NuvaRing and hair loss

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 have been reading all of your posts and I am surprised by what I am hearing. Especially the depression, loss of sex drive, and hair loss. I did check out their website (http://www.nuvaring.com/Consumer/aboutNuvaRing/possibleSideEffects/index.asp) and it seems they are actually pretty honest about the possible side effects. HOWEVER... although I checked the site before I started taking the ring 2 years ago, I kind of ignored the "possible" side effects as just that, "possible." Because I've never had any problems with medications or birth control before I didn't think they would happen to me.

Last week I 2 days late in putting in the ring and since then my breasts have been SO tender I can barely walk. Seriously, it's awful and I know it is the hormones from the ring. Until this point, I have had no problems with it, in fact I have really enjoyed its convenience and effectiveness. But after reading all of your posts I am wondering if I should rethink using it... I have been feeling really down, angry and anxious over the last few months and not really craving sex with my boyfriend like a 22 year old women should!! I don't want to over react and blame it on the NuvaRing if it could be other things in my life, but I also don't want to ignore it either because if taking the ring out would make me feel better, more healthy, less angry, etc...

What should I do?

I was on Nuvaring for close to four years and all was fine up until about 5 months ago - lots of bad moods, anxiety and just an overall feeling of sadness that I just couldn't kick. THEN I started to notice some hair loss. The hair loss reminded me of the post-baby hair loss I'd experienced three times, but it was much worse. I did some research on side effects and found only one medical website that listed hair loss. I read these posts and immediately removed the ring. I would never use it again, would not recommend it to anyone. I also find it deplorable that this side effect is not listed anywhere on any warning label!

I just had a baby about 8 weeks ago and started nuvaring and have only been on it for 2 days and i am already feeling nausea, headaches and severe cramps. i took it out and felt a relief of pressure immediately. i don't know if it is just because i just had a baby but it was not fun and i don't think i will use it again, it is not worth the effects you get from it.

NuvaRing is HORRIBLE! I had my baby in February and decided to give NR a try. Since then the side effects I have experienced daily are: dizziness, nausea, constant bloated feeling, stomach pain, leg and joint pain, insomnia, extreme fatigue during the day, weight gain and hair loss. This is way to huge of a list to continue this medication. Too many of these side effects feel just like I did when I was pregnant, I am SOOO done with NuvaRing.

I am 40 yrs. old and have been on nuvaring for almost 3 years for treatment of PCOS & endrometriosis. Unfortunately, I had to go off the pill after experiencing a number of migraines w/an aura. The first year was great, no pills to remember, but then I started to have discharge and slight yeast infections on occasion. As we were experimenting with replacing the ring 2 months at a time to lessen the migraines, I thought it just may be my hormones adjusting. About 5 months ago, I was placed on Inderal LA to help with the migraines and started to notice hair loss. I instantly thought it was the Inderal and have been off it now for 6 weeks & still have hair falling out - more than before. I'm wondering if perhaps it could be the nuvaring, after reading all these entries. It will be interesting to see if it continues. I don't think that nuvaring has had any worse side effects then any other BC I've been on....it's just what your body can handle.

I am 24 years old. I started using the Nuvaring about 9 months ago, back in November shortly after my youngest son was born. In January, only two months after starting it, I was beginning to have severe stomach pains and a lot of nausea that would come and go throughout the day. I went into the emergency room one night because it got so bad and they told me that I was going to have to have my gallbladder removed due to large stones. I'm trying to figure out whether anyone else has had any similar issues with the ring. I have read here and there that gallbladder disease is a side effect but I also have issues with it in my family. Has anyone else had a problem with this? I have also dealt with a lot of depression, headaches, slight weight gain, mood changes (just as bad, if not worse then while I was pregnant) and I am going to have to schedule an eye exam because it seems like the past few months, my eye sight has just gone down hill fast. I have never had to wear glasses or contacts.

Has anyone else out there had issues with their gallbladder and eyesight? Most of the posts that I see are saying issues with hair loss and depression. I am seriously thinking about talking to my doctor about changing methods, I was just wondering if there are people having symptoms like mine or whether I need to attribute them to something else. Any information would be helpful, Thanks.

I am 24 years old and have been on the nuvaring for more than 3 years. It has been pretty much impossible for me to have sex for most of that time. Although I have not noticed hair loss or weight gain since use, I do experience a burning pain when having sex. The pain almost feels raw, as if there were an exposed cut splitting in my vagina. I have had multiple tests for STDs and all have come out negative, and am in a stable relationship. I have often been diagnosed for possible yeast infections, and the medications prescribed have not relieved this pain. It is until now that I have associated the nuvaring with my problem, and I will try removing it to see if I notice any difference. I hope that those who have tried this method and noticed positive results will keep in touch and let me know how long it took them to see results. Thanks for posting your stories.

Hi I am 21 years old and have been on the Nuvaring for about a year now. I have experienced many of the symptoms you have all spoken about. Hair loss, decreased sex drive( which scares me because i am so young and i am in a serious relationship in which my boyfriend has a high sex drive ( he 22) and he noticed my sex drive dwindling and wanted to know what changed. It has been a huge problem in our relationship.) I have not experienced weight gain that i have noticed. But i experience extreme pain/burning during and after sex. One of the side effects of the nuvaring is vaginitis which has pain n burning as its side effects. I have been to several doctors for the pain as it is disrupting my sex life and making sex unbearable at times. However they all dismissed the nuvaring as the cause and suggested that it may just be a mindset and i need to get into sex more. Which i think is bull im 21 and very much in love with my boyfriend and have a healthy sexual relationship so having a negative mental state word that seems ludacris to me. I have had std sti blood tests and been tested for yeast and blatter infections. Nothing seems to be wrong with me but i know i have never experienced this before and the nuvaring has been a constant through the pain. If anyone has experienced anything like this please let me know.

I started taking nuvaring because it worked well for my sister and my husband and I are not ready for kids. I've only been on it for 6 months but i've had all sorts of issues, like chest pain, feeling very negative and just sad for no reason. Hair loss (i wouldn't have even thought to put that on if it weren't for this site) weight gain which i thought was because im a newlywed.... and no sex drive (which has been devastating as newlyweds are supposed to really enjoy themselves) I already didn't like or trust medication and this has just made it worse. My sister has had hers out for 5-6 months and has been rendered infertile because of nuvaring, shes very healthy too! and she wants another baby! I took it out about a week ago (for good) but it was earlier than i should have according to the calender and I've been a wreck. I've always had bad cramps (runs in the family) like the type that you literally cant stand from, but today its been so bad i felt like i was gonna throw up and had to go home from work. This is ridiculous for my body to react to negatively!! My sister is now trying a natural birth control method that is more scientific than the normal chart that tells you when your fertile and when your not. Im waiting for the book to show up, its called "Taking Control of Your Fertility, by Toni Weschler" Which involves taking your temperature every morning and charting yourself every day, checking your cervix, as it moves up and down based on weather or not your fertile. Then you know when you should use a condom (since im not fond of them all the time) and when you are infertile. Its not for everyone since it isn't easy, but im not willing to mess my body up anymore, i want my energy back, my body back, and my sex drive and if i have to sacrifice 5 minutes a day to do it I WILL!!

I am 54 and perimenopausal. I was having a very hard time sleeping at night, night sweats and a weird tingling feeling that would cover my whole body. My doctor prescribed the nuvaring. She said she used it too for her symptoms. I thought it was incredible. I started sleeping through the night and no more tingling. My mood was great. I just felt better but a couple of months later I was a wreck. Moody, depressed, spotting and my hair was falling out and I mean it was all over the shower, the floor, my brush. Visited my doctor and she said I got a bad ring! What's with that? Well she gave me a new one I felt much but my hair is still falling out. I took the ring out and it's been a month and it's a bit better but not good. Luckily I have very thick hair but it's gotten so much thinner and the texture is different. Hope this stops soon or I'll be bald soon.

This is my third month using nuvaring. At first i thought it was great. My period came 3 days after removing the ring, lasted for 2 days and was very light. I haven't experienced the lack of sex drive, hair loss or headaches mentioned in previous posts, but i have definitely had the extreme mood swings and just recently began breaking out in hives.

I have been on NuvaRing for over 3 years now. When I first went on birth control I was using the ortho evra patch however, I was suffering from side effects such as nausea, always feeling sick and tired. I eat a lot and everything but while using the patch I felt TERRIBLE eating the blandest toast. I am not a heavy drinker but even one cocktail would cause me to be extremely sick. I switched to NuvaRing and since then I was back to my normal self. Not only that but while on the NuvaRing my period is like CLOCKWORK, I know exactly when I am getting my period. I did not experience any breakthrough bleeding and my periods are extremely light. Overall the switch to NuvaRing was so worth it.

im on my third week of my first nuvaring and ive noticed a lot of changes. i get the mood swings, headache, low sex drive, but another symptom i was worried about is that after my last period it seems like ive been bleeding very minimally ever since and every time my boyfriend and i have sex i bleed a little. this has never happened before so if anyone else is experiencing this let me know.

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I thought I was going crazy. I am engaged and so happy to be getting married! But since I started NuvaRing in November, lots of these symptoms listed in this blog have crept up on me. I too thought this was the most wonderful birth control... Put it in, take it out. So easy! But the past 2 months, I started having serious break through bleeding. To the extent I need to wear a tampon with it. I immediately figured it had to be because of the nuvaring, because in 31 years, I've NEVER had this. Well, the stupid ring fell out some how the beginning of this week. And I had kindof decided to change to a different method of birth control and just forget about it after that. So that whole bleeding, falling out episode led me to do a bit more research on the ring, rather than just reading their website. I came across this blog. I now looking back realize that I have been experiencing depression, crying, anger, all the emotional related side effects. I dismissed it as just extreme stress. Now, I realize that I think it was the ring because prior to getting on it in Nov. I wasn't feeling like that. I'm also an avid exerciser, gym lover, runner, biker... Not since November. I've just wanted to go to sleep. I just want to sit on the couch. Going to the gym is so hard! I gained about 8 lbs since Nov. too. I thought it was me going crazy. Now I've stopped the NuvaRing. Hopefully I can get back to my happy go-lucky self. Can anyone tell me how long it took them to feel better? If you had breakthrough bleeding, did it stop after you were off the ring? How long did that take?

I was on nuvaring for about 1.5 years until I quit late summer/early fall of 2008. I'm 25 and I quit because I always felt "dry" and had no sex drive. I felt like I was just pumped full of hormones and wanted to give my body a break and quit all birth control for a while. Around the time I quit, I began to bleed during sex. Not every time, just "hit and miss", not very much, but one time there was quite a bit. I ignored this for a while and then started looking things up on the net which lead me to freak and think I had cervical cancer. I rushed in for a pap test and even during the exam, I bled (pretty badly) this made my results inconclusive and I have to go back in 3 months after the cells on my cervix have re-grown and they can get a proper sample. I'm less worried after finding this forum, but wondering how many others out there have suffered from the mysterious bleeding during sex? Is anyone still suffering from this after discontinuing use?

Other side affects were weight gain, panic attacks, and major hair loss.

I was on Nuvaring for 3 years. During those 3 years I developed the following symptoms that at the time I just blamed on old age, being in my upper 30's.

Asthma like symptoms--After my breathing problems got progressively worse over the last year on Nuvaring, I went to a pulmonologist. I'm a non-smoker that couldn't even walk up one flight of stairs without loosing my breath. I had tests, MRIs and CT Scans. They couldn't find anything that would cause my breathing problems. I tried Advair and inhalers. No medications helped. The Dr. decided to take me off Nuvaring just to see what would happen with my breathing. After quitting Nuvaring, my breathing is back to normal. I can exercise and walk up steps again without feeling like I'm fighting for air.

Arthitis like symptoms--pains in my hands, knees, waist. I never did go to the Dr. for these symptoms, simply because the symptoms went away after quitting Nuvaring. Some days I couldn't even sit still because of the hip/pelvis joint pain. I thought I had carpal tunnel because I couldn't even grasp a cup or throw a dart.

Hair loss--I had some thick hair before Nuvaring. The only thing I can blame my hair loss on is Nuvaring.

I've been off of Nuvaring for 15 months now. Yes, it's convenient and affordable. But you can't put a price on a healthy life!

My experience with NuvaRing

I started NuvaRing when I was 40 years old and got married not to long ago. I have two kids and they are in there late teens. My new husband does not want to have any kids, so I've been on NuvaRing for two years because I was always really bad about remembering to take the pill so the NuvaRing is GREAT for me and I love it!!! It's very convenient, being able to just forget about birth control for a month. But for some reason I think that I got a hold of a bad batch and I am having problem with them. If you have experienced the following symptoms, please consult with your doctor:
Depression: because I thought that I was pregnant, so I hit an extreme low.
The first time I used the ring I had itching, discharge, burning and yeast infection.
Headaches, Mood swings, bloating, gas, cramps, emotional, pelvis pain, hair loss, my vision has change, constant fatigue and lack of motivation and I have gained about 20 pounds. I get headaches all the time. I'm CONSTANTLY tired, but I do have to get up to go to work. My experience the first time using the ring was an infections and burning and it went away after the second time I used it. I didn’t know the ring was the cause of the infections it until now. After two years I have been passing blood clots and bleeding know for three weeks, I even thought that I was pregnent and I lost the baby and for three days and I was very diprest, afraid that I really miscarried a baby and on Friday I took a pregnancy test and it came negative. I made an appointment with my OB/GYM doctor and he also did a pregnancy test and it came negative and we didn’t know the reason why I was bleeding for so long and he also gave me medicine to stop the bleeding and also gave me iron pill for my anemic, since I lost so much blood. He told me he would do some test and find out why I am bleeding so much, so he did other test and schedule a Tran’s vaginal ultra sound sonogram test. The doctor found out that I have 3 fibroids in the uterus and the doctor suggested having D/C uterine scraping, so that I don’t get any cancer in my uterus. I talk with my husband and also decided to do a hysterectomy. Surgery went well, I am still here. I schedule the surgery on a Friday and back to work on Monday. Now I am concentrating on getting better and try to loose the weight. NOTE: I have read that soo many of you have problems in the libido or sex drive. I never had a problem in that department. I meet a great man and we both love having sex, before I started the NuvaRing and during using the ring and after the operation have not lost the edge of having sex two to three times a day. I think many of just don’t find the time, too busy with work or busy with the kids, lost that loving feeling. I am too in love and love doing it.
I hope this was helpful.

Hello everyone,
I have tried the Depo shot, copper IUD (what a nightmare that was), and am currently on the NuvaRing. First, I will admit that my body is very sensitive to hormonal drugs. I started the NuvaRing 3 months ago and loved it initially. During the second month I started to realize that I was more tired than usual looking forward to bed as early as 8pm; 2 1/2 hours earlier than my regular bedtime. My appetite started decreasing but I still gained weight. I could only rationalize that my sudden fatigue was adding to my weight gain. I started experiencing nausea that got increasingly worst in time and my hair started to fall out. I am also having horrible nasal problems. I had a yearly physical January 13th and as usual all of my blood work and vitals were normal. I have always been in great shape so why am I feeling nausea and tired and having hair loss? I saw my gyn February 27th and ordered another round of blood test. She made me 2 appointments; one appointment for the GI doctor and one for the Dermatologist. I also took a pregnancy test that came out negative.I am not sure if the NuvaRing is the cause of all of these symptoms but I am taking it out and will see if the symptoms go away. I noticed that some women have stated that they experienced a decrease in sex drive. I can't say that I have but then again, maybe I have been to busy to notice.
Gook Luck to all of you!!

I can't believe I didn't find this sooner! I was on the Nuvaring for about 4 years and just last month traded it in for the Mirena.

At first, I was thrilled to find the Ring as I have a very hard time taking pills because I've always had a sensitive stomach. The patch was messy and sticky so I was excited to find the ring. For the first couple of years, the only problem I had was keeping it in place (it would continuously fall out) so I just got used to having to push it back into place every time I used the restroom. Every. Single. Time. But it was worth it because it made my periods much, much lighter and more manageable (i usually am down for the count for a few days). I also did the ring continuously without taking a week off because I still had some pretty terrible periods.

About two years ago, I started gaining weight uncontrollably, became very depressed, lethargic and achey. One day I came down with a terrible case of bronchitis and was put on a heavy duty round of antibiotics and steroids. After, I started having terrible heartburn and IBS symptoms which lead me to a gastroenterologist. Every test imaginable was performed, but nothing was found. I was told I had a nervous stomach. Unsatisfied, I got some bloodwork done and had abnormal blood glucose levels. My diabetic husband gave me a glucometer and I realized my blood sugars were totally out of range. I ended up at an Endocrinologist and all tests came back normal. I was also referred to a Rheumatologist for my achy body and joints. I found a list of symptoms of hypothyroidism and was convinced this is what I have, so I was put on a very low dose of Synthroid. At the same time, I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and put on a whole mess of anti-inflammatories and pain killers.

Unsatisfied with my diagnosis of Fibromyalgia and totally unwilling to admit this is something I have to live with for the rest of my life, I began working with a nutritionist who has helped me get off all the medications (except Synthroid). But still, I hadn't slept through the night in years (getting up 3-4 times a night to use the bathroom), I was terribly achy, irritable, nauseous, constipated and still gaining weight.

Recently, my insurance changed and I decided to get the Mirena. Within a few weeks, most symptoms have drastically improved, my family notices a major change. I actually slept through the night last week, only 3 weeks after using the Ring for the last time. I haven't lost any weight yet, but the fact that I even CAN exercise is monumental. More than anything, I'm thrilled at the prospect that everything was caused by the Ring, the one constant no matter what I tried, and maybe I won't have to live with Fibromyalgia for the rest of my life.

I can't say with total certainty that the NuvaRing caused all my problems, but it is absolutely astounding that all of us are experiencing the same terrible symptoms and none of our doctors have bothered to think that it could be the Ring. I'm angry about this. Why don't they know about these side effects??

Yes these side effects are listed in the package, but they're the same side effects from pretty much every medication... and I don't know about all of you but this thing came damn near close to ruining my life. I couldn't work, sleep, eat, exercise, clean my house, etc. etc. It's no heart attack or stroke, but definitely life altering.

I think health care providers need to be alerted to these symptoms and the possibility that the Nuvaring could be causing it all. It would have saved me thousands of dollars in medical bills and despair. Patients should be warned that the side effects are very real and can be debilitating. I'm almost sorry I found this so late (after I already got rid of it!) but I'm glad I found it nonetheless.

Good luck to all of you!

Hi Everyone,

I've been reading post after post on the side effects of the NuvaRing, and I am so glad that I found this site. Thank you all for sharing! I feel relieved to know I wasn't abnormal or plain crazy. Let me share my own experience.

I've been on the NuvaRing for 14 months, and before that for 5 months. At first, I absolutely loved it and didn't really feel any side effects. I had previously used the patch, and hated it because it made me extremely nauseous and dizzy. With the NuvaRing, I didn't have to worry about taking a daily pill which was great. However, over the past 6-8 months, I've experienced the following symptoms:
- weight gain (up to 8 pounds that I can't seem to shed off no matter what I do)
- slight hair loss and thinning (luckily, I have lots of hair but it's not as healthy and shiny as it used to be)
- extreme vaginal itchiness and also constant itch on newly shaved legs
- ZERO libido. This one started from the very beginning of nuvaring use. I make myself have sex with my partner to maintain a healthy sex life. I used to get easily aroused and would love to have sex with him. I miss that....
- excess weight around abdomen and breasts. Need I say more??
- constant fatigue and lack of motivation
- dryness (vagina)
- bloating and severe IBS symptoms (I can no longer drink coffee which I used to love, can't eat pasta, pizza or heavy breads)

Today in particular, after having the ring in for 24 hrs, I've been extremely nauseated, sleepy, and mildly dizzy. I slept a total of 16 hours! And no matter how much exercise I do, and how healthy and little I eat, the scale won't budge one pound.

I will definitely get off the ring for a couple of months and monitor any changes (hopefully lots of improvement). I'll keep you posted.

Wow.... I am so glad I found this site. I am a normal, healthy, 24 year old who has been on Nuvaring for about 2.5 years after being on orthocycline since I was 19. I have always had a little bit of anxiety when speaking in front of a crowd, but it has gradually grown to panic attacks when make any sort of presentation (something that is regular for my job), and heightened anxiety when simply interacting with people I don't know very well. My doctor gave me Ativan to control the panic attacks, but recently I have been contemplating taking something daily. I've also noticed lower libido, overall lack of motivation, constant fatigue, constipation, slight hair loss and thinning, and overall irritability (yet no vaginal side effects). In the past year, any light amount of cardio will make make my heart race and make me feel like I'm going to faint (pulse was at 180 bpm in 1.5 minutes running slowly on the treadmill). My doctor ran tests and attributed it to "exercise induced asthma" which he gave me an inhaler for. That didn't work. Thank you to everyone who has posted on this site because now I KNOW it's the Nuvaring (which is unfortunate because it's soooooo convenient).

I WAS TAKING YAZ AND FEMCON FE. THEY BOTH MADE ME EXTREMELY SICK.I WAS DEPRESSED AND SICK TO MY STOMACH WITH BOTH. AND WITH FEMCON FE I ALSO LOST HAIR. SO I TRIED NUVARING AND THE SAME THING HAPPENED. THE STOMACH PAINS HAPPENED WITHIN A HOUR OF STARTING THE NUVARING. NOW I WANT TO TRY PARAGUARD. ANY ADVICE ANY BAD SIDE EFFECTS. I NEED ADVICE.

I am sooo glad I found this site; I have been thinking I am going crazy. For the last six months (since starting NuvaRing for the first time). I have had a mild case of depression (I am not one to struggle with depression , NO sex drive which is unusual for me, my boobs have gone up two sizes, I ma always tired and I am a fairly energetic person. My stomach is always bloated and I can not loose a single pound and I have been doing weight watchers and working out. I have one week left with the ring and I will NEVER use it again!!

I was on birth control pills for about 12 years when I decided to stop taking them about three months ago. For the past two weeks I have been experiencing some hair loss so I made an appointment w/my MD and she said that hair loss can occur when stopping hormones and she suggested Nuvaring. I didn't even have the thing in for 24 hours before I took it out! My head hurt so bad I thought I was going to die! I also got extremely queasy and sensitive to the smell of food so much that I couldn't be around my coworkers heating up their lunch. I had to give a presentation and felt the whole time that I might throw up in front of everyone. I also became extremely irritable and was ugly to a patient I saw that day and yelled at my husband for no good reason. My head felt like it was in an awful fog and I felt like I couldn't think clearly. I never experienced anything like that on BCP's. I will NEVER try Nuvaring again. It was awful. I'd rather keep losing my hair and go bald then take Nuvaring!

Eureka! My unexplained weight gain (10 lbs), moodiness, fatigue, acne, excessive white discharge, recurrent yeast infections, and clumpy periods are no longer such an enigma. I previously had some horrendous side effects from Depo Provera, to include severe depression, suicidal thoughts, and hair loss; I thought NuvaRing would work great for me due to the low dose of hormones. At first, the ring was fantastic....didn't have to remember to take a pill everyday and no downward spiral of depression. The first symptom I noticed was the excessive discharge and the clumpy periods. Next was the moodiness, anxiety, and bouts of crying during every week 3 (that the bf has patiently put up with!). I have been trying to ignore the fact that my jeans don't fit, I have turned into a TV watching zombie, and I have a burning sensation associated with my 2nd yeast infection in 3 months (ugh!!!!). I wish I would have found this website earlier; it would have helped me put two and two together, acknowledge the side effects, and quit the Ring much earlier (not 11 months later!). Yes, each woman's body reacts differently to hormonal birth control, but if you have undesirable side effects from the Pill or Depo, you'll most likely get them from the Ring plus a few fun extra ones:) The upside to this product: it is incredibly convenient and my small breasts filled out. So not worth it to me!!!!!

PUSS LIKE BUMPS/PIMPLES, HAIR LOSS, WEIGHT LOSS, DEPRESSION, NO ENERGY, NO SEX DRIVE, MOODY, HEADACHES, PAIN IN MY LEGS, VOMITTING, NIGHT SWEATS, CRYING AND CHANGE IN THE TEXTURE OF MY HAIR, CYSTS...

I am 41 and like another poster, I use the ring to help regulate my period as I am in perimenopause. I have had no sex drive, fatigue, extreme change in discharge and a lot of vaginal pain. This is my 4th ring to use, and I am considering taking it out and talking to my doctor about something else. Maybe I just need to deal with the side effect of extremely long amounts of time between periods, but it sure doesn't make me feel secure since I can still get pregnant!

I have hair loss from taking Nuvaring I have taken it out and I am now wondering when my hair will be back to normal?

I read your post about Nuvaring. I am only on my first ring. So far it seems okay and don't know if it is to blame for my hair that has been coming out non stop also. the hair loss started when I had the paraguard inserted into my cervix. I did some google research and a lot of women were complaining of the same thing. I immediately had it removed but the doc said it was non hormonal. I thought that perhaps my body just didn't agree with the copper that it is made from. she told me about the NuvaRing, so here I am trying it. the hair loss is still there and it has been going on for about 1 month now and I have lost a lot of it. I just gave birth to my second daughter 4 months ago, and don't know if my hair loss is postpardom or related to all these wacky methods of birth control. Has anyone else suffered hair loss from the NuvaRing or paraguard. Does anyone have recommendations on how I could improve my hair and stop it from falling out. when it is coming out the root tip is with every strand. I'm so scared over this...

I was on NuvaRing for 3 yrs. I lived with a CONSTANT headache, had MRIs and brain scans done, nothing was found. I finally googled tha ring and found out that headaches are a bigggg side effect. I also had 4 abnormal paps, 2 cryosurgeries, weight loss, hair loss, 9 yeast infections, vaginal itching, extreme moodiness, depression, pre-cancerous cells on ma cervix x 2 and almost anything else u can think of. NuvaRing is a nightmare!!!! the minute i decided i was done with it and popped it out, the headache went away, never had an abnormal pap since and every other thing that was wrong immediately righted itself. NEVER NEVER again!!

I started the NuvaRing in July and really liked the convenience of only inserting it in once a month. I would sometimes forget to take my pills and this was a good way of not worrying about forgetting my pills. Everything was fine at first,however, there were a few times where my periods were very irregular. One time I started my period 2 weeks early and it lasted 2 weeks long. My sex drive also decreased to the point where I just wasn't even thinking about sex. I thought the lack of sex drive was due to stress of planning a wedding, work, etc but I realized something was very wrong. I am only 30 years and yet I had no interest in sex. It wasn't my husband, I was just not wanting sex period. Then in Feb, I gained about 10lbs and now I can't get it off. I work out everyday religiously and eat really well and I cheat once a week and even then I watch what i eat. It's been a month and nothing gives. I did take the ring out 2 weeks ago and I don't plan on going back on it or any type of birth control. I am going to stick to the condom. This is the heaviest that I have weighed in the last 3-4 years, and the ironic thing is that I eat a lot better now than I did 3-4 years ago. Now my clothes don't fit and I feel like a cow. I also was experiencing hair loss I know losing 100 strands a day was normal but what I was losing wasn't normal. I also was getting really tired. Despite how tired I was, I still wake up at 4am mon-fri to work out. I am so frustrated, I can't wait till these hormones are out of my body completely. the last time I had this issue (not being able to get the weight off) was with Yasmin, luckily I wasn't on it for too long before I realized that brand wasn't working for me. Please let me know how long it has taken to get NuvaRing out of your system. I have been ring free for about 2 weeks and have yet to start my period, I think my body is screwed up..

hair loss anyone??????????

I want to thank all of the women who posted on this website ..this is how we found out what was wrong with our daughter. She was on the NuvaRing for 4 years..she was extremely sick,...severe back pain, day and night sweats, memory fog, extreme irritability, hand tremors, hair loss, uncoordinated, weight gain, breast enlargement..the list goes on. She was so sick she couldn't stay awake..we had to move her back home. finally, one night we read what other women were saying, we called her up at midnight and said TAKE THAT THING OUT! She did and now 4 months later she is back to normal!!! She does have liver tumors that we are having checked out. My advise: GET OFF OF IT NOW LADIES!

I have been using the ring since Jan 2007 with no problems, the worst part has been putting it in and taking it out. But since May 2007 I have been having problems with my hair breaking and thinning, my hair dresser thinks it is stress or hormones. Last month I cut my hair very short and I am still experiencing breakage. I was wondering if anyone else has experienced problems with their hair.

All I can say is thank you ladies for posting all of this. I was on Nuva ring for almost 2 years. my boyfriend complained I was getting worse and worse in terms of my anger and mood swings. He called me a monster. Then days after my 20th birthday I experienced lots of itchiness and pain after sex so I thought it was a yeast infection. When I did not respond to over the counter meds I went to the hospital to get testing for STDS. When all the test came back negative I went back to my regular doctor two weeks later. Again, I was tested and a month later tested again. No one could figure out why I was having burning and itchiness with no other symptoms and all my STD test negative. Finally I gave up the ring and have been symptom free now for nearly 6 months. To this day the situation plagued me because the doctor swore I couldn't experience this from the Nuva ring. I spent a whole summer in pain because of this. Now I am birth control free but my boyfriend of three years and I would love to add to our family.

I've been on the NuvaRing for about a year. And I'm quiting this week.
This has been the worse year of my life and did not know until this past week that it had to do with the NuvaRing. I started looking up side effects & reviews of the NR because I was getting worse and the Nuva Ring is the only medication I take. I'm glad I started looking stuff up. My side effects I have been having I can not live with any longer.
They are:
The day before and the first day of each period I always have the following symptoms - Sever leg aches that only heat can help ease (but not get rid of), a lot of pressure in my head, my eyes feeling very heavy, unable to get my words out right, and extreme exhaustion, I usually stay in bed for about 2 days.

I've gained 20 pounds this year,
Very bad depression.
Social Anxiety - (I've always been a people person, but while on the Nuva Ring I could not stand to be around people. It would make me so anxious and I wanted to scream. Thought I was going crazy)
Very Irritable
Frequent Constipation and gas (never had this problem before)
Brown spot on my face
Not able to sleep through the night
Breast increase by 1 cup size (but no soreness)
Lack of energy all of the time
NO SEX DRIVE, I've got the best husband in the world, but for some reason it makes me not even want to be touched.
My allergies/sinuses have been worse than ever since I've been on the Nuva Ring.
Hair loss

I just thought that my life had gone really bad and that I was losing my mind. Once I started looking up reviews of the Nuva Ring I found that a lot of woman are having these same symptoms.
I've read that some women have pain with sex..... the little my husband and I have had sex, it wasn't painful. At least that part was good. ha ha
I'm thankful to have an understanding husband that is standing by me and is taking care of me as I go off the ring.

I DO NOT recommend anyone to use the Nuva Ring.
The only thing it did good for me was make my periods a lot lighter.
I think I will go back to dealing with heavy periods and clotting. At least I'll be normal the rest of the month. (I'll just pray that my periods will be good)

I was on the ring for several years, and it was terrible!!!! Depression, no sex drive and hair loss. My husband thought I was nuts, but soon after I stopped using the ring I was a totally different person. I didn't think it was the birth control that made me angry and depressed, I thought it was just me until I went back on the ring about 2 months ago. And of course all of the symtoms came back, no sex drive, hair loss and depression. It is the worst birth control I have ever had in my life!!! This calls for a classaction lawsuit - I feel like I lost 3 years of my life and I am only 26!

hi, i've been on nuva for about 8 months and am stopping next week. i have been lightly depressed and have experienced A LOT of hair loss, but the worst for me have been the debilatating panic attacks. my advice: "waiting it out" is NOT the answer. there are plenty of other forms of birth control, including non-hormonal barrier methods.