NuvaRing and moods

I am 31 yrs. old and this is month 4 on the NuvaRing. I have been on several different types of BC over the years the side effects had been so severe I decided to give up on BC all together. When my doctor recommended NuvaRing I was leary, but I tried it anyway and was quite pleased until recently. I am not experiencing head aches, nausea, or irregular periods, but I am experiencing problems with my moods. Most of the time I am sad or I get agitated very quickly for no reason. I was shocked to read about some of you experiencing loss of energy. I thought I was going crazy. I don't seem to have any energy...I am tired all the time. I have been taking vitamins, but they don't seem to be boosting my energy any. I have gained weight in my stomach and seem to be gasy and bloated. My jeans are so tight...It is depressing! In a matter of 2 weeks my breasts have grown in size...I am sure I have gone from a 36 C to a D! What I am most concerned about is the blisters that appeared about 2 1/2 weeks ago on the exterior of my vagina. They are very painful and over the counter creams are not working. I am not sure if this is due to the NuvaRing. I have my anual checkup with my OBGYNE tomorrow. I plan on getting all of my questions and concerns addressed. My delima is do I stay on NuvaRing...I like that I don't have to worry about popping any pills and I don't get any major side effects. What should I do?

Hey all,
I am meant to be starting the Nuvaring on Sunday. I was on Ortho Lo for about a year but gained significant weight on it and could not take the bloating so my Dr. switched me to Yasmin last month. I have been an emotional mess all month so we have decided to try another delivery method, the ring now and see if side effects are less for me. I am scared though in case I gain even more weight or have another month of depression. Has anyone had positive experiences switching?

I've been on Nuvaring for a year now. Since being on nuvaring, I've noticed alot of emotional changes....anxiety, depression, suddenly crying for no reason. It's like my moods are very distrinct thru the month.
I never put the two together, I just thought I was having emotional issues.
But the more I spoke to my doctor, we think they are related to Nuvaring.
I am supposed to start the ring again this Sunday and will not be...I'm going to see what happens being clear of it for 1 mth.
After reading the posts on here, I now believe it is the ring.
Does anyone else have these symptoms?

I've also experienced many of the same side effects. I was on NuvaRing for 3 years and on the pill for 5 years before that. For me I found the changes very subtle. My sex drive was not effected right away, but it just kept getting lower and lower. I was doing grad school so I was getting more and more stressed and thought that that had something to do with it, so I ignored it. I was also much more anxious, depressed, short tempered, unmotivated, fatigued and oh, did I mention depressed! I honestly thought it was all due to the stress I was experiencing in grad school, but I did feel like something may be up. A lot of my symptoms were similar to hypothyroidism (oh yeah, I also gained 30 lbs after switching from the pill to NuvaRing) so I got tested, but my thyroid was fine. I had heard about the increased risk of blood clots for the patch, so I wanted to find out if the risk was also heightened for NuvaRing, so I googled a bit and came across some other sites like this one and saw how similar other peoples situations were to mine. I went off it 3 weeks ago (after only having a new ring in for one week) and I got a really long and heavy period right away. Since then I've been having mild cramps until today where they are the worst I've ever had. On the bright side, everyone has noticed how much happier I am - I really feel like my old self again. I haven't been depressed or stressed since I've been off NuvaRing!! It's so awesome. We've switched to non-hormonal contraceptive methods - I wanted to give my body a break and I may be trying for babies in the next year. Anyway - for those of you considering going off - TRY IT!! It can't hurt (except maybe for some cramping :D) If you don't start to feel better you can always go back on. It has made a huge difference in my life. I too was considering suicide at 26 when I'm normally a really happy person. My mom has also noticed that my moods are much more stable - apparently I was going a bit bipolar before!

Seems everyone has side effects relating to moods/emotions. I don't really have those, but for anyone who has ever been pregnant noticed the NuvaRing side effects are similar to pregnancy symptoms? It is too soon for me to take a pregnancy test so I am judging by my symptoms/side effects. I just started the NuvaRing this month so it is possible I got pregnant because the ring hadn't been in use long enough. please private mail me as this board is too full to find responses.

I've been on the NuvaRing for about three months now. The first month I experienced some nausea the first day I put it in, but moods and all else seemed alright. By the second month, I started noticing some increased irritability, total loss of sex-drive, and also irritations in my vagina. I m actually not sexually active now, nor have been in the 3 months I've been on the NuvaRing, but I imagine that if I had been, I would have had serious irritability, since my vagina s been feeling swollen and irritated with the ring in. I m on my third ring, a week away from the scheduled take-out date and, after finding this site today, and the ridiculously heightened permanent irritability and mood swings, I am considering taking it out this minute. i do not want to wait any longer to see how bad this can get.

good luck to you.

I love it. I have absolutely no adverse side effectswhatsoever -- in fact, for the first time in about 15 years of being on a contraceptive my moods are completely stable, I don't skip periods and I haven't gained an ounce . It also doesn't seem to inhibit my ability to spell (sorry ladies, but really, the spelling and grammar being used in this forum is shameful).

I was on this for about 9 months. When I first started it, it was soooo much better than my previous B/C (Ortho Micronor. I had a migrane and nausea nearly every night for a year, but I was breastfeeding at the time so this was my best option then)

So when I first started this I was so relieved that I didn't feel sick and felt pretty normal. After a few months my relationship started to get worse & worse. Everything my boyfriend did irritated me and I'd pick fighs with him all the time. I'd cry at the drop of a hat, and I'd scream and yell when I was mad (I am usually a very soft spoken person) A couple people actually said they were concerned and thought I was depressed.

Along with the emotional side effects, I started spotting in the middle of the month, and my periods were over a week long. For two weeks out of the month I was either spotting or on my period. (I tried just leaving the ring in to skip periods but I always bled anyway) I had 2 yeast infections in two months; both started a couple days after I inserted the nuvaring.

I threw out my nuvaring after my last yeast infection in July and decided to go hormone free for a while. Sure enough my moods improved, my relationships improved, my periods were more regular, and no more painful yeast infections.

The nuvaring was a great idea in theory, but the wrong mix of hormones for me.

Thank you God! I thought i was loosing my mind....

I have been on the NR for about 6 months now. at first it was great! i didnt have really any problem at all. (I have had issues with Depression in the past and i had been doing better but i found on the pill i had some mood swings so i changed to the NR to try and fix that. BAD CHOICE.) About 2 days before i was supposed to take it out the first time I had horrible cramps and headaches and i thought it was normal. But since then my moods have been INSANE. I am on my "off" week and so far i havent started my period. I am NOT gunna put it back in this month. it just doesnt seem to be worth it. I am terrible to people that i really love and i dont know why. I have gained about 20lbs and im working out more than i ever have. I cry all the time. I get sick all the time. I just called my dr. and set up an appointment. now that i know im not alone, something definitely is gunna change.

Has anyone else completely skipped a period due to the NR? As of today i have skipped and while i dont see how i could be pregnant (only had sex once this month due to my complete lack of wanting too which im realizing now could be contributed to the NR) I am still a little worried.

Thank you so much ladies!

How interesting...

I've been on the Nuva Ring for probably a year and a half. Started on it a few months into my engagement to my now-husband. Before the ring, I used to want to just attack my husband all the time in the bedroom -- I had a killer sex drive. After the ring, I noticed a decreased sex-drive, and increased anxiety-- I chalked it up to planning a wedding. I also have discharge ALL the time, and sex is often painful. I thought this was all stress too. My periods were frequent (which is off for me b/c I'm so active), they were light, and my mood were stable-- which they had not been on the pill.

Well now we've been married almost a year, I now describe myself as an "anxious person" (which is new) and my sex drive is sad (for a newly wed?!?) The damn thing just fell out in the last few days (which I don't understand, this has never happened before... is it possible it's lost inside of me somehow?!) and I've noticed my sex drive has increased in the interum.

I used to say "I preach the good news of the Nuva Ring" b/c I found it INCREDIBLY helpful to not have to think about a pill while planning a wedding. I'm also very active (surf most mornings) and it seemed to hold up to that. I don't understand why it fell out in the past few days (very odd-- I can't find it) but the loss o' the ring had me searching the internet for solutions, and I think now that it is not my permanent contraceptive solution.

If you're planning a wedding, however, I'd use it. I didn't experience any "first three month" craziness like I do on the pills-- the first 3 months always make me an emotion wreck. It was perfection to have my moods stable.

But I need a change. The emotional rollercoaster of finding a new solution is daunting... but I think it's time.

I have been off the Nuvaring for the first full cycle after being on it for about 20 months. I posted previously -- but went off because I was experiencing an increase in overall anxiety, including a tightness in the chest, night-time panic attacks, and more anxiety. I am feeling so much more normal now -- even though I did have PMS this month (which I didn't have as noticeably while on the nuvaring), but it felt normal and identifiable. My moods and emotions are easy to pin to an event (whereas I just felt this vague sense of uneasiness all the time before) and I'm so much more relaxed. A friend of mine recently went off for similar reasons, and is feeling better as well. Birth control definitely isn't as convenient as it was; however, my overall quality of life feels much improved.

I took the Nuva Ring out about three weeks ago for reasons unrelated to any symptoms. I just happened to find this site today looking at something else. I had no idea that the things that were going on with me could be related to the Nuva Ring until I'm reading these posting today. I've always had migraines so I didn't attribute them to the Nuva Ring - however several months ago (I started using Nuva Ring in March) I had to go to the hospital because I had a severe migraine for over three days and the Imitrex that usually alleviates the pain - sometimes even temporarily did not work at all. Also I had suffered from depression before taking Nuva Ring but over the last several months it had become severe. My moods were out of control. I had anxiety, crying all the time, extreme mood swings. I've had extreme fatigue but just thought it was related to the increase in depression. Last month I went to a psychopharmcologist to have a medication evaluation because I felt the depression meds weren't working anymore. The doctor doubled my dosage! I've had weight gain but just thought I was eating more than usual - no idea the Nuva Ring could have been causing the increase in appetite. I've had night sweats and during the day I'm always freezing no matter where I am. At work I use a sweater and a small blanket for my legs. This is crazy. I just thought my office was too cold (maybe it is). Some bloating but nothing I couldn't live with. I have not had any problems with bleeding or unusual cramping. No vaginal discomfort at all. Sex has been good. No problems with dryness. I found it completely convenient. I just had no idea the problems I was having could be associated to the Nuva Ring. I am so happy I found this site. I was going to start back on tomorrow but I definitely will not.

I have only been taking it for 3 months,my moods have become worse but the MAJOR PROBLEM is my belly is huge, big time huge, like 3-4 months pregnant. No sexual side effect, just very moody and tired just like pregancy, The scale says i havent gained but my body says otherwise.I am 36 and Iwill not reinsert this product. My guts feel burning and alot more cramping in uterus, etc. WORD TO THE WISE,........ SO NOT FOR ME AND OTHERS

Hello all- I just wanted to send an update. I removed the ring a little over a week ago- I am just now starting to feel better! My anxiety and depression are gone, no more extreme moods swings and the night sweats have gone away. For all those women out there experiencing this I would suggest getting off asap and trying something else! My doctor (family friend) recommended Yaz as it has different hormones than the ones contained in the Ring. Also- interesting article for those out there experiencing these horrible side effects: http://health.msn.com/womenshealth/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100166587

I have been on nuvaring for 8 months, and the whole 8 months I have experianced nothing but extreme irritiblity, fatique, and depression. I can't think of one thing in my life that would make me feel this way. The feeling lasts all month long, but when I take it out, within hours my mood goes back to normal, I am happy again, not irritable. I would not reccomend this medication. I feel like I am losing my mind, and I am driving my husband insane, because of the extreme moods. I am a very laid back person, I don't get easily upset, but being on this NR I cry over everything, you could look at me the wrong way and I would cry. Its horrible, I am changing birth control. Its a shame because I like not having to worry about it, but I just can't deal with these side effects.

I just finished my 5th cycle on Nuvaring. I decided to use Nuvaring because my OBGYN suggested it as a contraceptive, I did not want to take the pill everyday and I was hoping it would help regulate my periods. Nuvaring is the only birth control I've been on and the information I got with it did not list mood swings as a major side effect. I did not realize at first that my moods had changed until a few months after I started the medication. I've been having horrible mood swings, depression, and anxiety. This caused a lot of fights with my boyfriend and I thought that it was all his fault but I realize now that I have become very testy and I overreact... I did not act that way before the medication. I now realize that these severe mood changes occur the worst on the day I take the ring out and during my period. At first I was so happy that my period was lighter and not sporadic. I have not had any of the other side effects I've read on this forum but I am going to discontiue using it. I recently saw an advertisement for a birth control pill that is suppose to have less side effects and I am going to ask my OBGYN about it.

I started using the NuvaRing a couple months after it first came out. I loved the freedom of not taking a pill evey day and my periods were very light, and lasted only a couple of days. I had used the NuvaRing faithfully up until January of this year when I became separated from my husband and decided that I really didn't neeed to be on birth control since I wasn't having sex. Until I came upon this message board I'd never been aware the NuvaRing had so many side effects that were NOT listed in the medication info. I am a nurse so I realize that there are side effects of medications that sometimes aren't listed, but that's usually because they are very mild and may only be experienced by a few people. Since reading other people's experiences with the NuvaRing, I am now starting to wish the NuvaRing never existed and I am very angry at this drug company for it NOT listing side effects that seem to be very common in users. I too had the annoying, embarassing, heavy discharge which was sometimes a brownish color, and it also had a funny smell to it. I almost felt like I could "smell myself" down there sometimes, even if I was clothed. My breasts were always tender, and my neck, shoulders, and all my joints ached and were stiff all the time, I noticed those symptoms more just after my period ended and I reinserted the ring. Otherwise I was fine and enjoyed a wonderful sex life and was happy.
Then about 2 years ago, I started to have a lack of motivation, uncontrolable mood swings, and I felt nervous and depressed all the time. My moods were horrible! I'd make the biggest deal out of nothing, lash out, and cause a lot of tension and fighting in my home. I felt depressed, wthdrawn, and wanted to not be around people a lot. Everyone annoyed me; EVERYTHING annoyed me! I became a very mean person. The weight gain was a horrible issue. I'd gain 20lbs. in three months easy and it WASN'T because I was sitting around stuffing my face. I had to almost starve myself to lose the weight. I'd finally get sick of eating rice cakes and salad all the time and start to eat normal again...and BAM...the whole weight gain cycle started over again. My weight kept going up and down like a yo-yo! I am a very active person, I like to eat healthy and exercise, and weight control had not been a issue since pregnancy. Sex began to be a chore for me and I hated it. The thought of having sex made me sick. I had a bad self image because of my up and down weight all the time and I would do anything to avoid letting my husband see me naked. I didn't want to be touched. My breasts weren't just tender, they were so annoyingly sensitive that I almost wanted to punch my husband if he touch them because the over sensativity sent a sickening feeling to my stomach. My cervix hurt during sex and the pain made it unbearable if my husband was inside of me too deep. I also experienced spotting after sex, sometimes heavy. I've never experienced those problems before. I also began to experience about 1 1/2 wks before I was to take out the NuvaRing, I'd start to have a heaviness in my chest almost like a panic attack was coming on; this would occur almost daily. Everytime I tried to inhale it was like I couldn't get my breathe in, and the coughing was horrible. I'd also not be able to fall asleep at night or I'd wake up in the middle of the night panicing and crying over stupid things. I used to blame it on the stress I was having in my marriage, but I'm starting to wonder if the NuvaRing was really the cause of the stress in my marriage! My husband would get so mad at me beacause of my moodiness and irritability that he started not wanting to be around me and started not coming home after work so he wouldn't have to deal with me. I became even more depressed and started having suicidal thoughts because I was unable to control my mood swings and didn't know why. Needless to say my husband left me. And since I didn't plan on having sex , I stopped using the ring. With in the next month my moods became stable, I was happier, felt good, and I began to sleep a lot better. I thought it was because my life was beginning to calm down.

Then in April, I'd started seeing someone and once again found the need for birth control, so I started using the NuvaRing again. I started to feel like crap again during the first week I used it. I had no idea why I was feeling this way again, until now. I have discontinued using the NuvaRing this month, not because of the way I was feeling again, but because I found out I'm pregnant. I'm not happy at all either. I don't want anymore children. Thanks NuvaRing! Had I known all this time that it was the ring that was making and had made me in the past so miserable, I would've just gotten a tubal and not wasted my time using such life ruining and ineffective birth control, and maybe I'd still have my husband too. If anyone out there reads this and their doctor has said it is such a wonderful method of birthcontrol...don't believe a word of it. Use something else. Take the advice from me and all the others here who've shared their experiences with you.

I just pulled the ring out tonight in the middle of my 3 weeks because it finally hit me!!! The light bulb just came on for me. I had been feeling incredibly sad and depressed for the last 6 months since I have been on the ring. I thought it was not like me, but I thought it was job stress. I was moody with everyone around me all month long...very irritated and not wanting to be bothered. I am a teacher and even my students noticed my moods. I had no desire to enjoy the things I use to enjoy. I walked into my school 2 days in a row and had sharp pains in my chest. I thought I was having a heart attack or something, but then it went away. I am on summer break now with a lot of time to think. Something told me to check out the side effects of the ring. Maybe it was divine intervention. I was shocked and almost cried when I found out that I was not alone. I even saw one person report swollen and red eyes. I had this also and thought it was allergies or pink eye, but now I understand that it was probably the ring since I have never had this reaction before. I enjoyed the freedom of not remembering the pill, but I don't think I will ever use the ring again. It definitely affected my personality and judgement.

I just wanted to add my experience for everyone looking just like me. I started using the Nuva Ring after having a scare with the pill in November. For a while I felt pretty good but I think thing are getting progressively worse. I've had extremely intense headaches at least once a month that are completely debilitating. I have also started having intense emotional swings every month since i've been on the pill. I just changed jobs recently and thought that a lot of my moods were due to that but now I'm realizing that the mood swings start 1-1 1/2 weeks before my period is supposed to start, lasting until my period is done. During the rest of the month I feel relatively normal. The mood swings include everything from spur of the moment crying, to anxiousness, to anger, apathy etc. I've been thinking that the ring was why but I really hadn't been sure until I started reading other people's experiences. I did experience itching although not every month, and more during the 1st week of having it in. I did not experience breakthrough bleeding. Also, I have experienced a delayed period every month, (taking it out Sun. and not bleeding till Thurs.). I would appreciate any feedback from anyone on here with opinions or experiences. Thanks!

I have gained over 25 pounds since starting the nuvaring 1 year ago. I have very tender breasts sometimes, but not to the point of stopping. I never gained weight on any of the pills or even the patch. Has anyone else had this problem? The weight gain is about enough to make me quit using it altogether....but I am wondering if it is even the NR doing this.

I just stopped using Nuvaring, side effects were enormous!

- Moods swings
- Constant anger
- Unstability

I was always angry at my fiance for no reason. I stopped 2 weeks ago and now I feel so good... It took only 3-4 days and I felt an ENORMOUS difference!!!

i have been on it for a week and i feel so depressed.... thoughts i would get upset about before, i could get over quicky, but now i have been crying like all day.. i have been with my bf for almost a year and we get along great, like i love him to death, and all of a sudden within the time i starte taking my novaring, i got upset about us and i started feeling like he wasn't even like my bf anymore, and i have never felt so upset aver a thought like that ever, i mean i have thought about us not being together before, but not to this extent, i didn't understand what and why i was feeling sooo depressed, it was as if it felt like i wasn;t even going out with him for soo long, i just started feeling really really wierd... more different than i have ever felt about him or anything before.. and i started to freak out and cry hysterically! im 19 and i have no idea why im feeling so wierd... but this all started about i started taking the ring. Thing that would of bothered me before didn't effect me or grasp me like they all of sudden do now, its like im freaking out over something now, that i never freaked about before, its like my whole mind changed and moods changed on how i thought or felt about things....

has anyone else experienced stuff like this, if so let me know by just typing your side effect.. thanks everyone for makeing realize, that i was acting hysterical over little things, and just severs depression!!!

I have been on the Nuva ring for 8 months, I cannot take it any longer. The effects for me have been horrible. Here's the list:
Extreme mood swings
Anger for no reason or petty reasons
Any excuse to vent the anger, fights with loved ones.
Severe Depression, I have actually had sucidal thoughts.
Severe headaches and Migraines
Extremely hightened emothions
Crying all the time and for little or no reason.
Weight gain, and that's just a few!!!
As an insight of who I was before I started using the Ring. I was happy and fun, my moods never lashed back and forth with such force. I have never been depressed and for me to think of suicide is absolutely absurd, I have always been against, I think that is the most selfish thing anyone could ever do. As far as emotions go...I have always been an insecure person, as much as most women. But, like this..no way. Every emotion known to human kind was just magnified to the 1000th power. It's insane what these hormones can do to a womans body!!! They can make us think we're crazy. We should all be warned. I have stopped the Nuva Ring and am now using a diaphram and spermicide. It has only been a short while and I feel so much better, I smile now. To anyone who is using the ring and feels the way I felt, in my opinion...take it out NOW. Don't wait it only gets worse.