NuvaRing and three months

Hello. I am 25 years old and have been using the ring for about three months now. I just removed it today. I have also tried the patch, Yasmin, and yaz before switching to the ring. I am very sensitive and birth control has always seemed to make me sick. Although lately i have been having weird vision things like little flashes of light, or very quick dimming for like a 10th of a second. I also suffer from anxiety and have many physical symptoms of anxiety including headaches which seemed to have increased since starting the ring. Has anyone else heard of weird vision changes. I saw my doctor today and she wasn't sure, she wants me to come back tomorrow morning. My blood pressure is also elevated. I also have chest pains which are due to anxiety but seem worse with the ring. And it takes me a long time to have an orgasm with the ring. I feel scared lately and man my husband and i hate using condoms but i don't know what else to do! Ahhh it sux being a woman. Why cant they hurry up and make a birth control for men huh? any responses would be really appreciated.

ABNORMAL PAPSMEAR I have never had one in my life me and my husband get tested regularly and we both practice safe sex which is no sex really since having our daughter (she is six months). I got on the Nuvaring three months ago and found it uncomfortable, I would bleed, cramp, mood swing and eat i am a very active person right after i had my daughter i was back in the gym but as soon as i got the ring i hated the word gym. With the ring in i never wanted to have sex because penis dry walls and round spring that doesn't stay in place never quite turned me on lol i told my doctor and she said my body was just adjusting i also told her about the bumps on my cervix and she said i didn't know what i was talking about, now i have to have a colscopy to figure out why my papsmear is abnormal. I honestly think it was the ring. I take yaz now I like it

I have been on the NuvaRing for my 3rd month now. I seriously just went into the bathroom and took it out! I have been having some intense anxiety, and I swear my hair has been thinning out, and feeling depressed. Not to mention I've been gaining weight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I looked at the NuvaRing website and seriously I have experienced almost every single symptom. I have not felt like my normal happy go lucky self the past 3 months and was wondering if it was just me. Now I know it's just the nuvaring. I also experienced extreme extreme headaches. My head feels like it will explode, for hours on end. The only way to get rid of those headaches is to sleep. Also I have never been so chubby in my life, I've always had a nice stomach and now it's getting flabby.... like seriously.... this is not even worth it. I'm so glad that I read this website and that everyone is experiencing the same problems with this as I am. I think I'm going to just stick to condoms bcuz that's going to be so much healthier for me! Too bad if my hubby doesn't like it.... I just can't take all these crazy changes... or else I'm going to go crazy! I've also been kind of crazy like totally filled with anxiety or feelings or resentment. Sex kills with the nuvaring! It hurts so bad. I'm not sure why, but it burns like heck. I've also felt fluid retention, big time! And my legs are super achey. Does anyone else have achey legs? And oh my gosh, my boobs hurt so much from the hormones NR injects into me. I feel like their getting like too big. Also over the past three months I haven't had any appetite, which would make you think that you would loose weight... right? WRONG! I have actually been gaining weight! So dumb! Take my advice and don't go on the NuvaRing, it's a waste of your time... and your life. Your life will change when you go on it, and you won't recognize it at first... but believe me, it will. I've also experienced the brown discharge for the first month, and changes in my menstrual cycle. & on my honeymoon I got a yeast infection bcuz the NuvaRing!!!!!!!!! That was pretty much the worst!

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

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

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

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

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

I'M NOT CRAZY!!!! :)

I have been on ortho tricyclin lo, and then tried Yaz, and now i have been on nuvaring for three months. The only weird thing that I have noticed is that there are times when I feel my mood completely change. My boyfriend even notices, asks me about it, and then I have sudden urges to cry. I am a nurse, and even cried on my way into work today. Not sure if this is because of the nuvaring. As for those that have no sex drive, I have one, and on the other pills was so dry. But with this, I actually noticed that it helped with the dryness. Anyone cry all the time like i do?

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

I used the nuvaring for 2 months stopped and started again three months ago. The first time I used it I had no side effects this time is TOTALLY DIFFERENT! I thought it would be convenient since u only have to worry about it every three weeks unlike remembering to take the pill everyday at the same time, but all the side effects make it not so worthwhile. I have
nausea, headaches, dizzy spells, mood swings (I literally can cry at the drop of a dime), stomach cramps on and off my cycle (I can't get out of bed sometimes), and recently i've had diarrhea but i'm not sure if its caused by the nv. I'm not recommending it to ANYONE. I think i'm about fed up anyone have any suggestions for a better BC?

The only side effect that I have experienced is weight gain, and I can't seem to loss the weight that I have gain on matter how I eat or exercise. I have gained 20 pounds in the three months that I was on Nuvaring.

Death. A 30 year-old Visalia CA mom of three (one is eight weeks old) started having side effects just after she started using the NR. She stopped and got pregnant. During her pregnancy, her side effects returned for about three months. Later in her pregnancy, she seemed to improve. Her baby was born March 8 and both were healthy. She was suffering from headache, nausea, stomach pains, depression, throat constriction (she could no longer eat solid food). She died May 1. The coroner hasn't been able to determine a cause of death. Every medical "professional" she saw told her she was "just depressed" and "there's nothing wrong with you." Now, she's dead.

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

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

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I thought I was going crazy. I am engaged and so happy to be getting married! But since I started NuvaRing in November, lots of these symptoms listed in this blog have crept up on me. I too thought this was the most wonderful birth control... Put it in, take it out. So easy! But the past 2 months, I started having serious break through bleeding. To the extent I need to wear a tampon with it. I immediately figured it had to be because of the nuvaring, because in 31 years, I've NEVER had this. Well, the stupid ring fell out some how the beginning of this week. And I had kindof decided to change to a different method of birth control and just forget about it after that. So that whole bleeding, falling out episode led me to do a bit more research on the ring, rather than just reading their website. I came across this blog. I now looking back realize that I have been experiencing depression, crying, anger, all the emotional related side effects. I dismissed it as just extreme stress. Now, I realize that I think it was the ring because prior to getting on it in Nov. I wasn't feeling like that. I'm also an avid exerciser, gym lover, runner, biker... Not since November. I've just wanted to go to sleep. I just want to sit on the couch. Going to the gym is so hard! I gained about 8 lbs since Nov. too. I thought it was me going crazy. Now I've stopped the NuvaRing. Hopefully I can get back to my happy go-lucky self. Can anyone tell me how long it took them to feel better? If you had breakthrough bleeding, did it stop after you were off the ring? How long did that take?

The worst birth control option out there! I started the nuvaring three months ago when I decided I was too forgetful for the pill. The first month was fine, then after that everything started to get messed up. I was bleeding a ridiculous amount, I would spot the week before and the week after my period, and practically every time I had intercourse! (not so great) The cramps were so intensely painful, I didn't want to move. I also became a crazy woman, I was so moody, emotional, and irritable, and even started to feel depressed. My husband was getting genuinely very worried about how I was acting. Something always felt wrong, I either had a headache, cramps, fatigue, or was just pissed off for no reason. I am glad I found this site and can now convince myself I am not crazy, and it is that cursed nuvaring. I took that mothah effah out.

DO NOT, I REPEAT DO NOT START THE NUVARING.

you'd be better off just having a baby then dealing with these stupid symptoms. :)

i took it out and it better be the end of it's crap....

I am 38 years old and was on NR for maybe six months. I kept telling my Dr. I wasn't very pleased with it, but she encouraged me to stay with it. Finally, tired of it, I stopped and really regret not following my gut feeling in the beginning. I put on so much weight in my stomach only and looked to be about 8 months pregnant, and had gotten a blood clot in my right leg. I was also always having to push it back up in me from it slipping out. Only one time in my early 20's have I ever had an abnormal pap., but three months after being on NR I haven't had a normal one since. Constant yeast and bacteria infections. I have now been through a painful test, and should be starting some kind of procedure to get rid of my abnormal cells on April 3. I am so frustrated and scared of what is going on inside of me. My Dr. doesn't seem to feel any of this has anything to do with the nr, but I strongly disagree. I feel like she is getting something from the company for giving out prescriptions.

I was on Nuvaring for three months. The first few days were very unpleasant. I had a lot of cramping and just felt generally lethargic and bad.

I've been extremely emotional over the time since I went on the ring. The intensity of my feelings, especially my sadness, has increased over this time. I have also felt very lethargic. I've been tired every day regardless of how much sleep I got. I have had crazy dreams every night and wake up tired. I've felt like there is a weight on me (and there is a literal weight - I've gained 10+ lbs).

I took the ring out 3 days ago and I feel like a different person. It's like a dark cloud lifted in my life.

It's a huge relief, but I am also very angry I was never informed of this side effect. I did ask my doctor about the side effects, and the only one she told me about was excess discharge.

I had Fibroid tumor surgery three years ago. The fibroids came back and to prevent from having surgery. The doctor thought that the nuvaring was a good idea to help with the cramping and excessive bleeding. I been on the nuvaring for three months. At first, I liked the nuvaring. Now the nuvaring is irritating me. I cant douche, wear a tampon, or have sex without hurting afterwards. When its time for my cycle; oh my god; the stomach cramps are terrible. I have been depressed; wondering about how am I going to pay for my wedding in 05/30/2009. I was so surprised from the comments I have read that women are having the same problems Im having.

I went on Nuvaring at the end of 2008, after I had a miscarriage. I have bled literally every single day since it was inserted (it has been three months now). I asked my doc about the bleeding and was told to just a give it a little more time. The killer for me, though, is that my sex drive went from normal to absolute zero- so bad that I didn't even think about sex, ever, unless my husband asked for it. Even then, it didn't sound all that appealing. I got so frustrated with all of this that I took it out for good two weeks ago. Bleeding is gone, hopefully sex drive will return soon....the only good thing I can say about the ring is that my skin was absolutely clear the whole time I used it.

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!

I started birth control a couple months before I got married. I was on alesse and it made me rapidly gain weight. I went to the gyn and she ranted and raved about NuvaRing. I was excited to get off alesse and that I didn't have to remember to take a pill everyday.
The first month was great. I didn't feel the ring and some weight was starting to come off from the previous bc. I have been on it a total of three months and will no longer continue. I cry at the drop of a dime; I am bloated in my midsection as well as even more weight gain; I have zero sex-drive; When my husband and I do have sex, I am crying because it hurts so bad; I have terrible mood-swings; acne; bad cramps (I never have had cramps before); and not to mention, horrible headaches and even my first migrane!
I thought I was becoming a crazy person and have felt like my husband deserves better than me. Come to find out, that person he married is in there still, but hiding under drugs.
What other birth control has anyone gone on that works since the NuvaRing??

I was on NR for about a year. The past three months I haven't been able to get out of bed, I'm acting depressed, losing so much hair...my doctors thought it was attributed to my thyroid...I think its the ring. Not only that but sex became so painful even after several days I would still be hurting. I've had excessive amounts of discharge and it feels like my left ovary just got punched. I took the ring out a month ago after a week of having it in one I realized what was causing my problems. It gave me two more periods within several weeks and now nothing. I'm going back to the doctor.

I started using Nuvaring 4 months ago. Im 26 years old. Nausea started like 2 weeks after I started using the ring, but I never related it to the ring since my GYN didn't tell me about possible side effects. The first 2 weeks the ring slipped out until it became really uncomfortable to the point that I thought it would come out when I sat on the toilet. So, I developed my anti-slip technique after reading the leaflet (that says it doesn't matter the shape inside), to fold it in two rings like an eight, so when it gets in, it would be open like butterfly and it wouldn't slip out. It worked out great and didn't slip out. I wasn't aware of the ring at all, not even when I had sex. It didn't bother my husband or me. However, the nausea got worse and worse with the time. There is nothing in the world that I hate the
most than to vomit and I try very hard to avoid it.

Also, I start getting really nervous for everything, first I thought it was because of the nausea, but then I started getting paranoid about vomiting in front of everyone or on the street. Then it started developing more and more to the point where I was so nauseous I couldn't be 15 feet away from a bathroom. The nausea was permanent, so I couldn't ride the subway. I also got subway-phobic, more like a claustrophobia mixed with nerves, and I felt I was about to lose my mind. I couldn't be around masses of people or the subway and that is kind of impossible in New York City. I has horrible panic attacks, e.g, fast heart beat, crazy sweating, nausea, dizziness and shortness of breath. I feel every time I was riding or underground with a bunch of people that I was running out of air. I cried all the time because of my subway phobia and felt it was nonsense, since I have been living in New York for a while and using the subway all the time. I barely went out of my apartment for almost three months and at some point I was really afraid of going outside just to my doctor appointments.

The paranoia, anxiety and nervousness was out of control. So anxious that I complained to myself about how slow I walked, even though I was almost running to get to places. I wanted everything to be fast with no reason. Not to mention that in addition I had some capillaries or broken little blood vessels in my legs they were blue and purple. I was previously been using Ortho Evra, which I stopped taking because I felt lots of pressure in my legs and when I was lying down or sleeping I felt like pins or needles in different parts of my legs. And I also broken capillaries. I was really concerned with my use of Ortho Evra.

The worst part of my situation was the severe depression I experienced with Nuvaring. I am a very positive woman. I love nature and being outdoors. I have always considered myself strong and I rarely if ever cry. Well these three nightmare months were all about crying. Once I was in a ballgame with my husband, we both love baseball. I start feeling so nauseous and bad that I start crying but trying hard to contain myself of expressing because i didn't want to make my husband upset. Thank god my husband is a understanding and patient person.

I spend almost all day at home waking up really late or sleeping all day, feeling nauseous but, don't get me wrong, I was really hungry. As soon as I ate I got nauseous. I felt in the top of my stomach really nauseous and in the bottom of my stomach really hungry. I became totally intolerant of wine or coffee, and eventually even water. I lost all interest in the gym, or making new friends or meeting my old friends, just crying and crying for no reason. I lost interest of everything, when I thought of something to do, 5 seconds later I was thinking of how negative that activity was even if my first thought was...this could be interesting. I lost interest in life, even though I love my life and love myself. I'm a newly wed, I didn't have problems of any kind. I'm a happy and positive person. My husband was looking at me weird at some point. When people were speaking to me I was like on Mars looking at the infinite. That is scary! I have never had mental problems or anything like that.

My husband told me I was completely another person and that he felt I wasn't the person he married. I consulted our family doctor who referred a gastro for my uncontrollable nausea. I was loosing weight really fast - 14 pounds in total - and I am very thin and that was concerning. The gastro prescribed some antibiotics, thinking was some kind of infection and
prescribed medicine for the acid, both of which made the situation even worse. I never talk to him about the depression because I couldn't identify my negativity and depressed feelings with my stomach. I got really constipated and even more depressed. Also I got night sweats that would wake me up. I didn't see anyway this would end.

The gastro told me that he couldn't figure it out and my lab test came out with good results. So his next step would be a endoscopy to see what was going on. Every day I was trying to return to normal activities like riding the subway, going shopping, walk some, etc. I went to a store one day. Like 10 minutes later, I felt really dizzy, couldn't see very well, sweating, nauseous and about to faint. I left the store really fast throught the elevator
(the fastest way to leave, so my problem wasn't quite claustrophobia) And I went home thinking of how miserable I have been these days and how much I hate it of course crying like a baby. I had to cancel at the last minute a wedding in the Caribbean of a friend that I really wanted to go. And the fact of missing the wedding was so sad that I started thinking of all the medications I was taking.

Of course the ring was not taken by mouth and I wasnt aware of it, just when it was time to change it. I start reading all the leaflets that comes with the medicines and voila the ring side effects are bloating, nauseas, vomit, depression, weight loose or weight gain, among other serious side
effects.

I took out the ring two Sundays ago, Oct 19, and the nausea considerably lowered down after a few hours after I took it out. It has been lowering down gradually since I took it out. The nausea comes like a wave, but is not constant as it had been, and is coming less often. I haven't feel depression since Wednesday, Oct 29. And I am getting better
every day. I don't know when all these symptoms will disappear, but I hope really soon. I just know that this hit me really strong and I don't wish this to anybody. Stay away from ,Nuvaring!! I know not all the bodies are the same or have the same reaction, but, If you have to choose, don't use hormonal contraceptives. Please look reviews before you try a medicine, so you are aware of the side effects. Make your family aware so that if you have strange behavior they could let you know. The doctor told me that it will take two weeks or more to get rid of the hormones in my body.

Looking for an alternative I found a natural way called cycle beads that I will try, and there is also the rhythm method. The only good thing about the ring it is that keeps you from getting pregnant and you just think of it once a month when you're taking it out. That's it! I felt I have wasted 3 months of my life, but I am willing to recover and enjoy my precious health these future months.

Ladies, ladies, ladies...have I got a few stories for YOU!

I will never forgive myself for wasting three months of my otherwise fabulous life using the Nuvaring.

Nuvaring Nightmare #1: The Slingshot Incident

One night, my boyfriend and I were making love in an unusual position when his member slipped out of me. After an awkward pause I turned around and saw a look of shock and confusion on his face, with the Nuvaring sitting on his chest. Apparently the naughty Nuvaring had gone soaring out of my vagina like a slingshot during all the action and had bounced off his face to land on his chest.

BUT WAIT...it gets worse...

Nuvaring Nightmare #2

Boyfriend and I were in the bathroom for a quickie one day with all the lights turned off, when we realized that the floor was strangely slippery...our feet were slipping all over the place. We turned on the lights to find ourselves and most of the bathroom covered in blood! After a few seconds of searching for the source of the blood, we quickly realized that the evil Nuvaring had badly nicked the head of my poor boyfriend's penis. Needless to say, the mood was killed. Worst of all, it took two weeks to heal...and then it happened again on my brand-new mattress. There are still blood stains under my bed. After that, my boyfriend said, "Either you STOP using the Nuvaring or we STOP having sex!!"

My roommates said I was a moody monster for the entire three months that I used the Nuvaring...and I suspect you would be too, if this had happened to you. If you value your sex life, you relationships with others, and your personal safety, DO NOT EVER TRY THE NUVARING!

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.

Thanks to all of you for sharing your experiences- I should have done a search on Nuvaring long ago. I have been using it for almost a year. At first I loved it but now the bouts of itching have become unbearable and embarrassing. No one wants to be caught scratching herself! I have also had lots of watery discharge- my underwear always feels damp. Not comfortable and certainly not helping the itch. I also often have thick white discharge (but smooth and without odor and so not exactly like I understand a yeast infection to be). I say "understand" because I have never had anything remotely like a yeast infection up til now (34), which is another reason that I suspect the ring. My sex drive is also nonexistent, a problem I have had with oral contraceptives too- I feel bad for my husband. I didn't connect it all at first because the itching is external, but then I noticed that I felt better when I took it out for my period and even better still when I stopped using it for three months due to other health issues. I hate to admit it because I loved the convenience of the ring but I took it out an hour ago and think I already feel better. Now I'm wondering if it was the cause of any of my other health issues but will have to wait and see. Can anyone recommend any non hormonal methods of birth control (other than condoms) or at least any oral contraceptives with less sexual side effects?

I've been on NR for 2 months now and I noticed this past two weeks I have become extremely tired and have been going through random bouts of depression. I am not sure if it is due to the NR because I have been having a tough time with my job and made a life changing move 4 months ago. I am wondering if I am just trying to adjust, but I have never had depression like this before. I always want to cry, which is very unusual, A few days ago, I had sex with my fiance and i was very dry and the whole experience was painful. I can't tell you if I have lost my sex since I have had a cold, but I can tell something is definately wrong. I was on Orthro Evera Patch before this and I was never moody like this. Does anyone have advice for me? Should I go back to the patch? Thank you for any input you may have

So thankful I found this website and that I am not the only one having these problems! I started the NR this past February and thought it would be great not to have to worry about taking the pill. I had been taking Kariva and besides it being a pain to worry about, I also started gaining wt for the first time since high school (it had been two years with no wt gain). A few months ago I started working with a personal trainer and running to prepare for a 1/2 marathon...after three months I am now up 7 lbs even with working out 6 days a week! I assume it is severely causing me to retain fluid. I have not noticed mood changes but definitely no sex drive. I used to get migraines all the time and those are actually gone. The biggest side effect I have noticed which no one else has mentioned is heart problems. I have always worked out and ran a lot in high school with no previous problems. When I began training for my 1/2 marathon I noticed I was SOB, fatigued, and having palpitations all the time. Running for long periods of time has been impossible. I never thought it could be the NR until the last few days. It is the only thing I have done different. If I weren't married I would quit bc all together but instead I plan on going back to Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo which I had the best results from.

I LOVE the nuvaring. i have been on it for a year before my husband and i took it out to get pregnant. It took me three month to conceive after we took it out. I never once had a bad side effect. i tried it because the pills did horrible things to me. My sex drive was the same(wanting it every night) and i only gained about 3# but hey i say that was because Christmas time rolled around.
the only downside is that sometimes it would come out after sex. then all you have to do is put it back in. not to big a deal. I recommend it to everyone. i am going back on it again after have my second baby who is now three months old. yeah got pregnant with her while i was on the pills taking them perfectly. hey no more kids for me the nuvaring works.

i've started the nuvaring almost two months ago. i've been spotting EVERY DAY since i first started, even after my first period since starting the damn thing. it's absurd. my doctor told me to wait it out three months until my body adapts, but it's getting so frustrating! has this happened to anyone else?

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.

Where should I begin? Yes, as it has been said everyone reacts to hormones/medications differently but how is it that I am finding all my symptoms on this board and there's plenty of other women out there feeling the same thing? I am driving my friends/family insane telling them that I think I'm pregnant. It's been nearly 3 months. since I last had intercourse, I haven't missed a period and have had TWO pregnancy tests come out negative! I started Nuvaring the 2nd of July (1st day of my period) and pulled it out by the 13th because I was literally SICK of it! Three days later I started my period again, horrible cramps and all. I had hot flashes throughout the day and night sweats in my sleep. I have felt bloated constantly, today I just noticed a tiny amount of clear discharge from my nipple when I squeezed it, horrible headaches that don't go away, nausea. Anything you would link to pregnancy symptoms, I've felt all of it! And my friends are sick of hearing me think I am, hell! I'm sick of thinking it. But as I've read on here, it seems even weeks after the Nuvaring has been removed women are still feeling out of whack. My only other option is to take blood test to confirm that I'm going insane and that this birth control really threw my hormones off balance. Oh yeah, and did I mention I've been suicidal lately? And have random bouts of crying or depression? This is just the beginning...so if anyone out there has thought they're pregnant because of this thing, you're probably not, but please let me know if you've felt the same, thanks!

I was on birth control pills for about 12 years when I decided to stop taking them about three months ago. For the past two weeks I have been experiencing some hair loss so I made an appointment w/my MD and she said that hair loss can occur when stopping hormones and she suggested Nuvaring. I didn't even have the thing in for 24 hours before I took it out! My head hurt so bad I thought I was going to die! I also got extremely queasy and sensitive to the smell of food so much that I couldn't be around my coworkers heating up their lunch. I had to give a presentation and felt the whole time that I might throw up in front of everyone. I also became extremely irritable and was ugly to a patient I saw that day and yelled at my husband for no good reason. My head felt like it was in an awful fog and I felt like I couldn't think clearly. I never experienced anything like that on BCP's. I will NEVER try Nuvaring again. It was awful. I'd rather keep losing my hair and go bald then take Nuvaring!

Glad to hear I'm not alone. After being off birth control for three months (to regulate my cycle after missing pills, etc), my doc started me on NuvaRing since I had trouble remembering to take the pill. I noticed that since I've had the ring in (1.5 months), I have been the Grouch. Moody, excessively whiny, and a very bleak outlook - despite a very pleasant and fortunate future ahead of me. My boss noticed it at work and I have since noticed, after taking a step back to evaluate, that I have been utterly irrational, to the point of b**chy.

Over the last week, I've noticed that the second ring that I put in has been sliding out. Not all the way out - but to the point of where it's uncomfortable and slightly painful - almost as if my body won't accept it and is, in way, trying to purge it from my body. Sorry to be graphic, but has this happened to anyone else?

I took it out yesterday and am experiencing major discomfort (dryness?) and UTI like symptoms. The nurse practioner gave me two new NuvaRing's to try. However, after reading this page, I'm questioning whether I should just buck up and force myself to remember to take the pill everyday.

Other side-effects include increased acne (when I was on the pill I noticed decreased acne - not increased!).

Thanks for your posts - very insightful.

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 must say I love the NuvaRing. I've been on it for almost 3 years. It is extremely convenient. I do have some issues with weight and depression, but I've had those for a while so I don't think I can blame them on NuvaRing. I was previously on Depo for 3 years, and before that various pills (which I could never remember to take). I loved the Depo for it's convenience, but I think it caused a lot more weight gain and loss of sex drive than any other birth control method I've tried. I also tri-cycle my rings (I only have my period after every third ring cycle). The less periods the better in my opinion. I have very very light bleeding during my period. The only drawback is I have one day of horrible cramps that I never used to have. I just take some Ibuprofen and remember that it's only one day every three months.

Unfortunately I have crappy health insurance that won't cover NuvaRing, so I'm thinking about switching to Mirena. I'll miss the Ring, but hopefully Mirena will be good to me.

I have been using NuvaRing for a little over a year now. I am 38 years old. Over the past few months I have been experiencing incontinence problems...nothing major, I just sometimes felt like I had dribbled on myself. I had to wear pantyliner. I thought I was just getting older and had this to look forward to....I have since realized that the week I take out the ring I don't have this problem. I have also been experiencing major depression and am unable to control my temper...the least little thing sets me off! I want to sleep all the time and have no energy. Three months ago I started having migraines. My husband complains because I have NO sex drive, but when we do have sex I burn so bad afterwards I can't stand it. I have also been to 2 dermatologists for severe acne! I have felt like I am falling apart! After reading everyone's comments, I think that the NuvaRing is to blame.

i took nuvaring for about three months and one morning i woke up throwing up, sweating and chivering, i was constipated, had terrible cramps, spotting, couldnt feel my arms or legs, and was hurting like i got hit by a car. when i went to the doctor they said i had pelvic inflammatory disease and a low level of co2 in my blood.. i knew immediately it was nuvaring because i had been having headaches and pains ever since i started using it. i still suffer from the headaches and moodswings and i have been off a month.

I've been using Nuvaring for about 8 months and have gained at least 10 pounds. Also, my cholesterol went from 200 to 250 and LDL from 120 to 168. Has anyone else experience increase in cholesterol? I too have expererieced memory problems and have noticed that I wake up more often feeling as if my arm or hand "fell asleep".

I have been on the Nuvaring for three weeks now and I feel like absolute garbage every single day. I am so bloated that my pants don't even fit anymore, I cry all the time over stupid little things, I'm mean to my boyfriend, and I never want to have sex. After having one or two glasses of wine I will immediately fall asleep wherever I am. I am so depressed that I don't feel like going out, going to work, or going to the gym. I was going to suck it up and try it for the three months perscription that I have, but after reading this site I definitely will be taking it out this week and never putting it back in. Its nice to know that I am not the only one suffering from these side effects, I thought I was going crazy.

i have been using the ring for the last three months for menstrual suppression because of a suspected case of adenomyosis. I have noticed lately that my whole vagina and cervix area are swollen and sore. I also too do not want to have sex and i could rip anyones head off at the drop of a hat...which is worse...bleeding for a year or feeling like you have vaginal elephantitis?

I have also been on the NuvaRing, an option of birth control i thought i could easily like and adjust to.
I can't feel more depresses and angry. Every little thing my husband does makes me so mad at him and everyone else around. Lately I have been having flu like symptoms, but it's "nothing". DO NOT TAKE NUVARING EVER. I also cannot stop from crying, can't tell you how many times i cry per day. Doesn't matter what anyone does or says... So fatigued, depressed,suicidal x 23984390282390, emotional, sick feeling, everything is hopeless, I'm about to start college soon. My Husband and I argue NON STOP because of this and I can't even think most of the time.

THERE IS DEFFINITLEY A LOSS OF SELF ESTEEM AND SELF RESPECT W/ NR.
DEFFINITELY A LOSS OF FEELING SEXY/PRETTY.
MY HUSBAND AND I ALSO HAD TONS OF SEX, NOW HE THINKS IM CHEATING ON HIM OR SOMETHING BECAUSE I NEVER WANT IT AND IT REALLY EMOTIONALLY HURTS.
HE ALSO THOUGHT I DIDN'T LOVE HIM ANYMORE BECAUSE IM NEVER NICE TO HIM.
I CAN'T TAKE THIS.

To the girl who go bigger breasts out of NR- lucky.

I've been on NuvaRing since December. I was put on it for extremely bad cramping and excessive bleeding. My ob told me to put one in for 28 days, take it out and put another one in, she was trying to stop my period, and told me I would only have a period once every three months. In Jan. I developed a UTI which I have never had in my life, (I'm 31). I started spotting which lasted a week then turned into a full blown period that lasted more than a week. My ob told me to take it out, which within a couple of days my period stopped. I have been having hot flashes, I will go from being extremely cold to sweating and burning up, I have been bloated more times than I can count. I've had vaginal dryness, irritation, which is unusual. I kind of figured it was the ring, but I wanted to give it the benefit of doubt. I took my ring out tonight and am supposed to put another one in, but I rather live with my symptoms than deal with what I get with the ring. I would not recommend this to anyone.

I've been on NuvaRing for a little over one year, and I have worn contacts for probably eight or nine months. In the last maybe, three months, I have noticed near-constant irritation in my left eye when wearing contacts. I read on the official NuvaRing site that contact lens intolerance is a side effect, albeit a rarer one to experience. I can't say whether this is actually from the ring or if I am just having problems. It happens with every new pair that I use, also, so getting out new contacts didn't solve the problem. Has anyone else experienced this contact lens intolerance? If so what was it like? Also, other than some random vomiting in the first week after reinsertion, I have had no other side effects.

i am 25 years old and have been on orthotricyclen for years. i quit taking the pill about a year ago when i became single. three months ago i met the most wonderful man ever so i decided to get back on birth control. my doctor suggested the NuvaRing. sounded interesting so i decided to give it a try. she suggested that i leave it in for a month at a time, (taking it out and immediately inserting a new one at the first of every month) i find it hugely strange that so many women on these posts have been recommended to leave it in for such different time intervals. some for three weeks, some for a month...and some for three months at a time!!

for the first month i had extreme lower back pain, awful headaches, an eye twitch or two, and just had a nosebleed the other day for the first time in like 10 years!

for the year that i was off of birth control, i was so happy. i was on the pill for almost 9 years! since starting the NuvaRing, i think i cry hysterically like 4 times a week, when before it was almost never (once a month). my boyfriend is starting to think I'm crazy. i can't even have a simple adult discussion with him without losing it. i have also yelled a a few people at work recently.....not like me at all!

i took the ring out a week ago and do not plan on using it anymore. the symptoms have not stopped yet, but I'm hoping i will be back to normal soon.

i also had my period for three weeks when i wasn't supposed to and now is the "off" week and i have nothing but spotting. definitely do not feel like the NuvaRing is good for me at all!

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

good luck to you.

My daughter was on NuvaRing for four years. she has been very very sick...she has extreme fatigue...wanting to sleep up to 18 hours per day. Very irritable...lost her friends, boy friend and we had to move her back home. She had to drop out of school. Severe back aches...hand tremors, memory loss, lack of coordination. This drug is TERRIBLE and should be taken off the market. She went to four obgyns and ask if her problems could be from the NuvaRing...they said no. So I know the company is keeping this info from the doctors. now...after being off of it for three months, she said she feels like she just got out of a coma. She is back living on her own, getting ready to go back to grad school. we feel lucky that she did not get a blood clot or a stroke which is also a common side effect.

I was prescribed NuvaRing about three months ago. It's funny, I had a bad feeling about it as soon as I saw it. I liked the idea of just worrying about it once a month though. I tried the ring right before my wedding - bad idea. I could feel the ring during intercourse and it tore me a couple of times. But since my libido no longer exist that really isn't a problem any more. So here I am a newly wed and I don't want my husband to touch me, I have constant mood swings, I'm irritable all day, I have zero energy and I've had a headache for about a month now. I actually left work early today because of my headache. (and I can no longer go the gym)
Finally I had enough and Monday I went to the GYN and said get me off this ring. She said that these side effect do occur in some women. I asked to be put on the Yaz pill. I haven't started it yet, but I'm hoping that my life will go back to normal (before NuvaRing) and that my husband and I can start acting like newly weds. Luckily he hasn't threatened to divorce me after the three months of hell I put him through.

I've been on it now for about a year b/c it is a slow release in hormones and I get migraines from all the other pills. I've noticed a lot of what some of the other posts had noted such as:

- constant discharge (I always feel wet and dirty)
- a smell coming from the area all the time
- mood swings like crazy
- Absolutely NO SEX DRIVE
- fatigue (although this has been a new one I have come across in the past month, so maybe its not related)

none of this is really attractive at all, and I am seriously contemplating going off of it. Does anyone have an suggestions for people who get severe migraines from the pill???

I still think a class action lawsuit should be filed and this product taken off of the market, i felt like i lost 3 years of my life on this medication!! Not to mention i put my husband and daughter thru hell!!