NuvaRing and experiences

I am a healthy 38 year old woman. I started using the Nuvaring about 2 years ago. Ever since I have had a drastic decrease in my libido...and by drastic I mean virtually no desire to have sex at all. I've also had frequent headaches that last for days at times, leg cramps, depression, and I've gained almost 15 lbs that will not budge no matter what I do. I work out five or six days a week with absolutely no decrease in weight or increase in muscle tone. I am so glad I found this site!! I've been thinking that something is wrong with me and I've been really down on myself. The lack of sex drive has been very difficult for my fiance'. He can't help but take it personally that I NEVER want to have sex. This has been a tremendous eye opener for me. I'm going home tonight to take this thing out and I'm never going back on hormonal birth control again! Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to share their experiences!

I am feeling such relief right now- I'm not alone. After having EKGs and Cardio-pulmonary stress tests, CAT scans of my lungs and chest, an abdominal ultra sound, and stress echocardiograms (all of these were normal or negative, mind you), not to mention months of anxiety, I finally started talking with a cardiologist to see if I had done/started anything around the time my symptoms started. I realized I had switched from an oral (orthotricyclen) to nuvaring birth control about two months before I started my symptoms of no sex drive, difficulty breathing, exhaustion, and severe anxiety. To elaborate- I was a national champion soccer player, I've always been in great shape, and I couldn't walk up a flight of stairs without being exhausted. I couldn't hold a five minute conversation without chest tightness and difficulty breathing. Everyone kept saying I was stressed (new job, new house), but I know I wasn't doing anything that unusually stressful. I love my job, and my house, and while I realize they may cause some stress, I shouldn't CONSTANTLY feel like this.

The most pressing issue, of course, was the breathing stuff. The doctor suggested, even though he wasn't familiar with the nuvaring side effects, that I take it out to see if there was any change. After reading what all of you have written, and after being off it for two weeks, and beginning to feel a change, I'm pretty damn sure it was Nuvaring. I already remember that my husband is sexy, and I'm able to go on dog walks without getting winded. I also am happier, and feel more awake, than I have in a year.

THANK YOU ALL for posting. I'm going to warn my girlfriends of this stuff- I wish my doctor (who is no longer my doctor) had said more than "there really aren't any side effects except some discharge- nothing different than the usual pill side effects".

Thank you all. After reading many of your experiences I feel sooo much better, so much less crazy.

The past few months I've been feeling depressed, I can't seem to lose the ten pounds I gained since starting Nuvaring over a year ago, I've been having severe dizzy spells (I almost passed out and had to lay down for about 20 minutes), I have NO sex drive and I've been getting anxious over little things. The lack of sex drive is the worst. I've always been rather sexual but now I just never want to have sex. I've never felt so uninterested and out of touch in my whole life.

I just talked to a doctor a few days ago and got a blood test mainly for my thyroid and vitamin D levels. But now I'm thinking it's probably not my thryroid it's probably the nuvaring! The doctor (a male fresh out of med school) told me to get counseling. Apparently me almost passing out wasn't enough to make him think that my problems are something more than just mental.

Regardless if the blood test comes back okay I'm stopping the nuvaring and hopefully that will do the trick. The nuvaring was great for the first 8 months. No side effects other than a slight weight gain and larger breasts but now it's just ridiculous.

I'm 24 and have had problem after problem with pills, IUDs and shots for years. Mood swings, weight gain, bleeding and pain. I thought I would try the NR as I hadn't heard of it before and thought it sounded like a great idea. I have been on it for one week today and I have literally gained 3kg in a week. Thank you all for posting your experiences, I thought I was going crazy to have put so much weight on in a week. I am going to remove it today. Has anyone found anything that they haven't had issues with? Some times I seriously wish I was a man haha

My husband stumbled across this website and first I would like to thank everyone who have posted their experiences on the NuvaRing. Because of you guys I now know I'm not losing my mind.

I started the NuvaRing March of 2008 and I started getting dizzy spells May 2009. I actually got my first dizzy spell when I was driving. Everything started to spin very fast!! My husband had to grab the wheel and tell me how to slow down and how fast to do it. That was the scariest thing ever!! My head felt a numbing sensation in my head. I had a pain above my left eye and it would shoot up my head and down my neck. The dizzy spells would come whenever, once every 8 days to twice in one day. I have had an MRI and an MRA done and nothing. The docs have had me on so many migraine meds to try to get a handle on this and nothing has helped. My longest migraine lasted for 14 days, that was in May. This month (July) I got a migraine on the 13th, took the ring out on the 21st, and had a dizzy spell this morning but this afternoon and especially this evening I feel amazing.

Since getting on the NuvaRing, like so many of you, my sex drive does not exist. It has caused so many fights between my husband and I. Its hard to tell him that he is still attractive but I can't explain why I'm not excited. So thank you for writing your experiences. He got to read that I'm not the only one and I wasn't making it up.

These last three months have been hell for my family and I. I have been like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. So much tension has caused everyone to walk on pins and needles when they are around me.

So lets sum it up here, after being on the NuvaRing for 14 months I started getting dizzy spells, migraines, nausea, neck pain, twice I've puked because of the room spinning so damn fast, and very very VERY low sex drive.

I'M NOT CRAZY!!!! :)

So I decided to stop my nuvaring this week, and while I do agree that every person has a different experience with hormonal birth control, this route was just not for me. I have been on BC since I was 15 and have had mixed experiences. Started with Ortho-Tri Cyclin which made me crazy, went to orthocyclin which was great until my insurance stopped covering it, did lo dose Apri for 6 years and found that it made me very lethargic and moody with use over time and i think caused me migraines, switched to the patch and ended up in the hospital with elevated blood pressure during the first week (I was 23 and 130lbs), then tried nuvaring for the last 6 months. Started off well, my period became predictable to the hour and my migraines disappeared. However, I gained 15lbs! I am 5'3" and I know it is the nuvaring because I have been training for a marathon, running 4 days a week, 2 days of weight lifting and eating perfectly! Also, my sex drive is gone, like non-existent until my no ring week when I have my period. I am tired all the time and even though I sleep 8-10 hours a night. I also seem to be waking up once or twice a night. Worst of all, I am depressed and moody for no reason, all the time. I feel so bad for my poor boyfriend who has been walking on egg shells around me because he knows I cry and snap at anything. So I am stopping for a few months to see what will happen, and then maybe consider a copper IUD. I will update this post in a few months and let everyone know what happens.

I'm 17 years old and I started nuvaring in October 2008. It didn't occur to me that I wasn't myself until February 2009, and I honestly believed I was going crazy. I became so anxious and depressed about everything, especially my loved ones. My boyfriend is my best friend and my biggest support alongside my parents. I've been reevaluating every friendship/relationship i've been in. I've lost interest in my hobbies and passions. I've felt indifferent about everything, not to mention I have absolutely no sex drive. And I'm devastated that I did not enjoy my senior year of high school. I didn't think about the nuvaring until 2 weeks ago. I came on this website and read all of the stories of depression, mood swings, anxiety, etc. You have no idea how relieved I felt. I took out the ring on Saturday as usual and got my period today. However, I will not be continuing nuvaring. I still feel anxious, irritable, and I'm even second guessing that the ring is the cause, however I very much hope that it is and that I feel like my carefree outgoing self again soon. I'm angry that I didn't make the connection sooner because it made my senior year very upsetting and has slowly been hurting my friendship/relationship with my boyfriend.

Hello Everyone, First I want to thank everyone for sharing your experiences. I thought I was being a big baby, and complaining to my boyfriend all the time. It wasn't until I started my period 3 days early that I realized something was wrong. I had a numbness in my leg one day(Just the upper part of my leg) I thought maybe I slept on it wrong. I think it was the NuvaRing though. When I started my period early it lasted for 7 days. My boyfriend suggested I see my GYNO because I was moody, and bleeding for 7 days. I went in and she did a exam, and said I needed a ultrasound. She said something wasn't right. I had a ultrasound 2 days later, and found out I have a few cysts on one of my ovaries. I was shocked....She then prescribed the patch saying that I needed a stronger birth control to ward off the cysts. I talked to my friend about the patch, and heard that it has terrible side effects also. I was advised by the Doctor to take out the NR and start the patch that same day. Well, my boyfriend and I talked and decided that I was going to stay on the NR until I decided what to do. When I came into work today I decided to google the side effects of the NR, needless to say I went into the bathroom and took the NR out. I really think that that NR was the cause of my numb leg, and the cause of my moodiness. I am not a moody person, but since I started the NR about 4 months ago I am so short tempered. I am waiting for a call from my Doc now to decided what to do about the cysts....Has anyone else has cysts???? If so how did you get rid of them???? I was told they will go away sometimes on their own. I am seriously thinking about not using anymore birth control. I just don't like what it does to my body, but my Doctor made it sound like birth control was the only way to get rid of the cysts.......I'm not sure!!!!! Thanks

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!!

I just started NuvaRing this month, and I have 3 days left until I have to remove the ring. After which, I will not be using it again. Only a week after I started taking the pill, I started experiencing fatigue like I have never had before, along with severe, random cramping. Soon after, I started to get INCREDIBLY emotional. Granted, that might be the medication interacting with an antidepressant I am on, but this FAR surpasses any mood swings I have EVER had. Now, this morning, I wake up to my entire body itching like crazy! I've been scratching ALL day, and now, at 4 am the following morning, I'm developing this extreme rash all over my body. I will be calling my doctor tomorrow to see what she thinks I should do, but either way, I WILL be switching birth control methods. This may work for other people, and I thought I was crazy with this whole rash thing until I got on a few sites, and noticed I'm not the only one. THANK YOU LADIES for posting your experiences, without which, I might still think I'm a nutcase with a random rash!

I have overall been pleased with the nuvaring, but last week i experienced my first UTI. I thought it was just from sex but now after reading all these experiences, i think it might be from the ring. I decided to take it bc my boyfriend insisted i was on some sort of birth control and i was previously on the pill but never could remember to take it so i figured the ring would be convenient. I just got an antibiotic today for the infection so i hope it goes away and i hope the nuvaring doesn't give me anymore problems!

Glad I found this site...I have been on the NR for 1 1/2 months, this is my second attempt. First time I had it in after attempting an IUD (Murina), which gave me intense cramping (I have a tilted uterus) and bled for 7 weeks. I thought that the cramping from the NR was due to my body healing from the IUD, so I left it in for a month until I couldn't stand it anymore and took it out.

Now my second attempt at the NR, I have cramping on a daily basis, spotting to the point where I will be walking along and splat in my underwear major discharge (yuck!), heartburn, diarrhea (IBS), headache, unexplainable crying, little weight gain, I go to the gym 3 times a week and do yoga and pilates at home, my body responds really well to workouts and the scale has not budged to any weight loss.

My body is very sensitive to BC and was told by my gyno that NR has a low dosage and will not affect me like YAZ (made me a crazy person), Ortho Tri-Cyclene, Ortho-LO, which gave me migraines for 9 days out of the month.

Thanks to all the women out there (YOU ROCK!) who are posting their experiences, as of today this ring is out of my body!

Hello ladies! I've been on the NuvaRing for about 2 years and have had experiences like everyone else it seems. Weight gain, mood swings, lack of sex drive, depression, nausea...and its all starting to take an impact on my relationship and it just isn't worth it anymore. So I just took it out last week. I was just wondering if anyone else has taken theres out who experienced weight gain and wanted to know how much time it took before you were able to lose all the NR weight?

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'm 21 years old and I started using the NuvaRing over a year ago. It was great at first not having to worry about my birth control every day. I was able to control my period, and it was always light.

Slowing I started experiences certain side effects that go along with the NuvaRing, but I didn't realize that they could be related to the birth control until my mom showed me this site, and strongly believes that the NuvaRing is the reason for my horrible headache, weight gain around the stomach, irritability, and mood swing, fuzzy vision with contacts, depression, and just wanting to sleep all day.

I plan on using a new type of birth control instead of NuvaRing, These side effects are too much for me.

So I have only been on the NuvaRing for about 3 weeks and just took it out. I feel SO down but I didn't feel down till about a week ago. Would the depression hit that fast? I keep getting in fights with my boyfriend and I'm feeling like we aren't going to last even though before this we've never had any real issues and I was positive he was the one I would marry. Now I feel like I'm doubting us but I have no reason at all to doubt us, nothing has happened except I started using the NR. I keep denying that it's the ring but the more I look back on it I feel like it could be since only a few days after I started using it I felt very irritable. I guess it's time to switch again? I don't like feeling like this and I don't want birth control of all things to be the reason our relationship fails. I feel so down and depressed but it isn't constantly, it just comes on randomly and stays till I go to sleep pretty much. Has this happened to anyone? Do you think that the effects would happen that soon after starting the NR? Any help would be great! Thanks!

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've been on the ring for 3 months. Before that, I was on the Ortho tri cyclen Lo for like.. 5 years. I have had no noticeable problems with the ring, other than sometimes it gets in the way during sex, but if it becomes a problem I just take it out. I have not noticed any decline in sex drive. Actually, I think I have a stronger sex drive now. I have not felt depressed. The itching some of you describe would occur if you placed the ring without THOROUGHLY washing your hands with soap. So far, this method of birth control has been completely ideal for me, as a person who has serious trouble remembering to take her pill consistently. So far, I would recommend it to my friends. I'm sorry so many of you girls have had bad experiences. For those of you reading this who are considering the Nuvaring, just consider this: People who have bad experiences with a drug are more likely to get online and make their complaints know. People who are getting along fine are less likely to get on here to report everything is dandy. It's like a restaurant review.. "If they have a good experience, they'll tell two people, if they have a bad experience, they'll tell 12." Good luck.

I think it is very important to point out that most people posting on here only come with bad experiences, as those are the ones people are passionate enough to write about. Personally, I have been on the Nuvaring for several months now, and I absolutely love it. I experienced no nausea or headaches. The only thing I experiences was mild fatigue for the first month or so, but that resolved itself. I understand that not everyone has the same experience, but just recognize that everyone is always going to have some sort of problem with every single birth control method out there. You will never know what works for you until you try it. I know several women who use the Nuvaring and not one of them has a bad thing to say about it. So really, give it a try!

I haven't actually started it yet but am seriously considering it. I been using normal pill BC and I have used the ortho evra patch before I got off BC to have a child. here is my story of why I want to try and for those who are still considering it.

First off, I usually get sick every month with the pill when I start a new pack, not all BC pill did it as I am on Loestrin now and on Yaz before that and they didn't make me sick, but they are lower doses. However, I loved ortho evra, it was great except for the sticky ring where lint get stuck on you from around the edges, but that was just a small negative for me. However, I got off it before all the controversy about how it has three times theh rate of blood clots forming than BC pills, so I am a little worried about going back on it and my docs don't really prescribe it either, and suggested the nuvaring.

Well I went on Yaz post birth and couldn't understand why I was so tired all the time, every one kept saying it is because you have a new baby but i don't believe it was that because my child is a really easy child who sleeps through the night and took her naps. i just wanted to sleep all the time and still feel this way even after switching to loestrin which is similar to Yaz. I wasn't tired like this on Ortho evra and my doc told me that the ring is similar in like the patch.

so I am sorry for all those of you who have had bad experiences and the only thing I think I can do is try it for myself cause, when something bad or negative happens everyone hears about it but that is not the case when something is good. Everyone's body is different and reacts differently to medication. So I am going to go ahead and try I think to see how it affects me cause I don't think I can get any worse and I am not ready to have another child yet. I am currently on an antidepressant for about 5 weeks now and still am having my constant tired wanting to sleep feeling, this is why I think it is the BC. Hopefully i won't have too many side effects but I am willing to give it a try as I do know women who have used it and said that they liked it.

Hi girls! I just wanted to write and let you know I am a 27 year old female who started using the nuvaring about 2 1/2 weeks ago. I am taking the ring out tonight and am not recommending its use to any of my friends!

Since I have started using this product I have had severe pains in both my knees and have had discomfort and incredible irritation while trying to have intercourse (when I can find the mood which hasn't been very often in the past few weeks and being a Scorpio that just isn't like me!!!). My mood swings have been ridiculous and have put a damper on my birthday weekend in Montreal! I went from being a very friendly strong outgoing person to and irritable unsocial bitch that breaks down and cries for no reason at all! I cant believe the side effects have hit me so hard and so quickly and I couldn't imagine using this product for more than a month.

Im happy to have found this site and to find out I am not the only one dealing with these side effects! What surprises me is there is a commercial on Canadian television promoting this product when im not sure it should have made it to our markets to begin with! Nobody at the clinics I have been to nor the doctor I have talked to have informed me of these side effects either and I encourage us all to let our fellow female friends know this product does indeed come with some nasty side effects!

Thank you to everyone who has written a testimonial on this page I appreciate your input and hope mines has been even a little bit of help!

I have been on the NuvaRing for about three years now. It is great, I loved it. For the past year I have been experiencing the most awful cold sweats. They last for about two weeks on and off all day. Then subside for two weeks or so. I can not seem to find an answer as to why. My gyn told me that if it doesn't coincide with my period than it has nothing to do with it. She suggested a tooth infection...it wasn't. I am beginning to think it is the NuvaRing...although not sure because I have yet to find someone with a similar symptom. I just don't understand why now after I have been on it for soo long without a problem? That's the only thing making me wonder if it is a side effect of the NR or not. I took it out about two days ago....Has anyone experienced this reaction? This has really become unbearable.

This is the second time I have switched birth control in the last year and looked for side effects online. I started the nuvaring 6 days ago and yesterday felt sick all day, had abdominal cramping, and was so moody and irritable. I haven't been sleeping well either for the past few nights. Today at the gym, I was getting dizzy and tired during my workout when it was only a Zumba class and not very strenuous (I work out everyday). I also just have that overall "weird" and tired feeling. I had these exact same side effects when I tried Yaz earlier this year. If you switch back to the pill, I suggest Desogen, which I will start taking again since I just took the ring out after reading similar stories - I have never had any side effects or problems with it and can't find websites that have bad experiences like this one and the one I found for Yaz earlier this year.

I started Nuvaring in June of 2008 and it hasn't been that so far but I have had severe depression where I can't get out of the bed I just cry and cry and I'm very moody. Sometimes during sex I have cramps that won't go away until maybe the next day if I'm lucky. I've also gained at least 20 to 30 pounds since I've started. I noticed that I could eat and still feel like I never ate a bite.The only plus is that my period is regulated and my cramps aren't that bad but is it really worth it?

Well ive been using nuvaring for a month now and ever since i put it in on my last period i have not stopped bleeding
i have had horrible headaches
ive been very moody
not meaning to get mad at people
but i do over the smallest things
please tell me if you have had any of the same experiences

Thanks to all of you for sharing your experiences- I should have done a search on Nuvaring long ago. I have been using it for almost a year. At first I loved it but now the bouts of itching have become unbearable and embarrassing. No one wants to be caught scratching herself! I have also had lots of watery discharge- my underwear always feels damp. Not comfortable and certainly not helping the itch. I also often have thick white discharge (but smooth and without odor and so not exactly like I understand a yeast infection to be). I say "understand" because I have never had anything remotely like a yeast infection up til now (34), which is another reason that I suspect the ring. My sex drive is also nonexistent, a problem I have had with oral contraceptives too- I feel bad for my husband. I didn't connect it all at first because the itching is external, but then I noticed that I felt better when I took it out for my period and even better still when I stopped using it for three months due to other health issues. I hate to admit it because I loved the convenience of the ring but I took it out an hour ago and think I already feel better. Now I'm wondering if it was the cause of any of my other health issues but will have to wait and see. Can anyone recommend any non hormonal methods of birth control (other than condoms) or at least any oral contraceptives with less sexual side effects?

Wow, reading all of this has got me kind of scared. I've been taking Ortho-Tri-Cyclin-Low for almost 3 years, my doctor put me on it, to help with my extremely painful periods, and it worked like a charm. I wasn't sexually active, so I never really worried much about taking it at the same time each day. Other the last several months my life has gotten pretty busy, and its become extremely hard to remember taking the pill each day. I started having sex with my boyfriend earlier this month, we've been using condoms, but they are uncomfortable for both of us, and we don't really want to use them (we were both virgins before this, so we're not worried about STDs). So Friday I went to see my doctor and she suggested Nuvaring, and gave me 5 months worth of samples to try.

I was supposed to have my period this week, I actually quit taking the pill last Tuesday or Wednesday (today is Sunday) because I kept forgetting. So my doctor told me to go ahead and have my period then put the first ring in next week. After reading the information packet and on the nuvaring website I decided to put the ring in last night (Saturday night), and skip my period this month.

I had a headache last night, and its still here (though not quite as bad) today. Today I also started having spotting and mild cramps.

The headache could be from me just getting over the flu (I had that Friday & Saturday), and being tired from the flu. And I'm sure the spotting is probably normal, considering I was supposed to start my period in the next few days, and I've only had the ring in for about 12 hours.

I'm going to be on the look out for side effects though. I sure hope it works for me, because I really am horrible about remembering the pill.

I came upon this site while trying to search about people's experiences with sex while using the ring, because I'm kinda nervous that it will be uncomfortable for my boyfriend and/or I. So if any of you have any input with that, please reply to this. Thank you

I just removed Nuvaring in May after almost 2 years of being on it. The main reason was due to the lack of sex drive and when i did have sex, there would be a pretty bad burning sensation to me and my husband. However, now that i read through your comments, i am realizing that a lot more is attributed to my health now because of the Nuvaring.
Mainly, when i was on it, i had severe headaches, couldn't lose a pound to save my life and was very moody.
The big problems I have are now, almost 4 months being off Nuvaring. My doctor informed me that i may be going through premature menopause - i'm 38 years old - due to a malfunction with my ovaries. What!?!? My mom had her period until she was almost 50 and that is a good indicator of what you will have. I also have really bad joint pain, tingling in my fingers at times, hot flashes, sleeplessness and NO period since coming off it. I am hoping that this is just my body trying to battle the jolt of being on Nuvaring and i will return to normal. My advice - if you're on it, get off it and if you're considering it, don't do it. Even a well-known radio personality here in Chicago has said the Nuvaring did awful things to her body and she experienced a lot of bleeding. This product needs to come off the market NOW!

I thought I was crazy until I found this site... I've been toying with the idea of taking the nuvaring out because I've been so ridiculously depressed lately, exhausted for no reason, and my sex drive is basically at zero. I had almost convinced myself that I'm just depressed but started thinking about the nuvaring. I've been on it for almost 2 years now, and had minor problems at first but then after I got used to it, it seemed fine. Lately, it's been getting worse. Before I lived with my boyfriend (and in the same city), I worked at a horrible job that made me miserable and depressed and gave me horrible headaches... I thought it was just that, my job. But it's not any better, except the headaches are somewhat better... but I'm more depressed than ever, my sex drive is worsening, I'm crabbier than ever, all I want to do is sleep but when I do sleep it's not good sleep, I have zero energy, I can't bring myself to do the smallest tasks, and I'm so insecure and scared that my bf doesn't love me anymore. I even think I've developed anxiety. Sex hurts almost worse every time, I get that burning thing other people have been discussing, and it burns after sex when I urinate. I asked my gyno about the pain during sex and she almost acted like I was crazy. I think I'm ready to take this thing out. Condoms, here I come again. There were positives to the ring, like a way lighter period, I only have one sort of heavy day, and the rest are super light, and my cramps are nothing compared to what I used to experience. But those positive things do not outweigh my other experiences. The point of going on BC is so you can have sex without getting pregnant... well having sex once a month because I feel bad that my boyfriend isn't getting any is so NOT worth the money I spend on this thing and so not worth the side effects. It's so weird that for almost a year though I was fine on it, it almost makes me think that they changed something about it. And it's weird that the doctors seem almost brainwashed. I'm not the only one who had the gyno acting like they were crazy. I'm hesitant to take it out now, I still have 2 1/2 weeks until I'm supposed to take it out, but I don't want to wait another 2 1/2 weeks if I could start feeling better by then if I took it out now.

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.

I went on the ring about a year ago and I have loved it. I have been having a problem when I drink too much alcohol though and I am not sure if it has to do with the ring. Whenever I drink to the point where I don't feel good and I have a headache, I get really suicidal and freak out. My boyfriend noticed a few days ago that these episodes started around the same time I got the ring, but we aren't quite sure. Has anyone else ever had any experiences like these? I would like to know as soon as possible so I can take it out. Also, I would like to know if there are any other birth controls that people would recommend besides the pill. I don't like having to remember to take them every day.

Hello. My fiance was on nuvaring for nearly 2 years and gradually began experiencing many of the side effects listed here. The last 6 months were the worst in that the mood swings, anxiety and depression seemed to get out of control. She recently stopped using the ring about 6 weeks ago but it seems like the symptoms are still persistent. Does anyone have any experience with coming off of the ring and whether or not it could take longer than 2 months to get back to normal?

I realize that I am in the minority with this, but I actually really like the NuvaRing. I had been on the pill for almost 11 years (I am 30) and was starting to feel that my hormones were changing and the pill was giving me some side effects. I felt very emotional all the time, began breaking out, and was having weird periods. My Dr recommended the Ring, and while it is fairly expensive, I have had near to no side effects. I did not experience any burning or change in my "insides" with the Ring in, I actually LOST 11 pounds in the last 3 months since I began using the Ring. While I still experience some pre-menstral cramps, they are nothing that 2 ibuprofen won't take care of.
Please everyone, keep in mind that everyones bodies are different. I read up on this site before trying the Ring, and was very hesitant to do so as there is mostly negative commentary on the site. Of course if one person has a bad experience they feel a need to share it as they do not want anyone else to suffer the same fate as them. However, just because one person has a bad reaction does not mean that everyone will, and I think it's important to keep that in mind. I would not recommend the Ring to everyone, because just like all other types of synthetic hormone birth control, peoples bodies are going to react VERY differently. I think that people should make informed decisions, and realize that you are taking a risk any time you try something new. Good luck, and I hope that more folks have good experiences over bad ones.

what a relief to read all your experiences! I too have been on the ring for about 5 months, while my sex drive was not totally shot - i too get these insane cramps in my calf muscles that wake me up at night on a regular predictable basis. to cure those i started taking vitamins and eating bananas more. weight-wise, i'm sure i gained ten pounds since i started but was too depressed to check so i waited until i knew i lost a few and now i'm 7 pounds heavier than when i started. of course I tell this all to my doctor and she's like "That's strange, it's such a low dose of hormones that shouldn't happen." FINALLY the worst of it is the first week I put it in I'm INSANELY emotional. crying hourly. today's been such a hard day - worsened by the fact that it was my birthday two days ago and one of the most pathetic birthday's of my life so i just keep thinking about it and crying. so i wonder if it's the ring thats exaggerating my emotions or if i'm really feeling depressed about having a lame birthday. does anyone else have this first-week slump? i hate it. i want to go off the ring now but i hate taking the pill and i feel like any BC has some hideous undesirable side effect. PLUS when having sex, it's popped out 3 times and i haven't been able to find it after!!! so annoying. what to do what to do...

Thank you very much for posting your experiences. My wife has the same adverse effects with nuvaring. We're gonna remove this thing asap. She has been so depressed and cry all the time for nothing since she started nuvaring. Her antidepressant are not working at all. Her sex drive has decreased substantially. She is getting panic attacks for trivial things. I am so pissed of with this worthless contraceptive. Somebody should file class action law suit against nuvaring.

Thanks friends for sharing yr experiences.

Like many others who have posted here, many symptoms have been present, but I failed to recognize that NuvaRing may be the cause. After another restless night, lying awake at 3 a.m. and considering seeking help for my increasingly unpredictable mood swings and depression, I had an epiphany, which led me here.
I’ve long suffered headaches, so I won’t pin that on NuvaRing, but I used to be one who rarely cried. I’ve felt absolutely crazy lately, both crying and being openly hostile to my husband. It’s a relief to think there may be a cause I can do something about. Now I can’t decide if I should remove it now and risk having my period while on vacation next week or leave it in and be miserable.
I’d finally been able to lose a few pounds, but only two months after beginning NuvaRing, it was all back, plus a few more. I hadn’t thought to connect it to the new birth control, as I’ve been on various pills since 1999.
Stomach problems are another issue I was already dealing with, but the possibility that they've been compounded by this birth control is frustrating.
Another symptom that I’m not sure is related: raised bumps on my upper arms and thighs, dry and slightly itchy. Has anyone else experienced skin-related symptoms with NR?
Many thanks to all who have shared their experiences.

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 am in my 4th month of using Nuva Ring. I have loved it (and recommended it to everyone) until now. The past two weeks, I have felt like I am "high" or something. The only time I have gotten any sleep is when I was on my week off last week. Since I have started researching side effects and reading others' experiences, I didn't really realize some of my symptoms may be related to my birth control. The weird, almost drunk, feeling just started last week, but the sleeplessness, cold hands, bloating, weight gain, nausea have been going on for a while. I'm really not sure what I will do b/c I really love how easy it is to use, but if these symptoms do not go away, I can't handle feeling like this every day. I have NOT experienced depression, lower sex drive, or any vaginal issues like some of the other postings mentioned. I do remove the ring during sex, then wash it and insert again afterward. Has anyone who experienced these side effects ever had them lessen or go away.....or is this permanent for as long as you use the ring? I guess I will be making a phonecall to my doctor today. Now I feel a lot less crazy after reading everyone else's experiences. I am sooooo glad I started researching this topic!

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.

Just started the NuvaRing. only had it in maybe 2 weeks. tons of pimples and having pelvic pains, lots of bilat flank pain. last 3 days abd bloating and gained 3 pounds (obviously most likely fluid retention). nausea and gastric pain after eating. I had been on the ring quite a few years ago and could not remember why I only used a short time. hmmmmm now I remember! Something quite not right. I went online to see if these symptoms may be short term but from all the other comments does not look like they are. Took the ring out. Also like others foul smelling discharge. This was only after 2 weeks. After reading all comments looks like a poor birth control choice if there are others with good experiences they should report otherwise this medication should really be taken off the market.

OK...I thought I was CRAZY, but after reading this I realized I am not alone in my experiences with the NuvaRing. I have been on it for 3 yrs, but last month after I took it out, I did not put a new one in. I had been noticing heart palpitations, tiredness, was mean as all get out, excessively thirsty, and not able to wear my contacts. When I out the ring back in this month, ALL the symptoms came back! Also, I had experienced a drop in my sexual appetite, with no ring, I was back to the 'norm'.
It will be coming out tonight and not going back in.

I'm so glad that I found this site and know that I'm not going through this alone. I started the NuvaRing after not being on birth control for 2 years. Previously I've been on the pill and the patch. I'd heard great things about the ring and thought I'd give it a try. The first three months I loved it. Around month four, I started having pain during sex. It felt like I wasn't getting lubricated enough. Then on top of the pain during sex, I would have a burning sensation after sex when I went to the bathroom. I've also been experiencing a lot of hunger and weight gain around my stomach, which hasn't ever been an issue before. The past month I've had little to no sex drive, and have to wait at least a day after sex before I can attempt to do it again. I'm only 27 and know this isn't normal. Last week I had my period for only 2 days. I thought there was something psychologically wrong with me, especially having no sex drive when I'm with someone that I'm incredibly attracted to. After reading everyone else's similar experiences, I'm taking this ring today and voicing my concern to my doctor first thing tomorrow. Best of luck to everyone in getting back to how we were before the ring.

Is anyone experiencing lingering depression after discontinuing NuvaRing. I was on it for 7 months and have been off of it for 5 weeks and can't shake the blue moods and feeling of hopelessness. My normal self is very happy and I have no history of depression which makes this new trait all the more disturbing. I feel stuck.

I had a period and thought my mood would improve afterward, but it really hasn't. Overall, I am better than I was at first, but the progress is so slow that I can't see it most of the time.

I am wondering how old is everyone, I am 36, is possibly an age group issue? I began using the ring September 10, 2007 problems began almost immediately moodiness, depression, and sleepless nights, and that is just the beginning. I spotted for the first month with occasional heavier bleeding, on November 8 that all changed, from spotting to very heavy bleeding, today is January 3 and I am still bleeding the doctors can't tell me why or make it stop, even after a brief hospital stay. Extreme cramps it was worse than being in labor with my daughter, and passing something that appeared to be fleshy. I discontinued the ring almost a week ago and am hoping that things will start returning to normal soon.

Hello ladies. Thank you for being brave enough to share your experiences. I was on the NuvaRing for 10 days, and realized that it was making me crazy and causing me to think I was losing my mind. The day after I inserted it I felt like I had no control over my thoughts. I felt as though I was becoming a schizophrenic. After several days I considered seeing a shrink because I was so depressed. I called my OB to let them know this was going on and they said they'd never heard of anything like that happening. So I felt like I was the only one, and that maybe I really was losing my mind. They told me it would take about 2 months for the hormone to leave my body. I felt better after taking it out but now, 3 weeks later I am starting to have anxiety. I have never ever had problems like this in my life even when I was on the pill and the patch. Hopefully I will feel better completely. I do have several good days in a row where I feel normal, and back to my old self, and then some days are very bad. Has anyone had similar problems, and if so.... how long has it taken to get back to normal?

I felt the need to tell anyone who might be considering NuvaRing and looking at this website that not everyone has problems with it! I am on NuvaRing and have nothing but positive things to say about it. I have actually been losing weight, my breast size has gone up (who could ask for a better combination?!) and I have had no experience with moodiness or depression. My sex drive is the same, and for sure have had no issues with dryness or pain during sex. I don't write this to make those who are having bad experiences feel terrible, I only want other women to know that there is another side to this. I cannot feel the ring at all, and my partner can't either, except with his hand, but not during sex. It truly is the most convenient and best birth control I've ever tried.

I was on nuvaring for 18 months and in that time and in that time i gained 40 pounds while watching what I was eating, my gyn said it was just how my body was processing the ring I also experiences severe headaches. Since being off the ring for two months my weight has plateaued and my headaches are subsiding.

I just had a baby in June and the dr talked up Nuvaring like it was the greatest, so I went on it. Only been on it a month and in that time have felt sort of scared because of the way I had been feeling. Irritated, sleepy, drenching night sweats, breaking out in cold sweats during the day, heart palpitations, and just constantly feeling on edge. The night sweats and heart palpitations have been the worst, I have never experienced anything like that and it's terrible. Now I'm experiencing the most heavy bleeding I have ever had in my life. I will not be using Nuvaring anymore.

I was on the Nuvaring for 3 years. I had similar experiences to everyone else here. They came on so gradually I seriously thought it was something else. I had night sweats almost everynight some nights so bad I had to change clothing and bedding in the middle of the night. I thought I had cancer! And then the migraines came on a couple times per month, and headaches every evening some lasted until morning. . I never had a migraine before but I attributed it to stress. I also had chronic swollen glands in my head and neck that were sore. I kept asking my doctor she just did blood tests and said I was fine. All of these would cycle so you thought it wouldn't happen again and then it did. I loved the convenience of it so I stayed on it too long. I just got married so I went off it 2 weeks ago and I haven't felt so good in years!

Hello all!! I have been on NR for around 9 mos. I think that this is a great method of BC for me, a person who forgets to take pills and gets rediculous nausea from pills. However, I'm wondering if anyone experiences NIGHT SWEATS? I sweat so much at night, that everything is soaked and I often feel like something is crawling on me and its just perspiration. This is gross! I've taken many 2am showers because I can't stand it. As I read some of your entries, I noticed that fatigue is mentioned. I thought I needed vitamins, more blood, or just 24hrs of sleep. I wanna continue to use this method of BC, but can't stand these two problems.