NuvaRing and brown discharge

I have been on the NuvaRing for my 3rd month now. I seriously just went into the bathroom and took it out! I have been having some intense anxiety, and I swear my hair has been thinning out, and feeling depressed. Not to mention I've been gaining weight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I looked at the NuvaRing website and seriously I have experienced almost every single symptom. I have not felt like my normal happy go lucky self the past 3 months and was wondering if it was just me. Now I know it's just the nuvaring. I also experienced extreme extreme headaches. My head feels like it will explode, for hours on end. The only way to get rid of those headaches is to sleep. Also I have never been so chubby in my life, I've always had a nice stomach and now it's getting flabby.... like seriously.... this is not even worth it. I'm so glad that I read this website and that everyone is experiencing the same problems with this as I am. I think I'm going to just stick to condoms bcuz that's going to be so much healthier for me! Too bad if my hubby doesn't like it.... I just can't take all these crazy changes... or else I'm going to go crazy! I've also been kind of crazy like totally filled with anxiety or feelings or resentment. Sex kills with the nuvaring! It hurts so bad. I'm not sure why, but it burns like heck. I've also felt fluid retention, big time! And my legs are super achey. Does anyone else have achey legs? And oh my gosh, my boobs hurt so much from the hormones NR injects into me. I feel like their getting like too big. Also over the past three months I haven't had any appetite, which would make you think that you would loose weight... right? WRONG! I have actually been gaining weight! So dumb! Take my advice and don't go on the NuvaRing, it's a waste of your time... and your life. Your life will change when you go on it, and you won't recognize it at first... but believe me, it will. I've also experienced the brown discharge for the first month, and changes in my menstrual cycle. & on my honeymoon I got a yeast infection bcuz the NuvaRing!!!!!!!!! That was pretty much the worst!

hey everyone, i am 23 and just started using bc like a month ago. I am on th nv and the 1st 3 weeks seem fine then i got my period like 3 days after i took it out.now my period usual last 5-7 days and i notice i was having bad cramps and a brown discharge. So i decided to put the ring back in yesterday and sure enough the cramps stop but i still have this nasty sticky brown discharge. what the hell is wrong i feel like taking it out and just sticking to using condoms bc i can't deal with the mess. i pay to much for underwear for them to be ruined by brown sticky stuff.....
If i take it out what will happen i am planing to go to Florida in like 6 days and don't want the brown mess. Yuck....

I been using the NV for the past 2 weeks. I am on my 3 rd week i have notice weight gain but the really bad side effect is my breast tenderness. OMG my breast hurt so bad it has this funny feeling like they is something in there growing. I want to stop using it but i have a very irregular period so i need it. My major side effect is the breast tenderness. Does anyone have any tips on ways to stop the breast tenderness

i love the internet. you can find so much on nuvaring effects it calms me down a bit.

im 21

so i started nuvaring on March 1st. sex a week later, and then the second week i started getting very sick, terrible nerves and stomach aches. i cried all the time so much that i was sent home from work almost everyday for 2 weeks. surprised i wasn't fired... goodness. i took the ring out the middle of the 3rd week it was in and debated using it again. i decided i would after reading all the other comments and reviews. i put the ring back in and all ive been experiencing this month are slight headaches and the brown discharge. the discharge freaked me out a little at first, but ive read that its normal and just your vagina cleansing due to the hormones? anyways. okay i haven't gotten my period yet and i took the ring out a few days ago. im a little worried, but i haven't shown any symptoms of pregnancy so i guess im okay. ive read it is also normal to be late or miss it while on it. i really like the nuvaring, but if it doesn't work out ill go on the pill. my love doesn't feel it during sex either. but he likes to play a little sometimes when he's fingering me.... silly boy. im also losing weight. ive lost 4 lbs since being on it. well i guess since i started having sex. haha. we don't use condoms during sex, just vaginal film sometimes. things have been great the past 3 weeks. im hoping this continues and no pregnancy occurs! hope this was helpful to others.

i recommend this to people under 180 lbs (due to it is more effective if under that weight) and as long as you can bear the terrible sickness for the first month you should be fine. take Vitamin B-complex, it helps to balance out the depression and stress. its like a natural anti-depressant. if you freak out a lot then use a second method when you are on it.

Wow. This is amazing to hear everyones experiences. I've been on the Nuvaring for about 3 years and thought I loved it, until I realized all the symptoms I was having (brown discharge, moodiness, decreased libido, tiredness, etc.) was all related to that nasty little ring. I realized, I couldn't take it anymore. I took it out yesterday and I will never put another Nuvaring in again. I can't wait to get back to myself and have a normal cycle of menstruation. Before I ever started the NuvaRing I was very in-tune with my body and cycles and I knew exactly when I was ovulating. I am looking forward to having those days again. I will certainly not miss having all of my underwear ruined by that disgusting brown discharge. It got to the point where I had to automatically put on a panty liner everyday no matter what day of the month it was. NOT FUN!!

Since finding this site I have decided to take out my Nuvaring and go with a non-hormonal method. I have used NV for 2.5 years. Like many other ladies here, I experienced sticky brown discharge and vaginal itching for the first year or so. I've had frequent episodes of being swollen and tender just after sex. My sex drive has dwindled also.

I had been considering therapy and anti-depression meds recently due to an increasing number of times that I have angry & explosive mood swings over little things. My relationship has been hurt by this, and so I began my research and found this site. Yesterday I took out the ring. I will not even try other meds just yet, as I feel that going natural and learning myself all over again is going to be the best thing.

I am on the nuvaring, but I am not having the same complications that everyone else seems to have. I have been on the nuvaring for about three and a half years. Everything seemed to be going great with this new birth control until about 4 months ago when i didn't start my period. So, my fiance and i decided to get a pregnancy test and sure enough it was positive. With me being in my third year of college and having to change our wedding date, our lives have taken a drastic turn.Now that i am 18 weeks pregnant i am trying to keep a close look out on any other nuvaring pregnancies. I had found 2 others around my area who were having the same problem as me, so i knew i was not alone. Then the most shocking news came to me when my brothers girl friend called me one morning telling me she hadn't started her period yet. She was on the nuvaring too, let me remind you. The odds of her and I both getting pregnant on a birth control that is 99.9% accurate is a 1 and a million chance. What are the odds of that? Sure enough she is pregnant too. So our question is, was there a bad lot of nuvarings sent out around the same areas or what? And its not like we misused them either. we have both been on it for a long time, so we know the do's and don'ts. So, id there anyone else out there with this problem?

Ive been on the nuvaring for about four months and for three of those months everything was fine. my doctor told me that i could leave it in for 3 weeks and have a period for a week or three weeks and change to a new ring. well being that most women hate periods, i decided not to have one four four months. But now i am having this weird brown discharge(no smell) and i have had reoccurring yeast infections (white discharge, itching, burning). this skin around my vagina was raw for a week or so. gross i know. can anybody tell me whats up with this. i have been overly emotional because i thought something was wrong with me. is it?

I'm 18 and I've been on NuvaRing for a little less than 2 months. The first month was fine nothing out of the ordinary except that it kept slipping, it wouldn't stay all the way up in my vagina(and still hasn't). My doctor told me I could either do 4 weeks in and one week out or 4 weeks in and then put in another one right after(so i wouldn't have a period). I put the new ring in just over 2 weeks ago and started to experience abdominal pain(i thought it was just a pulled muscle or something), but then I started to get a brown discharge. Last week I started to feel absolutely sick to my stomach and am so tired all the time. I decided to take the ring out on Monday since the discharge hadn't stopped within a couple of days. I also did this because I had started to get terrible cramps and diarrhea. I had to skip 2 classes because they were so bad. I almost never had cramps before but these are so terrible that not even a hot shower and Ibuprofen can fix them. How long will it take for this to go away since I didn't use the ring for the entire time? I hate feeling like this, I can't really function. I'm glad I'm not alone on this.

I have been on the NuvaRing for just about a month now - I'm due to take it out tomorrow in order to have my period. I haven't had any horrible side effects that I've read about here, but I have had brown discharge. No pain, but brown discharge, sometimes pink...Is this normal? I was just at the OBGYN and she said everything was normal, but I haven't heard anything about brown discharge. The only problem with this is that it's ruining my panties! :)

I have been on the nuvaring for about 5 years and I seriously thought it was the best thing ever. I think i just started getting side effects that were bad enough to notice. I kept trying to place them with other reasons like stress. The vaginal dryness,the burning, the itching the spotting and that brown discharge. I have been steadily getting more depressed and anxious, i feel sad constantly and FREAK out on my boyfriend. I also want to sleep, i just feel wore down that could also be contributed to the depression. I did gain about 15 lbs when i first started taking it but have since then lost it. I started when i was 16 and now im 21. My boyfriend thinks i like someone else or im with someone else cause i just don't seem very turned on by him. It sucks. I am very certian switching is a great idea for me, it just sucks cause i can be very unsteady with pills. your not going crazy. ha. i need suggestions on a good pill.

I am 25 and all of the stories sound so similar on here...just like mine. Love the NuvaRing or at least I did. My sex drive has gone down, and now when I have sex I seem to get asked "What's wrong? Are you okay?" because I have such dryness that causes extreme itching and burning during intercourse. I have had yeast infections since 2 months after being on it (Been on it for about a year)...that never seem to go away. Just recently my breasts have been so swollen and sore, and suddenly I have this brown discharge (no odor) its just as though I have been on the end of my period for two weeks now...not fun!...sound familiar at all? I understand so many people can react so differently, so for those of you who have not been on it, try it, it may not effect you in such a negative manor, but for me I have got to find something else...I have my appt in two weeks...having tried so many other forms of BC this is a real disappointment to me because remembering to take a pill is not my style...=) Let me know if this sounds familiar to anyone else...Thanks!

This is my first month trying the Nuvaring. My Dr. gave me a sample to try. Well, so far the side effects haven't been too horrible. I do notice I am a little sensitive but that could just be me. However, I have been on a nightmare of some modified "period" all month! I started my period July 10th and that same day I put the ring in. Normally my period last about 4-5 days. After 5 days I was spotting lightly which changed to regular period flow, then spotting again. Now I have some weird sticky brown discharge which has a slight odor. SO embarrassing! I don't even want my husband to go in the bathroom right after I use it because a slight odor lingers in the air. Sex has been uncomfortable for me. Not because it hurts but because it's so messy with me bleeding and this weird discharge. My poor husband. I really think that when I take it out, it's going to STAY out because I can not deal with these month long crazy periods all the time. Can anyone recommend any other good BC? I haven't been on it for awhile because I had a baby 16 months ago. Thanks.

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

Found this site and read the postings for the first time today. I cried when I read the first posting because it was as though I had written it myself. I have experienced so many of the negative side effects such as, depression, apathy, loss of sex drive, crying almost every day, anger for no reason, pain, and more. I am 38 years old and have been using the ring for almost 2 years. I took it out today as soon as I finished reading other's experiences. I am looking forward to being my "old" self soon, and I know my husband and children are too.
Maybe the side effects are worse for women in their 30's and 40's versus 20's. Not everyone posted their age but I was curious regarding this possibility.

I was on NuvaRing for 6 months then got off. I started back again in Jan. I was having brown discharge every time w/ a odor. I tried washing constantly, didn't work. I got tired of the smell and got off of the ring. Symptoms went away. Got back on in Jan. and been having problems since day one with the severe headaches, then something new breakthrough bleeding. First it was spotting, then got my period while I still had the NuvaRing inside. I removed it and still have my period.

2 DAYS!!! That's it ladies. I had the dang on thing in for two days. I'd found this website on Day1(Monday)...cause only after 30mins of having it in, I was having weird tighten cramping like crazy. Later in the day they subsided...some! On Day2 (Tuesday), it was like a dark cloud was coming over me (depression?). It was no positive thinking going on ladies. To know me, people come to me when their down. I was also bloated beyond belief... Mind you, I'd just inserted this thing after my regular period (following the directions). So, on the 3rd Day Wednesday), experiencing more cramping, more depression, more bloating... I'd had enough. After reading blogs I knew the best thing to do was to REMOVE the ring. When I pulled out the ring it had a thick white substance on it. WTF!!! Then on Saturday, I started having cramps, and would you know that on Sunday, I started my PERIOD, again!!!! WTF, Really! And, this was no ordinary period... it was everything these women have talked about. It had a smell, it was bloody red/brown mixed, and still today (Thursday) I gotta odor and only brown discharge...GRRRRR!!! Messed up 1pair of panties. I'm mad. Ladies, listen up DO NOT USE THE NUVA RING!! 2days = 2weeks of Bull-----. Bottom-line, it ain't worth it. Sadly, NuvaRing was my 3rd and last BC option. I'm off to find those women condoms. Eureka!!!

Hi I was a nuvaring user. I am 18 and my gyno told me that nuvaring would be better than any other birth control on the market. I really wanted to start on the patch but my gyno insisted on nuvaring.....yea that was the biggest mistake ever!! I had it for only 15 days because a 15 day period wasnt exactly what I wanted... I had no smile on my face for 13 days and I hated it! My back felt like I was constantly carrying boulders on it and I felt tired all the time. My coworkers had to constantly crack my back for me because I was almost in tears from the pain. I stopped using it and within a few days I was fine. I felt better, my freakin back felt better, and I finally felt clean for sex! But now im experiencing a problem that I hope someone out there can help me with... I stopped nuvaring about 3 weeks ago and ever since I have had gross brown discharge come out of me... Yea lost alot of nice underwear due to that. and now I have my period but its like alot!! minimal cramps but the blood sucks but im assuming that its normal? but does anyone have any advice??? maybe been through it???

Hi,

I am on my 16th day of using NR. I am also on the sixteenth day of my period. It is not the brown discharge described here, but defintely blood. I am holidays at the moment and so have difficulty in accessing a doctor. I am thinking I should remove it, but I'm not sure. Has anyone else noticed a similar symptom and if so, did it just go away?

I haven't had any other bad effects yet and to tell the truth it's been a very difficult few weeks for me, I've lost my job etc. So, I don't think it's having an emotional effect. Perhaps this stress lately could explain my proloinged period though? Any advice???

Thanks.

I've been on it for a week and a half. Today I decided to look into whether it could be the cause of my recent (and uncharacteristic) bitchiness and over-emotionalness. Sounds like it. I've also experienced some mild brown discharge.. I think it could be blood spotting, which I've read is common for someone new to birth control. So far, if this is what's making me impossible to be around, it's definitely not worth it. Back to condoms for me...