NuvaRing and relationship

I discontinued the Nuvaring in April after 7 months. I wish I had never starting using it. I had many physical side effects and I am still dealing with the psychological side effects. I was the angriest, meanest, saddest version of myself that I have never been before. I had an increasing bad mood always and was in a severe depression. I became violent and unfeeling when angry and then cried afterwards not understanding how I could be this way. It's quite possible that the worst side effect is the one that won't go away - the effect on my relationship. I hope that my post helps someone avoid the pain and heartache "the ring" brought me. Beware the NUVARING!!!

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

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

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

I feel so much better after reading all of these posts. i have been on the Nuvaring for 2 months now and i have been feeling constantly anxious. i feel depressed and numb. i went from being madly in love with my boyfriend of 2 years to questioning our relationship all of the time just in the past 2 months. i have been so miserable. does anyone recommend any other BC's that work without having these horrible side effects?

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

I have been on NuvaRing for many years and have been in an on-again off-again relationship for 6 years. I have been experiencing head aches, heavy depression, NO sex drive, no motivation to do anything. Like many others, I have stressful things happening in my life that I was blaming for the depression, etc. I cry---easily. I have panic attacks. I overreact to small things. Recently is has been worse than ever. I decided to skip my period by using NR back-to-back, I think that has put me over the top. Um going to remove my ring and keep it out to evaluate for improvement. I am nervous though since reading others posts regarding bad cramps post NR.

i have been on NR for 3 weeks now. i am no longer taking anti depressants, ive lost 20lbs. i feel great about my self and don't have to worry about taking a pill everyday. i have had dark brown mucus discharge with little blood in it for going onto 3 days now but is said to be expected. i have taken almost every oral b/c under the sun and have been close to self mutilation many times, sex angered me, didn't even want to be around my child or family, cried at everything then screamed at everyone for making me cry when it wasn't them at all. the nuvaring has saved my family, my relationship, and my life. i am very pleased.

I was on the nuvaring for about 3 or 4 months. My best friend decided to try it too since I started it. On top of that we both made drastic changes in our love life, hers an engagement, mine a new beau :). I started the ring about two weeks of dating him, and then realized I could not stand him, for him to touch me made my skin crawl, but I knew that I really like him and wanted the relationship to work (yeah, crazy I know). I would yell and scream, I did not want to be intimate in any shape or form. It was very hard for this new relationship to grow, and I was thinking it was him. My girlfriend was going nuts with her fiance, everything he did or did not do set her off. We thought it was the "bridezilla" in her coming out. We went on a few months thinking the changes was due to our new stuatus. I asked a friend from school if she ever tried nuva ring, and she said "yes that thing made me crazy, my boyfriend almost left me twice." Well two days later I took out my ring to see if it would make a difference, and within 24 hours things were better (sun was shining, birds were singing), I told my girlfriend about it and she tried taking hers out to see if it changed within 2 days she was a brand new girl on her way to a being a blissful bride to be.

All of this to say, if you are not sure if it is the ring try abstaining for a month, take the ring out, and see if you see a difference, for those of you that can't abstain, make sure to take other precautions like condoms or plan b.

P.S. my friend and I kid around about how there is going to be an episode of SNAPPED, based off a woman on the ring.

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 am so happy I came across this site! I have been experiencing all these symptoms as well. I am 22 years old and I have been on the ring about a year. I have noticed that I gained weight in the past year, but just attributed it to getting older. I have always been a petite woman, and so are all the women in my family, so the 8 pound weight gain in the first couple months was a huge shock. I have tried working out, and eating right, but the weight always comes back and my cravings are unlike anything I have ever experienced. I have also noticed extreme irritability and I seem to cry a lot more than I used to, over simple, stupid things. I am in the best relationship I have ever, I have a great job and school is going great, but I seem to get extremely sad and irritated sometimes, especially the week before I take it out and the week after I put it in. I have never been like this crazy, emotional person I seem to be now. I also seem to have no energy and being active is at times a lot harder than it should be, especially for me, as an active, on the go type of person. I also have noticed my leg is always numb, my doctor recommended a massage therapist, which helped, but it always comes back. After reading symptoms of leg pains, due to blood clots, I am even more skeptical.
I have read up on side effects on other websites, but like other readers, it says some women experience these signs. Maybe a lot of women are like me, and have never posted anything. I have not put the ring back in after my last period and I am not going to. I dread it every time I put it in, but until now I thought it was just in my head. I am not getting back on the ring, lets see if I can get rid of these horrible, hormonal symptoms.

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!

I started taking the Nuvaring 2 months ago; I took the ring out and was suppose to start my period and it didn't come for almost 2 month. For the last three weeks sex has not interested me at all and I began to think if it was because I wasn't feeling my boyfriend for three years anymore. Everything is great in our relationship, but I just haven't been turned on. After reading everyone's testimonies on this site, I know it's because of the ring; looks like it's back to condom; not to mention I have been very tiered and sick,the Nuvaring sucks!

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 wasn't to sure if the symptoms I was experiencing was from the ring or if I am pregnant and before I go out and spend 20 dollars on a test I wanted to check out the web..Thank god for the internet Thanks ladies for your info. I have been on the ring for 2 months now, and I have to say the first week I experienced major DISCHARGE!!! and still to this day I experience it I shower twice a day just because I feel so dirty down there. But just recently I have started experiencing breast tenderness and I have to say Ouch! and they also look and feel bigger which I don't mind that part just the tenderness needs to go way, I have not experienced weight gain, but I am experiencing cravings for food I wouldn't normally want to eat. I have been extremely moody and I have no explanation for it since I am in a new relationship I am trying really hard not to show my extreme moody side but it isn't working and I feel sometimes I just want to scream at him. After reading all this informative blogs I feel that my next step would be to go to doctors and talk about my other options.

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

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

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

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 last posted here that I started the ring March 6, 2008 that everything was going so far so good with the NuvaRing and its now April 5, 2009 and I'm getting off of the ring in one week and never putting in another one. In the past 6 months I have had no sex drive, few orgasms, a sharp pain underneath my left breast that comes and goes, and a 10 lb weight gain. I'm a 24 year old professional figure skater and should not be going through those side effects. I'm in excellent health and active daily. I have not had any headaches, no nausea, no depression, no fatigue, no acne problems, or spotting. I did not get on the NuvaRing to help my acne nor my periods, I got on the ring because I got into a relationship where I was having sex. I'm still in the relationship and its ruined our sex life. Not to mention I was paying $25 dollars for every ring and now its gone up to $54. I thought it was a smart idea to get on the ring because of the convenience but now I can do without it. Everyone should try the ring once to see how you react to it because EVERYONE is different. I'm just not interested in the aggravation anymore.

My experience with NuvaRing

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

Hello ladies! I've been on the NuvaRing for about 2 years and have had experiences like everyone else it seems. Weight gain, mood swings, lack of sex drive, depression, nausea...and its all starting to take an impact on my relationship and it just isn't worth it anymore. So I just took it out last week. I was just wondering if anyone else has taken theres out who experienced weight gain and wanted to know how much time it took before you were able to lose all the NR weight?

The first two months I was on NuvaRing, I thought it was the best thing on earth. Unlike previous attempts with various HBC, my breasts didn't hurt and I didn't seem to gain weight. It also steadied my out-of-control PMS symptoms and made my period lighter and my cramps disappear. Those are definitely on the PRO side of things. Shortly after starting NR, I met a new boyfriend and after both being tested for STDs, we decided to ditch condoms. Woo-hoo! At first, we had great sex and I had no problem having orgasms. But as time progressed, I became extremely dry down there and developed constant yeast infections. Plus frequent low-grade headaches (sometimes escalating to migraine-like headaches), night sweats, itchiness, insomnia, and exhaustion. Now I find it extremely difficult to get physically aroused (before, a 30-second sex scene in a movie could get me off) and nearly impossible to orgasm. I have very little interest in sex, either, which sucks because I am finally in love with the most amazing man. I have told him time and again that its the NuvaRing, and he says he believe me, but I can tell he thinks it's him. So, we've decided to give condoms another try. I took out the NuvaRing. I guess I'd rather have nasty PMS and a painful period than lose intimacy and sexual pleasure. Just curious: Has anyone used the copper IUD (non-hormonal) or a diaphragm with any success? Thanks and good luck.

Since finding this site I have decided to take out my Nuvaring and go with a non-hormonal method. I have used NV for 2.5 years. Like many other ladies here, I experienced sticky brown discharge and vaginal itching for the first year or so. I've had frequent episodes of being swollen and tender just after sex. My sex drive has dwindled also.

I had been considering therapy and anti-depression meds recently due to an increasing number of times that I have angry & explosive mood swings over little things. My relationship has been hurt by this, and so I began my research and found this site. Yesterday I took out the ring. I will not even try other meds just yet, as I feel that going natural and learning myself all over again is going to be the best thing.

i have been on the nuvaring for almost a year and almost right away i noticed that my sex drive wasn't what it used to be. but at the time i was going through a terrible loss and just thought that was my problem but it hasn't gotten better. i'm so glad i found this website to help me clear that up with so many other women experiencing the same things with loss of libido and yeast infections and burning and swelling. i have to say that i'm done with the nuvaring, its not been any good and has even caused issues in my relationship with my fiance because i have horrible mood swings and blow up and really small things that don't deserve that kind of reaction. seeing that i'm not the only one i'm definitely going off of the nuvaring. i would never recommend it to anyone after all i've been through

After being on NR for about 2 years, 2 weeks ago I stopped using it because I lost my job/insurance and didn't have means to get another Rx at the time. I was pleased with it until I stopped using it. I had been in a 3 year relationship that ended about a year ago for many reasons but, a large one being my lack of interest in sex or even having him touch me. I didn't think anything of it other than I must not have been attracted to him anymore. I am in a new relationship with someone I adore and still... really had no desire to have sex. Seemed I had to have a few cocktails before anything would ever happen and even then I would never orgasm and it would be painful due to lack of lubrication. I began to think I just wasn't meant to enjoy or want sex (even questioned my sexuality) Low and behold its been about 2 weeks since I stopped NR and I can't keep my hands off him. I've had an orgasm every time since and we are having or at least I'm wanting sex daily if not more. It seems my mind is in the gutter all day and it feels wonderful to know that I am not destined for a life without great sex and that the whole time it was just my stupid birth control.

There have also been other things I've noticed and am relating after reading everyone elses problems. I would get frequent headaches (3-5 weekly) they have seemed to subside. I would get painful cramping but, just assumed it was due to PMS. I have a small patch of hair missing on the side of my head... I had no idea why that was missing and now I am hoping that it will grow back. I too was also "down in the dumps" wouldn't say depressed but the last year or so I have frequent mood swings... those have also seemed to subside. All of these things were tolerable except my non-existent sex drive THAT IS NOT OK!!

I will not be refilling my Rx for NR and will try something else hopefully with a greater success story. It is worth a try if you haven't had it but, BEWARE and BE CONSCIENCE of your body. If I would have put 2 and 2 together I would have been off it long ago.

Thanks for this site and thanks for reading.

Thank you!! You have no idea how relieved i am to read these posts....i am usually such a laid back, carefree person but i have been on NR for 2 months now and especially in the last month i have felt, well, nutty! I have been trying to explain to my boyfriend about hormones and PMS but being a boy i think he just thinks i am complaining about nothing. I have nausea for the first cycle and that seems to have gone so i was thinking i was getting better. That was until this last week when i just couldn't stop crying and being completely irrational.

I had talked about it with my BF and decided to give it one more month...that was until today when i read this, i know this is not going to get any better and i am just putting my relationship with my BF (who ordinarily i love very much) at risk.

I am going to print out your posts and let my BF read them, hopefully then he will understand that it is not me and the ring really is what's making me horrible. THANKS GUYS!!

So I have only been on the NuvaRing for about 3 weeks and just took it out. I feel SO down but I didn't feel down till about a week ago. Would the depression hit that fast? I keep getting in fights with my boyfriend and I'm feeling like we aren't going to last even though before this we've never had any real issues and I was positive he was the one I would marry. Now I feel like I'm doubting us but I have no reason at all to doubt us, nothing has happened except I started using the NR. I keep denying that it's the ring but the more I look back on it I feel like it could be since only a few days after I started using it I felt very irritable. I guess it's time to switch again? I don't like feeling like this and I don't want birth control of all things to be the reason our relationship fails. I feel so down and depressed but it isn't constantly, it just comes on randomly and stays till I go to sleep pretty much. Has this happened to anyone? Do you think that the effects would happen that soon after starting the NR? Any help would be great! Thanks!

Shame on me... I had read similar reviews when I was prescribed NuvaRing a year ago, and thought "Side effects vary among women", but the general consensus seems to be that WE are the majority, not the "occasional" exception.

I have been experiencing many of the same disastrous effects of the Ring for the past 12 months I have been on it. Depression, ZERO SEX DRIVE, headaches, intense mood swings that lead to physical aggression, frequent (nearly daily) uncontrollable crying, anxiety, more vaginal discharge, pain after sex (on the rare occasion that it DOES happen) and overall a poor outlook on life. It's ruining my relationship with a wonderful man, who (bless his heart) is nearly at the end of his rope dealing with me and all the tribulations listed above.

To those of you who thought you were crazy, BEFORE you blame yourself, consider that the Ring may be a contributing factor.

I met my fiance a little over two years ago. Initially our sex life was hot and heavy as is the case with most new relationships so we decided to look into some sort of birth control. Like most of you, I was attracted to the idea of not having to worry about taking a pill and the potential consequences of forgetting to take one. We started using the NuvaRing and I went from having an absolutely healthy and fulfilling sex life to now avoiding my fiance like the plague... The decreased libido side effect associated with using the NuvaRing is seriously life altering. It has been approximately 1 year now since I discontinued using it and I still have not regained my sex drive. Its definitely ruining my relationship and I don't see a wedding anywhere in the near future. I cannot urge enough women to avoid it at all costs... Find something else to use if you cherish your libido as much as I did. Best of luck ladies!

I've been on nuvaring for four months now. I've been raving about it to my friends and only recently started to realize that maybe it isn't as great as I'd thought. Here's the thing... I have gained weight, lost my sex drive (which at 20 years old is terrifying), felt my self-esteem fall through the floor, and feel stress/sadness weigh on me even on days that I am truly enjoying myself. (Oh and excuse the ick-factor but I've now also have discharge everyday which is seriously annoying and frustrating!) I've been attributing all of this to my lifestyle of being stressed out in college, not knowing who I am, worrying about my relationship... I've felt so much self-loathing and disappointment in myself, feeling like I am failing myself and my boyfriend. The thing is that I'm not one to blame things like this on medications, and I don't think that there's any way of truly knowing if the changes I've felt have been due to the ring or just my life as a whole. I've tried every other birth control and hated it so now I'm conflicted if I should stop taking it or not. I'm way too paranoid to just trust condoms... so I don't know. Take it for what you will - in many ways it has been a great form of birth control (no babies, right?) but if these changes I've felt ARE due to the ring, then I would NOT recommend it.

I havent tried Nuvaring yet.... I just got back from the doctor with some free samples. I'm on the Ortho Evra patch currently and I have side effects that made me concerned enough to try something different. I was on the Depo shot for 4 years. I decided to get off of it after I had cycts removed from my ovaries and had pre cancerous cells removed. Which the doctors said would lower my chances of having children. I decided to take a whole year off of birth control. To give my body a chance to "recover". The only problem I had was my periods kept getting longer and longer and more frequent. Next thing I know the doctors tell me I have Polycystic Ovarian Disease. Which also lowers the chance of having children because of the irregular bleeding. The pill makes me so nautious I couldn't stand it so I thought I'd try the patch. Now I have menstrual cramps when I'm not ovulating, I'm so moody its not even funny, I'm eating all the time and tired 24/7. The only thing it did do was regulate my period. Which is what I wanted... But I've only been on it for two months. My doctor told me you cant even feel the Nuvaring and it has a low dose of estrogen so I wont be moody. But reading all of the comments and stories.... I think I'm just going to not be on any birth control and see if my body naturally regulates itself. If I was using the birth control just to avoid pregnancy it would be different, I would want to be on at least something. But I'm glad to know I'm not the only one that thinks birth control is evil and causes alot more problems than doctors tell you. So I think I'm just gonna toss my free samples of Nuvaring, get off the patch and see what my body does naturally.

i'm so glad i found this site. i've been using the nuvaring for around five years. i can't remember exactly. i thought it was great at first. i get really sick on other bc. but i started getting leg cramps recently and i also had a gallbladder attack and they found three small gallstones. i'm a very healthy person so i was concerned but i didn't relate these things to nuvaring. my boyfriend moved out of my apt. we had been together for 7 years and living together for almost 3. i'm starting to go back and realize the depressed feeling i've had for years now. i didn't realize it could be NR. i lost my motivation, i was performing terribly at my new job that i started 3 years ago (couldn't focus the way i should and i always do well at work) luckily, i still have my job but it's been a struggle emotionally. i wasn't' really interested in anything and couldn't get back into my own personal artwork. i thought i was depressed in my relationship and work but now i'm thinking again this might be the nuvaring. could all of the 'bad luck' i've had in these last couple of years be that? it's hard to blame it on that but reading everyone else's reviews is starting to really scare me. i knew something felt off but i didn't know what it was. as the years have gone on i have lost my excitement for things. arghhhhh! this is so frustrating. i only started looking up nuvaring side effects because i heard something about blood clots and i started getting bad leg cramps. i played competitive tennis when i was young through college and other players would get leg cramps but i never did. now i'm getting them and i work out a lot.

If you like yourself, DO NOT choose this form of birth control!!!!!! I experienced several side effects almost immediately within my first cycle of this "should be outlawed" drug including a cyst on my ovary that burst (PAINFUL!!!!!), very hormonal PMS and periods (like going through puberty again), heavy bleeding and clotting, swelling like I experienced after delivering my children - yes, even sitting was uncomfortable, painful intercourse, muscle aches, and cramping like afterbirth. Most of these symptoms subsided after I did the math and freed myself of this health hazard. All I have described sound hormone related and logical but wait, there is more . . . while on the NuvaRing, I also developed a tumor in my leg that attached to my bone and required surgery. I was blessed that it was benign but at first was told it was malignant by bone tumor specialists from three leading Manhattan Hospitals! My children were 3 and 1 at the time so you can imagine how I felt! Also, a condition that has not gone away after 1 year and 4 months of no more NuvaRing is chronic sinus problems. These sinus problems first developed when I made the mistake of using this venomous drug. I myself thought there could be no correlation until I went on line and read that other women suffered with sinus issues after using the NuvaRing. I have developed sinusitis that I've had no luck in treating holistically and these severe infections have been resilient to most antibiotics. I've finally faced this sinus issue and have scheduled a CT scan and ENT appointment for next week so I hope I can get to the root of the problem as I am sick of feeling sick! By the way, I'm extremely fit, a very healthy eater, and was in GREAT health before use of the NuvaRing! I'm writing this because I would not wish my experience on anyone and wish I had read comments like this PRIOR to making this poor decision. I so dislike this drug that I have to turn-off the TV when the commercial comes on. Again if you like yourself, DO NOT use the NuvaRing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you want to punish yourself, feel hallow inside, get fat, hate sex, get horrible headaches, have an itchy vagina, and feel like throwing up all time, then I would recommend nuvaring to you.

I took nuvaring for 10 months. During this time I got headaches all the time, increasing in severity and frequency the longer I was on nuvaring; esp. during the week I took it out to have a period. I had very angry mood swings and felt apathetic towards everything. I have been depressed before, so I figured it was just me and it would pass soon, it did not.
I also ate out of boredom. I wasn't hungry per se, I just felt like eating all the time, so I did and I gained about 15 lbs. I was on the same regular exercise routine, and I still gained the weight.
I felt nauseated at the beginning and end of every cycle. I had zero sex drive, it hurt to even have sex most of the time. My husband could feel it inside of me the months it would not stay in place. Some months I could hardly feel the ring,and other months I would have to reinsert it almost every day. I ended up taking the ring out during sex and putting it back in afterwards. This helped some, but I still had no interest. I had abdominal cramps ALL day EVERY day reguardless.
I had vaginal itching and irritation as time progressed, and mild vaginal dryness which caused us to use a lubricant during sex.
It does not get better, it gets worse over time.
I have been off nuva ring for 3 weeks and I feel so much better! I'm happy and interested in things again. I don't have as many headaches and I don't have intense abdominal/low back pain any more. Sex drive is back, and it feels normal now. I don't feel nauseated or as angry. I don't feel the need to mindlessly eat. My nipples have been very sore for a week now, though and I have not yet gotten my period. I have all the signs of it: normal moodiness, mild cramping, really really light (like pastel) pink spotting, so I am just waiting for it come. Hopefully I will be regular, but as I have been reading on here, that's not always the case.
The ONLY benefit from nuvaring was a shorter and shorter period.
I will never use nuvaring again.

The gynecologist examined me and refused to insert a copper IUD because he said my uterus was too small. After I got dressed, he handed me a FREE SAMPLE of NuvaRing. I said : "But I don't want to use hormonal bc." He said : "This has less hormones and doesn't go through the liver." Well I guessed that was a GOOD thing, which he wanted me to believe of course. The mood swings, serious anxiety, irritability (I would go as far as to say, anger and impulse control problems) and burning vaginal pain during sex seriously affected my relationship with my boyfriend. We may even be broken up now and I blame it partly on NuvaRing and other hormonal bc I took after my 2 months on NuvaRing. I am so sad that I had to go through all that! I wonder how many gifts the doctors get for giving us the prescriptions of bc. Anyone interested in non hormonal bc? There is the cervical cap in many varieties and sizes. It doesn't affect sexual spontaneity because you can insert it several hours before sex and you can have intercourse several times with it on. You can even keep it in for up to 3 days.

I was on Nuvaring for 2 months and it changed my mood drastically. I recommend that women not go on this medication. Within 4 days of inserting my first ring, I experienced severe mood swings including hostility and anger and sadness. The emotional pain was unbearable. All my insecurities and anxieties were amplified and I found I became aggressive with mainly my boyfriend. I experienced severe anxiety. Then the sex: PAINFUL, BURNING during and after sex. Vaginal dryness, or more like the little lube I did have was very thick and unslipery. At first I thought I was making it up because I was nervous about being on hormonal birth control (I had wanted to avoid it but the gynecologist said my uterus was too small for an IUD). But several times we tried to have sex and the pain kept coming back. It felt like being stabbed. And then I had constant burning while peeing. I was finally put on some kind of special yeast medication. The NuvaRing severely impaired my life and relationship. I urge you to be CAREFUL and INSIST if your doctor tells you "it's not your birth control". I went of the pill after the Nuvaring and ended up being diagnosed with MAJOR DEPRESSION. I went off the pill 4 days ago and will NEVER ever use hormonal contraception again.

i am stupidly happy today, i have discovered why i was feeling so lousy from the last 2 month till today, i really couldn't imagine that i was having side effects such as NO SEX DRIVE , and INSOMNIAS,NAUSEAS,DIZZINESS and starting to blam it on my relationship! Gsus i got all of this shitty feelings because of this NUVARING thing. Thank You all Women and girls for sharing your things too.
Maria Santos Portugal

Hi Everyone. I am so glad I finally decided to look into symptoms I've been having with Nuvaring. I started one month before my wedding and have been on it for 6 months now. I have had NO Sex drive...which as a newlywed you can imagine is a strain on our relationship. The times I have tried it has hurt really bad and like others have said I have had to use lube for the first time in my life. I will be making an appointment very soon to change to a different form of bc. I need my sex life back and my husband does too!

I have been on the NuvaRing or 7 years. The first year after I started using it I told my doctor I had no desire to have sex. She put it off on changes in my life and said I should plan a romantic evening. Year after year I continued telling her how may sex drive was low to none and it was causing very serious problems in my relationship she gave me brochures and said I may need counseling
I stopped using the ring last month and notice my sex drive coming back after 3 weeks. I didn't think anything about it until I mentioned it to my BFF and she suggested we search the web for the side effects of the ring and we came across this site.

After reading I wasn't the only one with the problem and the problems was probably caused by the ring. I became very upset with my doctor because if I am reading all of these posting about little to no sex drive after using the ring I am sure my doctor has heard the complaint also. I am due to speak with her next week about this.
Other than no desire to have sex the ring was Great I love it. It was very convenient. When I did force myself to have sex there were no problems with it.
Who knows maybe the loss of sexual desire is the birth control...

Gosh, you guys have got me a little nervous about trying this for the first time next week. I'm still going to try it, but I have been noticing some things while reading your accounts.

Many of you seem to mention placing the nuvarung during the first day of your period. My gyno told me to take it OUT to start having the first days of your period. It's just like the pill where the week of green "Sugar pills" means your body is taken off the medicine and allowed to have it's period.

I also noticed that most of the girls who posted on here are having negative side effects within the few months of trying it. I'm not finding a lot of people who stuck it out for longer than that. Though it sounds like all those symptoms and side effects ARE a living hell, perhaps after your body gets used to it, it's not so bad..

At least, that's what I'm hoping. I just ordered 9 months of the stuff.. =/

I'm so glad that I have read all of these. The last 3 days have been horrible. This is my second month using the NuvaRing. I put the 2nd ring in on Monday night and I starting throwing up Tuesday night and haven’t stopped. I can’t hold anything down (not even water). I drove to work on Wednesday morning, while throwing up and literally falling asleep at the wheel. I couldn’t see anything, my vision was awful. I had lost feeling in my arm earlier that day. I took an early lunch yesterday and fell asleep in my car. I fell asleep at my desk and couldn’t see my computer screen. I thought I was dying. A few girls looked up this website and told me to immediately take the ring out after lunch. I had become so dehydrated and weak I left work early and went to the doctor. The Doctor immediately referred me to ER. I have a horrible infection that has gone through my body. I am on strong antibiotics to get better.
Now that I read all of these stories; I realized that I have been extremely tired for the past month and would fall asleep anywhere all the time. Like mentioned from the other girl below it was like I was in a coma. I have lost all my energy. Others have noticed a change in my attitude. I’m usually really hyper and now I’m very quiet. This ring could have wrecked my new relationship. (He noticed my attitude change and that I couldn’t even stay awake to watch a movie) I had a rash on my forearm a few weeks ago that freaked me out. I started getting acne on my face and dark spots on my cheek. And now that I think about it I have thrown up many times in the past month for no apparent reason.
Now that I have read all of these and have went through this horrible experience; I have a much better understanding and will never use the ring again. I feel bad for the girls that are going through this horrible experience now and in the future.

I started using the NR about a month ago. About 4 days before I was supposed to take it out I started to get extremely depressed, which is not like me at all. I began to feel very insecure and started accusing my boyfriend of 3 years that he was cheating on me and now he doesn't even want to be around me I am so miserable. I feel very irritable at work and spend my days with my door closed not talking to anyone. Since I took the ring out I have experienced very bad cramping in the mornings to the point where it is almost debilitating. After reading these posts I will not be putting the ring back in once my period starts, which hopefully will be soon since I took it out 4 days ago! I hope that I can salvage my relationship!

I was just at the gyno yesterday for an annual check up. I haven't been on BC for years, but thought it was time to look into it again due to my utter hatred for condoms yet my strong desire to avoid pregnancy (I have a 10 year old girl, and twin 4 yr old boys). My doctor put the Nuvaring in around 3 pm. By 4:30 I had the biggest migraine, and the worst mood swings I've ever experienced. I hated everyone in my path. It was like being pregnant and being on that "emotional rollercoaster" all over again. I can't even begin to describe the constant rage I felt. The phrase "seeing red" does not even come close to describing it! Even my worst PMS doesn't hold a candle to the emotional hell I went through in the last half a day. I thought I should stick it out, and that my body just needed to adjust to it. However, after waking up this morning and freaking out on my children and telling my BF I hated him (for no reason) I took it out. It took about 3 hours to start feeling normal again. I couldn't stand myself for the 18 hours I used the NR. I have no idea how anyone has continued to use it for weeks, months, or especially years!!

My girlfriend and I just broke up after four months of the greatest relationship a couple could experience. We never had one fight, never argued, had all the same interest, and were perfect together. She got on the pill not long after we started dating from not being on anything and everything was fine. Just over a month ago her OBGYN switched her to the NuvaRing and a week into her second month still never having any problems at all about anything, she walks into my house and in five minutes chews me out about every little thing she can find wrong with me and breaks up with me. She started acting funny about three days earlier, not speaking to me, being very aloof, stand offish. The only thing that changed in our relationship is the NuvaRing. It's the Devil!!!

I used Nuvaring for a week and a half and just removed it yesterday because I hated the side effects. First of all it caused vaginal dryness and lack of sex drive. Also, I was extremely moody and emotional. The final straw that caused me to remove it was when I was hanging out with my boyfriend (we've been dating for 3 months) and he told me that he didn't think I liked him or was compatible with him because I was getting so annoyed with him and moody all the time! The nuvaring is definitely not worth my relationship. It made me feel horrible that he thought I didn't like him or was annoyed by him when it didn't have anything to do with him at all!!

I have experienced most of the side affects that have been posted on here. The burning during and after sex, the depression, the decrease in libido.I am the happiest person right now knowing that there are other people like me out there! I hate having sex at this point, I know that I will feel the vaginal burning during and after. It has taken it's toll on my relationship with my boyfriend, he believes that I am no longer attracted to him which is far from the truth. I cry for anything and everything which is not like me. I have been researching my symptoms thinking about discontinuing the NuvaRing, and now I believe I have made my choice. I'm going A DIFFERENT ROUTE. I am glad that I am not alone and appreciate all the comments that have been posted. I am looking for any responses with advise, possible birth control methods, and just the support. PLEASE HELP!

Wow! I cant believe other women have had these same symptoms, I started the NuvaRing about three months ago after I lost a baby very early in gestation, I swore I would never have to go through that again, so my doctor put me on the NR and I couldn't tell If I was still hormonal from the pregnancy or if it was the ring, But Im a wreck! Im so mean and hateful to my husband pretty much mean to everyone, I feel like this big mean lady walking around, and thats not me not at all I have crazy dreams, horrible anxiety, panic attacks and PMS from HELL. I have never been on birth control before so I have nothing to compare it to. But after reading this.Im really considering taking it out so I can be myself again.

I am on my 3rd NuvaRing, and my last NuvaRing. This thing has cause me more pain and problems than anything I have ever used! The first time around the only problem I had was an increase in UTI's and extreme discomfort in my vagina and urethra, especially during and days after sex. I was told these side effects would go away within the next trial of the NuvaRing. Boy, were they wrong. After Taking out my second NuvaRing my period lasted from JULY 5TH to JULY 18TH! I also had to face the heaviest period of my life. I would go through a super plus absorbency tampon and panty liner in less than an hour. How embarrassing, inconvenient, and uncomfortable! I have had two ultrasounds, and 3 pelvic exams since starting the NuvaRing just 3 months ago. I have also had to face headaches, stomach pains, MOOD SWINGS, IRRITABILITY, and depression. This thing has put a damper on my sex drive and my relationship with everyone around me including my boyfriend of 3 1/2 years. I would not recommend the NuvaRing to anyone!!!!!!!!

i have been on the nuvaring about 2yrs give or take. Just about 2mths ago i discovered having head aches. They have not gone away ever since. I have have blood work done, and mri. the mri showed i my jaw pops out of place when i open my mouth to wide. The doctor says that it looked lik TMJ but there to independent things. So he suggested to stop using my birth control. I called my gyno, she said that people have had cases of getting migraines but its unusual to be on it for so long and suddenly develop migraines. I have been on lots of medication nothing seems to work. She told me to stop taking it after my next menstrual cycle, im praying that this will cure my migraines.