NuvaRing and nuvaring

I started NuvaRing 3 weeks ago yesterday after having the Mirena IUD removed (kept in all 5 years). I removed it yesterday as planned. 1 week ago, I felt a terrible pain in my right side under my ribs. I started having very slight trouble breathing, pain when laughing or coughing, etc. I applied heat and the pain subsided over the weekend and I could breathe easily. On Monday, I decided it best to go to the doctor since I had trouble breathing, I didn't want to assume it was nothing. I went to a doc in the box (bad idea) and I was told that I had a swollen rib cage (the cartilage). I'm certain I was misdiagnosed because the dude didn't even do xrays, even after I explained that I had just started NuvaRing. I wanted them to be aware of everything. The doctor dismissed it.

On Tuesday night, I was in so much pain and my difficulty breathing was worsening that I cried myself to sleep. Wednesday I went to work and was in so much pain that I was in tears and headed to URGENT Care, as my primary care physician could not fit me in. They xrayed, ran a urinalysis, a CBC to check my white blood cells and found nothing except for a bit of what appeared to be constipation, though I have regular bowel movements. My white blood count was slightly elevated, but distributed normally. I was prescribed a laxative and Lortab for the pain, which was excruciating. The doctor told me to come back the next day (today) to retest my white blood count. It went down a tad, as I had taken the Nuvaring out yesterday evening. The doctor seemed puzzled, but gave me my CBC results and urinalysis just in case I developed a fever or an infection of some sort, but told me that she thinks I am having side effects from the NuvaRing. She asked me to not put it back in.

On a side note, I had called my OBGYN on Wednesday before I headed to Urgent Care and explained the situation and they advised me to remove the NuvaRing as well.

I'll have to bite the bullet and pop the daily bc, such as Ortho Lo.

I have only been on it for 6 weeks, but two weeks into it i became very dry, itchy and irritated down there. I figured it was a yeast infection, so I treated over the counter. Did nothing. I went to the dr. who said it could in no way be the ring and did urine and blood test. Until the blood test came back they put me on a cream in case it was a yeast infection and was not all gone on the outside. The blood came back that I had the cold sore form of herpes (will duh I get cold sores) and so they have me on an antiviral mediation. Three days into a five day medication the itching is worse. I keep telling my husband I think it is the ring, but the dr. says it does not do this. Does anyone else have this problem? I do not have to be on the ring for birth control, they are using it to treat something with my cycles that I am realizing would be better to live with than the itching and burning. Please tell me if anyone else has this side effect.

I am so relieved to read all of your posts knowing that i am not the only one who becomes an entirely new, sad, pained person when i tamper with BC. I have been on the Nuvaring for 2 weeks now and am experiencing some weird chest pains. at times it feels like i'm being kicked or squeezed in the heart, and other times it feels like i have air blocked in my chest. i am so fed up with this toxic ring already i just threw it out 5 minutes ago. is it bad to stop a birth control mid-cycle? i hope not, i really wanted to wait the next 8 days to end the 21 day cycle, but i cannot wait that long. i am miserable. what bothered me the most about reading all these posts, aside from the fact that so many females are suffering due to excessive hormones, is that it seems to be a common thing for doctors to write these problems/complications off so damn quickly! there is enough evidence on this page alone to suggest that nuvaring has serious negative side effects, and yet when i went to urgent care today, none of the doctors seemed to be concerned with my chest pain and possible relation to the new birth control. our medical field is fucked up.

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 .

Hi
I first used the ring 3 years ago when i got married. ever since then, I've had extreme pain upon penetration. Basically, we haven't had intercourse for 3 years. My vagina burns like crazy, like sand paper every time my husband penetrates. I also haven't menstruated in 3 years. So far, doctors have not been able to treat the problem. I am going to an endocrinologist now who will prescribe hormones short term for my period. Has anyone had a similar experience? I would appreciate any feedback, advice, doctors, etc.

I am feeling such relief right now- I'm not alone. After having EKGs and Cardio-pulmonary stress tests, CAT scans of my lungs and chest, an abdominal ultra sound, and stress echocardiograms (all of these were normal or negative, mind you), not to mention months of anxiety, I finally started talking with a cardiologist to see if I had done/started anything around the time my symptoms started. I realized I had switched from an oral (orthotricyclen) to nuvaring birth control about two months before I started my symptoms of no sex drive, difficulty breathing, exhaustion, and severe anxiety. To elaborate- I was a national champion soccer player, I've always been in great shape, and I couldn't walk up a flight of stairs without being exhausted. I couldn't hold a five minute conversation without chest tightness and difficulty breathing. Everyone kept saying I was stressed (new job, new house), but I know I wasn't doing anything that unusually stressful. I love my job, and my house, and while I realize they may cause some stress, I shouldn't CONSTANTLY feel like this.

The most pressing issue, of course, was the breathing stuff. The doctor suggested, even though he wasn't familiar with the nuvaring side effects, that I take it out to see if there was any change. After reading what all of you have written, and after being off it for two weeks, and beginning to feel a change, I'm pretty damn sure it was Nuvaring. I already remember that my husband is sexy, and I'm able to go on dog walks without getting winded. I also am happier, and feel more awake, than I have in a year.

THANK YOU ALL for posting. I'm going to warn my girlfriends of this stuff- I wish my doctor (who is no longer my doctor) had said more than "there really aren't any side effects except some discharge- nothing different than the usual pill side effects".

Thank God I'm not alone. I have been on NuvaRing for ten days and life is aweful, I'm exhausted all the time, which I thought was due to having an 18month old. I wake up in the middle of the night with my heart racing, but so tired I can't fall back asleep, I want to nap during the day but my body wants to keep going but I'm so tired, plus I have severe mood swings. I yell at my son and take it out on my husband life in my house is terrible right, now and after I scream and yell, I cry. I had severe depression in life before and this is what it felt like, I never wanted to be in this state again, and here I am with a family like this and my poor family is taking it all. I called my doctor to see what to do and they told me this is actually supposed to have reverse effects because its low hormone and to stick to it for another month. I'm just scared that the depression will get worse or I will lose control.

I have been on the Ring for 4 years. I have had minimal side effects compared to other birth control (BC). IT IS A HORMONE. The nausea, tiredness, weight gain, moodiness is because we are elevating the hormones in our bodies to make our bodies THINK its pregnant. All BC have these effects to some degree. If the Ring doesn't work, try a different kind of BC and then different levels of hormones, or types of hormones. You have to "shop around" to find the BC that gives you the least side effects for your body.

I have had weight gain and a reduced libido but that is nothing compared to the side effects I had with pills (crazy nuts, sore breasts, pain with sex, constant periods). And I am getting older (now 33) so I expect some of the changes are likely part of me aging and if not they do not out way how easy the Ring is to use and my assurance I am protected ea. month. I have been very happy with the Ring.

Now to my problem. My husband and I decided the possibility of blood clots (I am a smoker over 30) is not worth the risk to be on BC at all. So, after my last cycle I stopped the Ring after 4 good years.
I am soooo sore now. I feel like someone punched me in my ovaries and uterus. I hurt so much I can't hold in my stomach. Is this common when you stop BC or just the Ring?

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

I am 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 lasted for one week on Nuvaring.... put it in on 7/26, took it out on 8/2. I expected some slight hormonal type side effects while my body adjusted to the ring... this is my first hormonal BC ever.... Saturday, I couldn't keep my legs still... jittery and anxious, cramped and so uncomfortable. Yesterday I got a very bad dizzy spell while in the shower. Over the next several hours, the dizzy spells came more frequently and got stronger, to the point where I felt I was going to faint. My heart was pounding, I was sweating, my chest felt heavy, and the room was spinning. First spell was at 6:30 am, I took the ring out at 11:00. The spells continued for the next 1/2 hour or so, and I noticed a huge welt above my ear.... hot and sore to the touch, radiating pain down into my neck. I've also had a stiff neck for days, which I didn't attribute to the ring until reading someone elses posting here. I'm feeling better today, though the symptoms have not completely gone away. I presume it will take 7+ days for this crap to get out of my system.

Glad I stumbled on this website. I started NR in April. All seemed well. I spotted most of the 1st month pretty heavily but that's not unusual for me starting BC. A number of vague symptoms began creeping up on me and I decided to stop it last week to see if it could be related to NR since many of the symptoms appeared or worsened after starting it. Sudden hot flashes that lead to panic attacks, feeling like I was as close to fainting you can get without hitting the floor. At first that was once a month but then became more frequent until lately it's been everyday! No fun to say the least! vision changes, waves of severe nausea and dizziness in the past week...I've had it. And it's even been out for a week. I hope the effects wear off ASAP. appreciate all the comments on this forum. makes me feel less alone

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

My husband stumbled across this website and first I would like to thank everyone who have posted their experiences on the NuvaRing. Because of you guys I now know I'm not losing my mind.

I started the NuvaRing March of 2008 and I started getting dizzy spells May 2009. I actually got my first dizzy spell when I was driving. Everything started to spin very fast!! My husband had to grab the wheel and tell me how to slow down and how fast to do it. That was the scariest thing ever!! My head felt a numbing sensation in my head. I had a pain above my left eye and it would shoot up my head and down my neck. The dizzy spells would come whenever, once every 8 days to twice in one day. I have had an MRI and an MRA done and nothing. The docs have had me on so many migraine meds to try to get a handle on this and nothing has helped. My longest migraine lasted for 14 days, that was in May. This month (July) I got a migraine on the 13th, took the ring out on the 21st, and had a dizzy spell this morning but this afternoon and especially this evening I feel amazing.

Since getting on the NuvaRing, like so many of you, my sex drive does not exist. It has caused so many fights between my husband and I. Its hard to tell him that he is still attractive but I can't explain why I'm not excited. So thank you for writing your experiences. He got to read that I'm not the only one and I wasn't making it up.

These last three months have been hell for my family and I. I have been like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. So much tension has caused everyone to walk on pins and needles when they are around me.

So lets sum it up here, after being on the NuvaRing for 14 months I started getting dizzy spells, migraines, nausea, neck pain, twice I've puked because of the room spinning so damn fast, and very very VERY low sex drive.

I'M NOT CRAZY!!!! :)

Now I am personally freaking out. I went to see my gyn this morning because I have had terrible anxiety and depression (I suffer from anxiety and depression anyway). I was hoping that it was due to a hormonal imbalance. Well..we didn't do any tests. She put me on the nuvaring to balance out any hormones...to give me a constant flow of hormones.
I am freaking out. I don't feel bad right now. I want this to help not hinder me.
Does anyone have anything good to say about it? I can't take any more anxiety or depression.

I've been on the NuvaRing for 2 years now. I think it reacts differently to everyone. It has made my life much better. My periods are shorter, lighter and less painful. I used to get sore muscles and sore breasts a few days before I started now I have none of that. I'm not moody and for the first time in my life I don't have to spend the first day of my period in bed. My body adjusted to it quickly and I didn't have any spotting. I still have my sex drive and there is no pain during sex. I have a lot of stomach problems (bad gallbladder) and if I were on an oral contraceptive I would likely be pregnant because my body wouldn't absorb the pill properly. This has been a lifesaver for me.

thanks all for sharing and i'm so glad i did research and found this site!

i'm 30... my 1st birth control. been on it for 6 months. it took my body a few months to adjust to the ring... i had constant bleeding for the 1st month... i called it permanent period. it was gross. and then everything was rosy for the next 2 months. until slowly i gained weight and now i've gained 10 lbs. being 5'2" it's very noticeable. at first i thought it was because i'm not walking as much, but it doesn't make sense since i'm probably eating less.
also i feel nausea frequently... almost on a daily basis. i've completely lost my sex drive... which i've never experienced before so took me a few months to connect it to the ring. sex became painful and burned. i feel bad for my boyfriend because i don't feel like sex anymore, when i used to LOVE it. my energy level is low and i noticed my hair falling out a lot and easily.
be mindful of your symptoms... don't explain it away like i did. pay attention to them. i'm taking mine out!

I'm only 18 and I've been using nuvaring off and on for a while.
I took it out the first time because it was making me gain weight, decrease in sex drive, anxiety attacks, painful sex and i had been crying for no reason. I feel so bad for my boyfriend because I'm just now realizing that my lack of sex drive and painful sex is most likely related to the nuvaring. We've both been confused for so long and he's been feeling so bad about himself thinking its his fault :(.

This is the 2nd week I've had it in since the first time i took it out months ago and I've gotten what seems to be a yeast infection...but like someone mentioned earlier, my yeast infection tests come back negative...as do std and sti tests.
This is my second time with yeast infection symptoms and im only 18...
so, already that seems a little fishy (no pun intended).
Ive also been tested twice for all stds and sti's both times negative.

My doctor and mother don't believe any of this has anything to do with the nuvaring and tell me that i shouldn't believe what i read on the internet because most of what im reading is "rare"..but i believe it and i believe its happening to me.

im taking it out right now.
This website has been very helpful!

WOW!!! I am SO GLAD I stumbled across this site. I have been on the ring for about 4 1/2 months. The first few months were fine, but these past few months I have been experiencing the exact same side effects that everyone is describing in their posts. I have no sex drive whatsoever, have been extremely moody and depressed, constantly eating & wanting to eat. My cycle may be a little off, definitely lighter (which is a major plus), I don't really get cramps anymore, which is great. But now after reading all these posts from everyone, I am convinced the reason I have been so depressed with no sex drive is because of the ring. I am also constantly tired and fatigued ALL THE TIME. Wow, am I glad I came across this site. Thank you so much to everyone for your posts. I believe it is the end of the ring for me :) Does anyone have any suggestions as to another form of the pill that may not have these crazy side effects? Thanks so much!

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 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 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 put on the NuvaRing by my OBGYN to fix endometriosis... that was 5 1/2 years ago... I'm now 26 and I have been having dizzy spells for a while... actually passed out twice while living in New York for the past 4 years... not fun when you're on the Subway! Recently - the back of my legs started hurting! Then my calves swelled up! All these new veins appeared and I rushed to my general physician! The first thing out of her mouth was are you on birth control... GET OFF! When i told her it was NuvaRing - she was 99% sure it was it! I had an ultrasound to make sure it wasn't blood clots and it's not... so I went to nuvaring website and one of their symptoms is pain in back of knees and swelling! RIDICULOUS!!!! I took it out immediately! Even the 32 year old who did my ultrasounds said she voluntarily got off all BC because of everyone she has come in there with liver, blood, heart problems!

Does anyone have any thoughts on after stopping the nuvaring. I was only on it for 2 months but the extreme moods and depression made me stop and never look back. Its been 6 months since I stopped, I have not used any birth control since. My hair started falling out when I was on it, but it never stopped and is now getting worse. I am not feeling well and seem to have all the symptoms of hypothyroidism, I just had a blood test today and am waiting on the results. I am 25 yrs old and otherwise healthy besides this. I feel like all my symptoms, physical and emotional started with the nuvaring, I am wondering if anyone else has developed hypothyroidism after being on and stopping the nuvaring???

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

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.

I'm 17 years old and I started nuvaring in October 2008. It didn't occur to me that I wasn't myself until February 2009, and I honestly believed I was going crazy. I became so anxious and depressed about everything, especially my loved ones. My boyfriend is my best friend and my biggest support alongside my parents. I've been reevaluating every friendship/relationship i've been in. I've lost interest in my hobbies and passions. I've felt indifferent about everything, not to mention I have absolutely no sex drive. And I'm devastated that I did not enjoy my senior year of high school. I didn't think about the nuvaring until 2 weeks ago. I came on this website and read all of the stories of depression, mood swings, anxiety, etc. You have no idea how relieved I felt. I took out the ring on Saturday as usual and got my period today. However, I will not be continuing nuvaring. I still feel anxious, irritable, and I'm even second guessing that the ring is the cause, however I very much hope that it is and that I feel like my carefree outgoing self again soon. I'm angry that I didn't make the connection sooner because it made my senior year very upsetting and has slowly been hurting my friendship/relationship with my boyfriend.

I put in the Nuvaring about 2 hours ago for the first time. Within ten minutes I experienced dizziness, "floatyness", anxiety, jitters, and about an hour later my skin started itching(back, legs, etc). I feel like I'm high? I called ask-a-nurse since it is Memorial Day and my OB is closed and she said those weren't typical side effects, though she doesn't THINK they are dangerous. Did anyone else have any immediate side effects? Thanks..

Hi all,
I have been off the NuvaRing for almost 2 months now, after being on it for 2 years, and I feel like I'm getting angrier and angrier...I guess I'm having intense rage attacks, pretty much everyday, and I don't know how to stop it. I thought it would get better after getting off it, but it seems my mood is getting worse. Anyone else experiencing something similar? Could it be withdrawals or something like that?

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 have been using the NuvaRing for about 6 months now. I thought it would be a blessing because I would not have to take a pill everyday. I am 23 years old. Have a fantastic serious boyfriend. and NO sex drive. I have always been a happy person, so this behavior has been obvious to not only me, but others. I have been considering going to see a therapist because i just can't seem to get out of this "funk". And thanks to all of the posts, I now think I have a legit answer to my behavior. Besides having little, to no, sex drive.. I have been having waves of depression, headaches, moodiness, feeling anxious, fatigue, weight gain, (looks like someone put an air pump in my face, ugh.) and plain weird thoughts. I really just feel out of my body, just not with it at all. I have tried diet changes, regular exercise, etc. Basically, trying to fix my depressed feelings/anxiety without having to see a doctor or get on another medication. Does anyone know how long it takes to get the NR out of your system. Just ready to get back to normal!!!

I've been on the Nuvaring for about a year and I didn't experience any of the crazy stuff people are mentioning on here. Every birth control is different for everyone, so you really have to know your body and what works for you. I.E., someone mentioned crazy thoughts while either on or when taking out the NR like suicide and suspicions of a cheating boyfriend. I was wicked anxious while on the Shot, and crying for anything! So, really, it depends on what works best for you.

I happen to love the ring, and I'm on here looking for more information on long-term effects if anyone knows where I can read about that. I know it's fairly new, so this may be hard to find.

I feel A LOT better now after reading these. I had my nuvaring in for almost 3 weeks, i had horrible headaches, and started bleeding after the first week it was in. I took it out 2 days ago because i couldn't stand the migraines anymore, and I had horrible cramps. Ive been very irritable and angry. How long does it take for the bleeding to stop... I'm getting kind of worried now, because ive been bleeding for 9 days. Its starting to get heavier, and i had a weird clot today. I booked an appointment to see my doctor because this is driving me crazy. I am NEVER using the nuvaring again. I started it because 1.EVERY single pill ive tried has cause me to become depressed 2.I bled for 3 weeks when i used the patch and my doctor told me to stop and 3.I don't want my period to stop, or gain weight so i refuse to try depo. Does anyone have any suggestions?? I have 2 year old twins, and i want another kid within the next 3 years, so i refuse to use an IUD and possibly screw that up for myself.

I have been on the nuvaring for almost 3 years.
The first year was great! I hated taking a pill everyday, so at first i opted for the Depo, which was great for a year, but i really didn't trust it and not having periods made me uneasy.

The nuvaring seemed like a blessing! I had no trouble for the first year and a half. I recommended it to all my friends. I didn't have any side effects, and I loved the convenience!

However, now i am experiencing some serious side effects, and thanks to this website I realize I am not the only one. I have two concerns that i link to the BC: depression and no sex drive. Some days I just want to lay in bed, and sleep. I do not want to leave the house, or see anyone. I have told my BF (of 3 years) that i just need some "me time". I am fatigued and show many symptoms of depression.
I am only 24 years old, and i have NO sex drive. It has taken a tole on the relationship with my boyfriend. Many nights i try to get in bed before him, so i can appear asleep. There have been so many nights where i would tell him "i'm sick", "i have cramps"... sooo many excuses. When we do have sex it is usually forced, and i do it because i haven't in a week!

This past year I have also had digestive problems, which seemed to have appeared out of no where. Im not sure if I blame them on the nuvaring, but I've noticed a few other people have mentioned it as well.

I have been on the NuvaRing for two weeks now and I have had cramps almost every day. They have been getting worse as time goes on. I am cranky and starting to argue with my husband more now. The first week on the ring sex was great but now it just burns and hurts. I still want to have sex but avoid it because I know how much it will hurt. I have also experienced breast tenderness and spotting. I do not like it and plan to take it out forever after this next week.

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

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I was on Yasmin and decided to switch to nuvaring because I kept forgetting the to take pill. I have experienced really bad headaches 1-4 times a week to the point where I can not sleep, or feel sick. No sex drive. No fluids for sex (No matter how much water I drink ) Waking up 2 - 3 times a night...being on edge all the time and easily annoyed. I went to the doctor to find out about my headaches and she told me to monitor them and see what I found in common. I could not think see anything until it finally hit me last night that it could be my birth control.. So I went in and asked about it today. The doctor told me that Nuvaring was comparable to Allesse which made me not happy because I had gotten really sick off of allese when I was taking it.. It's crazy to see all of the comparable symptoms that this dumb thing is causing women and now I am 100% convinced that this ring is the issue. I am switching back to Yasmin because it was working for me for about 2 years - minus the fact that I kept forgetting it, I guess I will have to try a little harder now. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a good pill. Because it is low dose it does not have many side effects. The only thing it did to me was make my boobs grow and I can't complain about that.

I'm a 45 y/o female with PCOS, T2 Diabetes, IR, and a history of infertility. Back before I knew I had PCOS, I was prescribed clomid,and was finally able to get pregnant. Anyway, after my 3 girls were born ( the last 2 were twins), I went on Nuvaring. LOVE It. I have none of the symptoms anyone else here describes. It keeps me regular, and helps me avoid perimenopause hot flashes and sweats. Once I tried experimenting with going off of the nuvaring (so that I could use supplemental progesterone cream), and I gained weight!! Like, 18 POUNDS! My periods stopped and I was a mess. My endo had me go back on the nuvaring, and I resumed normal periods, and life. But now, I am being asked to give it up again, because it was noted during a recent colposcopy (exam with a magnifying scope as part of a follow up to an abnormal pap), that I have vaginal inflammation. I was told to go off the nuvaring. Well, I didn't even know I had vaginal inflammation. Now I'm off the ring, and .... guess what? My weight is going UP again. Has anyone else experienced weight GAIN with DISCONTINUATION of their NuvaRing? It was explained to me that since I have PCOS, the nuvaring might have helped to keep my weight down as it was suppressing my excess testosterone. GADS! What to do?

Hi, I've had many of the side effects that others have listed on here. I decided to take the ring out and have had extremely heavy bleeding since (5 days now). I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow but I wanted to find out if anyone else had this problem when they decided to stop the ring - and if so - how long did the heavy bleeding last??

I am keeping everyone updated because I cannot find any updated posts through the site. I took out my ring on April 8th (I believe) which was 3 days ago and the majority of the burning side effects are gone. However, I am spotting brown now and I am probably going to have the period of my life. Sex felt better 2 days after removing it but i'm still dry and have burning afterwards,just not as intense.

I got on Nuvaring back in Nov., because I was getting married (I had not had sex prior to this). I liked the convenience of not having to take a pill daily (I'm very bad about remembering to take pills), and that it was a lower dose of hormones than pills, which to me made it seem safer.
Unfortunately, once I got married, I noticed I have no interest in sex w/ my husband, which stinks because I was really looking forward to it before. I thought something was wrong w/ me, because we've been married 3 weeks tomorrow & probably have had sex 10 times or less, which I discovered REALLY bothers my husband, but I hadn't given it much thought. The sex is ok (as far as I can tell) when we DO have it, although I do notice I'm drier "down there" than before, but I'm just not interested in it.
Other than that I've had no problems w/ Nuvaring. If they could work this one issue out I'd be sold on it!

I am 18 years old and I have been on the NuvaRing for about a week and a half...already I have been extremely emotional. I am the kind of girl who never crys, and lately EVERYTHING makes me cry or upset. Granted, I do have a lot on my plate right now which adds to my anxiety and stress levels so that could be it too. My boyfriend doesn't like the feeling of it when we are having sex either, and it causes a burning sensation for me when we are finished. Ive experienced sleeping problems as well. Im not quite sure if it is because of everything going wrong in my life right now..or if it is because of the NuvaRing. I have also been experiencing back pain.

I was put on NuvaRing in April 2008 because my DHEA Sulfate (our male androgen hormone) was way high. My doctor told me that the only way to get that hormone down was to use birth control. I had actually used NuvaRing before April 2008 but it was only for about 3 months. I asked my doctor to put me back on the NuvaRing because it was the easiest and I hadn't had problems with it before. Now that I have been on it for almost a year, I have noticed that I will just cry for no reason and that I get irritable quite often. I continue to have these depressed episodes, I am tired all the time and since the first of the year, I have had diarrhea. It has to be the NuvaRing as I am not taking any other medication. Has anyone else experienced diarrhea after long term use? I also got a yeast infection about 2 months ago. I am 34 years old and I have NEVER had a yeast infection until now. Also, I have gained a little over 20 lbs since I have been on it and I hardly ever eat. I can't seem to lose that weight either. When I am off the NuvaRing during my 7 days, I loose about 5 lbs but then gain it right back when I put the NuvaRing back in. Not mention, I have not had a menstrual cycle the entire time that I have been on NuvaRing. If you ask me, that's against mother nature.

My experience with NuvaRing

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

I got on the nuvaring after having my last child. My third month of using it, I went to take it out and it wasn't there! Have NO idea where it went or when it could have come out. But alas it wasn't there and my Docs nurse assured me it wasn't floating in my body somewhere :)

Two months later the same thing happens. As the first time, I took a pregnancy test to make sure it was OK to put my new one in. Guess what. I'm pregnant. I wish I could sue this company as I was NOT planning on having any more children! Let alone 16 months a part!!!

SIDE EFFECT: UNINTENTIONAL PREGNANCY!!!

I am 24 and used the NuvaRing for almost 3 years. As I finished up college at 21 and directly afterwards I was becoming more and more depressed, which I first attributed to the transition. It was while I was still in college that I also noticed a change in my ability to concentrate and remember. Focus and decision-making were abnormally difficult. My moodiness and depression increased over the next two years, my sensitivity to other's comments became more acute and I constantly felt at the edge of tears. I had little to no enthusiasm for even my favorite activities, no energy for sports/physical exercise, and no interest in sex with my partner. I required more sleep, always feeling tired when I woke up. I also began to have headaches, which had never been a trouble before.
I have been off the NuvaRing for about 3 weeks. Like some have posted earlier, I feel like a dark cloud has lifted and I can enjoy life again. Notable changes over the last couple of weeks have included:

1. Waking up naturally in the morning, almost 2 hrs earlier than before
2. Dramatic increase in ability to focus and remember (effectively study)
3. Happy mood and few to no self-deprecating thoughts
4. Increased energy
5. Enjoyment of flavors
6. General clarity of thought
7. Return of interest/enthusiasm, competitive spirit
8. Interest in sex
9. Decrease in headaches

I am absolutely thrilled to have identified the NuvaRing as the source of these issues and having eliminated it from my routine. I feel like I have my life back.

It's great to read all these side affects to put things in perspective. I've been on the ring for about two years now and am finally getting off it and exploring my options, which is how I got directed here. Things that now appear to be symptoms and not me getting old (at 26) and falling apart: moodiness, in that I shut off completely to my partner and feel very blank in general; depression; major digestion problems that run the gamut; cramping in my side, migraines; nausea; sensitive breasts; chest pains...Man the list goes on and so many of these have been listed here. Good to know, and I wish I had read this site two years ago instead of feeling like a hypochondriac or an over-sensitive nutcase. Thanks to everyone who's posted, but also: what do you use now, those of you who've stopped? This is the only birth control I've ever been on, besides condoms etc.

I have been on Nuvaring for almost two months. At first I liked it and now I have noticed I am depressed and cry all the time and I am never depressed! I have read other posts that sex is painful with NuvaRing. I am getting married May 30th and have never had sex so I am worried NuvaRing might make it painful. Any suggestions should I switch birth controls before the wedding? I already tried the pill and it made me sick and I couldn't remember to take it.