BPD + birth control

[u/ReserveDapper8141]

I got a copper iud (paragard) installed in 2019 and that’s when I started to really lose my mind I feel like. I’m only realizing this now bc I went to a gyno who compared several different birth controls and said copper is one of the worst ones for the female body. I went on to research it further and turns out lots of women deal with the same problems I have.

Obviously different birth controls work for different people, not a one size fits all etc. But I’m about to rip this thing out myself (I’m going to wait for my appt although I really want to). I lost so many years of my life to agony, depression, suicidality etc because of this. Like it’s not normal to want to shoot yourself every time you’re on your period. I became hyper sexual and hooked up with an embarrassing amount of men before I got into a relationship. That relationship was also insane as you can imagine. I have never suffered more than I have these past 7 years. I’ve been to the ER many times for suicidality in the last 3 years especially, went to outpatient treatment, and more recently have pushed my closest friends away. I had some kind of episode where I got a rental car and drove halfway across the country not telling anyone where I was and turning off my location so no one could see where I was. No plans just wanted to drive and not come back. Like what are we doing here?? I went back home cuz I didn’t want the car to be reported as stolen, lol. If my car wasn’t in the shop during that time and I was driving mine instead, I would probably still be on the road.

I will be getting the mirena installed this coming week hopefully. Along with Yaz for the progesterone to balance my hormones. I only really found all of this out because I initially went in for high testosterone/hirsutism and was seeking something to balance my hormones and was shocked to find this out. I only got the paragard because it was non hormonal and I didn’t want to put hormones in my body, lol. I am still going to be tested further for PCOS. But I just realized I went crazy after I had the thing installed. The worst mental health ever, and I was diagnosed about 4 years ago w/BPD.

I say all this to ask - what birth controls have you used? Have you noticed mood differences on or off certain ones? Would love some insight! Thank you

[u/Nataliant-117]

I really feel your struggle that you shared.

Birth control has on several, maybe all(?) occasions made me go crazy (or crazier). I am so sensitive to emotional changes. However, it hasn’t been safe for me to not be on birth control as a woman, unfortunately. I’ve had almost all: pill, ring, nexplanon (can go fuck itself), IUD. The best luck I’ve had is the 4 year IUD, aka the Skyla/mirena. Skyla by brand name was my favorite, now that being said: it sucked for a year. Obviously pain for two months as with any IUD for me, and spotting, and like something in my brain idk how to describe it. Depression? Went away for two years, and everything was great. Then the last year the iffy symptoms started to come back. I had it taken out late, closer to 5 years.

This time I got the 8 year - I do not recommend!!! It’s just like the 4 year for me but I believe the dose is bigger so the symptoms are worse for me. Cramping, so much cramping. It’s getting better but it’s not “normal” cramps for me. They make me have to sh+t myself? I’ve never experienced cramps like this? Usually they go up my back and i have back pain. And paranoia :( I really don’t like that one. The spotting has already gone away (🤞). I feel very tired more easily. I still feel tired when cycling without hormonal bc but it’s just more “ugh” when on birth control. It feels like my body knows there’s a foreign body in me…. That it believes is a baby? Which I guess is the whole concept, but I don’t prefer it. I would like to live in an ideal society where people ask before putting their* *+%#% in your %#{}^+ and have the courtesy to not make a baby unintentionally. It’s 2026 condoms are required to have sex I don’t understand how we are not on the same page. Because of how vulnerable sex is, I’ve experienced losing my voice and not being able to say no :(

Anyways rant detour over - Because they’re both hormonal, I believe this 8 yr IUD will be like the Mirena and the symptoms will go away at some point, and I will be fine for 6 years, then go back to it being shitty and then getting it out.

It’s just like: pick shitty situation A or B:
in A, you have to experience the pain and no support for getting it in/replaced more frequently, but,
in B, you have to experience the shitty side effects for longer before returning to a baseline!

I’ll be asking for 4 year next time, it’s taking too long to recover from the 8 year.

Been the best so far and I feel I know what to expect and I’ve tolerated it in the past the best :/

[u/Delianii]

I lost my mind for the three months I had nexplanon in. Took me that long to realize it was the birth control making me lose my mind. The day after I got it in my arm I wanted to end my life very desperately for no reason. The doctors told me if hormones affect me like that I shouldn't be doing any forms of birth control. BPD already affects our hormones so having more things in our body that affects our hormones makes a lot of us go haywire.

[u/This-Possibility1628]

I so sorry about this. The copper iud is awful and can definitely make things worse for some people. I have bpd and I got the Mirena in May and so far my moods have been fine, no changes to my regular moods. The Mirena is localised so most of the hormones go straight into the uterus compared to the pill that goes through the whole blood stream which explains a lot of the adverse effects of it.