so bad that you cant stand it seems no matter what you drink to get rid of dry mouth nothing can quench your thirst and this is all hours of the day. So i would take Midol which would only help for a few hours and then i was right back to square one with the B.S caused by the NuvaRing. So i call the doctor and get told "well you will have that." the side effects will be less obvious the longer your on the NuvaRing." So stupid me stays on the NuvaRing hoping this is true! Which i have found out is not. The only good thing that i have noticed is the NuvaRing is easy to use and you don't have to remember take a pill everyday! I never had any weight gain or loss while on this dang thing. Pretty well maintained the same weight as i have always been. I have tried to get off the ring several times, but always get back on it, Because while the ring is out for 7 days i am miserable mostly with a headache that last 3-5 days untop of the TERRIBLE MOOD SWINGS that i get. i truly think that my body has been on this hormone so long that i have HORMONAL WITHDRAWALS when i don't have the ring in. Cause i am fine after the ring is inserted again. People can say what they want and say that this is a issue and that they haven't had problems and that is understandable and different people adjust to hormones in different ways but the time that i have my ring out i always get my sex drive back 1-2 days before i start my period. I am not asking anyone to believe me about any of this and if the ring works for you then great, i thought that it was going to work for me also but it didn't. . I have taken the nuvaring out this last past Sunday and have no intentions on putting another ring back in.. Yet again i have had 3 days of a SEVERE HEADACHES some thing that i believe is HOT FLASHES or NIGHT SWEATS,BLOATING,DEPRESSION,CHEST PAINS,ANXIETY ATTACKS,YEAST INFECTIONS, and BAD MOOD SWINGS and i am hoping that all this will pass and my body will go back to the way it was before the NuvaRing came along... I would not suggest anyone to get this as a form of birth control i would actually tell then that the pill is better off to have in the long run.. This has caused me nothing but a miserable life that i have tried to deal with and i am just not going to do it anymore. I hope to see in the near future the NuvaRing go off the markets and not able to sale anymore.. The only reason that i was put on the nuvaring is because my doctor had a hard time finding a birth control method that my body would accept I was on Ortho- Tri- Cyclin and got pregnant and had a girl... My postpartum check up with her i was given the Orthra- Evra patch and i got pregnant with my son. Tried IUD and my body rejected it. So the doctor says" lets try this new birth control"you insert yourself leave in for 21 days leave out for 7 and have your period," the longer your on this NuvaRing the lighter your period will become and the side effects which aren't many will fade also.". "So how bout it." Well i thought this NuvaRing was a dream come true, BUT IT WAS A NIGHTMARE WAITING TO HAPPEN..

I was just wondering if anybody who has STOPPED using the nuvaring got acne? The only good thing about using the ring is how clear my skin is. Also...If they had period problems...I read that when you come off birth control your body has to "remember" how to work naturally again because it's used to having the birth control tell it what to do. I have been on the ring for 5 years now and I am actually scared to stop using it. I have experienced every side effect there is and I really want to stop but..will it get better?

I cannot disagree with these negative postings more. I absolutely love the nuvaring. I have not gained any weight...of course I diet & exercise about 5 days a week....do those of you who have experienced weight gain exercise regularly? I have also had an INCREASE in my sex drive...I have been with my fiance for 5 years, and for the past 3 of those, I have had no sex drive whatsoever. I got on the ring & bam, it's there with a vengence...the only problem with that is that we're getting married in 2 weeks & I wanted to make it special & stop having sex a couple of months before the wedding...but I just can't get enough of it. I have dealt with depression & anxiety my entire 27 years of life, so if the nuvaring is causing that...it's not any worse than normal. The only side effects I've had is the discharge, (which yes, is very annoying) and tender breasts...but I can deal with that. Although I have noticed that I cry a bit easier...but I was always a crier as well. I cry when I'm mad, sad, happy...always have, so nope...guess that's not from the ring either. ALL birth control effects everyone differently. I'm not saying this for everyone, but sometimes a lot of people like to blame certain actions & physical changes on something & maybe this is the case...for some people. I've been on the pill before & I always got off it b/c of weight gain....well, it was b/c I wasn't eating properly or exercising. I liked to blame my mood swings on the pill as well, but once I thought about it, I still had those before & after taking the pill. The only reason I quit the pill was b/c it did give me acne. Anyway, just my thoughts....& I wanted to post something positive for the ring.

Oh my HELL!

Here's my story...

Well, first of all I am SO happy to read all of these posts.

I have been on the NuvaRing for about 8 months now... At first, it was GREAT! I had no side effects, I could maintain my weight, even my skin cleared up... But I don't know what all the sudden triggered it but here goes the list...

Nausea
Heartburn
Diarrhea
Headaches
DIZZINESS - and this is scary people, especially for someone like me who's never experienced anything like it
light sensitivity
ANXIETY - this also freaked me out... I'm a singer, I do all kinds of stuff on stage, but I'm SCARED!? all the sudden??? this makes no sense!!!
loss of sex drive
mood swings
fatigue
dry mouth
sore joints
acne worse than when i was 18

And the thing is, it worked, WELL, for a long time. But now, I'm convinced. The NuvaRing is Satan... even if it seems to work in the beginning... don't be fooled... I won't use hormones ever again. Ever.

I'm going to be fitted for a diaphragm and that's that. I can't wait.

Thanks for all the support!

I put in the the Nuvaring and within the first 4 hours I started to have a terrible headache. I called my Doctor who said to keep on with it, it was probably not related to the NuvaRing. I continued to keep the ring in. By the second day, I became very nauseas. By the 4th day, the most horrible pitting acne began. I stuck it out for 2 weeks, then yank it out. It has been out for 4 weeks, and I am still struggling with headaches,nausea,and skin problems. Also, waiting for a period as well. I would not recommend the ring to anyone it was horrible. Now, I keep taking pregnancy tests in fear that I am pregnant, since I have not had a period yet. My breasts are still so sore I can barely touch them. Tests are all negative. I'm still waiting for the hormones to flush out of my system.

I went on the ring a couple of years ago.I never had a problem with feeling it inside me or falling out. My boyfriend cant detect it either. It is convenient and easy to use. Around the same time of starting the Ring, I felt like I was starting to lose myself and sense of personality. I have experiences almost all of the above symptoms: major depression, acute anxiety, sleeplessness, weight gain, acne, fatigue, loss of sex drive, and now I'm learning that NuvaRing is linked to 12 deaths. Blood clots. Scary stuff. I am getting off this thing strait away and hopefully I can rediscover myself and my health. I guess I'm lucky my boyfriend stuck with me thru this. It can only get better from here....

Oh man, the NuvaRing is the devil! I just realized it caused me to gain about 20 lbs., be really depressed (while on Prozac even!), and made me have even worse acne than when I was 16! I've been on it for almost 2 years and I just took it out... for good! Thanks to this website I realized I wasn't crazy! I'm pretty pissed because it had so much potential. Oh well.

Glad to hear I'm not alone. After being off birth control for three months (to regulate my cycle after missing pills, etc), my doc started me on NuvaRing since I had trouble remembering to take the pill. I noticed that since I've had the ring in (1.5 months), I have been the Grouch. Moody, excessively whiny, and a very bleak outlook - despite a very pleasant and fortunate future ahead of me. My boss noticed it at work and I have since noticed, after taking a step back to evaluate, that I have been utterly irrational, to the point of b**chy.

Over the last week, I've noticed that the second ring that I put in has been sliding out. Not all the way out - but to the point of where it's uncomfortable and slightly painful - almost as if my body won't accept it and is, in way, trying to purge it from my body. Sorry to be graphic, but has this happened to anyone else?

I took it out yesterday and am experiencing major discomfort (dryness?) and UTI like symptoms. The nurse practioner gave me two new NuvaRing's to try. However, after reading this page, I'm questioning whether I should just buck up and force myself to remember to take the pill everyday.

Other side-effects include increased acne (when I was on the pill I noticed decreased acne - not increased!).

Thanks for your posts - very insightful.

I've decided to go off NuvaRing because I don't want to be on birth control if I don't have to be (no longer with the man I was dating). I decided to see if there were any side effects to coming off of the ring and after reading these comments SO MANY THINGS MAKE SENSE!

I've only been on it for two months, but I have been a lot more emotional and depressed. I get bouts of depression here and there and since I'm a college student I figure it's been stress, but it's been WORSE than normal! I cry ten times more often and I HAVE NO SEX DRIVE anymore. I literally have not had any desire to have sex as of lately. Also, I've been getting acne which I rarely do--only a zit here or there when I'm about to get my period.

After reading these comments, when I go back on birth control, I'm definitely thinking twice about going back to the ring.

I just took out the first ring. For the first week, I felt like I could rip someones head off. The second week, I had terrible acne. The third week, I had trouble having an orgasm. I think I am going to try it one more month and that is it for me and the ring. I swear I have never felt rage like I did the first week I had it in. It is convenient, but I really don't want to hurt anybody!

I have been on Nuvaring for almost 4 years and the pill for 6 years prior. I am 25 and now for the past 5 months not on any form of BC. I am having serious acne problems and my period has only come once in the past 5 months. I am wondering if anyone else is or has experienced coming off of Nuvaring and what I can expect and is there something I can take to get me back to normal. Thanks

I have been on BC for almost 10 years, I am 24, and decided to stop taking BC this past December. Since then I have noticed that my acne is getting worse and worse. I am losing weight, finally which I couldn't on the pill. But I have only had 2 periods in the past 5 months. I am wondering when my cycle will be normal?

Hey all,
I am meant to be starting the Nuvaring on Sunday. I was on Ortho Lo for about a year but gained significant weight on it and could not take the bloating so my Dr. switched me to Yasmin last month. I have been an emotional mess all month so we have decided to try another delivery method, the ring now and see if side effects are less for me. I am scared though in case I gain even more weight or have another month of depression. Has anyone had positive experiences switching?

I have been on the 4 months going on 5. i may have gained a little weight but just water weight. My skin has cleared up and i am not getting the PMS breakouts anymore. I just turned 29 and still get acne so anything that helps is welcome. however i have been noticing slight headaches here and there. i typically don't get headaches and from what i have read on these blogs the ring may be to blame...other than slight weight gain and a headache or two it's been good using the ring. i also don't get ravenously hungry before my period anymore which is a blessing, i would eat anything and a lot of it-lol! i am going to be paying more attention though, and come to think of it i have noticed been tired and i workout a lot so i usually have tons of energy. tough call, i guess every birth control method has draw backs.