NuvaRing and gyno

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.

So i told you I would post an update from my gyno... so here it is (below is my original post)

I went to the doctor and her nurse asked me if i had a little bit of cramping and i said yeah its actually off to the side, and she said that i might have some sort of blockage by my ovaries.... well then my doctor came in and she said that everything was perfectly normal. and decided to put me onto yaz... well i'm not going to take it. and it worries me that i might have a blockage. I took out the ring last night and it is gone for good! I can't wait to get back to my normal self. i am going to see how i do this month without the ring and still see if i have the cramps if i do i will go back if not then we can just assume it was caused from nuva....

August 15th
2008
12:14 AM

So I got on NuvaRing because I needed something with low hormones that wouldn't make me crazy like other BC's. I've been on it for almost 3 years now and didn't start having problems until recently. Now I get night sweats... i wake up and i am soaking wet from sweat, depressed, cry and get angry for no reason. Like the other night I was in the middle of eating dinner and i just started balling uncontrollably for no reason. My sex drive really hasn't decreased all that much it's still there; but i have discharge like there is no tomorrow and sometimes it smells. I figured if i douched that would help the situation but apparently not. I also haven't had a "period" in like 4 months and i'm not pregnant. I say "period" because NuvaRing doesn't allow your ovaries to ovulate so it's not really a period but withdrawal blood because your not shedding any uterine lining.I also recently have had bad migraines... thinking that having my wisdom teeth finally removed would take care of that issue but it's been 3 months since that and the answer is no. I have no energy to do anything all i want to do is sleep but i hate sleeping because i wake up soaking wet from sweat. It bothers me when my husband and I have sex and hurts. I also can not go a day without taking pepto; my stomach hurts even if i drink water. don't get me wrong i love the fact that i've lost weight but not because my stomach hurts too much to eat. I know if your looking for something to help you pin point what it is i'm sorry that you're not getting it from me. But I can tell you this after a while you get tired of it. I am going to talk to my gyno to see what my other options are. I can't take it any longer and neither can my husband. I have never PMSed as bad as I have been lately. If you're experiencing any of these I would recommend you call your gyno/dr and let them know; there could be something better for you out there. Sometimes I wonder why we woman put our bodies through these things. If all else fails looks like we'll just be going back to the old school days of condoms and spermicide lube. i'll post in a few days after my gyno apt to let you know what she said about my symptoms... but you'll know when you've had enough.

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.

So I got on NuvaRing because I needed something with low hormones that wouldn't make me crazy like other BC's. I've been on it for almost 3 years now and didn't start having problems until recently. Now I get night sweats... i wake up and i am soaking wet from sweat, depressed, cry and get angry for no reason. Like the other night I was in the middle of eating dinner and i just started balling uncontrollably for no reason. My sex drive really hasn't decreased all that much it's still there; but i have discharge like there is no tomorrow and sometimes it smells. I figured if i douched that would help the situation but apparently not. I also haven't had a "period" in like 4 months and i'm not pregnant. I say "period" because NuvaRing doesn't allow your ovaries to ovulate so it's not really a period but withdrawal blood because your not shedding any uterine lining.I also recently have had bad migraines... thinking that having my wisdom teeth finally removed would take care of that issue but it's been 3 months since that and the answer is no. I have no energy to do anything all i want to do is sleep but i hate sleeping because i wake up soaking wet from sweat. It bothers me when my husband and I have sex and hurts. I also can not go a day without taking pepto; my stomach hurts even if i drink water. don't get me wrong i love the fact that i've lost weight but not because my stomach hurts too much to eat. I know if your looking for something to help you pin point what it is i'm sorry that you're not getting it from me. But I can tell you this after a while you get tired of it. I am going to talk to my gyno to see what my other options are. I can't take it any longer and neither can my husband. I have never PMSed as bad as I have been lately. If you're experiencing any of these I would recommend you call your gyno/dr and let them know; there could be something better for you out there. Sometimes I wonder why we woman put our bodies through these things. If all else fails looks like we'll just be going back to the old school days of condoms and spermicide lube. i'll post in a few days after my gyno apt to let you know what she said about my symptoms... but you'll know when you've had enough.

Well...i'm only 17 years old and i have been trying EVERYTHING to get rid of my 2 week long heavy period and extremely severe cramping. I have been on 3 different kinds of oral BC and i would still bleed for 2 weeks. So i tried the Mirena IUD and that was the worst idea of my life. It went in fine but about 10 minutes later i was in a extreme amount of pain (and i have a very high pain tolerance, broke 3 ribs and didn't cry) i called my gyno back and he prescribed me a pain medication but it didn't work. After trying 3 different pain medications and an antibiotic i had enough. I went to the hospital and was prescribed percocet and that helped. I went back a few days later and had it taken out so now i am trying the NuvaRing. I put it in and a few hours later started cramping and having back pain. The next morning i had very bad nausea and cramping. Its about a week later now and i am experiencing headaches, nausea, quite bad cramping, bloating, tiredness all the time and i just don't feel myself anymore. I am calling my gyno back to see what he suggests but i'm looking for any ideas or suggestions until i get a hold of him. 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 am very surprised to see that some of you hated the Nuvaring, also. I had been on the pill for about a year and i absolutely hated it. It was to hard to remember to take the pill once i had missed only one pill, and i was always nauseous. I started using Nuvaring about six months ago, and i love it. It's so easy. I use a calendar to keep up with the schedule, and it is so much easier to put in a ring, leave it in for three weeks, and take it out. I take it out on Fridays, and my period starts on Mondays and ends the following Friday. I have had more bloating and mood swings while using the ring, but my Gyno says it's normal. I would highly recommend NuvaRing to anyone. It's great.

I have only been taking nuvaring for a month (just took it out two days ago for the first time) and I have already been experiencing some of the same side affects as many of the women here. For the last week and a half I have been in the biggest depression I've been in in years. I read an earlier post that said if you already have a predisposition to, say depression, the nuvaring side effects can hit you harder. I think I agree with that. I was crying, moody, hollow feeling, and everyone I crossed, whether friend, acquaintance, or stranger, asked me if I was "okay"... It was, shall we say, noticeable to others.

In fact, it was horrible. I just kept telling people, "I don't what's wrong with me but I'm not right." I was grumpy, tired, and had no zest for life. This depression was so pronounced, extreme, and out-of-character in just a month that I started researching and found this site. (I hope that helps for anyone reading this who is thinking about using the nuvaring and are prone to depression).

I also had extreme tenderness in my boobs about a week into putting it in...like so bad you have to gently glide down your stairs because any bobble will be painful...you know what I mean... :)

I had taken estrostep for a few years but I had gone off it for a year until I decided to try B/C again and my gyno recommended nuvaring for the convenience. I don't remember having any side effects with estrostep and I plan to go back to that immediately.

i have been on the nuvaring about 2yrs give or take. Just about 2mths ago i discovered having head aches. They have not gone away ever since. I have have blood work done, and mri. the mri showed i my jaw pops out of place when i open my mouth to wide. The doctor says that it looked lik TMJ but there to independent things. So he suggested to stop using my birth control. I called my gyno, she said that people have had cases of getting migraines but its unusual to be on it for so long and suddenly develop migraines. I have been on lots of medication nothing seems to work. She told me to stop taking it after my next menstrual cycle, im praying that this will cure my migraines.

I decided to stop using the NuvaRing and removed it about 3 weeks ago. A very light period started about 4 days later, which was the norm while I had been on the ring. Starting about the day I would have normally put in a new ring, I started to get cramps and an unusual amount of discharge. I've never been one to suffer from bad menstrual cramps, so having cramps well after my light period ended and when I wasn't even using the ring was surprising to me. The pain has been fairly constant for two weeks now, although the discharge has diminished slightly in the past few days. I'm not uncomfortable when I'm sitting or laying down, but the second I stand up the abdominal/pelvic area pain occurs. Could this be my body adjusting to NOT having the ring (I had been on it consistently for over 2 years)? Or could the cramping by a sign of something unrelated to the ring like a pelvic infection, fibroids, etc.? Any ideas and thoughts are appreciated. Might have to take myself to the doctor about this soon.

Has anyone had vaginal bleeding because the NuvaRing irritated your vagina? I had a little bit of break-thru bleeding earlier in my cycle but now the blood looks more like it is coming from something else...I have used a diaphram before and that would really irritate my vagina during sex, I would lightly bleed for the next day or two. My bleeding now looks a lot like my vagina is really irritated similar to using the diaphram. I've had some mood swings--mostly deep lows and being incredibly impatient/irritable which I'm normally not like. Lots of breast tenderness, too. My gyno swore that the NuvaRing with finally be the BC that would work for me (I've been a numerous types of pills) but I've been on it for two months and so far things are not looking too promising...

I was on many pills over the past 5 years, all with really bad side effects. The pills would cause me to have a period every two weeks, give me CRAZY yeast infections, cause all sorts of mood swings, and completely took away my sex drive. After giving me so many different brands of pills, my gyno decided that my body metabolized the hormones too fast and not enough of them were getting into my blood stream. He put me on the NuvaRing because it totally bypasses the digestive tract and the hormones get absorbed directly into your blood stream. I've just come out of my 1st month and feel great! My boyfriend and I both don't even notice it's there. I'm actually starting to regain some of my sex drive back and couldn't be happier with my new BC.

I just started on NuvaRing YESTERDAY and already I'm getting headaches and experiencing vaginal pain and abdominal cramping. I was on the pill two years ago for a year to regulate my periods, and I experienced ridiculous mood swings and severe depression. My gyno recommended this because of the lower doses of hormones. With the exception of 1 review, everything I've found so far has been extremely negative regarding this birth control. I'm thinking this probably isn't going to be the right one for me...

I have been using the NuvaRing since October 2005. I never had any problems with it. I thought it was great!! Unfortunately, I was dating this guy for the past two years that never wanted to have sex and all we would do is fight. I had no sex drive of course and I was always feeling depressed, anxious, or stressed out. However, we broke up in December, and now I have a new partner. I thought these symptoms would cease to exist now that the other guy is out of my life, but I am still feeling this way. And I thought my sex drive would return, but it has not. Well, last month I started bleeding out of nowhere, in the middle of my cycle, which had not occurred before and I became concerned. I went for a pap smear, and of course, the gynos are dying to get that ring off the shelves and into millions of healthy women, so she told me that my bleeding had nothing to do with NuvaRing (and then attempted to send me for an $1100 ultrasound). If something wasn't up, why would I need an ultrasound? I wasn't pregnant, at that point, which brings me to my next point. It was almost like a normal period when I bled out of nowhere, then my actual period was suppose to arrive 2 weeks later, and did not. But the gyno still said I was fine and there is nothing to worry about! So as far as I know, I'm not pregnant. I've just screwed up my reproductive system with this new BC.

Okay, after reading these blogs, I think it's time to trash the NuvaRing and go back to something else. Now that I think back on it, whether or not the NuvaRing has anything to do w/ these symptoms, either way I didn't have them before I started it: migraines, depression, weight gain, hair loss, anxiety, mood swings, loss of sex drive, and tiredness. I am 24 years old, and way too young to feel this way!

I was on the NuvaRing for about four months. One of the first things I asked when my gyno recommended it as a safe, effective form of birth control was, how is a ring that stays up in your vagina for weeks safe and sanitary? We all know that you cannot have a tampon up in there for more than a day, so how is the ring any different? I got a bacteria infection and bladder infection while on the ring. I think that the ring is an unsanitary breeding ground for bacteria and infections. I will never use it again. In my opinion, THE NUVARING IS DANGEROUS.

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.

I'm 22 years old... I'd been off of birth control for 2 years when I started NuvaRing in October. My gyno said it was great with very few side effects. I have always had really clear, pretty skin, but since I have started NuvaRing, I have had awful breakouts. I am constantly nauseated, have terrible headaches and the mood swings are unbearable. My fiance thought I was losing it - I'd be high as a kite one minute, then rock bottom the next.
Luckily I found this site... does anyone have any recommendations as far as other options? Is OrthoEvra (patch) worth it? Please reply... thanks, ladies!

**I got on the NuvaRing because my gyno said it was good, she didn't want to prescribe the patch anymore which I loved. I was totally freaked out by putting it in and leaving it inside my body but I did, it was giving me trouble at first pains in my lower stomach. I had sex and it wasn't as bad anymore but to tell u the truth I don't know if It fell out during or if its still in there. I tried finding it inside of me of course I cant so I'm nervous as all hell. I've been tireddd all the time sleeping 14 hours at a time and still can sleep more, I have horrible pains in the mid, of my lower stomach and bloating. I cant live like this anymore it feels like the stomach flu and not only that I have a 5 month old son and its making things hard me sleeping all the time but my body is sore. Theres no way it could have maybe went in my cervix or something right? I think my boyfriend would have told me if he found it... its been almost 2 months now since I started it. If anyone knows anything please email me because I probably won't be able to find how to see replies

wow so i was completely freaking out because i just couldn't figure out what was wrong with me. My breasts were killing me-which i was beginning to think i was prego, but wasn't seeing ne real reason why i should be. I started having mood swings, feeling extremely depressed, and breaking down and crying over every little thing in my life. I keep getting migrains (which i have never had before) and feeling dizzy to the point of passing out, and nausea. Also i have excess discharge, and kept feeling like i had a yeast infection but realized that it was simply just the ring that is irritating me. Im completely fed up with feeling this way, and just dont want to deal with the emotions, or pain anymore. Im going to my gyno on monday to try and figure out a different type of birth control to go on. Its going to be rough sticking it out through the rest of this week!!

I have been on NR for about three years. It has been the only form of B/C that I have used after having my daughter. I did not learn until here recently that it may have been the cause of my problems. I noticed that I had no energy and that my sex drive had disapeared completely. I consulted my Gyno early this year and he ran some indepth blood tests to try and figure out what my problem was. He did this twice. But the tests showed that there was nothing out of sorts. The lack of sex drive got so bad that it was effecting my marriage. So, I knew that the NR was the only constant factor since I had my daughter, so I decided this week to stop using it. I have already seen an increase in my energy level and my sex drive. I have been in a better mood since removing the ring. I plan to go back to my Gyno and discuss the matter in full detail.

I was on the NuvaRing for a month. I chose the ring because I absolutely hated the emotional rollercoaster I would experience each month when I was on the pill and the ring almost killed me.

I tried several tri-cyclin and strong dose pills while in college and ended up puking my guts out, emotionally void, and sexually disinterested on most pills. After an emotional breakup with a serious boyfriend of three years, I took myself off birth control (and swore off dating) completely and felt wonderful! I was off the pill for almost a year.

However, I entered a serious and wonderful relationship about 8 months ago and although we use condoms 100% of the time, my boyfriend and I both wanted to have that extra 99.9% back-up guarantee. So I went to my gyno and we discussed options and figured a low dose birth control pill would keep me safe and eliminate the craziness I experienced on the other pills. That didn't work because I ended up spontaneously and seriously spotting 2 weeks out of the 4. Finally after many ruined panties and pants, I went back to my gyno who then suggested that I try the Nuvaring.

I thought the Nuvaring was wonderful when I first tried it out. I couldn't feel it physically. I didn't have any emotional side effects, I didn't have to worry about missed pills, it seemed like a non-issue. At this time I was also about 4 months into training for my first marathon and studying for the LSAT. I started to feel really really fatigued (aka didn't want to walk up stairs, moving limbs was too exhausting, disinterest in life, and running because a pain) and I wasn't sleeping at night. If I did actually sleep, I would wake up feeling just as tired, like I had never slept. I attributed all of this to the stress of the LSAT and marathon training.

Then things began to change. I would go out for 3-5 mile runs (something that should have been very easy) and wouldn't be able to take a full breath mid-stride. Finally, I had a run that was terrible. It felt like I was having an asthma attack. I was dizzy, out of breath and disoriented and I had to walk home from my run, something I've never done before. I freaked out because the marathon was only 4 weeks away, and went to my doctor. She prescribed me an inhaler and just to be on the safe side, sent me for blood work the next day.

I went to get blood drawn and seriously passed out (after the procedure was over and I was getting ready to go to work). I am a needle-phobe and occasionally get light-headed but something was seriously wrong because every time the lab staff tried to move me, I kept passing out. They had to call a hospital code and rush me to the ER. After numerous tests they discovered that I had several pulmonary embolisms (blood clots in the lungs). I spent five days in the hospital and was put on blood thinners for 3-6 months.

Pulmonary Embolisms are the second leading cause of sudden death in the U.S. behind heart attacks. I am a 24-year-old woman non-smoker, in excellent physical condition, with no history of clotting disorders. My only risk factor was being on the NuvaRing. I am having a hard time thinking about what could have happened had I not listened to my body when it was telling me something was wrong!

I was really hesitant to start the ring. I had tried the Birth Control pill a thousand times since I was 16 and every time I would become an emotional wreck and suffer from severe depression, and gain 20 pounds-so I would stop. My GYNO suggested the ring b/c it has a more consistent release of hormones-the peeks and valley's of the pill may have been the problem....so I am onto my second month using the ring. It was easy to insert, I did notice some cramping the day after inserting it for the first time but expected it! I hadn't noticed any burning or itching. My moods were fine...I thought this was going to be great...until my first 7 day break...my cycle was probably the heaviest its ever been the cramps were crippling. I was in bed with a migrane so bad I couldn't bear to move for the remaining 3 days that I had the ring out. The migrane seemed to have disappeared once I put in my second ring but I have had mild hedaches since on and off and the cramps seem to be more speratic....I was lying in bed the other night and all of the sudden I had a horrible sharp pain I had never felt before- it felt like my ovary exploded.....but it disappeared seconds later and haven't felt it since ( it was a very scarey feeling)....I have noticed some weight gain- about 5 pounds since starting it less than 2 months ago despite being active...and I have noticed the gaseous side effect several other had mentioned...It is horrible (along with the bloating and irregular movements!) The first month was just fine but I am worried now that the side effects may be too much to deal with...I am going to stick it out for a little while longer-I want this method to work! It really is so convienent and I can't feel it nor can my boyfriend!

I just started taking the NR 3 days ago. Today is day three and I have a fever and my stomach is bloated and I can't seem to get enough sleep and I just don't feel good. I have increased sex drive and I'm still spotting a little bit after my period. Why does taking birth control always make me feel bad? With the pill I had vision problems, upset stomach, etc. I used the shot and it made me have pains in the spot where the injection was and I didn't have a period for over a couple of years, and then when I finally got my period after that, it was all messed up and I have extreme fatigue and I might as well not exist while I have a period. I'm done with birth control. I'll just use condoms until they can make safer products.

I'm glad to know that there are other women out there with similar problems as me. I recently became engaged, sexually active and with that, became a new user of the Ring. It was reccomended to me by two family member s who love it and would never go back to all the other methods they'd tried in the past. I, however, am not as lucky as they are. I put it in on the first day of my period, as directed. My period lasted about 8 days when it usually lasts five and I had brown spotting for the rest of the month. Intercourse became very painful for me from the get-go. It was like a burning sensation and it was horrible enough that my fiance and I have not done it for two weeks. I went in to my gyno and she said I had a yeast infection and that the Ring was healthy for the vagina because the vagina LIKES the hormones in it and that the Ring should improve the atmosphere in the vagina, if anything. So, I've had two UTI's and a yeast infection since putting it in, bleeding after intercourse, maddening headaches, cramps, ACNE (which it is suppose to clear up), and severe mood swings. But, my doc won't switch me to the pill because she thinks that my body will adjust. I guess I'll just give it some more time and, if it doesn't straighten up within another couple of weeks, I'll demand something else because this just is not working for me as I had hoped it would!

I was just given the NuvaRing to try yesterday, I did not even last 24 hours! Literally 4 hours after I put it in, my eye started to twitch, constantly. I started have chest pain and pressure, almost like when you have bronchitis. My legs felt crampy, my back hurt, I couldn't sleep, and I had the worst headaches. Seriously. I hoped it would pass by morning, but no luck, so I called the GYNO and she said to remove it and wait to see if the symptoms go away. I removed it this afternoon, and this evening, I am still feel crappy, but at least a tad better.

I read and re-read the Nuvaring packaging looking for my side effects, and there were none. I am so disappointed with this. It was the worst experience I have ever had with birth control!

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???

i've been on nuva for about 6 months... the first 2 weeks, i felt a little irritable, but nothing serious. within the past month, ive started noticing more serious symptoms. i went to the emergency room because i was having sharp pains when i breathe in. (this actually started months ago but it wasnt really that bad until a couple weeks ago) they did an x-ray and said i had "pleurisy"...ive also been having heart palpitations...both of these have been freaking me out but i never thought they had anything to do with nuva (and neither did the doctors apparently)...ive been flipping out lately...im usually pretty easy going and happy, but lately, i have been having severe mood swings...i get sad, angry, anxious and i cant figure out why...when i snap out of it im like "wow that isnt like me"...it was horrible and i thought i was going crazy. i have been exhausted during the day and i fall asleep soon after work (which i didnt think much of because i work with children all day) and i have had headaches daily...i was eating nonstop, none of my clothes fit me because i have gained weight and i am bloated every day. oh yea, and once i had pain so bad during sex i had to stop and i was in tears...right after, i felt like i had a UTI. the pain lasted 2 days and went away.

i took it out yesterday and i WILL NEVER use it again. i felt so good today. i am happier, not hungry and i have more energy. seriously, im mad that no doctors have mentioned any of these symptoms to me and when i went in for a check up at the gyno they didnt say that my symptoms could be caused by nuva.

I have been on Nuvaring for 2.5 months... thank god i read this. I'm not someone who usually gets side effects to drugs but Nuva Ring is a whole different story. I'm tired all the time! I used to be able to stay up all night but since I started the ring I need to sleep all the time. I'm in college my roommate convinced me to get tested for mono beacuse I was always sleeping and couldn't even stay up to study for finals! I also have been getting horrible mood swings. I have always been the nicest most easy going person until I started the ring. I have also been having back and stomach pain (like acid stomach) as well as numbness in my hand, I'm not sure if this has anything to do with the ring but it started right when I started the ring.. has anyone else had these sideeffects.. Thanks!!!

I have been using the NuvaRing for less than a week now. My breasts have been unbearably sore and I am just curious if the tenderness will decrease over time. My gyno recommended that I use the NuvaRing because it had the lowest amount of hormones and I have already been taking 50mg of Zoloft for depression daily. So far, I have noticed a change in my mood. My best friend said I seem mean and opinionated lately, when normally I am a total pushover and nice no matter how I'm feeling. Does anyone know if this will change? I'm glad I'm expressing myself now, but I don't want to be mean to anyone, ever. Oh and also I've been sleeping like it's my job. I'm in college and finals are coming up and I don't know how I'm going to study being this sleepy all the time! Thanks!

I've been using the NuvaRing for about nine months. I had used it about 3 yrs ago for a 1.5 yr period. At first I noticed similar symptons to the first time that I used it- very intolerant to alcohol, slightly depressed, naseaus frequently. But wasn't too concerned- I have a number of stomach problems, so I though that it just was agrivating that, and didn't worry too much. Then last month, my period came 20days after the previous, for about 15 days, with extreme itchness around my vulva. (Before going on the ring I would get my period every 33-35 days for about 3 days-no cramping, which increased to 30days/8-9 day length with light cramping on the ring) Now again, 13 days after I put a new Ring in I got my period again- really heavy. I'm going to try and see my gyno this week about it.
The most concerning thing is that my Cholesterol has increased 30 pts since last year- I'm practically vegan- only eating cheese on a rare ocassion, an active rock climber and road biker, and eat less cheese then last year, so it's a drastic increase. Also, my Triglyceride level was high- which I have never experienced before.
Also- about 4 months into using the ring I had an ovarian cyst pop in me. It was a random occurance that I ended up in the ER for and had never had anything like that occur before- can't say for-sure if it's related, but it was really scary and I couldn't move for about a month of my life.

Hey everyone.
I wanted to thank you for all your comments. I've been on NR for 5 or 6 cycles now and didn't realize that it might be the cause of recent issues.
1. My breast are lumpy/sore and have increased a cup size
2. Some weight gain and salt cravings (I feel like a pregnant woman) which, in turn cause me to bloat.
3. Facial bloating
4. mood swings. I'm on top of the world the first to weeks it's in then im awful the last week.
5. Worst worst, is the constant feeling going into the end of the 2nd/3rd week that i'm on the verge of getting some kind of vaginal infection.

I had something going on over Christmas (my gyno thought it was a yeast infection or cysts) with vaginal pain ovarian pain and back pain that I thought I had PID or even herpes even though tested negative for everything.

I took it out today on my normal cycle and I wonder if I should just stop completely. It scares me because of my fam. history of breast cancer. I've only been on nuva. is there some other form of hormonal birth control that's right for me?