NuvaRing and birth control

I started NuvaRing last week, it had been years since I've used a hormone birth control method, but now, as a recent single decide it was time to start again to be on the safe side. The nurse, a user herself, encouraged me to ask the doctor about it, and I was really excited about the prospect of not having to remember a pill every night. That night, after inserting the NR I experienced a migraine, and I typically get headaches, but not migraines. I think I've had 2 in my life. The very next day, I'm nauseated, and yet strangely hungry. I'm not pregnant! I have also had a tingling in my right toe, and nightmares that keep me awake all night. I thought it was the stress, but after reading about some others who experienced the same side effects I'm relieved that I'm not losing my mind, but seriously reconsidering the NR.

I just started the NuvaRing about two weeks ago and have since have had severe headaches, and stomach cramps.. I haven't been on birth control for about 6 months but even when I started to pill I didn't get headaches. Also today I started bleeding and I put the ring in that Sunday after I started my period (which was done by that day) I've never had bleeding between my periods on the pill or when I wasn't on any BC. Anyone else have this happen to them? I do feel a little down but I figured that might be because I've been working overnight the past week and last time I went on overnights this happened to me too. I don't think I want to take any more risks with this thing. I didn't have the dryness or lack of sex drive, but I don't want to get to that point either. Thanks ladies.

I just started the Nuvaring YESTERDAY after being off of all birth control for about 6 months. Within a couple hours of putting it in, I was anxious, had abdominal pain, tingling in my foot/leg, dryness. I couldn't tell if I was just paranoid about having side effects or not, but I'm sure it was directly related. I took it out, felt better... tried it again hours later and symptoms came back shortly after. Tried finding info online and came across this site.. I just took it out for good and will be switching back to the pill. It's too new, not enough is known about side effects and it seems like blood clots and heart attacks are fairly common with this form of BC.

I have been on b/c for about 7 years. 6 o those years was on a low dose pill and this last year I have been on the ring. I have experienced a steady annual weight gain despite a relatively active lifestyle. I would estimate I have gained a total of 15 pounds since beginning bc. I have an average of two migraines a month which I initially thought were sinus headaches and were later diagnosed as migraines, I have been able to track them to specific times in the month, which indicates that it is directly related to the hormones. I have experienced a significant decrease in my sex drive, and since switching to the ring I have had issues with vaginal dryness and pain following sex. My periods are light, cramping is very mild and it is a very effective method of birth control. However, I am at a point where I just don't feel that the side effects are worth the advantage. As a married woman with no children, my husband and I are seriously considering an alternate form on bc. Does anyone have any recommendations of success with non hormone birth control?

Hi all I am so relieved to find out that I am not completely crazy. My main problem is absolute no sex drive and my breasts go mental at the slightest touch. having sex is so painful and like the rest of you have had to use lube. It has got so bad I was dreading having sex because of the horrible burning sensation and dryness. Also I have been on an emotional roller coaster with the last 3 months since I started using it.

I think its the end of birth control for me i am 26 and I have tried the pill, and implanon and both caused be to have irregular heavy periods like every second week. was completely worn out. I thought nuvaring was finally the answer because my periods went back to normal but thats the only good thing about it!!

there are 25 pages here! i am shocked, i've been a nuvaring user for a few years now.. (i'm 20) i didn't know about the decreased sex drive but mine is non-existent! what's the point in taking birth control when you barely have sex? i know it sounds backwards but i'm going to stop taking nuvaring and see if my sex drive comes back, and then if i start having more sex, i'm going to pick a different type of BC. (i'm with a steady partner and we use condoms anyway)

i'm started to get scared of these hormones, though..

I have been on birth control for 11 years, never having any severe problems. I had a baby 3 years ago and was taking Yaz. With being on Yaz I had a migraine about every 3 months. My Dr. suggested me trying the NuvaRing. I was on it for 2 months and my bleeding was uncontrollable. During the time of switching bc, my grandmother got really sick and I lost my job. I was concerned about the heavy bleeding and clotting and questioned my dr. and they just told me to hold on for another month or so, it was probably from the stress. I changed from the NR to Seasonique, still the bleeding was uncontrollable. I never had menses like this in my life. Going back to the dr. I had a pelvic examine and they just gave me provera to help stop the bleeding. Well it worked for a week and then here we go again! After about 4-5 months of this cycle I decided to stop taking any bc and let my body try to get back to normal. About a month later I started hemoraging and had to go to the er. They kept me for 2 days and found that I have a fibroid on my uterus. I also had to get a blood transfusion. The fibroid is pushing on my uterus causing my uterus to be double in size. WTH? Where did this come from? I am now having to take the Lupron shot to help shrink the fibroid and hopefully in 3 months I can have it removed. I can only blame this on the NR. I NEVER had problems like this before. It is truly discouraging. I advise anyone thinking about the NR to clearly STAY AWAY!!! I know have several medical bills all from trying to stay away from migraines. I can deal with those much easier than what I have been thru.

I wish I would have come across this site long ago. I have been on NR for about 6 months now and will be calling my doctor first thing in the morning to swtich back to my trusty old birth control pills. I have had no desire for sex at all, headaches, and heavy discharge. My husband says his only chance at sex is right after my period is over, which makes sense now because those hormones from the NR aren't in my system for those few days. I've been moody and depressed and just not feeling like myself. My doctor put me on anxiety medication, which I'm not very interested in taking long term, so I'm hoping that once I stop using the NR I can get off the other stuff too. I'm 34 so my doc doesn't want me on the pill anymore, buy due to endometriosis and ovarian cyst issues I have to be on some type of hormonal BC. I guess I better start looking into some other options. Does anyone have any suggestions?

I'm glad I found this site. I have a history of migraines so I never thought it could be the Nuvaring. I got on it in Nov 07 and I just realized I experienced a loooottt of the symptoms. Headaches that turn to migraines, suddenly crying even listening to a song on the radio, I get hot and sweaty at night and feel cold at the slightest feel of air conditioning., mood swings, scattered thoughts, lower sex drive, no desire to socialize. weight gain in 10 months I've gained 11 lbs. I welcome it actually cuz I've been 110 for like 8 years. now I am a whopping 121 pounds. I have curves now, I love it

The perks: my breast went from a b to a nice c love it. the ease and clock work of my period. That's about it

I had a migraine so bad I couldn't keep my eyes open, I took the ring out immediately and within hours I felt relieved. I've spoken to my doctor about other forms of birth control and after all my research Nuvaring is actually still the top choice. We all know these BC's have side effects. How can they not. After all the craziness I have read about Ortho, Depo, Yasmin, Yaz, I see only one option. Get off the pills completely be back to my old self I used to be fun and get my boyfriend to wear condoms.

In theory, this sounds like an excellent choice for birth control; no pill to take every day, no carrying it around in your purse, etc.. I started NR two weeks ago and have literally turned into a monster in front of everyone's' eyes. Not only did I have an AWFUL headache for the first few days but I've also gained weight, have had HORRIBLE cramping and have had a strange spotting for a little over a week now. I took the ring out tonight and plan to go back to on the patch right away as these side effects aren't worth it.

I am in my third week of using the nuvaring and after reading everyone's comments, I am relieved that I am not alone. I have absolutely no sex drive (it has hurt like a b*tch the TWO times I've felt like trying), have had headaches, cramping, am constantly yawning (but sleeping terribly), spotted for over 2 weeks, and have zits like mini-volcanoes where I've never had them before! Even using lubricant stung like the dickens. My poor husband has been doing tons of research to find out why I've been feeling this way. Apparently these lower dosage birth control pills are causing these types of issues for all ages, whether you've had children or not. Call you doctor today if you are having problems and really talk to them. If they dismiss you (ie tell you to use more lubricant like I've been told) then find another doctor. I've not been on birth control for almost 7 years but have had ovarian cyst issues, so my doc said the nuvaring would help. I would rather have the pain of a ruptured cyst than deal with this. Good luck!

I have been using the ring for about a year. My boyfriend constantly complains about my moods. He claims that I don't ever get excited or happy about anything. I thought maybe, I was just depressed or something. Then I started to notice my hair falling out. Like tons of it in the shower and on the restroom floor. Has anyone else experienced this? I realize that hair shed is normal but not gobs of it at once. I have removed my ring. I am hoping that things go back to normal.

Buyer beware. Was fine the first time I took it, which was for a total of 1.5 years. When i took it out after realizing my mood was different on it, i got amazingly bad breakouts that, nine months later, still remain. for some reason i chose to begin it again recently and have had shortness of breath, increased anxiety and depression, NO sex drive, trouble having orgasms, trouble sleeping despite extreme fatigue. have had night sweats, etc. it's mid-cycle and i just took the damn thing out and hope this nightmare subsides. NEVER AGAIN NUVARING, or any other hormonal birth control for that matter.

I have been on the NuvaRing or 7 years. The first year after I started using it I told my doctor I had no desire to have sex. She put it off on changes in my life and said I should plan a romantic evening. Year after year I continued telling her how may sex drive was low to none and it was causing very serious problems in my relationship she gave me brochures and said I may need counseling
I stopped using the ring last month and notice my sex drive coming back after 3 weeks. I didn't think anything about it until I mentioned it to my BFF and she suggested we search the web for the side effects of the ring and we came across this site.

After reading I wasn't the only one with the problem and the problems was probably caused by the ring. I became very upset with my doctor because if I am reading all of these posting about little to no sex drive after using the ring I am sure my doctor has heard the complaint also. I am due to speak with her next week about this.
Other than no desire to have sex the ring was Great I love it. It was very convenient. When I did force myself to have sex there were no problems with it.
Who knows maybe the loss of sexual desire is the birth control...

This is unbelievable... i thought everything that's been wrong with me, has been in 'my head', sex drive, weight gain, fuzzy vision, mood swings...

I honestly think this should be taken off the market. I cannot believe everyone's comments about this contraception. I have taken the pill over the years, depo provera, and thought my mood swings were bad then, but what really is the kicker, is the sex drive, hot flashes and weight gain/bloating.

At 29 years old, i have never felt the way i've felt on this, i've been trying to explain to my boyfriend 'it's just me' !, now i realize why.
as for the weight gain, i have always been conscious of my diet and exercise. for the past two weeks i have especially been trying to lose weight, but to no avail. hot flashes, it's insane. Please after reading this, look for another form of birth control. This should never have been approved. I took it out immediately after reading other's comments.

Wow am I glad for coming across this site. I've been on the ring for 9 months and over time since the day i first put it in, I've become depressed, irritable and outright miserable to be around.

To top it off, I have no desire to have sex...ever. I used to be an energetic girl with a great healthy sex drive - now the mere thought of sex just makes me think "blah".

I want to go off of it immediately - but does anyone have ideas for a birth control alternative that does not have these side effect!?!?!

I just started with my first ring yesterday afternoon at 2pm. By 7pm, I was complaining to my husband that I must've had too much caffeine that day because my heart was palpitating out of my throat and I had a weird headache setting in.

So far today, the heart palps and jitters were getting so bad I had no choice but to take the NUVARING out. I'm going to call my doctor on my lunch break from work, but this is NOT what I was hoping for when I switched from the pill. I'm a 27 year old newlywed and all I want is a birth control option that doesn't KILL my sex drive. I'd rather have a low sex drive and feel physically NORMAL than to deal with the heart palpitations. They didn't start until I put the ring in yesterday. I'm hoping in a few hours they hormones will get out of my system and I'll start feeling back to normal.

I had NuvaRing in for 6 days. Since the first day I experienced some itching and discharge, I was not concerned with it. On the night of the 6 th day I experienced stroke like symptoms(vision problems, tingling, numbness, nausea, headache). I was rushed to ER and stayed in the hospital till all tests(CT, MRA, MRI, carotid Ultrasound, 2 D echo, TEE, as well as bunch of labs were done). All came negative for any congenital or structure defects. So the blame is on NuvaRing.
I have been on birth control pills for 9 years and had no problems. My doctor suggested to try NuvaRing since it is so simple to use it. I paid a big price - my medical bills will be huge and I cant go back to work since my vision is not normal yet. I am so scared it can happen again.

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

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

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

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

I started my NuvaRing on the 5th day of my period and noticed some changes that are going on with my body. It has only been 7 days, but I feel different. I noticed some white, sticky discharge that is not normal for me and bothers me. It has no smell though. I feel very dry inside.....and my sex drive is low. My breasts are tender. My mood is fine however. I am a little concerned with changes my body going through. When I contacted my doctor, she said everything im feeling is normal. But I wonder if those things will change once I get used to the ring and my hormones even out.
Did anybody felt the same way? Please share if you just waited out! I would love some input, cause I have no idea if I should just get off it or stick it out in hopes it will feel better........Confused ;(

I have been in a monogamous relationship for 3 years so me and my boyfriend have been using condoms for a long long time. I had a scare last month and thought I might be pregnant so after my period finally came in early August, I made an appointment so I could get birth control. My dr suggested the nuvaring (I took the pill about 8-9 yrs ago and I always forgot to take them plus I hated the side effects.) I went home and put it in on August 22. About 4-5 days later I began to have what felt like menstrual cramps, always hot, always tired, and then at night my legs would ache so bad. Not to mention, I had headaches every day and every morning when I ate breakfast I would become nauseous! I also would wake up every night between 4-5am to pee - and it felt like it was a full bladder even when I would pee before I went to bed! Oh, and on September 3 my nerves were so bad that I had bipolar-like mood swings - one minute happy, one minute crying, another minute upset - I had NEVER had this type of anxiety occur before!

After Google-ing "Nuvaring side effects" in the early morning of September 4th, I came across this site. I read all the reviews on this site and removed the ring on September 4 which was 8 days before I was supposed to. Since then I've seen many changes. No more cramps, no more nausea in the morning, no more feeling lethargic and sleepy. I am, however, still getting a headache every day! I guess it will take some time before all the hormones come out of my body.

I have to say I'm really, really bad with taking pills, so nuvaring is pretty much my only option as far as birth control goes. (plus I'm getting married soon, so I'm hoping that it's not the ring)
I've had Nuvaring in for 9 days now (my first time using it) and I've begun noticing some odd things. I can't say I'm super-attuned to my body, so I'm not sure if it's the ring or not.
My gynecologist says I have Poly-Cystic-Ovarian-Syndrome, which means I probably have cysts on my ovaries. I'm also overweight. Recently I've noticed cramping and pain on my right ovary. I've also noticed slight depression, but I'm also going through finals, so not sure there either. I'm experiencing little pinches of pain in different spots all over my body, especially in my arms, legs, and back. I also had an unexplained nosebleed out of the blue this week, and I've never had one before. (no nose trauma or anything) I'm also noticing I'm bruising very easily, but I'm not sure at all if that is recent. Are these side effects of the nuvaring, or something more serious and unrelated? (or else just stress maybe?)

I've always gotten sick with using birth control pills, and this was the last option without switching over completely to a different hormonal birth control. At first, all was well with Nuvaring. It went in, and I didn't have to do anything with it. However, I started getting nauseated, and when my boyfriend and I would try to have sex, I would be in so much pain I would cry. We started taking out the ring before sex, but the pain made it so we couldn't have sex. I'm still on it but I'm going to go to the gyno, so I can hopefully get onto something else.

I realize that everyone has their opinion, and their own experience, so please don't chew me out. But, since any hormonal form of birth control can lead to blot clots, some people I know in the medical profession (who are on hormonal forms of bc themselves) take a baby aspirin every few days. It helps thin the blood and since it is baby aspirin, is not a high dose. Just thought I'd pass along that bit of info for anyone interested, who likes Nuvaring or bc pills, but may be worried about some side effects.

I started taking birth control when I was 19 because i had severe cramps since i was 11 and also found out i had an ovarivan cyst... First I tried Kariva but I got TERRIBLE headaches everyday, so the doc switched me to Necon 1/35. I took the necon for 3 months, and each month right when I was supposed to get my period I would start throwing up all night, I ended up in the er each month cause I could not stop throwing up. So then the doc switched me to tri-nessa, I was on tri-nessa for 3 months again, first month was fine, no cramps no throwing up nothing....until the 2nd month... I started throwing up horribly again. I finally went to see a real gyno cause my pcp said she doesn't normally handle bc so she couldn't help too much. Once I saw the gyno he suggested the lowest dose bc ever or nuvaring.. Since so many pills made me sick I said Nuvaring. BOY WHAT THAT A MISTAKE! First month on nuvaring I broke out in hives. My doctor said nuvaring couldn't cause that so I continued with it. 2 weeks later, 1 week after having my period and starting the 2nd nuvaring, I was laying down and got really bad chest pains, I felt like I was having a heart attack. My bf & his mom rushed me to the er. I was there for hours and they found nothing, sent me home with painkillers...next day i started throwing up and still had chest pains, went back to the er and they said there was nothing they could do... continued to throw up all day....3am the next morning went to a different er and they said i had chestwall compressions....sent me home with the same painkiller as the other er except this one was extra strength.. continued to throw up for 4 more days and in pain...couldn't eat sleep...just kept throwing up... Finally my best friend and her bf took me to a er 40 minutes away and they said my kidneys were malfunctioning due to the 3 catscans (i told each hospital i got them done at the other er and they still decided to do them again)... got admitted to the hospital, 4 days into being there it was time for the nuvaring to come out, as soon as i took that out my kidney function levels went down, they continued to go down for 2 days and they sent me home... I called up my pharmacist and asked about all this and sure enough NUVARING can cause chest pains AND hives!!! It also says to not use if you have kidney problems... all the er docs told me nuvaring could never do that and not to take it out... if i had known I would have taken it out day 1 instead of being in & out of hospitals for 2 weeks... I WILL NEVER EVER USE NUVARING AGAIN!!!! Since I stopped using it I spot for a week then get my period for a week and every month im 2 weeks late.... birth control sucks and i will never use it again..... every month I just sit here , call out of work, and scream & cry from pain.... :(

I was placed on Birth control pills around 16 because i have elevated hormones, and Birth control helped bring them back to normal, and regular my wacky cycles. Lately i just can never remember to take my pill, i have alarms on my cell phone and i still forget. I started Nuvaring last month and i have 1 more week on it and I've been having pains like needles in my ovaries and random cramps everyday. Also I've noticed my left kidney has been aching. My sex drive has because non existent. I can't believe have had these complications just on the first dose. I've noticed a lot of you are just now having the problems with the nuvaring, i wonder if they changed the formula?

I started using the nuvaring on August 24 for the first time. That was the first day of my period. My periods usually last four days but I have bad cramps. My gyno prescribed the nuvaring to stop the cramps. Well this month I had the worse cramps that I have ever had. My period lasted for six days and then started the brown smelly discharge, headaches, lower back pain, tiredness and irritability. I got on the internet to research the side effects of the ring and could not find my symptoms on any of the medical sites. I found this site and found that my symptoms have been experienced by most women using the ring. It has been years, approximately 9, since I used any kind of birth control and I know my body well so I know that the nuvaring is causing these problems. I am going to talk to my gyno about it and will probably seek some other method of relieving the extreme cramping that does not cause other problems. I do not see the sense in stopping one problem but causing 10 others.

Well, I have only been on the ring for about a month, and i just took it out four days ago. (with the intention of putting it back in) i have been struggling with depression for a few years now, but it seems to be much worse, especially in the past week. also, i've had body pains and im tired as all hell. i thought i had the flu or something! after reading all of these posts about depression in people who aren't even normally depressed, i'm definitely not going to put that thing back in! i don't need to be any more depressed than i already am. and also, my period took a while to come. i took it out four days ago and my period just came, but barely. i guess i'll go back to birth control :( jeez i wish the doctors would tell you this kind of stuff before your body gets used to the ring!!!!!

I have experienced most of the side affects that have been posted on here. The burning during and after sex, the depression, the decrease in libido.I am the happiest person right now knowing that there are other people like me out there! I hate having sex at this point, I know that I will feel the vaginal burning during and after. It has taken it's toll on my relationship with my boyfriend, he believes that I am no longer attracted to him which is far from the truth. I cry for anything and everything which is not like me. I have been researching my symptoms thinking about discontinuing the NuvaRing, and now I believe I have made my choice. I'm going A DIFFERENT ROUTE. I am glad that I am not alone and appreciate all the comments that have been posted. I am looking for any responses with advise, possible birth control methods, and just the support. PLEASE HELP!

Friends,
I've posted on this twice before. I was on the ring for nearly 2 years before I got off this past February when I discovered this site. I have to say I feel sooooo much better. Currently, I'm not on any birth control (we use condoms and spermicide) and I love being myself and being normal. While I gave up convenience and a relative peace of mind, I also gave up a decreased loss in sex, dryness, mood swings, fogginess, and putting my health at risk etc.

I still have numbness in my legs especially at night (RLS was ruled out) but it's much better than months ago. I never had this before I started the Ring.

I worry about others because I didn't know my side effects were caused by the Ring. And my obgyn made me feel like an idiot when I suggested it. But getting off the Ring was the best choice. I have my health, my sex drive, and natural lubrication not to mention a great relationship with my boyfriend (when you lose interest in sex obviously your partner is going to take it personally).

If you have NO side effects and are confident the Ring will not affect you then by all means go for it. But if you have doubts look into it. Trust your instinct and take care of your health. There's no point in taking birth control if it's going to kill you (figuratively or literally).

I'm looking forward to being healthy again and I hope that you all are safe.

I am 44, have had an endometrial ablation surgery to try to put a stop to heavy, ridiculous, debilitating periods (I also have a tipped uterus...) and had very intermittent periods for a couple of years after surgery. Now they're back on a 28 day cycle and I reluctantly went back on birth control. Since on nuvaring two weeks I've had a heavy discharge, low back pain-- and the worst of it is breast tenderness, moodiness and tiredness that mimic the symptoms of pregnancy. I, like many contributors here, feel like condoms and spermicides are a better option. My GYN whom I trust a great deal is a big fan of NuvaRing

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.

I was on the Nuvaring for 6 months in 2006 but had to stop because I lost my insurance coverage. I had no side effects back then, except abnormal clots in my period.

I just started it again a month ago, I'm on my fourth week and have to put the new one on on Monday. I have no other side effects while the ring is in, but since I started my period yesterday I have had bad cramps and very bad lower back pain. I never usually get cramps during my period without birth control. I also have the blood clots again.
Is this a bad side effect that could be effecting the health of my body overall?

I started using the Ring 2yrs ago, and at age 38 thought it was the best birth control for me, however within 2 to 3 days after putting it in I had extreme low pelvic back pain,and then within the 1st month, mood changes, fatigue, depression, no sex drive at all But somehow 3 months after being on it I got pregnant. Now I am 40yrs and started the Nuvaring again about 4 months ago and have all the horrible side effects as before. I don't know why I let my Gyn talk me into again. I am now experiencing major pains in my left leg, which I have never had such pain in my leg before at all. And I believe it is the symptom of having blood clots. Which is one of the side effects that is listed. I will be going to the Doctor ASAP to check this out. So anyone else that is having any type of pain in the leg, even if it feels like a ingrown hair bothering you or a little pinch feeling or burning sensation here and there, Go have it checked out before its to late and it becomes painful and possibly a blood clot.

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.

My birth control journey (including Nuvaring) has been horrendous. I was on Alesse for several years when I moved to a different country where it wasn't available. I went on Yasmin for 3 months and proceeded to gain 15 lbs. of weight I had worked really hard to lose only a few months before. I was depressed, moody, and nauseous all the time. My doctor then put me on a different pill which made me so nauseous I would sometimes vomit in the first week of the pack, then when the nausea subsided the PMS and moodiness started. Again I researched birth control options and heard about Nuvaring. I asked him if the lower dose of hormones would help and he said I should try it. 4 months later, during a routine medical exam I was told I had EXTREMELY high blood pressure. I had never had high BP before. I couldn't figure it out, I had my kidneys tested and they were fine, my diet was healthy, I just didn't understand until I took it into my own hands and googled it. It clicked that it was the Nuvaring. I took it out and have never felt better. I feel less bloated, my mood is amazing. I am having my BP tested again in 2 weeks and only hope that it's gone back to normal. I am NEVER returning to hormonal birth control methods.

I just started on Nuvaring a few days ago. I started on it, not for birth control but because I am going through terrible peri menopausal periods. My doctor is hoping to control the heavy periods and I will go for up to six months without one and then bleed so heavy I will almost hemorrhage. She is hoping to control this using the nuvaring. I put the ring in, and I've had a discharge. Its not thick or discolored, it is like clear water, like sweat almost, but it is smelly, I feel like I smell. I'm thinking it is the hormones smelling. Is this common? is the discharge common? Its quite irritating!!!! The darned ring doesn't want to stay up where it belongs either and I feel like its going to fall out although it hasn't as of yet so I guess it won't, even though I keep checking to see every time I go to the bathroom. LOL I don't have a big cervix, and it just doesn't "fit" I guess you could say!!!! It just floats about in there! Its not very comfortable! I can't feel it when I'm sitting but I still k now its there! I don't know if I like this!!!!

I've been using the Nuvaring off and on for almost six years. I started using it after I had my son in 2002, and I never had any problems with it. I used it for a couple years, had to stop b/c of my insurance. I went back to it after the birth of my daughter, in early 2006. I started having a lot of problems around December, 2007, but I didn't even think that it could be because of the nuvaring, since I had been on it for so long already. I was having stomach problems, awful headaches, horrible anxiety, depression, mood swings, had no energy at all, horrible burning pain after sex. I started having spotting and periods that lasted for up to a month, and would pass huge blood clots. I talked to my obgyn in February and she told me to just switch my rings right away instead of keeping it out for a week for my period. That stopped the bleeding for about two months, then my period came back with a vengeance. I bled for over a month, stopped for a week, bled for a few more weeks. It was ridiculous. I've finally given up on the ring after yet another month-long period. I took it out a week ago and I have finally stopped bleeding. I've noticed a difference with other symptoms as well and I really hope my body gets back to normal soon. I found this site last week when I was trying to decide if I should stop using the ring or not and I couldn't believe how many women had the same symptoms that I've been having. I never realized that all of the problems that I've had were all due to my birth control. Now I'm stumped as to what birth control to try next. I've been reading up on them and they all seem to have horrible side effects like the ring. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know!

I definitely could relate.
i like nuvaring. It is the first birth control i've ever been on. i started it when i was 28 - just gotten married..
the only thing recently that have made me doubt it is that i heard in the news that some young woman have suffered blood clots and just die.
But im also reading the other birth controls effects and they are pretty wild as well..
the only side effect so far after 2 yrs and a few month is about 10lbs heavier.., i had mood swings my first week of being on it., occasional headaches when my period is about to start which lasts up to 4 days, low sex drive ( but i still manage to have sex and enjoy it), some dry moments ( i use to be a fountain) so it is different but eventually it goes back to normal. ( harder to have orgasms.., )
so overall nuvaring has worked for me. I just pray it continues to do so.. now i feel like there's no point in switching right now especially - going through a career change.. now is not the time to try a new one just because i hear someone died ( although that 's a pretty good darn reason).
Eventually my goal is once i start having kids God willing.. that i can stay off all these darn drugs and either tell my husband to go tie his dingy or condom it is.. its so not fair that we have to put all that crap in our bodies.. and then we wonder why we have certain weird complications.. "Lord take care of all us..we are just not trying to have 15 little kids running around...".. the researcher..

I was just put on the nuvaring and I am not so sure I like it. I suffer from mild depression, now that I am on this I am even more so... I am angry, agitated and yell at my kids often. I don't like this. I have also started to spot and feel crampy and bloated. My periods weren't bad before but is this a sign of bad times to come? I don't like feeling like this and my doctors says stay on it and to go on a antidepressant, not what I really want to do.

Where should I begin? Yes, as it has been said everyone reacts to hormones/medications differently but how is it that I am finding all my symptoms on this board and there's plenty of other women out there feeling the same thing? I am driving my friends/family insane telling them that I think I'm pregnant. It's been nearly 3 months. since I last had intercourse, I haven't missed a period and have had TWO pregnancy tests come out negative! I started Nuvaring the 2nd of July (1st day of my period) and pulled it out by the 13th because I was literally SICK of it! Three days later I started my period again, horrible cramps and all. I had hot flashes throughout the day and night sweats in my sleep. I have felt bloated constantly, today I just noticed a tiny amount of clear discharge from my nipple when I squeezed it, horrible headaches that don't go away, nausea. Anything you would link to pregnancy symptoms, I've felt all of it! And my friends are sick of hearing me think I am, hell! I'm sick of thinking it. But as I've read on here, it seems even weeks after the Nuvaring has been removed women are still feeling out of whack. My only other option is to take blood test to confirm that I'm going insane and that this birth control really threw my hormones off balance. Oh yeah, and did I mention I've been suicidal lately? And have random bouts of crying or depression? This is just the beginning...so if anyone out there has thought they're pregnant because of this thing, you're probably not, but please let me know if you've felt the same, thanks!

I was on the Nuvaring for about a year, never had any problems with it until this last month. I started having spotting 3 weeks before I was supposed to get my period (which i actually wasn't supposed to get because i just switched rings instead of having my period) then that turned into break through bleeding, fairly heavy and I bled for the whole 3 weeks. I was worried that i may have been pregnant but after taking a test and finding out i wasn't, i talked to my gyno and said i wanted to switch to the pill. I have now been taking Loestrin 24Fe for 5 days and haven't had any side effects. But as far as side effects I did experience with NuvaRing, i would get terrible headaches when i did have my period that would last for the entire time i had my period (i'm talking about a constant headache for 5 days straight). I had absolutely NO sex drive what so ever, and sometimes would get slightly depressed. I always just thought that was the way I was but after reading these comments and comments on other birth controls it makes sense as to why I felt the way I did. I realized that I started having depression around the same time that I started taking birth control (15, i am now 20) ((how come the doctors would rather load you up on different medications for anxiety and depression and migraines, rather than link the problems to the birth control? hah)). Basically what I have collected is that, it doesn't matter which birth control you take, you're going to eventually run into some problem with it. Also, EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT. we all react in different ways to different medications. many people forget that birth control IS a medication, sometimes you just have to give your body time to get used to it. if problems still persist after the 3rd month i would suggest switching.

I haven't had ANY bad side effects with NuvaRing. I started using it as a method of controlling my period. I was having a period every two weeks... but of course, NuvaRing fixed that. I've continued it for the past six months and the only actual effect was a bad mood a couple days before my period. I highly recommend using it. It's useful and so simple.

This is my second time on NuvaRing. The first time followed 6 years of pills. I first switched to NR because I always had breakthrough bleeding on the pill. I had no side effects. Loved it. I got off birth control because my husband and I wanted to try for our first child. I am now on the NR again. It is the 2nd ring since I started on it again. The first month I had some cramping..on and off and never bad enough for medication. I also had some vaginal irritation. During sex, the irritation caused some pain. But I was determined to see it out because I had loved it before. Well am I glad I did!! I have had no cramps, pain, irritation, no vaginal dryness, no mood swings, no weight gain...nothing except for not having to worry about taking that pill every night.

Birth control is like any other medication. Everyone reacts differently to each one. Look at codine...some people do great on it then you have people who are fatally allergic to it.

Dont go by what people say happened to them. You maybe completely different.

I was on birth control pills for about 12 years when I decided to stop taking them about three months ago. For the past two weeks I have been experiencing some hair loss so I made an appointment w/my MD and she said that hair loss can occur when stopping hormones and she suggested Nuvaring. I didn't even have the thing in for 24 hours before I took it out! My head hurt so bad I thought I was going to die! I also got extremely queasy and sensitive to the smell of food so much that I couldn't be around my coworkers heating up their lunch. I had to give a presentation and felt the whole time that I might throw up in front of everyone. I also became extremely irritable and was ugly to a patient I saw that day and yelled at my husband for no good reason. My head felt like it was in an awful fog and I felt like I couldn't think clearly. I never experienced anything like that on BCP's. I will NEVER try Nuvaring again. It was awful. I'd rather keep losing my hair and go bald then take Nuvaring!

I am on my 3rd NuvaRing, and my last NuvaRing. This thing has cause me more pain and problems than anything I have ever used! The first time around the only problem I had was an increase in UTI's and extreme discomfort in my vagina and urethra, especially during and days after sex. I was told these side effects would go away within the next trial of the NuvaRing. Boy, were they wrong. After Taking out my second NuvaRing my period lasted from JULY 5TH to JULY 18TH! I also had to face the heaviest period of my life. I would go through a super plus absorbency tampon and panty liner in less than an hour. How embarrassing, inconvenient, and uncomfortable! I have had two ultrasounds, and 3 pelvic exams since starting the NuvaRing just 3 months ago. I have also had to face headaches, stomach pains, MOOD SWINGS, IRRITABILITY, and depression. This thing has put a damper on my sex drive and my relationship with everyone around me including my boyfriend of 3 1/2 years. I would not recommend the NuvaRing to anyone!!!!!!!!

Last year I was put on nuvaring after having breakthrough bleeding with SEVERAL birth control pills. I had no problems. I loved it! Well after 6 months of use in December 2007, my husband and I decided to have our first child. Well the beginning of June 2008, we decided it just wasn't the right time for a child, so I decided to get back on the ring. After a week, I started having burning, irritation, cramps, just a little increase of discharge, and decrease in lubrication with sex. The burning and irritation only got worse with sex. Well I called my OBGYN. She told me that these were very common problems/side effects and would normally subside after my first couple cycles and that if it did not I would need to come in for an exam and that she may need to change my birth control. Naturally I asked how I didn't have problems the first time around. She told me that the first time I went straight from the pill to the ring so I had estrogen in my system, so switching to another form of estrogen didn't bother me, but this time since I haven't been on the ring for 6 months so it was like starting on the ring from nothing, but again they should subside after a couple cycles and just let her know if they did not. She suggested that I could take it out during sex to avoid the burning and irritation from worsening as long as it was not left out longer than 2 hours.

I am now on the second ring and the burning and irritation has subsided. As well as the increase in discharge. After her suggestion, I started taking the ring out during sex and it helped a lot. Taking it out during sex also prevented a decrease in lubrication.

It really is great!

I started NuvaRing just like the directions stated. I have never taken any birth control ever in my life. I am 30 yrs old and me & my husband have always used condoms. A few hours after inserting it, I had horrible cramps all night. I started feeling different emotionally and physically (bloated). I completely lost my usually high sex drive. I HATE NUVARING!!! I hung in there for the full three weeks, trying to give it a chance. I started having horrible headaches, and I became the biggest bitch in the world. My husband even begged me to take it out. After taking it out, I could tell w/in 24 hours that I was already getting back to the "old me". I am supposed to start my period now, but instead have some funky dark brown discharge and there doesn't seem to be any blood...could this really go on for weeks...any advice???? ~Very Concerned

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 am going to tell you of my experience of being off the Nuvaring. I took it out 6 weeks ago. I got on the ring before my wedding last july. I used it for over a year. I had no experience with how sex was w/o birth control. I didn't know it wasn't supposed to be painful & burn after! The final straws for me were 10 lbs. gained in the last year that would not come off, despite serious dieting and working out 5 days/week. Extreme irritability, inconsistent with my nature, and constantly flying off the handle over little things. The nasty stuff always clinging to the ring when taken out wasn't too pleasant, either. D: Tingling in my legs when working out, migraines, all that jazz.

I was hoping the weight would fall off by now, but it has not. A few pounds lost as I have gone down a full cup size and my hips are shrinking to their original size. (btw, I was 115 at 5'6", now 125, and gained it all in my curvy areas, with a nice lil' pooch on my belly).

The other side effects left within 2 weeks and have not returned. My husband, who is skeptical of me contributing so much to the ring, did comment on how I smile more and am happy all the time. it's true; I am so much happier.

I have more energy and am able to fall asleep easier. I used to freak out at my husband and lay awake for hours with anxiety.(isn't that dumb?!) haven't done that in 6 weeks.

And lastly, I finally want to have sex. :)
thought something was wrong with a newly wed like me...