NuvaRing and gyno

I used NuvaRing for 1 year and 5 months before I threw in the towel. At first it was great. No weight gain, no change in my cycles, no problem during intercourse, everything was perfect... a great alternative to a pill. Until I started taking NuvaRing in 2008 I had not been on any birth control. The last time I was on anything was in 2000 after the birth of my only daughter. In 2000 I used Depo Provera (spelling?) and had horrible side effects from that. I had extreme hair loss & the worst mood swings you could imagine. I knew that his time around I didn't want the Depo shot & I can't remember to take a pill everyday. I struggle to take a full round of antibiotics without accidentally forgetting a dose. After talking to my Gyno in 08 I decided to try NuvaR. After getting my 6 mo. checkup with my doctor we decided to keep me on it since I was pleased with the results. So months went by, still no problem. Then one afternoon I started getting a pain in my left side that was the worst achey/uncomfortable nagging pain I had ever felt. I started to keep a log of when my pain would come & how long it lasted before it finally subsided. After a few weeks I began looking through the internet to find out more of my anatomy & try to come up with an idea of what was causing my strange pain. As it turns out the pain was in the same area as my spleen & a little piece of the liver comes across to the left side as well. I knew that this was not a kidney issue since I am prone to kidney infections at least 3 times a year. I know kidney pain & this was not it. My boyfriend started complaining about how I was always complaining about not feeling well. When we started dating in July of 08 I was somewhat outgoing, always going here or there for any get together-friends from work, daughters cheer stuff, jazz shows, beach etc. He was tired of me being tired. That is when we started wondering if I had anemia. The spleen pain could have been explained by that. Or maybe it was my gall blader we thought. I started looking for signs & symptoms but nothing was obvious. I just dealt with the pain in my side and wondered too if I was developing a stomach ulcer. Then one day my shins started hurting for no apparent reason. Then it was the forearm bones. I literally hurt inside my bones. The shins were the most painful of all. It hurt to walk, I couldn't get comfortable sitting, lying, standing, sleeping & I was at my whitts end. After talking about it with my boyfriend he said that I needed to go ahead & make an appointment because my quality of life has been reduced to zilch. I was always uncomfortable with pain or aches or moody. I went to see my doctor. Of course when I went I had a UTI, as usual-nothing abnormal about that. I told him about all my pain so we ran some tests. He did some blood work & saw that my white blood cells were through the roof. We decided to culture my urine specimen & a few days later we found I had a MRSA staff UTI. Typically you get these if you are catheterized but I fell into the unlucky 5% that just get it w/o any reason. (In the back of my mind I still wonder if NuvaRing had anything to do with it.) So, I took all the antibiotics making sure not to miss a dose. 14 days later at a check up I still had a little bit of bacteria in my urine & we ran more blood tests. My white count was even higher. Now my doctor takes my bone pain & side pain more seriously. The infection was getting better but my body was fighting something else or was it? He decided to check my kidneys by ultrasound to make sure there were no cycts. They also did a full abdominal ultrasound to look at the spleen & liver for enlargement. No enlargement but possibly a little kidney stone. Then I had an appointment with an infectious disease/internal medicine Dr. He made sure my infection was gone. I told him about all my weird pain & he ran a lot of blood work. White count still high, did a lap stain to look for leukosytes for leukemia, all was clear. So, after a week, off for a CT I went to check on the stone. Of course no stone on CT. Finally my boyfriend said hey, don't put a ring in this month & see if that's the problem. Sure enough after spending soooo much on all the tests after I took it out I was back to my old self in about a months time. I still had a pain in my side once in a while for the first 2-3 months but I have been completely symptom free now for 4 mos! The only worry I have now is that I started gaining weight after I stopped taking it. I have gained 20 lbs (some of that is because I got lazy & lethargic for so long) and my hair is beginning to come out more often in clumps again. I have an area thinning in my eyebrow & my nails are breaking more easily. I think I need to go get my thyroid checked. Yet again, I can't help but wonder- was it caused by the NuvaRing? Have I damaged myself thanks to what was supposed to be a great easy alternative to a pill? I guess we'll see how it goes. Never again will I use it, nor will I recommend it to anyone. Oh, and my love life is great again, I go places & do things again now. It's amazing how far I spiraled down before we realized it was preventable. DON'T USE THE RING!

I started NuvaRing 10/25, I wanted a birth control that could regulate my periods and was something I wouldn't forget to take. The first two days were fine, even though I didn't have much of an appetite.Then by the third day I woke up with horrible pains in my bladder/anal area.Keep in mind through out all of this I was getting chest pains (which just may have been from stress) and was not sleeping well at all. So last night I couldn't fall asleep until 2am, woke up every hour with nausea and chest pains and my left arm ache. I took the ring out around 5am and by 8am I puked. If my symptoms don't in prove I will call my Gyno. NuvaRing: great idea, rough side effects, and not for me.

I was on Nuvaring for exactly 2 weeks and 1 day and for the first few days it was great. The only side effect I seemed to be getting was the breast swelling and tenderness. Then about a week in, I started getting cramps that were very short (5-20 seconds or so) but very painful, and then came mood swings. I was very depressed. I didn't want to go anywhere or be around anyone.I would get angry at my fiance and want him to shut up and go away if he tried to have a conversation with me, but then I would cry hysterically if he was on the computer or not paying attention to me for any longer than about 20 minutes. I didn't want to move from the couch. All I wanted to do was nap or eat. If I wasn't doing either of those I was yelling or crying. So, my fiance and I did some research and found that the nuvaring could cause all of that. I took it out, and my mood swings immediately became less severe, and now, after having it out a week are almost gone. The problem is, I just started my period this morning and I am just pouring blood like no one would ever believe, and I have cramps worse than I have ever felt before. I am wondering if I should go to the emergency room or wait this out and call my Gyno on Monday.

I had just gotten married and never been on any type of birth control. i decided that since i was a forgetful person the best option was the nuvaring and my husband agreed. my gyno gave me the script and i swear not 8 hours after i put the thing in i was more sensitive. i stayed on the nuvaring for 8 months. i had serious depression, i slept the majority of the day, i'd even sleep at work. i had no sex drive, which doesn't make since, b/c i was a newly wed. i would be angry with my husband if he didn't say i love you in the right way. i had never had any problems in the vag department, and then all of a sudden i had cramps that you couldn't imagine, yeast and bacterial infections and itching that could not go away. i thought my body was just transitioning or something. i had to eat like 24/7... i was always snacking and i have hyperthyroidism so its hard to gain weight but i gained like 15 pounds one week then dropped 20 the next. i hated my life and my family. when my husband would ask me what was wrong i just couldn't tell him b/c i barely knew who i was.

ive been on sronyx for about 3 weeks, and besides forgetting to take it here and there, i am back to my old self, i can have fun and i don't cry if someone tells me i look nice. lol i would definitely caution anyone who is even thinking about the nuvaring, to really do your research!

Well I was on the Nuvaring for two and a half years. I was taking it purely for the birth control, my periods prior were fine. I had no side effects until about 2 years in. It was December of this year and I started pulling over on the side of the road with horrible panic attacks. I was scared to drive feeling like I was about to pass out. I started going to and acupuncturist in hopes of relieving my anxiety. Right away he said it was my hormones in the birth control, but I didn't want to believe him. About 3 months later I asked my Gyno and she swore that the hormones from the birth control would not cause anxiety. Well slowly it got worse. I was panicking on an airplane- which I had never done before. I had panic attacks in the middle of the day, when I saw the sun set; I was feeling claustrophobic in my own house. I was constantly nervous, and had lost my appetite. So I decided to take out the nuvaring. Within 4 hours I felt better. It has been amazing the change I have felt. I am not 100% feeling better, because I scared myself with bad thoughts while feeling nervous, but I am on my way back to my old self. I caution the use of the Nuvaring, only because it caused me to feel like I was going crazy, and it took years to see those side effects.

Well, I am so glad I found this website. I am 39 yrs old and my husband is fixed....so I have no reason or desire to take any form of hormonal birth control. I never liked the idea of inserting a ring or taking hormones after the many female issues I have endure. I only agreed to this because I have painful ovarian cysts chronically, at least 6/year and 3 or 4/year that take me into my OB/GYN for a scan. I have previously had a tubal pregnancy (tube was saved because my OB/GYNs also specialize in fertility) and have had endometriosis. I have had 3 laperoscopic surgeries and 3 miscarriages. First for the tubal, second for follow-up endometriosis and third to remove a GOLF ball sized ovarian cyst to prevent ovarian torsion. Finally, I agreed for the 4th time to take birth control (previous attempts were thwarted by side affect from oral products. I used the nuvaring for 3 weeks and removed it today. Five days into the use I started cramping and bleeding AGAIN (10th day of my cycle). I have been bleeding, heavily for 11 days now, suffered dizziness intermittantly, have had a headache for the last 6 days and been more anxious, moody and tearful. I removed the ring today! I see my gyno on Tuesday. My cycle was predictable before, albeit painful and with ovarian cyst. Just want to say to all who took the time to share. Now I know it isn't in my head.

Thanks ya'll,
~ Texas Pharmacist

i also have been having pains in my back, i just cant wait for the day to end, some days i feel like i worked out all day. The things that i used to i don't do anymore like dancing,exercising and being more energetic. I haven't had trouble with the sex drive actually i want sex more and i don't have drywall either. I really have a sexual drive the week i take out the ring. this past two months have been the worst the for me, i taking to my doctor soon but every time i tell my doctor and i get checked for the problem the results are always the same that nothing is wrong. so what can i do

I am 18 years old and ive been on the nuvaring for about 2 months.. Ive been depressed, angry for no reason, snappy at my boyfriend and on top of that- my once amazing sex drive has dropped off the face of the planet. Ive been on edge and anxious, ive had constant headaches all day, plus calf/foot cramping. Ive woken up in the middle of the night almost every night since i put the ring in.

I just took it out this morning after researching and looking on multiple websites, and im so so SO happy i found this website.. Already im noticing a difference in myself this afternoon and its awesome.

I find it sickening that when i brought this up to my gyno she had no idea about the symptoms i had been having and i type in "nuvaring" in google and it brings up thousands of pages of symptoms, side effects and even deaths.. Its scary.

Ladies, do your research, no more nuvaring for me.

I started on the NuvaRing just this past Thursday. It was fine for the first couple of days; no noticeable side effects. I was instructed to put the ring in on the first day of my menstrual cycle, which I thought was odd, but I did it anyway. I usually have cramps before my period and on the first day and then they are pretty much nonexistent, but with this period I had them into the third day. I still didn't think anything of it until today when I realized that I have been extremely irritable and emotional lately. You would think those symptoms would be chalked up to the period, but I am like clockwork every month. I start having PMS symptoms two weeks out from my period and through the 1st day of my cycle. After that, they are gone (besides the actual period itself). I rarely get frustrated with my dogs and lately they have been getting on my nerves easier. I have had a couple weird fights with my husband in the past few days, both totally due to my craziness, which is also not the norm for me. While lying in bed a few moments ago, I decided it must be the ring so I researched it and this is the website I found. I am glad I found it when I did. I am taking the ring out tonight and hopefully everything will go back to normal. My only worry is that I will start my period and it will last for 3 months like a couple of the stories I read on this website. I am going on my belated honeymoon in two weeks to the Bahamas and would hate to be on my period then. I have never had a good feeling about anything not natural going into my body, which is why I have never consistently taken bc. The only reason I started on the ring is because I had some samples from my gyno and had a pregnancy scare recently, which made me (and my husband) realize we are NOT ready for kids and scared me into starting on the ring.

A word of encouragement to all those that suffer from anxiety and depression:

You are not alone. I suffered from an episode of anxiety coupled with panic attacks a few years ago. I thought it would never go away, but I was able to work through it on my own and I am fine now. I still have occasional anxiety, but it seems to be for an actual reason rather than out of nowhere. Do not lose hope; you CAN overcome these conditions and live a normal life. Surround yourself with caring individuals and others who understand what you are going through. What I learned from my experience: trust yourself, have confidence in yourself (because everyone is amazing in their own way) and learn to let go of your past mistakes (everyone makes them). Don't let the word "mental illness" scare you into thinking you are crazy. Think of it this way... you are going through a difficult time in your life that you have to work through. "This too shall pass" as my mother has always told me in difficult times. It helps when you know there IS light at the end of the tunnel.

Hi, Im an 18yr old female. I recently went to my gyno because im starting college in a month and a half and I thought getting on bc would be a good idea. I went in on the 24th of June, and she told me to try nuvaring. She told me to start that day when I got home. she told me to leave it in until the 1st of July then take it out and wait to the 5th to put a new one in, and progress in that cycle.
Well, less than two weeks into having the nuvaring, I got a really bad uti infection , I have had a history of utis..so i try to do the most I can to prevent them, but this was different. I felt like my bladder was going to explode!. It was so painful and it felt like it was contracting, I was spotting blood and I felt like I was going to pee my pants all the time.. . and horrible burning sensations. I put the ring back in on the 5th, and that day I spotted blood a little heavier and clumpy but not a period. I took it out on the 9th because I did not feel like the infection was getting any better...the ring has been out for 3 days now and I feel so much better bladder infection wise, but I have been having horrible headaches, and nausea. Any ideas?
The only problem is that I have no idea what is gonna go on with my period.
Before the ring, I would usually start anywhere between the 10-14..and I have not had unprotected sex.
Anyone have any ideas on the whereabouts of my period?.

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

I am 19 years old and saw a gyno for the first time in October. He recommended NuvaRing to me, and I was very excited about using it to control my periods, during which I typically pass large clots, which makes them very painful. I started with the ring that day, and did not experience any noticeable side effects until I went home for Christmas. I began to become increasingly disillusioned with my life, which has absolutely nothing wrong with it. I have friends who love me, and a very intact and functional family, no man problems, and I am doing really well in school. When I went back to school in January, I immediately sank into a severe depression, probably paired with anxiety, in which I was afraid to leave my apartment and did not want contact with any other people in my life. The first morning of school, I called my mother and told her "I am not OK." I took the ring out, and the same day, my mom sent my father out to stay with me, and he did so for a week and a half without complaint. Eventually, though, he had to return to his life back home, and I was doing better and in the control of my friends, so he left. I struggled the first couple of days without him, then gradually got back to doing pretty well, but was not back to my previous self. I went home recently for Spring Break, and when I came back to school, I immediately had what I think was a panic attack (I've never had one before) and began to become depressed again. This time, however, its different. I hate being alone, and when I have down time, I start to think very profoundly about life and what it means...very philosophical and metaphysical thoughts. I only had the ring in for 2 and a half months, and I have had it out for about the same amount of time, but am still experiencing depression symptoms. I have never had problems with depression before, and am wondering if it has taken this long for anyone else's depression issues to work themselves out. Has anyone tried anti-depressants, or would you recommend them?

where do i begin? i started the ring three weeks ago my gyno put it in for me. she convinced me for my age (20) this was the best method for me and she'd feel better, because ppl. my age are so careless! I've taken the pill before and stopped for over a year because ortho killed me, and i had no insurance. I should also fill you in that before I had the ring put in I had two utis back to back. I obviously can get them very easy, so i don't understand why my doctor would push this on to me! Anyways, I just suffered from a horrible uti and was so excited to feel "ok" again and honestly from day one or maybe two of the ring being in place I felt irritation! I have felt these awful cloudy adomonial cramps(all day long), pelvic pain, chest pain, sore throat, discharge, carpel tunnel, depressed, crying, mood swings, anxiety, bad dreams, tired, not sleeping through, loss of appetite, and god knows what else..It just seems never ending! So today I just happened to pick up and read "welcome to NuvaRing" and all it had listed for side effects were the commons ones such as vaginal infection, irritation, and vaginal secretion...thats it! I couldn't believe that I was feeling this horrible and this is all the information I had! So thankfully I found this website! I told my mom and she made me take it out today(supposed to take it out Friday) and honestly I feel better already and its been a hour! I have an appointment with my gyno tomorrow anyways so hopefully i'll find a better method of bc. I just wish we didn't have to go through all of this! They need to make a bc for men!!!!!!! LOL

I recently began using the Nuvaring (about a week and a half ago). I've suffered from Migraines for 14 years and take regular medication that allows me to control the symptoms. Since beginning this BC method, I have been unable to manage the headaches. Taking my normal medication will work for a few hours, but then the headache will come back. My only options are to take more medication (and risk over medicating, thus causing other problems; liver problems, kidney problems, etc.) or deal with the pain. The migraines interfere with my vision and cause serious nausea, making it nearly impossible to continue with school, work, or anything else for that matter.
Additionally, I have been experiencing a dramatic increase in vaginal discharge, serious mood swings ranging from anger to depression with really no triggers, anxiety about my safety in strange situations such as driving or walking through campus, abdominal cramping in the region of my ovaries, what I can only assume is vaginal tenderness due to the rings presence, and I have been waking up at the same time in the middle of the night since I started the NR. I usually sleep an average of 9 hours each night, without interruption. Now I'm sleeping about 4 hours, waking up, and then sleeping another 4. I wake up feeling tired and with the feelings of an onsetting migraine.
The only benefit I have experienced is an increase in sex drive. I have gone from wanting sex an average of once or twice a month to wanting it several times throughout each day. I do have low levels of "free" testosterone according to my Gyno, so she recommended the NR.
Finally this morning I had enough of the symptoms. I took out the ring and within just one hour, my headache dulled, my abdominal pain lessened, and I feel slightly happier.
My question is, has anyone experienced symptoms like mine, that only lasted a few weeks when starting NR? I really love the convenience of the NR, but if I had to choose, I would not take the symptoms for the one benefit.

I was on the pill for about five or six months (mircette). I quit taking it for about a month and was told to start the nuvaring after my febuary period. I had my period off birth control starting the 8th. Usually they're very short but this one was long and endd about the 13th. I put my first nuvaring in Saturday about 1145pm on the 14th. I couldn't get it situated or comfortable and it was burning. I left it in and after two days I took it out Monday and decided it wasn't for me. That the the 16th. I took a pregnancy test the day two days before I started my period and it was negative. But since taking the nuvaring out after only TWO DAYS I've had horrible headaches, dizziness, I'm tired and moody. I woke up this morning with bleeding. Only two weeks after my period. I called my gyno and she acted like i was silly for calling and asking and said its probably only breakthrough bleeding. Is this normal? has anyone ever experienced this, because I'm panicing?

I was on the pill, Mircette, for about five months. I decided to stop taking it and try nuvaring because I had a roommate who loved it. I'm on birth control because I had mood swings with pms that noone would stay around me. I had my period off of birth control two weeks ago. Started Sunday the 8th. Usually they were three days at the most. This one went all the way to the 13th. I put my first nuvaring in Saturday night around 12am on the 14th. For some reason I couldn't get situated. It burned and I could feel it and just wasn't comfortable. I dealt with it til about Monday morning when I took it out and decided it wasn't right for me. I've been kinda dizzy, cry a lot, I'm shaky and tired. My boyfriend and I haven't had sex in about seven weeks and I took a pregnancy test the day before I started my actual period two weeks ago and it was negative. But I woke up today, the 23rd and I had lite bleeding and backaches. I know its normal coming off of birth control, but seeing as how I didn't have it in very long is this still normal? Has anyone else experienced this? I called my gyno and she said it was probably just breathrough bleeding but I'm worried.

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!

I just started NuvaRing last Tuesday. This is my first form of bc. I was very hesitant about taking birth control but my gyno said I shouldn't have any problems bcuz I am in fairly good health. Because of what I heard about birth control, I made sure to carefully monitor my body's reaction to this. The first two days everything was normal. I weighed myself continuously each day and didn't see any change. By Friday, I gained 1lb. Saturday,stayed the same. Sunday, gained another lb. Today, I gained 3 additional lbs. My face looks swollen and I have been the same weight for the past couple of weeks. Immediately after getting off the scale I took out the ring. Since earlier, my left calf has been throbbing and I can barely walk normally. I did not have any other side effects that I noticed but the weight gain scared the hell out of me bcuz I am trying to LOSE the weight with proper exercise and diet. I think my form of contraception is going to have to be doubling up on my condoms lol. For those of you that did not keep Nuvaring past a month, did all side effects subside?

Wow! So after reading all of the notes, I don't feel like a nut! I have been extremely exhausted at all times but not able to fall asleep and stay asleep. Then when I do FINALLY fall asleep I wake up about 2-3 times a night drenched in sweat. These "self sauna sessions" I feel have led to a change in my type of acne...my most major breakouts before NR consisted of 1 to 2 pimples (even in my teen years!!) I am now having a constant 5 to 7 pimples on my face at all times, huge, deep, painful ones! On to my emotional state....I am a realistic, down to earth person who NEVER pre NR, broke out in fits of anger or crying. Now, my poor boyfriend just looks at me like an alien has taken over my body....not that I blame him. We will not go into my weight gain, which even though I eat really healthy and go to the gym 5 times a week can not seem to shake!!! So, long story short, I switched to NR back in September of 2008 and have been thinking that I have gone insane since then....today the dang thing is coming out of my body and I am calling my gyno on Monday! OH, the ONE pro of NR is that my severe migraines have stopped occurring....

i am a healthy 21 year old and i really have not had any major problems, as someone said in one of their posts the good outweighs the bad, at least for me. My fiance and I are very sexually active and thanks to Nuvaring we are even more because we don't have to worry about condoms, or any other Birth control. One things i have noticed is that when i am suppose to get my period i get extremely moody and lash out at anything. i know that it happens because of the NR, but i also know when it's coming and how to try to normalize my mood. I was also instructed to use NR differently than most by my gyno. I'm not suppose to take it out until the 1st of the month and right after taking it out i out another in. the reason for this is so that i never get my period. this is done because of my really bad menstrual cycles to the point where i can not get out of bed for a whole week. i have been through a lot worse with my period so to me the NR is a walk in the park. For the first week i had it on i started to feel all the symptoms of a pregnancy (nausea, ovary pain, tiered, moody, emotional, crying) but i was told that is normal and it happens with all birth control. it did go away after about 1 month. with any medication there are side effects and sometimes the side effects are worth the pain and sometimes they aren't. i have not had anything close to some of the things i have read on here. i have never had a UTI with the NR even though that was a mina concern of mine. i have been getting those since i was 4 years old and i'm extremely susceptible to them. as far as acne i have never had such clear skin. not one pimple for a whole year. it's great.... i believe all this great fortune i have had is because of the way that i was instructed to use...

i still love it and hope that i don't get any other side effects now because i have been using it for a year only. hope everyone who is on it stays safe also.

Wow- until I found this website I thought I was losing my mind. I started using Nuvaring about three years ago. I was initially happy because it was the first time in my life that my periods were regular. Over the past two and a half years, I have had the worst acne I could imagine. I've been to dermatologists, discussed it with my gyno and my a estetician. I've been on tetracycline and minocycline(alternating) for three years-neither has really helped! My relationship with my husband is suffering because we have always had an amazing intimacy between us. I can't tolerate the slightest touch to my breasts, I've lost the amazing lust that I had for him. I am always extremely tired and irritated. This is not me! I started believing that I was an unstable person and possible experiencing mental issues. I am nauseated often....
Oh...the weight gain....I don't eat terribly and am an active person. I constantly yet gradually gain weight with out any changes to my diet/activity levels. I have put on 30 lbs over the past 3 years. I am 33 years old.....
my legs cramp at night, my hair is drab and hasn't grown an inch in 6 months. I have a constant yet dull headache, I've even consulted with my doctor about anti-depression meds. I've NEVER had any of these symptoms before. I truly believe that nuvaring is the culprit. I can't believe that I didn't figure this out sooner. Further, I can't believe that my gyno didn't suggest Nuvaring as a potential cause.

Thank you for your posts. I just came home from my gyno with a Rx for nuvaring and wanted to do some research. I found this webpage and am sure that I shouldn't try it now. I will go back to condoms.

I have tried the NuvaRing off and on over the past year. My journey started because every pill I tried gave me mild to severe headaches for 3 to 10 days a month. I have not had headache issues with NuvaRing -- yeah!!

BUT -- here is the kicker. I take Zoloft too. When on the pill and taking Zoloft, my anxiety was under control. When I use the NuvaRing and Zoloft I spin into anxiety mode again, almost as if the Zoloft doesn't work at all.

I am 39 and my spouse won't do something permanent. I feel really trapped.
Does anyone have any suggestions?

I feel so much better after reading this site! I've been on NuvaRing for two months and have had serious bouts with depression for the first time in my life. I mean, I've felt down before, but never like this. Just today I wanted to cry for no reason about 90% of the time. I've had abdominal pain and back pain that I never had before. The mood swings are really the worst (just ask my boyfriend). I relate to what another girl said; that her mood swings range from white hot anger to serious depression. On days like today (less than a week before my period) I just want to sleep the day away. I don't want to interact with anyone and everything makes me miserable. Also, it's changed the way everything smells down there. My boyfriend is really good about it, but even he admits that it's unpleasant to him. I've asked my gyno and she said that I don't have a UTI or a yeast infection, so right now the only explanation is this new birth control. Thankfully Monday is the day I take it out, and I'll be taking it out for good. I hope more women review this site before trying out this birth control because everyone should know the real side effects...the ones your doctor won't tell you.

I am so glad I came across this website. I just saw a TV commercial today about a lawsuit against NuvaRing. I have been on NR for almost 3 years and am sick of feeling "crazy." I have no sex drive, I'm extremely nauseous all of the time, I can't sleep but am always really tired, I'm extremely emotional and sad and have frequent headaches (at times very severe). Last year, I had surgery for my endometriosis and my gyno prescribed 9 weeks of the nuvaring and one week off. Having monthly periods makes the endo grow back quicker. Ever since last year, I have gained 12 pounds, I'm hungry all of the time yet still nauseous, have frequent headaches, my sex drive is non-existent and I have been really depressed and extremely anxious. Now I'm thinking the NR is to blame! Not to mention the possible side effects of blood clots, stroke and heart attacks!! I'm taking the ring out and calling my gyno. Now I know I'm not crazy. Thank you for the information.

Gosh, you guys have got me a little nervous about trying this for the first time next week. I'm still going to try it, but I have been noticing some things while reading your accounts.

Many of you seem to mention placing the nuvarung during the first day of your period. My gyno told me to take it OUT to start having the first days of your period. It's just like the pill where the week of green "Sugar pills" means your body is taken off the medicine and allowed to have it's period.

I also noticed that most of the girls who posted on here are having negative side effects within the few months of trying it. I'm not finding a lot of people who stuck it out for longer than that. Though it sounds like all those symptoms and side effects ARE a living hell, perhaps after your body gets used to it, it's not so bad..

At least, that's what I'm hoping. I just ordered 9 months of the stuff.. =/

I'm 19 years old and have been on NuvaRing for 3 months. I am AWFUL at remembering the pill, so my gyno put me on it. I have not experienced any of these side effects...until i read this site! It's odd because I feel like I just shook a lot of things off to normality or just simple bodily changes, but now that I read and think about it, it's made a lot of changes in me too!
I have had blurred vision with distance and kept telling my mom I really think I may need glasses! It was weird because up until recently, I had perfect vision! Not only that, I have had MAYBE five headaches in my lifetime! I find I get AT LEAST one a day now. Not only that, but my sex drive...oooh...it is completely non-existent now! I feel so horrible because my boyfriend asks me more and more if I am not attracted to him anymore. It makes me so sad because he definitely turns me on, but my body doesn't seem to react the way my mind does. It is painful to have sex more than about five minutes because it's dry and just becomes painful friction so we have to stop. I am so mad at EVERYTHING all the time! I feel like I nit-pick everything my boyfriend does and I just get so mad and frustrated over NOTHING! Just one wrong thing said and I'm to boiling point in about .2 seconds! I also have a crazy rash in the last month that I shook off to changing laundry detergent and having a reaction, but it's not gone yet. It's all the way from half way up my sides to my knees and everywhere in between! Including my elbows, forearms, neck, I'm miserable with it! I have to get off this after finally having something bring this to my attention! I am going to the gyno the next open chance! Thanks ladies!

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'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!