NuvaRing and mood swings

Tried the NuvaRing 3 1/2 half years ago after being on depo for a few years. It came out a few times and I followed the directions to put it back in. After 3 months I got pregnant. I found out that I had actually used it a month into my pregnancy but thank god my baby was healthy and strong. Post-partum I used lo-estrin while I breast fed and when I was done with that I weighed my options. I am terrible at taking a pill daily. I tried Depo, but gained weight and I don't want to wait to try again when I decide to have another baby. The patch was just out....I heard too many bad things. I decided to try again with the NuvaRing. Thought it was a fluke that I got pregnant before. 2 months into it I felt the signs of pregnancy again. Home tests came out negative so I went to the doctor. Blood test came out negative. I was certain I was pregnant though. The doctor told me to go ahead and use it still, so I did. After a week it kept coming out so I said forget this. The next week I had a hard time getting a bridesmaids dress on for my cousin's wedding so I took another pregnancy test...and sure enough, I was pregnant. Went to the doctor and was dated at 6 weeks. My baby is 8 months old now and he is beautiful. I'm on Mirena now and have been for 6 months. Not completely happy, but not pregnant. Having migraines and mood swings so I'm considering taking it out. Now I tell everyone I know who is trying to conceive to try the NuvaRing!

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 experienced severe chest pains and major mood swings...shortness of breath..12 days i was on it and when i called my obgyn - they said take the ring out and go to the ER. I immediately went to ER...I work at a hospital - so that got me in quicker..the ER doc did a cat scan, ekg, blood work and chest xray - thank god nothing showed up...This birth control was NOT for me and should be taken off the market.

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

Hi I'm 19 years old, I've been on the NuvaRing for about 4 months now and I'm taking it out this weekend to switch to the pill. I loved the convenience of it and not having to worry about taking a pill everyday and it was always comfortable. But I've noticed in the past 3 months or so that all I do is sleep! I've experienced the worst fatigue of my life and I've been really depressed for no reason and have no interest in doing anything which is not myself at all. I've had crazy mood swings where I'll be screaming or crying one second then laughing the next, absolutely no sex drive and always dry during sex, every little thing irritates me, i'm always hungry but have only gained about 5-10 lbs, I'm bloated, my skin is always itchy and extreme vaginal itching, I've had a yeast infection, a urinary tract infection and bacterial vaginosis all in one month of using NR, and I've noticed I've been stuttering here and there as well? I was always recommending the NR to my friends because of it's convenience but after reading this I realize that all of my symptoms are due to NR and I do not recommend this anymore!

I am 34 years old and I used the NuvaRing for about a year and it was the absolute worst year ever! I experienced weight gain, dizziness, depression, I was always angry with my husband and kids and I was extremely emotional. Another side effect I experienced was stuttering. I have never had a problem with stuttering in my life. It wasn't a constant stuttering but it was very embarrassing. And the depression and mood swings were absolutely horrible. I would loose my balance just walking because the dizziness was so bad. Eventually I decided to stop using the NuvaRing and my depression, dizziness, mood swings and stuttering stopped. I have been off for over a year now and my life is back to normal. I have actually never had a good experience with any type of birth control so my husband decided to get a vasectomy. I can honestly say that I have never experienced anything like it in my life.

I had been on nuvaring for about 7 months or so when I decided to stop using it for the most part I had no side effects such as spotting or bleeding in between periods but the symptoms I did seem to have to the highest degree was severe depression, crazy mood swings, pain on my lower left side. But the worst symptom was the severely painful headaches I was getting twice a month or so. Now since I have stopped using it I am nauseous.I have cramping also getting headaches my breasts are so sore . This is so crazy I never thought that using the nuvaring would have this kind of effect on me I feel like I'm pregnant with all these symptoms its nice to know that I'm not alone here though. I also wish I knew how long I was going to feel like this.

I am 22, I started using the NuvaRing about 4 months ago. I took it out and I am not putting it back in. I HAD NO SEX DRIVE!!!! I also had really bad mood swings and got depressed really easily, which is not my personality at all. Especially the first couple days after I put it in I would be just crazy. I also had a lot of burning after sex and I could not keep it in to have sex because it hurt so bad. My doctor said most people can't feel it during sex, but for me it hurt. My biggest complaint is the total and complete loss of sex drive. I can't explain it. I have read other people's posts on here and I am glad to find out that it's not just me and it's not just all in my head.

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!

Im 18 yrs old. I have been on nuvaring for almost 2 yrs now. I just started getting side effects recently. I have "Dizzy spells" that are on and off,i can be sitting watching T.V and I will have one. I get "nausea" during the day and night, on and off. I have recently been told I have cervicitis,but I think there's more then what the doctor is seeing. I feel more "fatigue", and more "mood swings" then usual,and 15 pds added to my weight,which I don't like.

I was on the pill for years and eventually decided to have a break from pumping hormones into my body... After about a year my boyfriend and I were getting sick of condoms so I decided to ask my gp about other possible options as i didn't want to go back on the pill due to the weight gain I had experienced previously. I started on Nuvaring about 6 months ago and originally loved it. No weight gain (except for my boobs which wasn't something i was going to complain about!) and no crazy mood swings etc. But about a month ago I realized that my sex drive was COMPLETELY GONE! I had always had a really high libido and was constantly pestering my man about how we needed to have more sex! Now I have no desire for sex whatsoever. I just cant be bothered at all. and when we do have sex im so dry, even when I feel turned on I have no lubrication down there at all. Also over the past 3 months i have developed really really dry itchy skin on my face that is only getting worse and nothing i do seems to help, so Im wondering if this could have something to do with the nuvaring...?
Im taking it out tonight because i cant stand my total lack of interest for sex and am also hoping it has been causing the problem with my skin... fingers crossed!

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'm 27 years old and have been married for four months. I've been on the nuvaring for about 2 years straight (i've been on bc for a total of 9 years more on than off). The first year was great despite the weight gain and constant bloating. My partner and I agreed that the pros outweighed the cons. But for the past 4-6 months or so I've been experiencing the following symptoms, all gradual but definitely in effect:

vaginal dryness, itching, yeasty discharge, migraines on the OFF week, nasal dryness, dry eyes/ intolerance to contact lenses, irritability, mood swings, weight gain, brittle hair, short-term memory loss, severe anxiety.

it seems to me that the cons outweigh the one pro that we were defending. pregnancy. i am definitely speaking with my doctor and getting more information on hormone-FREE pregnancy protection.

I have been on NuvaRing for 3 years now. I was using Depo Provera shots for 2 years prior, but struggled with consistent weight gain, mood swings, and no sex drive. Since I have been on NuvaRing, I have had none of those side effects. I have been very pleased with this product, except for the 2-3 times a year that I get a yeast infection as a side effect. I do also get a headache the first day I take it out. I love not having to remember a pill. I never feel the ring at all. I am a happy customer!

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

I've been on Nuvaring since June.I have mood swings,I have constant headaches,and there is always an itching sensation in the outer part of my vagina.The little period i do have the cramps are severe.I didn't know these were side effects until i saw a commercial on T.V. Then i googled it for more info.

I have been on the NuvaRing for over 2 years. At first it was great! I loved not having to take the pill everyday. Im so happy I found this wedsite and read everyones stories. I thought that I was not having any side effects until now. For the past couple years I have had an uncountable amount of UTI's. I also experience painful burning and redness after having sex for a short period of time. I would even have swelling. Its horrible. I didn't think these things were related to the NuvaRing, but now its all making sense. Even though I have been on the ring for 2 years it seems like more side effects have popped up in the past 6 months. I have felt more moody since iv been on the ring but im now having crazy mood swings that are totally out of character for me. I have also gained 20 lbs in 5 months. I didn't think that the ring had anything to do with this until last night after having sex with my boyfriend he told me that his penis burned. When we turned on the light he had a red rash right under the head of his penis. This redness looked like the same thing that would happen to me. After reading everyone eles storied Im going to get off this ****** ring as soon as I can. Im sick of the pain and I hate that its effecting my boyfriend too.

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

wow! I have been on NuvaRing since it was introduced in 2001. Previous to that I had only taken the pill (Ortho Tri Cyclen). I have been continually on birth control since 1998 at the age of 14 for acne/cancer prevention and eventually birth control. Because of that I don't really know if I have any side effects like loss of libido or mood swings since it's been 12 years! I am totally disturbed by all that I have read here but I have to say that the Nuvaring has been a completely positive experience for me. It is expensive and getting worse but for my husband and I it is worth the peace of mind of not having to worry about remembering a pill. I also like that it is better for the environment than a pill since it's not introducing hormones into our water supplies!
I'm so sorry to hear of the horrible side effects but it does work for some, our bodies are all very different.

I decided to google "nuvaring side effects" after putting two and two together today...

Due to some complications, I switched from OrthoTriCyclen Lo to NuvaRing about 5 months ago. Having been on OrthLo for so many years (about 4, and Ortho regular for about 5 years), my uterline lining was shedding, which in turn caused bleeding in between my periods. I had heard good things about NR, so I asked about switching to that. First month seemed good... then I started noticing changes in my body and emotional state of mind.
Started with nausea, then I ran the gamut - headaches, back pain, fatigue, mood swings, LOSS OF SEX DRIVE & WEIGHT LOSS (the worst two).

Being that I am generally a pretty stable 27 year old woman, all of these little things stood out but I couldn't figure out what was going on. The weight gain got me good... I gained about 8 lbs - which is A LOT for me. I work out 6 days a week and have a very healthy diet - nothing had changed except my birth control, i.e. the ring. I even started up'ing my cardio 30 more minutes a day to get back to normal, but to no avail. Traumatizing. And the no yearning for sex thing is horrible too... my poor fiance.

While there is no way to tell for sure that NR is the cause of all these side effects, it only seems rationale. It would be too much of a coincidence that so many of us women have these neg effects - all similar.

After reading most of these reviews, I got on the phone and called my gyno. Plan is to stay off everything for one full period (plus the withdrawal period), then to switch back to an oral contraceptive. Just have to use condoms in the meantime - small price to pay to avoid all the nasty sides effects.

NR has already been removed. Thank you all for sharing... this made me want to share, as well.

I have been on the ring for almost 4 months now. Not true, I actually JUST took it out.. I have to admit, im feeling so relieved right now and thank God i found this website.. I gained 12 lbs in the first month, tried to blame it on my just being 'comfortable' in my relationship.. who was I kidding??...I've never seen that kind of weight gain in my life.. My mood swings are ridiculous, im already a pretty mouthy girl, but since i've been on nuvaring, im almost unbearable, even to myself.. My relationship took a turn for the worse the more my moodiness showed itself.. I have hot flashes all day long, everyday.. i start sweating while im sitting still...the hell????... im tired, always. i want to do absolutely nothing, no drive.. no motivation.. not only is my sex drive very close to non existent.. i find it very hard for me to orgasm... Really, i just wanted to say, Thank you to everyone who has posted on this site.. it was really comforting reading that im not the only one going through this.. I really felt like i was starting to go insane!!... my advice, throw the nuvaring in a river.. and RUN..!!!!

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.

i've been on and off the nuvaring for a little less than a year. my boyfriend and i were in a long distance relationship, so i'd make sure it was active the few times we saw each other, and then i'd generally stay off it the few months in between - probably not the best for my body, but the ring was rather expensive and it seemed a waste to buy them for all that wasted time.

anyway, i just moved to his area about three weeks ago, and in the weeks since i've arrived i've noticed my sex drive has essentially disappeared - which is the OPPOSITE of how i'd think it should be. i first started thinking about the nuvaring causing a problem when i noticed i was much drier than i generally am, having a hard time getting aroused, etc. it's now to the point where i am frustrated when he wants to make love because the desire for me is *so* nonexistent - someone else posted that it seems like a "task", and that's exactly how i'm feeling. this seems unfair to him and is troubling to me, as i've always had a perfectly healthy libido, and was beginning to worry that something was wrong with me.

i've also had the beginnings of what seems to be a mild yeast infection, but i have always been prone to those, so it could be unrelated. i also experienced ridiculous burning after sex one night, as others have mentioned, although it has only happened the once. last week i had a headache for three days (which has never happened before) and the mood swings have been huge - one tiny thing sets me off into either tears or ridiculous anger. my poor boyfriend.. ):

i was going to wait it out and see if things balanced in a month or two, but after reading some long-term effects here, i think i'll find an alternate method. it's just not worth hurting my boyfriend/relationship/body for this. thanks to everyone who has posted before me, this site was a huge help in making my decision.

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 started the nuvaring about 4 months ago. since i started it, i've gotten steadily more depressed, have had crazy mood swings to the point of crying at work for thinking absurd things about my boyfriend. crying for no reason at all and then having crazy highs. i never thought i was manic depressive before i went on the nuvaring. i am stopping this week and going to my doctor to go back on the pill. this birth control has effected me mentally too much. i thought i was going crazy. i'm so glad i'm not the only one and know what the problem is.

I was on NuvaRing for 3 months, in that 3 months I got married and separated. I was so severely depressed my Dr. was asking me if I was going to hurt my self. He really thought I wanted to kill myself- I am a mother of 3 and was happily engaged when I started on NR after having an IUD (another devil bc) for 2 1/2 yrs. Within those 3 months of being on NR my life fell apart due to depression, manic mood swings, lack of sex drive, crazy irritability, no energy, 3-4 day migraines, weight gain oh my god it was horrible. My husband kept trying to suggest that it could be the new bc but I wouldn't listen (I should have listened). I have been off NR for 5 months and I have ME back and my Husband!!! We couldn't be happier, I wish I would have found this website 6 months ago!!!

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?

i just got on the nuvaring about 2 1/2 weeks ago. its about time for me to take it out. for good im starting to think. the reason i got on the nuvaring is because i was on the pill then stopped it for a while and i took a pregnancy test and it came back positive. then the next day i started bleeding and cramping really bad. i went to the doctor and they just did the urine pregnancy test on me and theirs came back negative. so apparently mine was a false positive. but this whole time i have been on the nuvaring i bleed NON-STOP. my period is usually only 5-6 days. and its been 2 1/2 weeks. i have no sex drive what so ever. couldn't because im bleeding anyway. horrible mood swings that drive my fiance just absolutely CRAZY! i have a 5 1/2 month old little girl and i try soo hard to be happy around her. but im soo emotional. i cry all the time about the littlest things. my breasts are incredibly tender. i have already gained 4 pounds. and i eat maybe once a day. i get these really sharp pains in my stomach that is just unbearable. i have always had bad cramps but just on the first day of my period and i could take Midol and it would make it go away. now NOTHING helps. the cramps are the worst pain. is it the nuvaring causing all these problems for me?

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.

I only used the Nuvaring for one month because I could no longer handle the side-effects. Physically, it was great. I did not gain weight and my boobs became noticeable larger. However, the mood swings were unbearable. I cried all the time. I went on vacation and the entire time, I felt fat, ugly, and just DEPRESSED! I fought with my boyfriend non-stop, fortunately, he was very understanding and knew that these mood swings were not me, but my medication. I hated him seeing me become this monster that was completely hormonally induced and not at all a reflection of who I am. All I wanted to do was drive in my car, listen to sad music, and cry. I have one of the most fun jobs in the world and I LOVE it, but I suddenly hated going to work. I grew increasingly resentful and then depressed by my own behavior.

I kept the NuvaRing in for the full three weeks, then took it out. When I awoke the next morning, it was as if a haze had been cleared away. The sun was shining and I felt a thousand pounds lighter. The familiar feeling of MYSELF had returned.

My doctor really wanted me to stay on Nuvaring for another two months, but I refused. I've had problems with low-dose hormones in the past, so I switched back to a high-dose hormone and have not had problems since. I'm back to loving my job and no longer cry because the wind changes direction.

I have been on the Nuvaring in the past. Got off of it since I didn't have a boyfriend for a while. Recently started back on it. Been on it for about a month and a half now and have been experiencing extreme breast tenderness. All day long. To the point massaging them myself doesn't even seem to help. I have been having really bad mood swings, and anxiety, and depression since i've been on it. To the point I got started on depression medication the same month I started it. Never really thought these could be side effects to my birth control. Since I've never had depression issues in the past. My OBGYN keeps telling me to wait the full 3 months to see if these symptoms go away. I'm not even sure I can wait another month in a half. My breast tenderness is getting the best of me. I will probably wait it out b/c that's the type of person I am. But I have a feeling i'm going to have to switch to the pill again. Which I hate b/c I hate swallowing a pill everyday. But if I don't have breast tenderness and these mood swings it'll be worth it to me.

I just started the NuvaRing, and Everything seems to be going okay with an exception for the extreme breast tenderness. I put it in the day I started my period and, like clockwork, my period was gone, but still with some of the period pain such as ovary pain and breast swelling. I asked to be put on the ring because of my extremely painful periods and cramping and plus obviously I don't want to get pregnant. After being on it for something like..a week and a half, I've only noticed mood swings once, and that was last week during what should have been my period, and I think it's because my body is still working out the period symptoms that I should have been experiencing. I'm really worried about weight gain though. I'm not really that hungry unusually or anything.. just kind of normal but I've only been on this for a short time so I am fearful of increase in appetite and weight gain in the near future.. Has anyone had weight gain issues??

I was on Nuvaring twice since the birth of my daughter. First time was for about a year and I was really happy with it in general. I still had a bit of acne but nothing major so I sticked with it.
I then had 6 months with no bc at all and I went back on nuvaring. What a surprise when I had all these nasty side effects!
Extreme fatigue (which I still have on my pil now, so it might just be the bc in general), nightmares, sadness and mood swings, bloating, no sex drive at all, body aches and a lot of PAINFUL cystic acne!! It was much worse than with no bc!! I decided to stick to it for 3 months to see if there would be any enhancement but it went worse and worse!
I stopped it and had another month with no bc where I felt so much better. Now I'm on loestrin24fe and after the first month which was bad it is now almost heaven...

I am going on my third month of using the NuvaRing. I have experience almost all of the symptoms that everyone is listing. I was wondering if there is anyone that has used NuvaRing and the side effects eventually went away. My doctor told me they should only last for about 3 months but according to a lot of people they don't go away. I am really not sure what to do because I am not ready for a child yet but at the same time I can not take much more of these side effects.

Hi Ladies,
Okay, So I added a post on here a couple days ago. I had mentioned about my mood swings that I was having...Well on Friday it was the worse day in the world for me it felt. The rage the I was feeling that day was completely unbearable, I felt so unfunctional. When I left work for the day things just got to me, and I cried the whole drive home...I thought to myself ok this has to do with the NuvaRing. As soon as I got home, I went and a took it out, this was only yesterday and I have to say I feel so much better, kind of like day and night. ADVICE: If you are feeling any of these horrible side effects from the NV I suggest you take it out ASAP, I promise you will start to feel better within hours.

I have been on NuvaRing for 2 years. At first I thought it was wonderful. But now two years later I am connecting all my health problems back to when i started taking this BC. For two years I have had horrible nausea and digestive problems and weight gain.I also have had horrible mood swings and emotional instability. And worstly I have had horrible sinus problems. In fact I had sinus surgery which did not help. I also got a therapist and started considering seeing a doctor about the digestive problems. But after some research and connected the dots on the time frame of all these sudden health problems.... I am pretty sure it is the BC. I stopped taking it yesterday. I hope I go back to my healthy self from2 yrs ago. Please do not ignore side effects of drugs.

I started the nuvaring three years ago because of a hormone in-balance causing me to go off the wall with anger, a blood condition that had me bleeding for 7-11 days losing a lot of blood, and the fact that I was having serious relations with men. Since I started the ring, my outgoing, enthusiastic attitude disappeared, I became a blah to society. My anger went through the roof where I would be in violent moods, and my mood swings were to the extremes. I was emotional almost all the time, and had depression like nothing before. Thoughts and actions went across my mind that I would have never thought in a million years would occur. The sex in my life went down the tube, and it caused my to break up with my boyfriend at least two to three times a week just because I became irritated with him for absolutely no reason. I also wanted to sleep all the time and awoke with many headaches. Along with painful headaches, around the middle of each month, my breasts began to hurt or my side felt like it was being pierced.

The NuvaRing both had positive side effects and negative effects. Besides the negative effects of boosting my emotional self, mood swings, and anger, it also caused a poor sex drive, itchiness cause from yeast infections(which were constant), burning during sex, sleepiness, and all and all blahness. The positive, my 7-11 day period where I was in bed went down to 2-3 days of a light period which I thoroughly enjoy. I also didn't have to remember to take a pill, a godsend.

I stopped using the nuvaring a few days ago because my anger finally got out of control to the point I was almost arrested, and I feel better and more active for life than before. I was always like this before I started, looks like I'm going to need a different BC with either a lower dosage of the hormone in the NuvaRing or another hormone that does what it does best for me.

I hope this helps anyone looking for side effects of this form of birth control. It wasn't the best for me, but it may be for others.

I started NuvaRing 1 week ago. After 3 Days I started having Horrible Migraines, next I started having these really bad stomach pains. I started to vomit and have diarrhea after 1 week. The vomiting and stomach pains were so intense my body was really weak. I had trouble taking BC before so when my OB told me NR was a better form of BC and I wouldn't suffer from the same side effects I had before I believed her.

The first couple of days I was fine, like I said after 3 days the migraines started. I'm taking this out because my body can no longer endure the pain. I had to miss work and stay in bed all day. I would not advise the NR to anyone who has had problems with BC before or anyone who has had hormone imbalances. The pain and side effects I've felt with the NR are the worst I have felt. Nausea, Vomiting, Diarrhea, Stomach pains, mood swings and no sex drive is not worth it. I'm taking this out tonight I can't take the pain anymore.

I agree with all these posts on here. I am still on the nuvaring and want to go off so bad but I know my doctor would make me go back on it. I have mood swings like crazy which has made me and my partner break up 6 times now !! and iv been having like break outs, nausea, randoms pains, a lot of symptoms you would have with pregnancy but I had a test and it came out negative so its the nuvaring doing it. Can anyone suggest a different type of birth control they are on and actually like?

Well I am glad to see that I am not crazy! I put just had a baby in March and My dr. told me to use the ring. He told me to start it on the 1st of every month. Well I started my period on the 30th of April and he told me to still start it b/c he wants my period to move the the end of the month. Well today is the 11th and I still have yet to stop bleeding, I am itching like crazy, My mood swings are through the roof! I went to look up side effects on this b/c of my mood swings and sure enough almost everyone says mood swings. I am also sleepy all the time, I am not happy about a lot of people saying you gain weight b/c after having a baby i want to lose it. So I guess i am done with this, I guess it's time for the condom. We will see how it goes.

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!!

NR has been great birth control...but only because my crazy mood swings & crying jags don't exactly put either my BF nor myself in the mood for love. I've always been one of those "stiff upper lip" types & have never been able to remember when asked when the last time I cried was (nor the reason)...at most, I cried once or twice a year, usually out of sheer exhaustion from work. However, in the past two months since I started NR, the answer now would have to be either "yesterday" or "I'm crying right now". Even my mother (with whom I talk daily) has noticed that I'm not the same strong person I used to be & it started with the NuvaRing. I am so tired of feeling like lying in the dark, listening to Joy Division & feeling sorry for myself, that after sobbing though (yet another) commute, I pulled the ring out & threw it in the trash on the way into the house today. Now, all I need to do is find a new birth control method...

Hi everyone. I am a medical professional and former user of the nuvaring. It is true, birth control as well as most medicines does affect everyone differently. However, I was an absolute emotional disaster (frequently contemplating self-harm) while I was on this medication. I initially attributed the mood swings to my then current stressful situation. When I finally graduated from NP school and my stressors were alleviated, my depression persisted. Within a week of stopping the NuvaRing, I was back to my old self and have not had any of those symptoms since. It is a rather large dose of hormones so if you're feeling these symptoms as well, perhaps you should contact your provider about a more appropriate method of bc.

I am absolutely convinced that my life has been negatively affected by Nuvaring, and it took me a year and a bout of terrible depression to figure it out. I would NOT recommend it.

Now that I look back on a year ago when I started taking Nuvaring, my undiagnosed depression took a turn for the worse and thoughts of suicide took over my life.

I got over that with pills to help with depression symptoms, but then started realizing that perhaps my mood swings (i can be emotional but this is extreme), bloating (i didn't realize what that really meant until I read that sometimes it makes you look pregnant, which happened to me), vaginal itching (yuck), maybe just isn't entirely my own fault. What really got to me recently is that I had what people call migranes with aura or ocular migraines earlier this year around October, and I didn't think much of it. But then it happened to me again at work earlier this week, and it was awful. I had to lay down and go home early. This morning I woke up with a terrible headache which has not gone away. I also remember a period of time months ago when I always had a headache.

Why didn't I do anything? Well it seems ridiculous to pin all this on the ring....UNTIL you do a simple search on google like "nuvaring side effects". I am happy to hear that I am not alone, outraged that nuvaring would not list some of these obviously prevalent side effects, and glad to be moving on. Now my challenge is to find another form of bc, because condoms are...condoms.

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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Wow!! I thought i was imagining all of this stuff. The out of no where headaches and the HUGE mood swings that began my first week of use. I thought the NuvaRing would have been a good choice for me. I liked the "low" hormone levels of the Ring. But I am really felling emotionally crummy and i have only been using the Ring for a week and a half. I am over it!

Thank you to everyone who posted. I thought it was just me. I am 32 years old and have been using nuvaring for 2 months. The first month was horrible, I had severe night cramps everyday and was always in an increasing bad mood. I also had a bad cold and attributed it to the cold. My family and boyfriend noticed how miserable I was getting. So now I'm using it for a second month and keeping track of my mood swings. I feel like I am fighting the depression to stay positive. I believe it's definitely the nuvaring...and I'm taking it out for good at the end of the three weeks.

After reading all your posts, I just went in the bathroom at work and removed my nuvaring. I have been having many of the symptoms described here. I have been on NR for a little over a year and have noticed the dryness, irritation and decreased sex drive. I have also had extreme tiredness, but attributed it to having 2 small children and working full time. Now, I'm not so sure. My symptoms have all gotten worse in the past few months. I force myself to have sex w/ my husband 1-2 times per month. I have hip and knee pains to the point I can barely walk and then I'm fine the next day. After getting 7-8 hrs of sleep, I am dozing in my office at 11am. My temper is out of control sometimes. I feel like I want to get in my car and drive away from my life...and my life is not bad! Also, I imagine all the terrible things that could happen to those I love and it makes me cry. These are all out of character for me and I was chalking them up to stress, but now I'm not so sure. I have an appt to see my gyn tomorrow due to the fact that after putting in the ring for the last 2 months, I feel like my crotch is ON FIRE...burning, itching, but no discharge like a yeast infection. I also tried to speak to my gyn about the pelvic pain after insertion a few months ago and was encouraged to stay on it and told it was my vaginal muscles adjusting to the ring. Also, I have gained 5-8 pounds with no other change in routine that I cannot seem to lose. I actually took 3 pregnancy tests due to mood swings, weight gain and breast swelling/tenderness a few months ago!
I just hope I go back to normal soon. Anyone know how long it takes?