NuvaRing and headaches

Hello All,
I would like to Thank everyone so much! I thought I was really losing my mind. I started NR on Sept.27th. The nurse told me I could leave it in for four weeks if i wanted abd not have my cycle. And I did. The doc put me on NR due to the PH in my vagina off. He said it would help. While i think i has helped the PH it has caused: vagina dryness, headaches, nervousness, burning feeling, tiredness, depression, angry Bitchy attitude, low sex drive, paranoid, scared feelings, dont want anyone to talk to me, dont want to party or kick it with my friends, and a weird discharge thats kinda nasty. I also have freaked out on all my male friends. I feel like im somebody else. Some crazy woman. Im 34 years old. And i dont know who I am right now or what I want. I thought about taking this thing out tonight and throwing it in the trash compactor but i have one week to go till my cycle. I was on Desogen pill before and switched for the convience only. Darn NR. Well Thanks ladies this is it for me. And my OBGYN doctor will be having a serious talk next week. Shame on me for not doing more research before switching. And i have a pain in my side and very loose bowels. Run from NR ladies RUN!!!! clake1975@gmail.com

After reading all of these post I went and took the ring out. I placed the ring on Oct. 9th and ever since then have not been the same. My headaches were so horrific it landed me in the ED last week with an rx for Percocet-didn't help at all. Usually three Advil knock me out! In the last three days I have also began to bleed for no reason. I will see how it goes! Wish me luck!

The worst thing for me has been finding birth control that I think works wonderfully only to find a few months later that I feel like a completely different person. It doesn't help that I have migraines all the time and they last for days (up to five) on end. They say you shouldn't take the ring if you have migraines but for some reason no one told me and I just kept getting them thinking it had nothing to do with the ring.

I had been on Seasonale in the past and it made me crazy. It took about six months to get the full effect but I was in a wonderful relationship that I was over the moon about, and then one day I just woke up questioning everything we had. It was ridiculous and completely unwarranted. And it didn't go away, it left me still questioning. So I got off of it, and this was about three years ago. I thought I would return to normal but it did too much damage. I still question my relationship, with or without birth control. It's awful. It's like the pill put all those ideas in my head that I wouldn't otherwise have and now I can't stop thinking about it.
I took Nuvaring thinking that would help me out, but instead I am back to square one. I have been trying to hang in there but I just can't anymore. Not only do I have headaches all the time but I feel so exhausted that it doesn't matter if I were to sleep two hours or fifteen, I would still be too tired to do anything. I feel fatigued and lethargic and don't want to do anything that I enjoy. I seriously don't even have the energy to read, and I absolutely love to read (And it takes almost zero energy). I am questioning my relationship again and I never want to have sex. The worse part is that he wants to have sex everyday and I never want it. I seriously feel that if I never had sex again that would be fine with me, but I feel so badly for my fiance but at the same time I get so annoyed that he won't just leave me alone. I want to be left completely alone. I don't want to be around anyone because everyone gets on my nerves nowadays. I have no patience for anyone and I feel so depressed. I just wonder what else I could be doing with my life, and I feel in a rut and instead of being happy with what I have, I have the Nuvaring, which takes all my problems and magnifies it. I hate hormonal birth control. I wish I could have some luck with any of them but I have tried almost all of them and they have all affected me like this. I just want my sex drive back, I want to stop hating my life and getting annoyed by everyone (Seriously I hear one mouth noise from my fiance and I want to bite his head off) and I just want to be me. I was hoping to wait until Sunday to take it out the ring since that is when I have to anyway but I don't think I can wait. Have people felt back to normal once they took this thing out? I need some hope!

I have been on NuvaRing for almost 4 months and it has been awful. I have been extremely tired, stressed to the max, a horribly angry person, never want to have sex, plus it hurts to have sex when we do, headaches, and feeling anxious and nervous about everything. I gave birth 7 months ago so I though most of these side effects where just from that, but I though by now things should be getting better, and they haven't been. They have gotten worse. My relationship with my fiance has went down hill due to my anger issues, my not trusting him because of messed up visions and ideas in my head, and not wanting to have sex. I also have a history of migraines and battled them for 5 years before having my son. I was on a medication called Topamax, which helped, but also caused my to lose a bunch of weight. I am little to begin with so the weight loss was not a positive thing for me. My migraines with the NuvaRing have been so horrible that I have been thinking about getting back on the Topamax, which I do not want to do. Now that I have read this I am pretty sure the NuvaRing is causing my problems, so I am going to take it out today and hopefully this will help and my relationship will get back to where it was and I won't have as bad of migraines, and won't need to get back on Topamax.

I am much like the rest of you and have just finished talking about this with friends at work....
1. no sex drive - used to be twice a week and sometimes more, but now just after one month with the ring, this has decreased to almost non-existent!!!
2. Headaches that come out of nowhere
3. Hot flashes and low grade temp
4. Vaginal dryness
5. Depression and wanting to be alone and having difficulty in coping with tasks at work.
6. weight gain

I too much like all of you here, am taking this as a mens stabilizer, offered by my OB/GYN which she raved about!!!

Taking this out and never using it again.

Hello. I am 25 years old and have been using the ring for about three months now. I just removed it today. I have also tried the patch, Yasmin, and yaz before switching to the ring. I am very sensitive and birth control has always seemed to make me sick. Although lately i have been having weird vision things like little flashes of light, or very quick dimming for like a 10th of a second. I also suffer from anxiety and have many physical symptoms of anxiety including headaches which seemed to have increased since starting the ring. Has anyone else heard of weird vision changes. I saw my doctor today and she wasn't sure, she wants me to come back tomorrow morning. My blood pressure is also elevated. I also have chest pains which are due to anxiety but seem worse with the ring. And it takes me a long time to have an orgasm with the ring. I feel scared lately and man my husband and i hate using condoms but i don't know what else to do! Ahhh it sux being a woman. Why cant they hurry up and make a birth control for men huh? any responses would be really appreciated.

I have been using nuvaring for three years and all I have is yeast infections no sex drive and bad headaches at times. I have been thinking that I am losing my mind, very angry. Depressed isn't the word. I thought maybe I needed a psych evaluation. But now after reading all these comments I will be done .

I started using Nuvaring about 13 months ago after not having been on any type of hormonal birth control for many years. Other than being a little weird out about having it inside me all the time at first, everything seemed fine.

I am just now realizing that my year from hell could be linked to the ring, especially after reading the other testimonials. The least of my problems have been headaches and vaginal dryness. But it is much worse than that; I'm anxious, nervous and moody all the time. I know I shouldn't be upset about little things (or nothing at all) but I can't help it. And I mean screaming, yelling, tearful, throwing things upset. I have missed a lot of work because I'm just too anxious to be there. I have crazy thoughts about my coworkers being angry with me even though I know they are my friends and it's not true.

My poor boyfriend of 14 months thinks I'm unstable, emotionally unreliable and that I have anger management issues. We have come really close to breaking up multiple times because we just can't handle the stress of my mood swings. I even started seeing a therapist a couple of months ago to see if it would help. I can't figure out why I'm there and it isn't helping. Even when my life seems at it's best and least stressful I still tell her that my anxiety level is a 3 out of 10. When she asks me why, I have no idea what to tell her. I have moments in the day when I feel like I am going certifiably crazy and just want to crawl in bed and stay there but I'm too anxious to relax enough to sleep. I have panic attacks in the grocery store, I get an overwhelming sense of dread if my boyfriend leaves the house without me.

Before the ring I road and mountain biked all the time, typically for 2 or 3 hours at a time 5 days a week. I have a hard time motivating to do it now because I feel nervously distracted, fatigued and emotionally dragged out. I even stopped going to my martial arts class which was my life for years. I have dizzy spells and heart palpitations.

Basically, I'm a wreck. I have a great life-I know that there is absolutely no reason to feel like this all the time. I keep telling my boyfriend that I'm not like this, that this is not me. Poor thing has no idea what I'm talking about and doesn't believe me because he's basically only ever known me since I have been using Nuvaring. After another moody day, another near break-up, and another sleepless night I decided to get online this morning to see if I could find any side effect information. I'm so glad I found this site! I called my gynecologist's office as soon as they opened and told them that I feel like I've turned into a psycho and they told me to take it out right away. I hope this works-I am now feeling a little hopeful that I'm not seriously losing my mind after all. I just want to be the happy, energetic me that I used to be.

I started using Nuvaring about 13 months ago after not having been on any type of hormonal birth control for many years. Other than being a little weirded out about having it inside me all the time at first, everything seemed fine.

I am just now realizing that my year from hell could be linked to the ring, especially after reading the other testimonials. The least of my problems have been headaches and vaginal dryness. But it is much worse than that; I'm anxious, nervous and moody all the time. I know I shouldn't be upset about little things (or nothing at all) but I can't help it. And I mean screaming, yelling, tearful, throwing things upset. I have missed a lot of work because I'm just too anxious to be there. I have crazy thoughts about my coworkers being angry with me even though I know they are my friends and it's not true.

My poor boyfriend of 14 months thinks I'm unstable, emotionally unreliable and that I have anger management issues. We have come really close to breaking up multiple times because we just can't handle the stress of my mood swings. I even started seeing a therapist a couple of months ago to see if it would help. I can't figure out why I'm there and it isn't helping. Even when my life seems at it's best and least stressful I still tell her that my anxiety level is a 3 out of 10. When she asks me why, I have no idea what to tell her. I have moments in the day when I feel like I am going certifiably crazy and just want to crawl in bed and stay there but I'm too anxious to relax enough to sleep. I have panic attacks in the grocery store, I get an overwhelming sense of dread if my boyfriend leaves the house without me.

Before the ring I road and mountain biked all the time, typically for 2 or 3 hours at a time 5 days a week. I have a hard time motivating to do it now because I feel nervously distracted, fatigued and emotionally dragged out. I even stopped going to my martial arts class which was my life for years. I have dizzy spells and heart palpitations.

Basically, I'm a wreck. I keep telling my boyfriend that I'm not like this, that this is not me. Poor thing has no idea what I'm talking about and doesn't believe me because he's basically only ever known me since I have been using Nuvaring. After another moody day, another near break-up, and another sleepless night I decided to get online this morning to see if I could find any side effect information. I'm so glad I found this site! I called my gynecologist's office as soon as they opened and told them that I feel like I've turned into a psycho and they told me to take it out right away. I hope this works-I am now feeling a little hopeful that I'm not seriously losing my mind after all. I just want to be the happy, energetic me that I used to be.

I have been on Nuvaring for 2 months now and after the first month I went back to the doctor and she said that the side effects were normal and would go away after a few months. I don't think I believe that, cause I just feel so bad. I use to never fight with my boyfriend and now it is an every day occurrence. I get headaches all the time now it seems almost everyday. I feel so depressed and before I got on it I was happy go lucky and the peaceful one and now I am just on edge all the time and I hate it. I get nausea and for a moment i was thinking maybe I am pregnant but I am not and it is just frustrating and irritating. The best things about the ring is I don't really get cramps and no period pimples and no weight gain and no pill everyday. I never had there problems on the pill lo overall or on the patch. I must say though that it feels great to know I am not alone cause I was beginning to think it was just me and also i don't know if anyone has this but does your chest or heart feel tight at time like a palpitation? I am 24 and I never had this until now and I am so tired that all I want to do is sleep and I feel faint from time to time. I feel like i have all the bad symptoms except a few and no yeast. I honestly think this is my last month on this and thank you all so much it is such a relief to know I am not alone. Oh and I do get hot too and everything.

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.

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've been only a week with NuvaRing. I've experienced depression, vaginal dryness, vaginal itching, after only 3 days of using it I got a nasty yeast infection, I didn't find my boyfriend attractive anymore, I got offended easily, Also I got this BAD headaches, and cramps "down there" very frequently. Also I got a strange rash on my vag, accompanied with the itching. I don't like NuvaRing at all. I took it out today, since I couldn't sleep because of the itching and the cramps. Bad experience. When is my boyfriend going to get fixed... Back to condoms it is.

I've been on the ring for about 3 days. I've had headaches, heavy nausea, light cramps, and no sex drive, today i came home from school and slept for 5 hours and still feel tired. I'd gotten plenty of sleep. When i had sex the ring kept slipping out and I had to leave it out till we were finished. I felt a little better after the ring had been out for about 45 min. I thought that i just needed time to adapt to the ring but after reading this site i'm happy to see that it might be the ring and not me. Thank You!!!!!

So I've been on Nuvaring about 6 or 7 months. First 2 months were cool, nothing out of the ordinary. But now it's just horrible. I took it out Sunday and I'm NOT putting it back in. First the weight gain. I've gained a good 15-20 lbs since I've been on it. Sexual desire is non-existent. And when we do I'm extremely dry. KY doesn't even work. Mood swings have been up and down. Oh my breasts have increased 4 cup sizes!! No complaint from my boyfriend about that, but its irritating when you have to buy new bra sizes every month because the others are just too small! After I take it out for the 7 days, I always get these on-going headaches that never seems to go away, even with pain relievers. So I'm just gonna go back to the pills or just the good ole condom and "pull out" method :) Wish me luck!

I am 31 years old. I had my daughter when I was 24 and developed pregnancy induced hypertension. After her birth my high blood pressure never went away. My doctor and I went around in circles trying to find a birth control that wouldn't make my blood pressure crazy. We finally came across the NuvaRing. I was so excited that it worked. My blood pressure was regulating and it was so perfect because I didn't have to remember a pill and I didn't have to worry about the patch showing in my bathing suit!!! I've been on the NR for almost years now and I'd say the first year or two were good. But I've had all kinds of problems that I just didn't know what was wrong with me anymore. I've had terrible headaches, nausea, severe depression, fatigue, anger issues, crying uncontrollably and lately my hair is falling out in the shower (in chunks). I actually went to a hospital and sat in the parking lot for hours because I thought I was going crazy. Every now and then I thought MAYBE it could be my birth control but then I thought, surely not! The only reason I finally started checking into this is because my boyfriend and I,who I've been with for a year and half, are having some serious issues in the bed. I have lost all desire to have sex. He keeps asking me what he did that made me not like sex with him anymore. I've tried to explain I have no idea what is wrong with me. Now I know. I hate to get off the birth control especially since I had such a hard time finding on that wouldn't effect my blood pressure, which I still take medication for, but this is killing me. I literally feel terrible. I don't wanna get out of bed and my head always hurts. I'm only 31. I shouldn't feel like this. Im so glad I found this website and Im not alone.

About 4 months ago, I decided it was time to try birth control for the first time. I am 23, and I'd been having terrible heavy periods, with cramps that were so bad I couldn't move or function at work. It felt like a little alien was trying to claw its way out of my uterus. I chose NuvaRing because I know I am terrible at remembering pills, and the doctor suggested this as an alternative to pills. The first 2 months on the ring, my period started and never stopped... for two months straight, every day. The third month it seemed to have leveled out, and my fourth month is going fine so far, as far as the period is going. I went from a 6-day heavy painful period to a 3-day light and easy period, which I love. I do not love, however, the other side effects.

The last month or two, I've been experiencing headaches almost every day, nausea, dizziness enough to where I have to steady myself, and some crazy roller-coaster emotions. The nausea I can deal with, as well as the dizziness (sometimes), because they only happen once in a while. The emotional roller-coaster I've been on is killing me though. I'm the kind of girl who normally shows emotions with crying - I can't help it. But lately, it's like anything and everything will set me off crying, and the more I try to stop myself, the more I cry. Then I hate myself for crying so much, especially when it makes my boyfriend cry to see me like that. Life has been good for me - not the best spot I want to be in right now (I hate my job and wonder whose life I'm living sometimes, because it sure as hell ain't the one I wanted), but lately it seems like everything is just horrible and I'm feeling so depressed and I just want to get out of here and leave it all behind, including the birth control. And to make things worse, it feels like my sex drive has just suddenly *poof* gone away. It makes me feel terrible and wonder what's wrong with me. What's wrong with me that I'm crying all the time (damn near everyday, now) and get depressed about my life more than ever before, and am suddenly never in the mood anymore?

I really wonder if the benefits of the ring are worth all those side effects I'm experiencing. Though, it seems with any birth control you run the risk of those side effects, so I guess I'm just at a loss as to what to do.

I have been on the NuvaRing for a year now and this was the first month I skipped by my own fault in forgetfulness. I went on the ring to regulate my hormones and thought it was useful to have a birth control method that overcame my pill-taking forgetfulness. It has worked really well not only in the hormonal department, but with period regulation and cramps. So many have had adverse reactions with their sex drive and emotions, but I was a lucky consumer. BUT THEN I forgot to insert the ring this past month; I was traveling and one day led to the next and you know how it goes. I brushed it off as a "medication free" month and proceeded with making my plans to move from the West Coast to the East Coast.

Last week was the week before my period and I began to experience HEAVY anxiety. Though I was happy and life was great (even with the large change in my life) my body was reacting in distress. At first I dismissed it as anxiety from moving, but then when I got my period it dawned on me. Usually I would experience heavy cramps before my period but the anxiety replaced it. I didn't even know my period was coming. My regular body clues were off base and this anxiety lead to a heavy chest feeling, short breaths, dizziness, headaches, breast soreness and general feelings of depression. As a woman I can be perfectly honest and say this is entirely hormonal because

Today I went online to research and was more than happy to see that I am not alone in the symptoms this birth control has caused me. Oh my goodness, I am almost excited to get back on it after my period to see if it dramatically changes on the flip side. I cannot continue feelings like this.

This is the biggest relief. I am sure you can all relate finding this website. I started using the nuvaring back in February and the side effects started soon after, I just haven't tied it to the birth control until now. The first month I started using it I was planning to move from my home in boise to Orlando Florida to live with my boyfriend.. which is very stressful so needless to say my high anxiety stress irritability and anger all seemed to be pointing to the stress of moving from my home although it is what i wanted it was still scary. I have been here in Florida for 3 months now and still experience the same things adding one to the mix as living with your boyfriend should spark an instant sex drive when you haven't been living in the same city for a year. NOPE no sex drive at all. Maybe once in a blue moon i get in the mood but i literally have to talk myself into it which is pathetic. There are times when i am laying next to him and i have to tell myself if he wants i should go along with it. but though of sex just drives me away. Also the depression is unbearable I am a very happy goofy person and it is a struggle to keep my temper in check or to try and work up motivation to leave bed. I am constantly tired and have no drive to accomplish anything anymore which is out of my character.
Headaches I have always had and migraines i have had before the nuvaring about once a week now i have migraines at least 3 times a week and a headache every day in between. My breasts have been extremely sore so much that i thought maybe i was pregnant in combination with my extreme mood swings. I have thick hair and i shed a lot never thought that it may be due to the birth control. I am getting somewhat angry that this is the way we all have to find out. It is frustrating to feel like a crazy person and wonder what happened to the person i use to be. I have not experience any weight gain fortunately, but since have no motivation i am not in the shape i once was because i have no desire to go to the gym.
The itching sensation i didn't realize as a symptom before reading others stories. Now it is so clear how aggravating. One month my cramps were so bad and a couple of months in a row i felt so nauseous that i would get sick. One time i was driving to a friends house when all of the sudden i knew i was going to be sick and ended up vomiting all over myself... so embarrassing and i couldn't figure out what happened. Tomorrow morning im calling my doctor to see what we can do. This is my last day with the Nuvaring Thank god for this site and thanks to you all sharing your stories it brought me peace of mind knowing ill be myself again soon.

I have been on the NuvaRing for my 3rd month now. I seriously just went into the bathroom and took it out! I have been having some intense anxiety, and I swear my hair has been thinning out, and feeling depressed. Not to mention I've been gaining weight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I looked at the NuvaRing website and seriously I have experienced almost every single symptom. I have not felt like my normal happy go lucky self the past 3 months and was wondering if it was just me. Now I know it's just the nuvaring. I also experienced extreme extreme headaches. My head feels like it will explode, for hours on end. The only way to get rid of those headaches is to sleep. Also I have never been so chubby in my life, I've always had a nice stomach and now it's getting flabby.... like seriously.... this is not even worth it. I'm so glad that I read this website and that everyone is experiencing the same problems with this as I am. I think I'm going to just stick to condoms bcuz that's going to be so much healthier for me! Too bad if my hubby doesn't like it.... I just can't take all these crazy changes... or else I'm going to go crazy! I've also been kind of crazy like totally filled with anxiety or feelings or resentment. Sex kills with the nuvaring! It hurts so bad. I'm not sure why, but it burns like heck. I've also felt fluid retention, big time! And my legs are super achey. Does anyone else have achey legs? And oh my gosh, my boobs hurt so much from the hormones NR injects into me. I feel like their getting like too big. Also over the past three months I haven't had any appetite, which would make you think that you would loose weight... right? WRONG! I have actually been gaining weight! So dumb! Take my advice and don't go on the NuvaRing, it's a waste of your time... and your life. Your life will change when you go on it, and you won't recognize it at first... but believe me, it will. I've also experienced the brown discharge for the first month, and changes in my menstrual cycle. & on my honeymoon I got a yeast infection bcuz the NuvaRing!!!!!!!!! That was pretty much the worst!

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 have been on NuvaRing for a little over a month now and I'm going to take it out probably today. I have been extremely nausea. I feel like I did when I was pregnant with my daughter. It's horrible. I kept taking pregnancy test because I really thought I was pregnant. Thankfully I'm not but this is a horrible side effect from the NuvaRing. I'm also experiencing daily headaches and occasional migraines. I have been very tired and have no energy or sex drive. I would never recommend this to anyone

I started the nuvaring back in Nov 2005, Dec 2005 I found out i was pregnant. Since then I delivered that baby in aug '06, tried to get pregnant again but it took 6mo of trying but finally worked, delivered baby number 2 in jan of '08, and then had an IUD inserted but within 5mo of that was pregnant again!! I delivered my 3rd daughter just 2mo ago on June 6th '09 Now I have 3 babies under 3 and my doctor is completely at a loss for what might work for me. So we decided that I would go back on the IUD and also use the NUVARING as a backup since the IUD was non hormonal. I started the NuvaRing and I am due to get my IUD inserted this fri, but tonight i finally said enough is enough and took out the NuvaRing. I put it in on the 22nd of July but will not be going back for month number 2. I am so short tempered with my 2 older daughters all of the sudden, I was steadily losing weight and now im at a standstill, my husband and i were having sex once a day and now i barely want it once a week, and i was having severe pain in my right calf, and headaches that were unbearable, and most importantly and most obvious is severe severe depression. I am constantly questioning my self worth and whether or not my husband loves me and if im a bad mom and so on and so on... Im really scared now because i am so afraid the IUD wont work again and I honestly don't think i could handle yet another pregnancy. Being pregnant every other 9mo for 3 yrs has taken a major toll on my body and emotional level alone, i don't need my birth control to do it too... So i guess my question is, are there any other forms of BC like The IUD that are non hormonal and could possibly be taken along with the IUD? I just don't trust only one since 2 of my pregnancies were conceived while on bc... any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

Did anyone get headaches while the Ring was out for the week of your period?
I've had all the side effects you have mentioned. I thought I would get a break while the ring is out - but these headaches are unbearable.

i been using the ring since 6/09 and since then i had cramping as is i am having cyst bursting, headaches , and weight gain. i thought i was prego again and i keep testing and its neg . what do i do. take it out and call the doctor or what

I've only been on the NuvaRing for a month now. i just had my first cycle and the moodiness was horrible. i woke up the second day full of anger. i have been fighting with my boyfriend which isn't normal at all. he will say something and i know he doesn't mean it in a rude or hurtful way, i even tell myself that but within seconds i start yelling at him. Today i started getting angry at myself because i'm not where i thought i would be in my life. yes i get like that sometimes but today was really bad, i cried for two hours. i am super tired all the time. i have to take naps with my daughter. sex hurts because of dryness. sometimes it burns so bad with i pee it makes me cry. i'm not sure if my recently poor eye sight has anything to do with the NR but it just popped out of no where. i have headaches all the time. and the cramps are horrible. i'm really glad i checked out this site. i haven't heard anything bad from friends who use NR so i almost didn't look into it. thanks everyone!

I've only been on the NuvaRing for a month now. i just had my first cycle and the moodiness was horrible. i woke up the second day full of anger. i have been fighting with my boyfriend non stop for a week. he will say something and i know he doesn't mean it in a rude or hurtful way, i even tell myself that but within seconds i start yelling at him. i am super tired all the time. i have to take naps with my daughter. sex hurts because of dryness. sometimes it burns so bad with i pee it makes me cry. i'm not sure if my recently poor eye sight has anything to do with the NR but it just popped out of no where. i have headaches all the time. and the cramps are horrible. i'm really glad i checked out this site. i haven't heard anything bad from friends who use NR so i almost didn't look into it. thanks everyone!

I am 25 years old and have been on nuvaring since July of 2007 (so 2 full years now). I didn't really start to notice any symptoms until June of 2008. I didn't have any of the weight gain (I actually lost weight--probably due to a battery of other side effects I'm now noticing-- I was 125 in college and am 114 today).

In June 2008 my periods started to get REALLY BAD! I mean I would put a tampon in and an hour later be leaking like a river. I was at a movie one night and actually had to tie my sweatshirt around my waist and run to the bathroom because I had bleed through my jeans SOOOOOOO bad. For the last year I've had to change my tampon every 2-3 hours and always, always, always use super sized pads to make sure I don't bleed through any more clothes! I've noticed clotting the past few months as well. Before that I had NEVER passed clots during my period.

Since April of 2008 I've been in a serious relationship with a loving man who recently became my fiance. We are deeply in love, but I have ABSOLUTELY NO DESIRE to have sex, none. This is worsened by the fact that sex causes me UNIMAGINABLE pain and burning to the point I try to avoid it at all costs (we've tried condoms, water based lubes, silicon lubes, gels, you name it, all to no avail!). I went to the OB/GYN in February of this year (2009) to tell her about my painful sex experience, because this was something completely new to me. She said I had vestibulitis (very similar to vaginitis) and gave me pills and creams to take everyday twice a day for the rest of like forever to try and help me. From reading some of these posts I'm thinking that getting rid of the nuvaring might just help more than those pills and creams (and the nuvaring probably gave me the damn vestibulitis to begin with!). I am also hoping to get any of my sex drive back at all. Please!!

The past two weeks is where the headaches, neck pain, dizziness, fatigue, nausea have really started to become noticeable. I almost couldn't finish making the bed yesterday and I've had a headache and neck pain for the past 8 days straight! I am constantly tired and have realized looking back that I've been constantly tired for pretty much the past two years. I've also realized that I've had some mild depression for the past two years as well. I pretty much haven't wanted to get out of bed or eat anything for the past few months and have no desire or energy to do pretty much anything.

I also think I have the mood swing issue. I cry, and I mean to the point I can't speak, over the stupidest things. And the crying comes on with no warning. I can be talking and fine one minute and a sobbing mess the next. I get really angry with my fiance for what seems like trivial things a lot lately. I get very irritable really easily and it seems. This is strange for me because in the past I have normally been able to stay pretty stable and even keel emotionally.

I took my ring out today, even though I really have like 10 days left for this month. Back when I was 19 and started on the Pill I did so because my cramps and periods were so bad I missed class or work. I am hoping that the next couple months aren't quite that bad, but I'm hoping to detox my system of this ring and start over. AND GET MY LIFE BACK!

I started the ring because of it's easy "put it in and forget about it for three weeks" convenience. When I was younger I was always forgetting to take the pill. I am not sure what kind of birth control I'll go back to when in a couple months, but I know it isn't going to be this EVIL RING!!!

I'm grateful to see others have the same experience with the ring. I started it last month. I had told my doctor that oral BC made me sick. She recommended the ring since "it rarely has side effects". I had it in for 10 days and couldn't take it anymore. I was having hot flashes, headaches daily with nausea and bouts of dizziness. I was also moody and extremely fatigued. I call the office last week and doctor wasn't in, but the nurse said to take it out. Doctor called yesterday and said she felt it was just the flu going around and wanted me to try it again. So I put a new one in yesterday and 2 hours later started with headache. I've been tired and today I'm already having hot flashes. I had my period 6/25, and 7/9 (since I took the ring out). It sucks because I don't think I can handle the ring and when I take it out, I'll have another period. I feel awful on it and my friends say it's "in your head" but reading these validate my symptoms.

I'm grateful to have found this site. My doctor put me on the ring because I was having such intense premenstrual headaches on Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo. The depression has been almost crippling since being on the ring. The first month was fine. The second month was bad. The third was so horrible I thought I was going to leave my husband because I felt so hopeless and alone. I took my ring out on Sunday. I don't think I'll be putting a new one in next Sunday. Doesn't seem worth it. The depression isn't even premenstrual anymore; I have it during my period too. Oh, and the periods are SO heavy. The first three days, I'm changing my tampon every couple of hours and have to wear back-up panty liners. And, I got a migraine this month right before my period.

Question to the others: Does anyone have neck pain? I had it on Mother's Day so bad and couldn't figure out what I'd done to injure it. Looking back at my calendar, I was premenstrual then. Now, I have the exact same neck pain, and I'm menstruating. I'm wondering if this has anything to do with the ring.

I am so glad that I found this site! I have been on the NuvaRing for about a year and have noticed side effects that I couldn't pinpoint the cause of.

I'm a very petite girl. Only 5 feet tall and usually about 94 lbs. Well since going on the NuvaRing my weight has gone up to 112! Not a big increase to the average person. But I am so small boned and so short, that all of this extra weight went straight to my tummy, butt and thighs and now I look so un-proportioned that it's ridiculous! 18 lbs. is a HUGE amount of weight for me to gain.

I've also had terrible headaches that (if I don't take anything right away for them) sometimes cause me to pass out or vomit because the pain is so intense. I have crazy mood swings that go up and down minute by minute and this has caused many fights between my fiance and I that start over stupid little things.

Also, my periods are alot heavier since I've gone on the ring. I used to have to change my tampon once every five hours or maybe even every six and never, ever leaked. Since going on the ring my periods have changed drastically and now I'm lucky if I can go two hours without leaking through a tampon! When I have my period I'm on constant guard.

Lastly, my sex drive is non-existent. Completely 100% gone. It's awful! I never, ever feel like having sex and that is NOT the normal me. Normally my sex drive is through the roof, but since going on NR I've noticed my sex drive drop more and more every month, every week, every day. This has hurt my fiance because he thinks it's him, which obviously it never was. Now after finding this site at least I can assure him of that.

After all of these side effects I decided to go off the NuvaRing. It's a form of birth control that I don't feel is safe for my body and is damaging to my relationship. I was on Ortho-Tri Lo before and will happily be going back on it again. After all I've gone through with NuvaRing, taking a little pill every day doesn't seem like that much of a hassle anymore.

Hmm, after reading all of this ive decided that my decision after medicaid declined my ring for 3 more days to finally get off of it was right. Ive noticed that within the past 2 weeks ive had more energy, my headaches are not as bad, and ive not been having the crippling stomach pain i have after i eat some foods. Ive been on it for about a year and a half, i tried depo but i gained 40pds while on it, so i moved to the nuvaring, as i had it 3 years ago right after i had my daughter. While on it and it still hasn't went away, i have pain during sex, burning after sex, stomach cramps, lower stomach cramps, headaches, Ive had 2 bouts of chest pain that made me freak out because i about went to the hospital, I am overweight, i was only 215 when i had my daughter, and was healthy and played basket ball, and now im 265. The doctors complain at me, but i did remodel for 2 months and lost ONE pound. All while taking care of a two year old. I got two yeast infections within 6 months and id never had one ever before (im 22 this month)All these problems combined with my back pain from my accident, Ive decided, im going to use other methods like condoms and spermicide. i cant take the hormonal crap.

I've been on NuvaRing for 4 months. In those 4 months my mood has disintegrated. The mood swings weren’t that bad the first month, but my mental state has deteriorated to horrible crying spells, headaches and horrible mood swings. It got to the point where I thought I was manic depressive. I started crying for no reason at work. I didn’t realize it was the ring until I searched for side effects. I had no idea all these problems were a result of the birth control. I thought I was going insane. I stopped taking it immediately and am looking forward to going back on the pill and for the side effects to dissipate.

I have been on NuvaRing for about 3 years now and never really noticed any side effects. Normally, I have bad cramping and a heavy period, but NuvaRing relieved me of that. But for the past couple months, right before and during my period, I will get the most intense 3-4 day migraine/headaches. I have to constantly take Excedrin or something, the pain doesn't stop. So now that a couple months have gone by, I spoke with a girlfriend of mine she said that her old b/c used to give her headaches. I googled Nuvaring and headaches, and here I am at this site. I am so happy I found this site because I have had NO sex drive at all and I really thought there was something wrong with me. I am young, happy, in a beautiful relationship and my fiance thinks Im not attracted to him anymore. It makes perfect sense though, this has happened ever since the NuvaRing, i really just have no want or need to have sex at all-like its a task or something. Its horrible. And I saw several mention the discharge and the yeast infections and the UTI's. Wow. I have unlimited prescriptions that my gyn had to write me because I get UTIs. I keep asking my gyn what causes them and he tells me sex and not urinating after sex and blah, blah. I''ve heard every single reason and believe me, I avoid all of them and still get them. I am the most careful person ever because my UTIs are horrible. I wont have one, then BAM, it burns to urinate, i urinate blood, i go to the bathroom every 5 seconds, horrible cramps, paint in my back. Horrible.
Seriously though, I am in shock that it took so long for the headaches to start and for me to look into this medication more. I was 118 pounds when I started this pill (around 17 or 18 years old)...at 21 years old...I am 150 pounds. All of which, I definitely wouldn't blame on the ring, but never in my life have I gained so much weight for no reason. I was even working out at the gym and couldn't loose a pound. I feel like giving up, because by the time I get out of work all I want to do is sleep. I have zero energy, I am always tired and never want to do anything. And it seems like so many other people on this site have had these issues to. I hope my story helps someone else in their decision to stop NuvaRing. Thankfully, I just took out my last one on Sunday and didn't spend the $150 for a 3 ring refill. Crazy prices, especially when you pay good money for insurance.

Like everyone else I am so glad to have found this website!! I am 23 and have been on the ring for 3 1/2 years now. The biggest side effects I noticed immediately was being more emotional for no reason at all but that was about it until about 2 years ago when I began to gain weight and I gained a total of 20 pounds. I chalked the weight gain up to not being as active as I had been in high school so I started hitting the gym with not a bit of success. During this time I still felt ok until I also started cramping all the time, I never cramped before taking the ring. The cramps are so bad I can hardly stand at times! Since the beginning of this year I have really been noticing my body being out of whack. I am over emotional, I cramp like crazy, I have a lower sex drive, I too have noticed burning during and after sex, I am always tired lately,I have been getting headaches daily, I am always starving, my breasts are super sensitive at times, I feel bloated and have had diarrhea for almost three weeks now, and although you are supposed to be able to regulate your period on the ring mine is completely unpredictable the last couple of months! I have been bouncing between spotting and being on a full blown period for the last 3 weeks now and I took the ring out finally last night! I am exhausted and tired of worrying something is seriously wrong with me!! I would NOT recommend the nuvaring especially for long term use!!!!!!!!

i have been on the nuvaring for three weeks. i have been very emotional, irritated, had stomach cramps, headaches and very nauseated every night. i have absolutely no sex drive either. my boyfriend suggested that i take it out since i was having all of these terrible side effects. i thought i would wait it out and see if it got any better, but after reading these i will be removing it tonight. thank you all, at least i know now that i am not going crazy.

I’ve been on the ring for a year now. I loved the convenience of not having to take a pill every day. But I’ve gained 13 lbs over the past year and now I’m convinced it had to be the ring. I had asked my doctor before going on any birth control if there was a risk of gaining weight but she told me that was a myth and not to worry about it. So when I gained about 10 lbs the first 4 months I was on the ring I just chocked it up to being a newlywed, turning 29 and just over all weight gain. Then about 6 months after being on the ring I realized I looked and felt bloated all the time. It was like PMS bloating but it never went away. So for the past two months, I’ve been watching what I eat and working out. I had noticed that I seemed less bloated but to my surprise this week when I went to the doctor I hadn’t lost a single pound. I’ve decided I’m going to switch to the pill and hope I’m able to lose the weight. So I’d tell anyone that’s going on the ring, if you notice ANY weight gain don’t make excuses and get off the ring ASAP before you gain more. I’d love to hear from anyone that had success in losing the weight after getting off the ring but you probably aren’t online looking up the ring once you’re off…

I used the nuvaring for 2 months stopped and started again three months ago. The first time I used it I had no side effects this time is TOTALLY DIFFERENT! I thought it would be convenient since u only have to worry about it every three weeks unlike remembering to take the pill everyday at the same time, but all the side effects make it not so worthwhile. I have
nausea, headaches, dizzy spells, mood swings (I literally can cry at the drop of a dime), stomach cramps on and off my cycle (I can't get out of bed sometimes), and recently i've had diarrhea but i'm not sure if its caused by the nv. I'm not recommending it to ANYONE. I think i'm about fed up anyone have any suggestions for a better BC?

After being on several birth controls for 5 years, the past 3 have been on NuvaRing. It was great for 2 years but the past year hasn't been great. I was getting my periods on Tuesdays and very light flow that lasted 3 days. Now I get it on Wednesdays and it lasts 5-6 days. Not to mention the horrible, painful cramps I get when I take the ring out. I have gained an enormous amount of weight and become very emotional with constant mood swings. I know with the other birth controls I have been on my body got so used to them to that it started rejecting the hormones. I have to say that the same thing is happening with NuvaRing. While by body was accepting it, NuvaRing was a great alternative to a pill. But, all good things must come to an end so today was my last day on it. I'm curious to see what happens next.

This is my 3rd month on NV, and so far this month I've had it in for almost 2 weeks....I am tired, breast tenderness, gas, increased appetite, can't sleep at night, get headaches in the afternoon and evening. I also don't have much interest in sex. I have a 6 month old boy and I want to be happy and active for him but it's hard. It seriously feels like I'm pregnant, but i know that i'm probably not. I hate worrying, and i hate this symptoms even more. I feel like crap right now. I think I might switch back to the pill. I am so glad i found this site cause I thought it was just me!!

i am 18 and i wanted to try the NV due to the fact that i tend to forget the pill some days, i thought this would be perfect. i have started the NV 3 weeks ago and since i have been on it i have been having headaches that will not go away, they are constantly there when i go to sleep and when i wake up again it just wont go away even if i take Tylenol. i have it out now for the week its supposed to be out and the headaches are worse when its out which is really concerning me. also something else i have always used tampons and never once had a problem putting them in or using them and this week i find then very uncomfortable and a little hard to put them it find that it hurts. has anyone had anything similar to this i would like to hear about it and if you suggest that i not continue to use it. Thank You very much! :)

I have been on NuvaRing for almost 3 years now, i had no problems with it besides it would slip out sometimes during sex. 2 months ago i left it in a week longer then i was suppost to and started it a week late so my doctor said it was like starting nuvaring all over again, since then i have have the worst chest pains, kinda feels like someone is squeezing my heart and my period lated 7 days instead of the normal 2-3 days and i got headaches like everyday that wouldn't go away no matter what medicine i took. I overall recommend it you just have to stick it out.

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.

This is my second week on NuvaRing. First month was going fine for a couple weeks. About the end of the second week, i started having BAD cramps. Which is completely not normal for me, ever. And so I asked my doctor and she said its normal. Ok, i can deal with that. When they continued throughout the third week, i got worried especially at night when the cramping would keep me up. I got headaches almost every evening, again, not normal for me. So I took it out and nothing. I waited two weeks without a period before it finally came. My period had been clock work since i was thirteen. Told my doctor, suggested i was pregnant? Took store bought test, said no. So, here came month two, same side affects except headache's. Week four now and no period still. Ring was taken out a week ago. Dont believe i am pregnant, we are always careful. And if i was pregnant, why would i have my period the first month (after two weeks)?

I took the Nuvaring for 3 years. I switched to it from the pill because of the side effects I was having from that, and the nuvaring supposedly has a lower dose of hormones (plus I thought it would be nice to not have to remember to take it). On the pill I was an emotional wreck (I'm normally a very easy-going/happy person), which did get a little better on the ring. When I went on the ring, my libido completely disappeared, and every time my husband and I had sex, it was extremely dry and painful for me. I got frequent splitting headaches, and had several stomach problems (constant cramping and bloating). I still had some small bouts of depression and frequent mood swings. I went off the NuvaRing in Nov. '08. My last period lasted 2 weeks, and was very heavy and painful. I am very happy to not be on the ring any more, and all of the symptoms I have listed here have gone away since I took my last ring out.

The bottom line is that every woman is different and every medication will potentially have a different effect on each individual woman. I have been on low dose birth control for 12 years. My most recent was Loestrin 24 Fe which was fabulous, until I started spotting all the time. I was on LE 23 for years before this happened, so I just figured it was time to switch to a new brand. Two of my friends have been on Nuvaring for a long time and loved it. I'm forgetful, so I figured the ring would be a solution to my spotting and forgetfulness. I've been on it 2 months now and haven't noticed headaches or diarrhea or anything like that. But here's the deal - I'M HUNGRY ALL THE TIME and I've been eating to fulfill my hunger. I've gained 7 lbs in two months, which is a lot for someone who works out 5 days a week. The fat in my belly area (which is probably bloating as they call it) is out of control. No matter what I do, I can't make it go away, sit ups, cardio... And sucking in doesn't cut it. It's disgusting. I'm calling my GYN in the am to inquire about switching to a lower dosage option. I don't discourage any of you from changing, because for me it was necessary to make a change, but I'm just warning you to be cautious and ask your GYN if you're switching from a low dose BC to NR. I feel like a cow, right in my midsection. Ugghh! Anyways, hope this was helpful.

I'm 25 and I've been on NuvaRing for almost 4 weeks now. I went in the the emergency room today due to an irregular heart rhythm that has been plaguing me for 2 days. I have headaches as well, but having heart palpitations took the cake. They ran an EKG on me and noticed the palpitations I was having. Tomorrow I get hooked up to a heart monitor for 48 hrs. This irregular heartbeat is very frequent, very uncomfortable and very SCARY! I didn't point the finger toward the NuvaRing until reading everyone else's symptoms and realizing this is serious. I just removed the NuvaRing and am not putting it back in.

Oh, forgot to add -- the few times I have actually had sex while on the NuvaRing I had this intense burning sensation to the point where I was almost in tears and I had to ask him to stop!! Has anyone else experienced this??

I'm sorry to hear that so many people are having the same side effects that I did, but glad to hear that I'm not crazy. I started NuvaRing about 13 months ago. My sex drive waned to almost nothing, but I thought that I was just settling into married life after about a year and a half. Everyone says that's what happens when you get married anyway, and sex became something I felt I should do, not something fun.
I was on travel for work, and didn't bring an extra ring with me, so I skipped it. A week after my period, it was like somebody flipped a switch. My headaches stopped, and all of a sudden I actually wanted to have sex again. I didn't even realize how crabby I had become until I was happy all the time again. Needless to say, both my husband and I like me (and our relationship) a lot more off the ring. I will never go back.

Absolutely Horrible!! I started 3 months ago and was ecstatic to be off the pill. I was taking LoEstrin 24 for about a year, and the only side effect I had was weight gain. My problem was just remembering to take the pill everyday. When my doctor suggested NuvaRing I was happy to find out I only needed to change it once a month. Well, this is the 3rd month, going on my 4th and I'm taking this crap out as soon as I get home tonight. I've been having nasty mood swings, NO SEX DRIVE, can't even get in the mood, and have been more emotional than ever, any stupid reason and I'm crying, or just completely pissed off. This obviously has taken a toll on my relationship. He thinks I'm not attracted to him anymore and just want to fight with him. I really don't though. I just have no will to have sex with him, which totally sucks. After reading all these reviews, I'm glad I'm not just going crazy. I have been feeling complete out of touch with my own body. I am finding an alternative to this BC as soon as possible, I'm not going to let this effect me or my relationship anymore. I really hope all you girls find something else also. GOOD LUCK!!