NuvaRing and stress

I started NuvaRing 10/25, I wanted a birth control that could regulate my periods and was something I wouldn't forget to take. The first two days were fine, even though I didn't have much of an appetite.Then by the third day I woke up with horrible pains in my bladder/anal area.Keep in mind through out all of this I was getting chest pains (which just may have been from stress) and was not sleeping well at all. So last night I couldn't fall asleep until 2am, woke up every hour with nausea and chest pains and my left arm ache. I took the ring out around 5am and by 8am I puked. If my symptoms don't in prove I will call my Gyno. NuvaRing: great idea, rough side effects, and not for me.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I just had a baby about 8 weeks ago and started nuvaring and have only been on it for 2 days and i am already feeling nausea, headaches and severe cramps. i took it out and felt a relief of pressure immediately. i don't know if it is just because i just had a baby but it was not fun and i don't think i will use it again, it is not worth the effects you get from it.

Well, I am so glad I found this website. I am 39 yrs old and my husband is fixed....so I have no reason or desire to take any form of hormonal birth control. I never liked the idea of inserting a ring or taking hormones after the many female issues I have endure. I only agreed to this because I have painful ovarian cysts chronically, at least 6/year and 3 or 4/year that take me into my OB/GYN for a scan. I have previously had a tubal pregnancy (tube was saved because my OB/GYNs also specialize in fertility) and have had endometriosis. I have had 3 laperoscopic surgeries and 3 miscarriages. First for the tubal, second for follow-up endometriosis and third to remove a GOLF ball sized ovarian cyst to prevent ovarian torsion. Finally, I agreed for the 4th time to take birth control (previous attempts were thwarted by side affect from oral products. I used the nuvaring for 3 weeks and removed it today. Five days into the use I started cramping and bleeding AGAIN (10th day of my cycle). I have been bleeding, heavily for 11 days now, suffered dizziness intermittantly, have had a headache for the last 6 days and been more anxious, moody and tearful. I removed the ring today! I see my gyno on Tuesday. My cycle was predictable before, albeit painful and with ovarian cyst. Just want to say to all who took the time to share. Now I know it isn't in my head.

Thanks ya'll,
~ Texas Pharmacist

I always thought my "hives" aka really itchy skin was from stress. I've now linked it to 2 different birth control pills and the NuvaRing. The first week, I was fine, but steadily my skin got worse and worse. There was NO visible rash, my skin just itched, and I could not sleep for a week. I gave up and removed the NuvaRing, a week later, I'm back to normal. This reaction to birth control did not start for me until my 20s. Beware.

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 don't know how many of my problems are associated with NR, but after reading your posts, I am seriously wondering. Here's what I've got:

--tired all the time - no problem found with my thyroid, I've had it checked multiple times

--weight gain. I don't know how much of this is because I got married when I started NR and of course eat more complete meals rather than on-the-go kind of meals, or how much because I am so tired it is hard to make it to the gym. I will say, though, that for a couple of months I was really good (exercising for about an hour each day, four to six times a week, plus eating much better) and still gained weight. Disappointing. I don't try as hard now - what's the point if exercise and diet don't help?

--no sex drive or much enjoyment while having sex

--pain when having sex - not sure if that's cuz we only have it about once a week (I have to force myself for the sake of my husband). Now I take a bath after sex to alleviate some of the pain. Still annoying, though.

--nasal issues - I know someone mentioned having to take sudafed, I take it every day and also nasonex and mucinex... no apparent nasal problems to the doctors to explain this... I think it's overkill on the meds, but I take them because otherwise I am miserable with nasal problems

--headaches - I have never had headaches bad enough to take even tylenol or asprin before using NR, now I take ibuprofen about 5-6 times a week. I don't know if it is related to the stress of being married or not. I have graduated, so it is not related to stress at school, and stress has never given me bad headaches before. Basically unexplicable for me.

--problems with contacts

--pain in area right below breasts. Very tender. If I touch, it feels as though it will leave a bruise. It doesn't, but it hurts for about a minute before it goes away, just from pressing lightly.

--can't keep the nuvaring in. Not really a side effect, but very frustrating. I also have to keep pushing it in each time I use the restroom. I can't seem to get it in far enough, I guess.

--periods seem to be getting later and later. At first they came like clock-work, the day I took the nuvaring out. But after a year, the period seems to come about the day I put it back in, which leaves me freaked out that I'm pregnant. And they aren't even lighter. They still last about five to six days and are just as heavy, just late.

--muscle stiffness. It is a little hard to walk sometimes.Not sure this is related, but quite a few of you have listed it. Not many cramps though, which is nice.

I have been on NR since a couple months before I got married (about 17 months ago), and hadn't had sex before NR, so I don't know how much NR has affected some of these things since I don't know any different, but as I said before, these are some of the symptoms I have had while on NR, things with no apparent other cause. I am seriously considering another BC option, since I don't really like having no energy and no desire for sex (biggest problems for me).

I have been using the NuvaRing for over 2 years now. I decided to use the NR after many hours of research, because my husband I aren't ready to get pregnant (married 2 years now). I don't use the pill any more because I could never make sure to remember to take it at exactly the same time every day. I also had weight gain with the pill and missed my period frequently which made me worry I had become pregnant. After starting the NR I immediately loved it. I only have to think about it twice a month. Much better than every day. I haven't had any weight gain, or other side-effects for that matter. I feel really lucky to have found a birth control that works well for me. I just hope it stays that way. I have had less sex drive, but I think it has to do with stress. I moved to Germany two years ago without knowing the language, and now go to school here. I still have sex drive, just not as much as I used to. I used to want it everyday, now just two or three times a week. I also wouldn't be surprised if I took my NR out and regained my sex drive though. I am sure that messing with your hormones can give you all of the problems described in this forum. Unfortunately it is also unpredictable who will or will not have side-effects and which ones they will have. I think we all must consider the options, advantages, and disadvantages for our selves. Then pick something and try it. If it doesn't work out we try something else. Thats the only way it makes sense and can work. Good luck to everyone with the NR and other BC methods.

I started using the NuvaRing in 2003. I am still on it and now really having second thoughts. When I started usign the nuvaring I was already taking the anti-depressant Lexapro (not sure if it's spelled correctly). Since I started taking both of the medications around the same time, I could not decipher which symptom went with what medication. I was experiencing numbness in my face, hands and legs. I was also very fatigued, had a candida related rash for 6 months, and gained weight.

Yet, through these symptoms my period was easy, painless, and short. So I quickly assumed it was all related to my anti-depressant. My doctor prescribed me Prozac and most of the symptoms I had been experiencing went away. But for the next four years I had numbness in my face and hands the week after my period, the first week I had a new ring in. During that week my doctor prescribed me to double the amount of prozac and it cured most of the numbness and nausea. Yet taking more prozac seemed to really affect my short term memory.

Last November 2008, I decided to ween myself off of the anti-depressant. By January I was totally off of Prozac. It is now February 16th 2009 and it is the week after period and just got a new ring. Today I am experiencing major numbness in my face, hands, and legs. I am having terrible headaches, vision problems and have no energy. After reading all the posts tonight I realized that all these years I have been on the Nuvaring I have mistaken its side-effects for other medications side-effects. I am really trying to cleanse my body of medication b/c my stress level and lifestyle has changed.

I want to go to the doctor and discuss other alternatives since I feel terrible and have been on this for so long. If I hadn't had gone off the other medications I never would have associated my symptoms with the NuvaRing. But now it all makes sense.

I have been on the nuvaring since May of 08 to relieve my endometriosis. At first I loved it; less cramping, lighter periods, but then around November I started feeling stressed. Lots of anxiety during the first few days of every cycle to the point it was like I was paranoid. I'm not one to worry about what to do if my husband dies but with the Ring I was getting these feelings. I thought it was stress of work messing with me, maybe some winter blues. When I finally got around to seeing my Dr. he said it could be the ring and I needed to get off of it. He's putting me on the pill and I look forward to seeing if things change.

Wow, finding this site was like finding light at the end of the dark tunnel. I was on Nuvaring for 3 months and during those first 3 months don't really recall experiencing any serious side effects besides any normal anxiety or stress from everyday life. But for the most part I was always able to get through anything somewhat difficult and stressful with a clear head. Well I had lost my medical insurance and so I stopped using it for about a month or so. I consulted my gynecologist and asked her to switch me to something else more affordable due to lack of insurance. She was going to prescribe me something like the pill for a 4$ RX from Walmart, but in the meantime gave me 3 samples/3 months worth of Nuvaring. On the first day of my period which was January 14th I put it in. These past two weeks I have been experiencing some serious depression and anxiety. Like most of the other testimonials, I have had serious mood swings, crying for no reason, negative for everything, the littlest task caused me anxiety, everything worried me, and just in general hating life. I couldn't think straight to save my life. I thought I was literally going insane. I was desperate for help, almost to the point of seeking therapy. I was ready for anything I had to go down the toilet. I was probably about to lose my job, my apartment, my car, maybe even the love of my life. FOR NO REASON. I started researching Nuvaring and remembered seeing the ad for the lawsuit. And after seeing this site and another site found some hope. Needless to say I took the ring out ASAP. I pray that this helps anyone feeling like I did, and that soon I will be back to normal.

To this day, I am not sure if Nuvaring is the cause of all my problems. But after reading about the side effects and finding many commonalities in my own experience, I took it out today and will not continue using it.

I've been on Nuvaring for the past year. Just before I started using it, I had an episode in the gym where my heart started racing very uncomfortably and I felt like i was going to faint after running. Two visits to the ER and numerous specialists' visits later, they concluded I have generalized anxiety disorder.

Over the past year since that incident, I've become much more anxious than I ever remember. I've gained about 20 pounds. I get headaches all the time. I'm CONSTANTLY tired, to the point where it doesn't matter how long I sleep, I still don't want to get out of bed. Most of the time, I don't want to have sex. I have spells where I feel like I'm about to faint (but never do). Of course, the doctors attribute this to my anxiety, and I'm pretty sure that's what it is since it doesn't seem to be anything else really serious.

Like I said, I don't know if the Nuvaring has had a hand in putting me through this ridiculousness, but I'm not taking any chances. I read somewhere the Nuvaring isn't good for people with anxiety problems because it just makes these problems worse.

At least if these symptoms continue for a while after I've stopped the Nuvaring, I'll know it may not have been it. However, every month I feel my best the week of my period. Coincidence???

I have been using the NR for about 2 years now. I absolutely loved it and haven't had any issues with it. No serious side effects. BUT I saw the ad on TV about the lawsuit and it made me put two and two together. And also to research it which has explained some depression and sexual side effects that I have realize I have been having. Most serious is I have been having unexplained heart issues as of the past 3 months and my doctor cannot seem to find a reason. It feels almost as though there is something blocking the blood flow to my heart about 2-3 hours out of the day at random times during diff activities to include just sitting at my desk at work.. It is very concerning and my doctor is even less concerned. I know my body and I know when something is wrong, and something is wrong with my heart/arteries/blood flow. I am 27 yrs old, I do not smoke and i am in good health. No reason for my heart to feel the way it feels and it is SCARY. I finally decided to research the NR to see IF it has anything to do with it and I was shocked to find some of my symptoms associated with the lawsuit being filed. I have put in an inquiry to see what can be done and hopefully get some answers and get my health back to normal.

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!

Hi there. I was researching possible side effects with Nuvaring and found this board.

Lately, I've been irritable, I've been sleeping so much, I have no energy to do anything.. I went on Nuvaring due to my fiancee and I needing some kind of protection against pregnancy, since we're both in college and (well, you know the drill). I thought that my decreased sex drive was stress related.. until I found this board.

I love my fiancee. We make some great love together. Lately though, I haven't wanted him to touch me.. In fact there's been fights about it. It's only been since I got on Nuvaring. At first it was great.. the increased lubrication etc. But now, I really think this is more of a hassle than anything.. It hurts when we do have sex, it's decreasing my sex drive insanely.. I hate it.

I'm gaining weight.. I used to be 112 pounds, I am now 120 lbs. I have only been on this for two months.. I'm afraid on what could happen if I stay on it any longer.

I have mood swings, headaches, and sleep 12 hours even if I go to bed early.. The headaches are severe, and I have weird stomach pains.

My suggestion to anyone who comes to this board, is to forget about Nuvaring. It's a hassle; more of a hassle than it's worth. If you read up on google more, you'll find there is a lawsuit against the makers of Nuvaring as well.

I have been on Nuvaring for almost 3 years now since I had my second child. I haven't had many issues with it and actually really enjoy not having to remember to take a pill every day. However, in the past few months out of nowhere I am now experiencing extreme dizziness, which I've never experienced before. I am not sick nor have a cold or sinus infection. I have not changed my eating habits and work out regularly. Now after reading this I am really tempted to take the ring out and look into other options. Since the birth of my second child my sex drive has been nothing - so I don't even really need it because I don't even have sex because I don't want to. I've always had mild depression but I am definitely more irritable and depressed now - of course I also have an extra kid and more stress in my life - so I'm definitely not blaming my mood on the ring. However, the dizziness is just strange! I think I'll definitely talk to my doc after reading these posts!

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.

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.

I started NuvaRing last week, it had been years since I've used a hormone birth control method, but now, as a recent single decide it was time to start again to be on the safe side. The nurse, a user herself, encouraged me to ask the doctor about it, and I was really excited about the prospect of not having to remember a pill every night. That night, after inserting the NR I experienced a migraine, and I typically get headaches, but not migraines. I think I've had 2 in my life. The very next day, I'm nauseated, and yet strangely hungry. I'm not pregnant! I have also had a tingling in my right toe, and nightmares that keep me awake all night. I thought it was the stress, but after reading about some others who experienced the same side effects I'm relieved that I'm not losing my mind, but seriously reconsidering the NR.

I started NuvaRing about a week ago and i have been snapping at everyone crying about the littlest things my breast are so tender that I can't even stand it. It makes me just want to curl up in a ball and not move at all because of the pain and I get these horrible,horrible headaches that I can't stand. I am always upset about some thing and the little things are what set me off.

I've been using NR for 3 months. My husband and I used to sneak around to have sex and now my drive is completely non-existent.I have been racked with anxieties that keep me up at night. I couldn't sleep just trying to decide on my presidential vote! (How silly is that?) I've been irritable and can't handle the smallest stress. I've been feeling so exhausted I have to take a nap after going out of the house for just 20 minutes! Previous to using NR none of these were issues for me. I was starting to believe I had hypothyroidism until I saw this site. This has been my first attempt at bc. I hope other options don't effect me like this so I get my old, happy, sexy self back.

I have been on birth control for 11 years, never having any severe problems. I had a baby 3 years ago and was taking Yaz. With being on Yaz I had a migraine about every 3 months. My Dr. suggested me trying the NuvaRing. I was on it for 2 months and my bleeding was uncontrollable. During the time of switching bc, my grandmother got really sick and I lost my job. I was concerned about the heavy bleeding and clotting and questioned my dr. and they just told me to hold on for another month or so, it was probably from the stress. I changed from the NR to Seasonique, still the bleeding was uncontrollable. I never had menses like this in my life. Going back to the dr. I had a pelvic examine and they just gave me provera to help stop the bleeding. Well it worked for a week and then here we go again! After about 4-5 months of this cycle I decided to stop taking any bc and let my body try to get back to normal. About a month later I started hemoraging and had to go to the er. They kept me for 2 days and found that I have a fibroid on my uterus. I also had to get a blood transfusion. The fibroid is pushing on my uterus causing my uterus to be double in size. WTH? Where did this come from? I am now having to take the Lupron shot to help shrink the fibroid and hopefully in 3 months I can have it removed. I can only blame this on the NR. I NEVER had problems like this before. It is truly discouraging. I advise anyone thinking about the NR to clearly STAY AWAY!!! I know have several medical bills all from trying to stay away from migraines. I can deal with those much easier than what I have been thru.

I've been on Nuvaring for 2 weeks now, put it in on the first day of my period. I was surprised, because my period was a bit different then normal, after three days it was like I wasn't even bleeding anymore, as opposed to normally having six days of bleeding/spotting. Since my period stopped though, I've been having this brownish discharge. At first I thought that my period / spotting was just extended because my body was adjusting to the ring. Then this past week, I've also started to feel really exhausted and have been having these bad headaches all week. I just blamed it all on stress from college and the city buses giving me motion sickness and the headaches; which made sense to me because I started Nuvaring my 2nd week back at college and the buses gave me headaches before. But they've been worse now, and last for hours and hours. I've been emotional, but again I just threw that under the "stress" category. I'm totally not so sure any more, I could easily see it being just stress and motion-sickness induced headaches; that'd made sense for me. But after reading this site... I'm questioning. Though thankfully, my strange discharge seems to be stopping. Anyone else have the discharge and it eventually stop after a while; before going off the ring?

I have been on the nuvaring for about 5 years and I seriously thought it was the best thing ever. I think i just started getting side effects that were bad enough to notice. I kept trying to place them with other reasons like stress. The vaginal dryness,the burning, the itching the spotting and that brown discharge. I have been steadily getting more depressed and anxious, i feel sad constantly and FREAK out on my boyfriend. I also want to sleep, i just feel wore down that could also be contributed to the depression. I did gain about 15 lbs when i first started taking it but have since then lost it. I started when i was 16 and now im 21. My boyfriend thinks i like someone else or im with someone else cause i just don't seem very turned on by him. It sucks. I am very certian switching is a great idea for me, it just sucks cause i can be very unsteady with pills. your not going crazy. ha. i need suggestions on a good pill.

Hello. My fiance was on nuvaring for nearly 2 years and gradually began experiencing many of the side effects listed here. The last 6 months were the worst in that the mood swings, anxiety and depression seemed to get out of control. She recently stopped using the ring about 6 weeks ago but it seems like the symptoms are still persistent. Does anyone have any experience with coming off of the ring and whether or not it could take longer than 2 months to get back to normal?

I had started the nuvaring 4 years ago and had loved it! I had no side effects except tender, larger breasts. I am a natural 36 D so it is a pain for me to go up to a 36 DD. I stopped taking the nuvaring a year ago since I was not in a serious relationship anymore and I wanted to give my body a break from hormones. I just started nuvaring again almost 2 weeks ago. I find myself crying for no reason. I am moodier than I usually am. I find myself crying then laughing then being frustrated. I find myself not motivated to do anything but watch tv. As I do so, I find my thoughts wandering to pulling a trigger to my head. I have no stress or worries in my life, why would I feel this way? I just don't understand why nuvaring used to be the best birth control and now it is a nightmare.

I actually LOVED the convenience of the NuvaRing. However, I felt that over time, my sex drive had deteriated, I was getting more moody and irritable, and tired all the time. After talking to my Dr., she suggested that I try a low dose pill for a while and see if that helps. Regardless to taking any form of birth control, she told me, the female body will still have hormone changes and other body changes that are not controlled by or a side affect of your form of BC. It could very well have been that my body was changing on it's own, and due to that, I needed a BC change as well. I see some of you blame the Ring for some symptoms that could just be natural to your own specific body type. Talk to your Dr. to see if a switch would be the right thing for you. There may be other factors like stress, depression, anxiety and anemia that make your symptoms worse, not your NuvaRing.

Hello,
Just thought I would add some pro nuvaring commentary to the chorus of horror stories here. I've been on the nuvaring for about two years now and so far I have no babies (yay!) and no side effects I could confidently link to the ring. Like most women I get headaches (about once a week or so), experience pms, and my sex drive is not what it was in the first few weeks of my relationship but I'm unwilling to ascribe any of these 'side effects' soley to the ring. In particular I find it difficult to believe as some of your postings indicate that the side effects of the ring seem to be worse than the pill- depression, weight gain (in one post 40-50 lbs!), headaches, etc. when the dosage or hormones is lower. So I guess simply put, I am satisfied with the ring and although it's not my place to criticize another woman's choice of birth control, I wouldn't let these posts scare you away from what is, in my experience, the best form of hormonal birth control based on its user-friendliness and lower dosage of hormones.

I've decided to go off NuvaRing because I don't want to be on birth control if I don't have to be (no longer with the man I was dating). I decided to see if there were any side effects to coming off of the ring and after reading these comments SO MANY THINGS MAKE SENSE!

I've only been on it for two months, but I have been a lot more emotional and depressed. I get bouts of depression here and there and since I'm a college student I figure it's been stress, but it's been WORSE than normal! I cry ten times more often and I HAVE NO SEX DRIVE anymore. I literally have not had any desire to have sex as of lately. Also, I've been getting acne which I rarely do--only a zit here or there when I'm about to get my period.

After reading these comments, when I go back on birth control, I'm definitely thinking twice about going back to the ring.

Hello, I've never been on birth control before, but i recently had an abortion and decided I really need to get on some kind of birth control. I am 27, married, and I am a NON-SMOKER. Nuvaring seemed to be the best option for me, easiest, effective and practical. I'm only on my first ring, it comes out for the week break in few days. So far I have NOT had any irritability or headaches, or anything like that. I have gotten a little "spotting" which to me can still be linked to the abortion or even sex. What I DID notice, however, is that I had a few sharp chest pains here and there, quick and not consistent, my husband thinks that could be from stress. I also noticed what I thought to be a pulled muscle in my lower calf could be a sign of a blood clot, which totally scares me. A persistent issue I HAVE had so far, is that I have that numb "pins and needles" feeling in my limbs a bit more often than usual. I do sit odd and my limbs tend to fall asleep more than the average person, but I actually notice it happening more frequently, like my blood circulation isn't as good as it was. I have NOT had high blood pressure. I ALSO noticed I wake sometimes with severe leg pain (cramping) that reminds me of those "growing pains" one would get as a child. I haven't had those since I was a child, wondering if it could be due to the NuvaRing. If anyone has felt similar pains let me know. I am visiting the clinic tomorrow to discuss these things and to see what could be a safer method of BC 4 me!

I have been on NuvaRing for about 9 months now. I really love the convenience of it. I have had no complaints until now. About two months ago I was having some issues with insomnia. I tried a prescription sleeping pill (rozerem, I'm not sure how to spell it) for about a week and after I got off of it I was back to my usual sleeping habits. It didn't even cross my mind that it could be the ring. I thought it was just stress from school. I might have been that and not the ring.

I have put on about 15 pounds but again I attribute that to my eating habits, not the ring. However, the past month and a half I have been on a strict diet and meeting with a personal trainer 2-3 times a week. On top of meeting with the trainer I go to the gym for a least an hour everyday. In spite of all this, I gained 3 pounds (on top of the 15). My doctor said it could be my thyroid but I just got the results of my blood test and my thyroid is normal. So I think it must be the ring.

The problem is that I really like the ring and I don’t want to get off it. Has anyone gained weight from the ring but been able to lose it while staying on the ring?

I started using NuvaRing last year in June. I have two girls age 5 and 3. I am 34 years old and dont want any children. The NuvaRing is actually my first time using birth control. My period was normal and no weight gain. But I notice that I am very moody, tired and very forgetful. I would black out for 5 seconds. My sex drive is normal. I should remove the ring this friday but starting last week I started to have brown spotting and feeling cramps. I am still cramping and spotting but not bleeding. Does anyone know what is wrong? I called the doctors office and they said I maybe going under a lot of stress and probably due to my age. I started my new job and I am under alot of stress. I work full-time and I take care of my kids after work. Can anyone tell me if this is normal?

I posted a few weeks ago and have since been back to see my doctor. I now need an ultrasound of my heart because my heart is still working under stress. Like I said before I can't say for sure that this side effect is due to the NuvaRing but my heart was fine until I started using it so you do the math.

I started the NuvaRing in October of 2007 and I have had some very interesting side effects. While I can't say for sure that all of my side effects are directly related to the NuvaRing after reading all the comments on this website I took it out last night. In November I started having trouble breathing and it felt like I couldn't get enough air into my lungs. I called my doctor and although I have never had a history of Asthma he felt I was having an acute Asthma attack. He gave me an inhaler to use three times a day until I felt better. But I never got better. I went back to the doctor and he started me on Spiriva and sent me for a chest x-ray. My chest x-ray showed walking pneumonia so antibiotics were the course of action now. I felt better for a bit but about three weeks later I was right back where I started. I was very weak and tired all the time. I would become winded just by walking up the stairs. Nothing I did seemed to work. A few weeks later I went back to the doctor for the forth time with a cough I could not control. It was hard to breath but I didn't feel sick. No cold or flu symptoms just a nonproductive cough. So now this is late January and I finally get a diagnosis from my doctor - full blown pneumonia but he did not do a second chest x-ray. So I take the antibiotics and for a few weeks I'm feeling pretty good. But last week I started up again with the shortness of breath and coughing but this time it's accompanied with headaches and a fever of at least 102.5. I went to the emergency room and found out that my heart is working harder than it should and I may have been throwing blood clots from my legs. The ER doctor did a chest x-ray which was normal although all my symptoms were exactly the same as a few weeks before when I was diagnosed with pneumonia. My lab work showed that my white blood cell count was normal so I don't think I had pneumonia at all. Signs of blood clots can present themselves like signs of pneumonia. I was told to look for pain or swelling in my legs and so far so good. I have a follow-up appointment in two weeks so it will be interesting to see if my heart is back to normal. I'll post back to let you all know but please ladies think twice before taking this BC. For me it was not worth the risk.

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

I'm five months postpartum and quit the mini-pill a few days ago and started NuvaRing as soon as the bleeding started (yesterday morning). I have never felt so aggressive in my life! Perhaps it the combination of getting off one BC method and onto another, but this is awful! I feel angry toward my baby and my husband. Do I need a break or a new BC? Before I got pregnant, the pill made me feel even worse, crying all the time. Now I just feel volatile and mean.

I have been using the ring since Jan 2007 with no problems, the worst part has been putting it in and taking it out. But since May 2007 I have been having problems with my hair breaking and thinning, my hair dresser thinks it is stress or hormones. Last month I cut my hair very short and I am still experiencing breakage. I was wondering if anyone else has experienced problems with their hair.

Where do I begin?

I can’t tell you all how appreciative I am to find this site! I have been on the NuvaRing for nearly three years and was ignorant enough to never attribute my increasing problems to this terrible medication. In all fairness, I must admit that the initial reason I decided to use the ring was because I had even worse results with three different types of pills. My doctor then prescribed the ring, telling me that it would have the very least amount of hormones of any birth control. What she didn’t tell me and may not even know is that some women can not physically handle any type of added hormones at all in their body and must use a non-hormonal method. Why don’t they warn us of this?!

I come from a generally nervous and careful family. You could say they take life very seriously and perhaps too much at times. However, I myself have always been very social, productive, and had a passion for life. I used to love to write. I was good at it. When I started taking birth control, I was busy planning my wedding and so I just figured all the stress and business of life was taking all the fun out of everything. When I did get married, my sex drive tapered drastically (with the exception of my “free week” when it’s at its highest all month long, but still not what it used to be). I stated suffering from severe abdominal pain at certain yet random times of the month. One month, it got bad and was associated with a mild fever. The doctors did an emergency appendectomy on me just as a precaution. It turned out my appendix was fine and never needed to be pulled! Since the beginning, I’ve suffered the same pain almost every month. Not a month goes by that I don’t have weird things happening to me physically. About a year ago, I started suffering terrible panic attacks! I get extremely dizzy in stores, in traffic, while eating, lying in bed and it happens completely randomly. I suffer terrible leg cramps at night during the week of my period. They’ve gotten so bad that I wake up crying sometimes. I never used to grind my teeth and now I have TMJ! I’ve become overly paranoid and find that at certain times of the month I have more courage to do things I know I shouldn’t ( I have crazy thoughts), while at other times, usually right before my period, I’m afraid to do anything at all. I become obsessed with the thought that I’m dying and I suffer from extreme panic attacks for no good reason at random moments. Rarely, but on occasion, I feel completely normal and just wish I could stay in those moments for good. I suffer from: night sweats, bouts of intense emotion and sadness at the start of my free week, nausea upon insertion of the ring, lethargy and the feeling that my body is held down by weights. My appetite fluctuates greatly from day to day. One day, I’ll eat very little, and the next I’ll want to eat everything. Also since I’ve been on birth control, I’ve developed what you could call an eating disorder. I argue that I don’t have an eating disorder simply because I know that I am not myself on birth control. I haven’t always been this way, and I look forward to the day when I’ll be back to normal. I’ve grown so neurotic that everything in my life is just one big disorder! Doctors can only seem to diagnose what they can see, and so naturally they label me anorexic at 5’7 and around 90llbs. Two and a half years ago, I was a thin, normal girl at 105lbs. The pill made me gain about ten pounds, and since I’ve been on the ring, I’ve lost more and more weight as I’ve grown weird about everything in my life including food. I don’t use laxatives or throw up my food; I’m just a strict eater, disciplined to a fault and with more self control than one should be allowed to posses. I hate my life now. I’m terrified of having an attack in front of people and my daily life has become unpredictable and daunting. I want to be normal. I don’t want to have another dizzy spell ever. I hate it! I feel for women everywhere who are put on such drugs. I did decide to contact NuvaRing first, even before I found this site. I figured they could provide the best answers. Since it’s the only form of medication I take continually, (I’ve decided NOT to follow doctors orders to take the three different anti-depressant meds they’ve prescribed to me in the past two and a half years) I started to wonder if this was the cause of my problems. A representative of the drug told me that there have been no known reports of dizziness, my main complaint. This made me feel alone in my frustration. Now, either she was out right lying to me or the company hasn’t been notified by patients like us who suffer everyday from the adverse reactions to the hormones unnatural to our varying bodies. Regardless, this will be my last month on the ring. I’m pray that I can go back to life as I knew it. I don’t know if that’s even possible. Right now, that just seems like a dream.

I'm not one to contribute to open forums, but in this case I feel there is a need. I have been on the NuvaRing for roughly one year. I decided to start the ring due to my inability to correctly take the pill (my schedule was too hectic). I encountered a few issues in the beginning to include nausea and headache, but I had anticipated that. These symptoms gradually subsided within a month or two. (Speaking in hindsight) Very gradually I began to develop more of a need to be independent....I had started a new relationship and really cared for him, but found myself progressively wanting to spend time away from him. I also became far more irritable and to combat that, I would spend more time alone. During the past year I have had some significant transitions in my life and I always would attribute these emotions to stress, but the transitions were all positive. Recently, within the previous two months my irritability and need for isolation have truly spun out of control. Furthermore, I developed a yeast infection for the first time in my life (28 years old). I have never considered consulting a mental health specialist in the past, but I have contemplated it recently. Fortunately, I consider myself a logical person and would try to pick apart why I felt the way that I did and finally I couldn't attribute lashing out on everyone close to me to 'temporary depression' or transition and I couldn't justify giving up activities that once were of great interest to me or deciding that it would be 'easier' to break it off with anyone close to me in order to save myself from feeling remorse for treating them badly.
One aspect that contributed to my realization of what was causing this was that I knew that I was far more interested in intimacy when I was on my period, which led me to that it was possible that my symptoms were related to the NuvaRing.
I removed the NuvaRing 6 days ago and with each day I feel exponentially better. I've even had comments from those that are close to me. I have been far more motivated and in touch with my feelings in the very short period of time that I have been without the ring.
I am very happy that I was able to piece this together before my destructive behavior did more permanent damage, but I am also upset, because there was a short period of time where I thought the ring was the answer. Although I am thrilled that I feel like myself again I am concerned about being able to find a contraceptive method that is effective and does not provide such side-effects.
The worst part about this experience was that these side-effects really do creep up on you. It is not obvious at all.

All I can say is thank you ladies for posting all of this. I was on Nuva ring for almost 2 years. my boyfriend complained I was getting worse and worse in terms of my anger and mood swings. He called me a monster. Then days after my 20th birthday I experienced lots of itchiness and pain after sex so I thought it was a yeast infection. When I did not respond to over the counter meds I went to the hospital to get testing for STDS. When all the test came back negative I went back to my regular doctor two weeks later. Again, I was tested and a month later tested again. No one could figure out why I was having burning and itchiness with no other symptoms and all my STD test negative. Finally I gave up the ring and have been symptom free now for nearly 6 months. To this day the situation plagued me because the doctor swore I couldn't experience this from the Nuva ring. I spent a whole summer in pain because of this. Now I am birth control free but my boyfriend of three years and I would love to add to our family.

I thought my premenstrual rage and lack of sex drive was because of stress and depression. I really couldn't stand myself anymore. Then, I forgot to fill my perscription last month, and rather than start a new cycle, I thought I'd sit one out and start fresh the next month. I can't believe the difference! I've been on the ring for 4 years and never made the connection between my "issues" and the ring. After this month, I started looking into the side effects of the nuvaring, and found this website. I'm so glad I'm not insane!

Been on Nuva Ring for about 1.5 years...just now starting to realize the potentially bad effects its having on me. 3 months ago i started having wierd issues going on with my body. Nervousness, shakes, racing heart, trouble breathing, FATIGUE, constant "floating" feeling/dizziness. I am in good/normal shape, exercise about 2 days a week, but have had no energy. I went to a dr and had some blood tests done. My Thyroid numbers came back unusually high. My Dr recommended an Endocronologist to check out the possibility of Hyperthyroidism (the Thyroid controls the metabolism and hormones in your body). Went to the Endocronologist and am waiting for test results to get back. She said that it is a big possiblity that Nuva Ring could be the cause but wanted me to do further blood tests. I am being opened minded to what the real reason to my symptoms are, but i know that putting any extra hormones in your body has an effect on you, regardless. I took the ring out about 45 min ago and i'm hoping for no bad side effects...cant be worse than what i've already had. I have a boyfriend and he was totally ok with it (encouraged me to take out the ring to see if it helps)....he doesn't like the thought of using condoms, but its a small price to pay to see if birth control with hormones (NR) are causing all these horrible symptoms. I'm going to look for other non-hormonal contraceptives to use!

when i have sex with the ring in, it eventually comes out, and hurts if i dont take it out... i havent had any side effects or any pain at all and im getting ready to be on my 4th ring. i love how easy it is and you cant even feel it. oh and for the first time in my life i have an actual REGULAR period. i dont have to worry and stress if its coming or not!! and you can take it out for up to 3 hours without worrying!! yay! =]

i recommend it bc im scared of needles(the Shot), i kept forgetting the Pill and i dont trust the patch... honestly im VERY happy with it.

I started NR about 2 months ago and was amazed at the ease of it.! I thought no pill to remeber how great! Without really thinking about it, me and my sons father started fighting all the time, I was so moody, my sex drive was gone, I was feeling tired all the time,and I would start crying for no reason. I just thought it was because of all the stress of having a toddler, plus being a full time respiratory student. After another one of our fights (because I didnt want sex) I started to think something isnt right. I did a search on the web and found this site. I was amazed to read comment after commen "no sex drive", "moody", "crying for no reason". So glad it was just NR and not something far worse. I just hope others arre able to find the same great info I did.

Finally! I knew it. I got on NR when my baby was 9 months old. My libido went from high to zero, literally. I was already on medicine for anxiety/depression, but it seemed to stop working, and I got really bad. I went to the DR. He changed my anxiety medication. I was an emotional mess and told him about the sex drive thing. He said it was due to stress or a problem in the marriage...Now my baby is over two years old, and the sex drive is still non-existent. I know that it started at the exact time I started the Nuva Ring. The DR swears there is no way it is caused by the NR. But I knew that was all it could be. This has had a bad effect on my marriage and my whole life. Thank God I found this site. I gotta get off this thing and get my life back!

My wife has been on N.R. since Nov. 06. Like other people here, her first side affect was a lost sex drive. Before she started it, she wanted sex close to every other night, shortly after starting N.R. it slowly decreased to once a week if I was lucky. Her and I both blamed it on the stress of planning and paying for our wedding. However after the wedding it only got worse. Her sex drive was gone, and her periods started to go away. Over the course of 3 months her periods went from a full week to no period at all. We took several preg. tests, and all of them were negitive. We tried calling Nuva Ring, to talk to them about the problems, but they were so sure of their product, that they told my wife she was pregnant. Well we finaly decided to just take the ring out (only 3 days after inserting a new one) and see when happened. About one week later, her period returned and her sex drive is slowly incresing. - a happy husband

I was on the Nuvaring for 3 years. I had similar experiences to everyone else here. They came on so gradually I seriously thought it was something else. I had night sweats almost everynight some nights so bad I had to change clothing and bedding in the middle of the night. I thought I had cancer! And then the migraines came on a couple times per month, and headaches every evening some lasted until morning. . I never had a migraine before but I attributed it to stress. I also had chronic swollen glands in my head and neck that were sore. I kept asking my doctor she just did blood tests and said I was fine. All of these would cycle so you thought it wouldn't happen again and then it did. I loved the convenience of it so I stayed on it too long. I just got married so I went off it 2 weeks ago and I haven't felt so good in years!

I've been on NuvaRing for almost a year now and am I realizing my low sex drive and depression is the cause of the Ring.

Since starting the ring I've had the following symptoms:
- low sex drive
- leg cramp (restless leg)
- depression/moodiness
- lack of energy/sleepy
- breast/nipple tenderness

I also have a microscopic amount of blood in my urine and I'm being tested next week- but this could be unrelated.

The depression thing just hit me when I visited this site- for months I've been detached and in an emotional slump. I don't want to talk to anyone at work, and I'm dying to get home at the end of the day just to lock myself in my room and not answer the phone if anyone calls.

I also feel completely uninterested in my boyfriend of 8 years emotionally and sexually - this is unusual since our relationship has been getting better over time - because of the Ring I feel detached from him and sometimes feel like I could care less if I go weeks without seeing or talking to him which is very unusual for me.

I've also had about a 15 lb. weight gain in the past 5 years from using birth control- I'm nervous to stop NuvaRing because I've heard it actually helps with weightloss.

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