NuvaRing and estrogen

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 am thinking about going on NuvaRing. But after reading these posts i am very scared to do so. But i really need to get on birth control, i am 17 and i already have a one year old daughter and i don't need any more babies until after high school. I really don't know what to do guys! There are so many more cons than pros with the NR or that is what it sounds like, but maybe the women who use it and have little to no side effects just don't come on this site. Wow I'm so confused! Help!!

I have to say the nuvaring has been pretty good for me. I am so thankful not to have had any major side effects from it. For a very long time I was not given any Bc that had hormones because my mom had a stroke from estrogen in the BC pill. It was in the 70's and MUCH higher doses of estrogen were in the pill. But anything with estrogen was off limits to me. I was in the need of some form of BC after 10 years not being sexually active.My husband died of cancer and was not dating until 10 years later. I went for BC counseling and the doc. recommended the Nuvaring. yes it has a tiny bit of estrogen but sh was not worried. I also complained that my period was always so heavy I had to wear the depends underwear because if I didn't I would have to change a tampon or a pad every 8-10 minutes. And I had extreme cramps so bad they went down the front of my legs. She was like "have I got a deal for you'! Well... she put me on the nuva ring and had me change it every 28 days no break in between. Result: NO PERIOD! I love that woman. Ok on to the side effects...I had spotting for like 3 months here and there, The first few months I lost a clump of hair to the side of my part by my forehead..it grew back..I get leg cramps every once in a while and they are doosies (sore for 2 days after) If I forget to remove it during sex my vagina burns after. and yes I have more wetness in my vagina. My b/f jokes it is I just think about him too much! Ladies to all of you that have the terrible side effects my heart goes out to you. I hope you find the BC that works for you. Keep trying others there will be a good fit for you sooner or later.

This is a weight of my shoulders.
I have been experiencing many of the symptoms that have been posted here and cannot begin to tell you what a relief it is that I'm not alone. I have been using the Nuvaring for 6 months. Some of the pros were convenience, larger breasts ( I went from a full C to a DD), and more lubrication. My side affects were extreme leg pain, excessive weight gain (about 30 pounds), increased appetite, fatigue, head aches, irritability, heart rate increase, dizziness, gas, bloating need I say more? Last night I took it out immediately because I finally put all the pieces together. It's amazing to know that I'm not alone in all of this. The weight gain was so fast that I have stretch marks that are extremely deep and I have belly fat for the first time in my life it has sprung right on my stomach. I'm only 19 so this is quit concerning for me... I went from 165 to 195. I have stayed around 165 for 5 years and the fact that I put on this thirty pounds was extremely concerning. I am grateful I know what's the issue, and hopefully with more energy and a decrease in appetite, I will be well on my way to my old self.

Hi all, I've been using the nuvaring for about 2 months now. I had twin boys in Feb, and DO NOT want to get preg for a long time. I originally wanted the Mirena IUC, but my dr ended up having a medical emergency and is no longer practicing. Anyway, for my 6 wk checkup I got a male dr who "doesn't do the Mirena thing." I was so mad. My mom has had a pulmonary embolism from estrogen therapy before and I shouldn't be taking estrogen because of that. This doctor said that isn't a problem for me and I believed him. Now I'm having the worst headaches I've EVER had in my life. I am so dizzy all the time, I almost dropped my son this morning and did drop him the other day. I am unable to focus on anything or remember anything that i need to do. I'm also experiencing vision problems which ****** states could be a bloodclot in my eye. YAY, at least I have an AWESOME family doctor and he is going to see me asap tomorrow morning. I hope these headaches go away soon, I took it out today after what is now the 6th day of barely being able to keep my eyes open. I'm wearing sunglasses now so I can look at the computer!! Hope everyone gets their situations with this resolved and we all find something BETTER.

i have been on the ring for a week now, i havent had any side effects, yet. I had to get on the ring because the high estrogen level of the pill was making my hormons go crazy and creating nuts in my breats. After reading all the side effects i dont know if i want to keep using the ring. I have not had intercorse with the ring on because im scared its going to hurt me or my partner.... any help on how to avoid pain during intercose while using the ring??? will my partner feel the ring ??

So glad I found this site!! I have been prescribed the NuvaRing after a total hysterectomy. I took Femring (estrogen only) for about 1 year, but was still having hot flashes. I complained to my GYN and she said I would *love* the NuvaRing since it had higher levels of estrogen and some progesterone (which I was getting none with the Femring).

Well, 2 days of severe nausea and being so ANGRY at my kids...I decide to look up side effects and found this site. I'm calling my GYN back on Monday.

Thank you ladies for posting!!

I got my NuvaRing in lieu of the Mirena IUD I had in, that thing was an absolute NIGHTMARE! I had it for about a year and half, had every side effect possible and my doc kept telling me it wasn't possible for me to be experiencing the pains I was due to it, I had it removed last week, and inserted the NuvaRing on 1/14/08, so it has only been 4 days, I have no problems yet, I actually had a period (very mild so far) that started yesterday, which being 32 and having not had a period in 6 year due to depo shot and iud, I must say it is kind of nice LOL. I am reading your pains, and I hope all gets better for you, I am just hoping that this is better for me than the IUD, apparently my body reject having just Progestin without estrogen. I just wanted to post to let people having severe symptoms know that if you leave the ring, DO NOT GO TO MIRENA! it will make your symptoms 100 times worse.

I have been on NuvaRing for 4 months. I was previously on DepoProvera for 10 years, but due to bone loss, osteopenia, had to get off it. I had no side effects with Depo, no periods, no PMS, no problems.
I gained 12 pounds the first 2 months on NR. My weight continues to climb, even though I exercise and eat well. My breasts are swollen and sore constantly. I have excessive discharge, itchiness, and burning. I have also noticed I have gas more often.
I do not take the ring out for a week for a period, I just insert a new ring after 3 weeks and have experienced no bleeding. I have NOT experienced any of the other symptoms, such as depression, anxiety, mood swings, headaches, which is surprising since I have been estrogen-deficient for 10years and am suddenly on it.
Overall, my symptoms seem minimal compared to others' experiences, so maybe everyone is different. But it does scare me that these symptoms are possible in the future.

PROS:
easy to use, convenient
only have to take it once/3 weeks
big boobs!
no period

CONS:
weight gain
breast soreness
yeast infections, itchiness
excessive discharge
gas
cost $35 every 3 weeks (my Depo was free)

I haven't seen anyone mention this, but since I stopped using the ring my breast have been really sore. The skin of the areola is so sensitive sometimes that it sticks to the bra when I take it off and when I run my hand across it it feels like the skin is gonna come off. This has been going on for over 2 weeks.

I have been on NR for several years. I wanted a hassle free birth control. The first side effect I experienced was breakthrough bleeding. I never linked my mood swings, emotions, tiredness to the NR because it releases a low dosage of estrogen. After reading these blogs it completely dawned on me. My boyfriend of four years gets overly frustrated w/ me each month. Sometimes sex would be extremely painful and my body would not work properly. I did not re-insert the NR because I thought that my body needed a break. It has been about two weeks now and my nipples are extremely sore. It hurts to wear a bra and the shower water just kills them. Hopefully my body, my relationship, my sexlife and myself will get back to normal soon. The only thing great about the NR was you did not need to worry about it for three weeks.

I have been on nuvaring for over a year and have all sorts of issues that I never even considered to be linked to the NR. I suffer from bipolar disorder, severe anxiety and depression and all my symptoms have increased while on the NR. I have terrible headaches on a daily basis and have had alot of stomach problems. Nausea, cramps, vomiting etc but I just thought I was sick. I have also had issues with weight gain and I have absolutely zero sex drive. This has been really hard on my partner and I's relationship and is extremely frustrating. We've been together 3yrs this fall and this is really hurting us both.(I'm 20yrs old) We have been thinking my headaches were caused by grinding my teeth. I'm currently on a number of medications including lamictal, ambien CR, adderall XR, allegra. I'm always exhausted and ill tempered and just had several blood tests to try and determine what could be causing my constant exhaustion but nothing was irregular. I have an appt with my gynecologist tomorrow and I'm going to talk to her about other options but because all BC forms have about the same degree, if not worse, side effects I might stop the BC all together.

It really sucks that I am having so many issues from NR because it is by far the easiest BC I have ever used. I always forgot the pill and the patch hurt like BLEEP and always fell off.

I've been using the NuvaRing for a year and have had the least amount of side effects than any other birth control I've ever tried. I've used Ortho, Yaz, and Depo, all of them had unbearable side effects, and the Ring has been the best for me. Hormones mess with everyone's mental state, but if you're feeling depression on the NuvaRing, the method where the least amount of hormones get into the blood, you're going to have problems with estrogen containing birth control and depression. Good luck to everyone. Depo is bad for people with migraine, but it doesn't have estrogen so it's not as bad for depression. Also, it's important to note that if you're going to notice side effects from a medication, such as headaches and nausea, it will take 5 or 6 days for the side effects to take effect. So if you notice something the next day, current medical convention says you can't blame it on the medicine you just started the day before.

I had been using the nuvaring for a year when I started noticing side effects. At first I thought it was just me adjusting to a new partner, or that it was a yeast infection. But then it returned at the same time during each of the next three months. A few days after I took it out, the skin of my vulva would become sensitive and itchy, somewhat swollen or red, and it became difficult to use my keeper (a healthy alternative to tampons). But a few days after the ring went back in it would go away, only to return again. Well, my skin became so sensitive, that my vulva actually tore- almost an inch gash- when I was having sex with my boyfriend and blood was everywhere. I promptly went to my gyn, who had no immediate idea as to the cause of this sensitivity. There are a few possible skin conditions, such as lichen sclerosis, but the thing that stands out is that it happens at the same time each month. My Gyn also said that lack of estrogen can cause the vulvar skin to thin, which would make sense then since it happens when the ring comes out. Perhaps, she said, my body has stopped compensating by creating its own estrogen when on the nuvaring, and the nuvaring is not an adequate replacement. Anyway, its a possibility that the problem is unrelated. i am going for a biopsy tomorrow. But have already comitted to never using the Nuvaring ever again. And my boyfriend is totaly supportive of leaving hormonal contraception behind!

I used NuvaRing for my last semester (~5 months) in college, so when I was looking for birth control (besides condoms) again I told the doctor I was not as interested in the NR due to previous experience. I told her that I had felt depressed overall, and I spent at least a week crying in bed when I first started it back then. She told me that those side effects were not common, stated the low-dose of estrogen, etc etc. I thought maybe it was the stress from college, and agreed to give it a second try. I wanted something more convenient than the pill and the low-dose appealed to me.

After trying it again, I know I was not being crazy the first time. This website also helped me realize that this is a lot more common than I thought. I put in my new ring two weeks ago. I didn't spend those two weeks severely depressed, but after about a week or so I began to get very high-strung and irritated by small things. Minor incidents left me in tears, I felt restless and insecure, paranoid, and generally unhappy. When I was visitting family for a weekend my father claimed that I seemed a lot more paranoid and unsettled than he had ever seen me, and I played it off for lack of sleep and the stress from travelling. Nothing changed over the next week, though.

This past weekend I had oddly severe lower back pain, which I never suffer from. I spent a few hours in bed crying. My boyfriend asked me what was the matter and all I could say was "I'm not happy." Later in the weekend I said "Why have I been so unhappy for the past two weeks?" and he urged me to take out the ring. When we got home I took it out and it was a breath of fresh air. I felt better immediately... I felt more at peace and my entire body felt relaxed.

A health consultant told me that reactions to hormone based birth control can depend on the "type" of estrogen used in the dose. It would be interesting to find out how the chemicals in NR compare to those in combined oral contraceptive pills. At any rate, no more NuvaRing for me!

I have been on the Nuvaring off and on for about two years. More discharge but I just wear a daily liner so it's no big deal. Better sex drive, fuller boobs even though they are tender, I feel great. About a year into it a got full blown migraines out of nowhere, probably due to stress and not the nuvaring but I went off and back on and didn't notice a change.....unless it took a while for the estrogen to reach a threshold that made the difference in my body and maybe I don't even realize I didn't go off long enough. So I have been on a daily med for migraine prevention, but I just don't think there is a connection and migraines do run in my family.
But in just the last month, my doc thought if I kept the nuvaring in for FOUR weeks, take it out and put a new one in right away my hormones wouldn't fluctuate as much and possibly my headaches wouldn't be triggered...it was an experiment......well I tried it and in week 6 I started light continual bleeding and haven't stopped since and it reminds me of the tail end of a normal period that just won't end! Kind of pissed off about it. I called this in and he said go back to the normal schedule.....in a few days I will remove the ring and have a week off and hopefully that will put me back to normal. Never had an issue before with the bleeding in the middle of the month.... before we tried to trick my body......

The Nuvaring is the most horrible thing I've ever taken! I've had severe depression, I can't stop crying, I've had headaches and nausea. For the past month I've just felt like I've been going crazy. I've had suicidal thoughts and bursts of anger and I am horrified because it's so not like me. It took me a month and conversations with two other nuvaring sufferers to figure out what was going on. I've tried various other birth control pills and never had problems like this. The worst part is when I called my doctor's office and was told that all of this was not possible because the ring has such a low dose of estrogen. I think the doctors need to be more educated and informative about what they prescribe.