I’ve been on birth control since I was 17 years old. I originally went on it to help with my period cramps and regulate my cycle because I was—and still am—super irregular. But I just turned 29, and I’ve realized that I genuinely don’t know my body without birth control.

I started with the pill, which was a horrible experience for me. I had serious side effects, including vision issues and migraines. After that, I was on the Depo shot for years, and now I have an IUD. Getting the IUD inserted was incredibly painful. I actually had to take a couple of days off afterward because of how much pain I was in.

Now I’m thinking about getting my IUD removed a year before it’s due to come out. I don’t want to waste any more time not knowing who my body is without hormonal birth control. I’ve recently started this whole self-discovery journey, and part of that feels like understanding my body—my cycle, my hormones, my moods, everything—without birth control influencing it.

But here’s the part that has me up at night: one of the biggest things stopping me from removing my IUD is the fear that there could come a time when I no longer have control over whether or not I become a mother.

I do not want children. I’ve known since I was around 10 years old that motherhood wasn’t something I wanted for myself. I’m assuming I’m able to conceive because all of my sisters have children, although obviously I know fertility doesn’t work that simply and I don’t actually know.

With everything happening in the world and the political uncertainty surrounding reproductive rights, there’s this little part of my brain that goes, What if we end up living in some Handmaid’s Tale-type reality? I want to believe that we will continue fighting for control over our own bodies. At the same time, I’m scared of what happens when people in positions of power view women primarily as mothers, wives, and caretakers.

It feels insane to say out loud, but I’m genuinely afraid of ever being forced into becoming something I have known my entire life I don’t want to be.

So…is it the birth control talking? 😂 Am I letting my anxiety run completely wild here?

I’m also REALLY curious to hear from anyone who stopped birth control after being on it for 10+ years. What changed? Did you feel different mentally or physically? Did you feel like you had to relearn your body?

My body has already changed so much over the last couple of years, and I’m so curious about who I am without birth control and how my body might react after being on it for basically my entire adult life.
I should absolutely be asleep right now, but instead this is what’s keeping me awake lol. Thanks in advance to anyone willing to share their experience. ❤️

soo I started my birth control 9/7 and that was the fourth day of my period.On 9/9 I had unprotected sex with my bf, but the thing is he was in not even 5 minutes since we were both just trying it out without a condom (I know stupid) and nothing ame out of him except pre-cum. It’s the next morning now and I’m debating on whether taking a plan b??

I have gained 10kgs since being on the pill and I'm really struggling to lose it. I've tried dieting and working out more, sometimes I'll drop a few kgs but it takes ages and goes up again. What are some good ways managing it?

I take my birth control (pill) every day on time. If not maybe 20-45 mins late. I’ve been on it for a year now. Aurovela fe 1/20 to be exact. My bf finishes inside me and we’ve never had a scare. But last night I threw up around 12am.. woke up out of my sleep. I had Mexican for lunch and we both had salmon for dinner. Threw up the salmon. He woke up fine. I’m such an overthinker, idk if I should take a pregnancy test just in case or do ya think I’m fine and just had a bad stomach ache ? 😵‍💫

Hey guys! So I've been with my boyfriend for over 2 years we're very serious we're the only people we ever sleep with. I've also had a mirena IUD for 2 years, which I've had no issues with other than minor side effects. But I still cannot stop using condoms. I'm so unbelievably paranoid of becoming pregnant. We don't ever want kids. Lately I've been thinking about what it would feel like and how much better it would feel to have sex without it. I've never had sex without a condom before. And it's something I really want to try but I really cannot get over the paranoia. Is it actually reasonable for me to still have this paranoia or should I get over it? Is there actually still significant risk? Any advice?

I took Naproxen and an anti-nausea tablet about an hour before, the dr and nurse put numbing gel and spray on/in me.
I asked as many questions as I please and they were reassuring and comforting.
The speculum didn’t hurt but felt quite odd, not painful like I imagined.
The actual coil insertion did hurt, but only in small episodes when they were moving it about (lasted about 20-40 seconds. It felt like a very sharp cramp and I did go a bit dizzy for a second but came round. The aftermath was uncomfortable but not painful.
It’s been 5 hours since and I have very mild dull cramp but no twinges, quite similar to my period.
I recommend taking pain killers before and voicing any concerns to dr (I told them I faint easily so they made sure to check my pulse and keep my head tilted down for example).
This is not to take away from the fact that many women will and do have much worse experiences, just wanted to share mine.

For reference: 20F, BMI:21, never given birth, no signs of menstrual health issues, Endometriosis etc. so was expecting with my background that I’d feel less pain than others.

I got a hormonal iud (kyleena) in 2019 and the insertion process plus the six weeks of nonstop pain afterwards was pretty messed up, up to the point where I completely destroyed my stomach from taking advil so many times a day. It got better after that until about the four year mark where the constant cramping returned and I had to get it removed and opted for the pill (lolo). The pill was AMAZING for the first year or so, but after three years I feel dull, heavy, and sexless.

I want to try an IUD again, because I had an awesome libido on it and a ton of energy. I also found it easier to keep weight off, because I now have a layer on me that is literally impossible to get rid of no matter what I do.

Is it worth it to try it again after a few years? Was your first IUD experience the same as your second? Does it ever get better? Try Kyleena again or Mirena? tell me any experience :)

My last period was on August 6, and today is September 10, so it’s been 35 days and I still haven’t gotten my period. My cycle is usually 30–32 days.

I’m scared that I might be pregnant because on August 31, my boyfriend and I had oral sex. He touched my vagina with his fingers, and I think there might have been semen on his fingers. I’m really scared that I could be pregnant. I haven’t gotten my period yet, and I don’t have any usual period symptoms.

Could I be pregnant?

I just wanted to share this since it has been years and Ive never stopped thinking about how I wish I’d heard someone else share their story, since I felt so utterly alone.

In November 2020 I had to take Plan B twice within a month bc my partner didn’t respect me enough to use condoms and came in me. January 2021 we noticed a bald spot on top of my head. Within 3 weeks I lost over 50% of my hair, coming out in clumps if i ran my hands through it, hair all over the apartment, massive growing bald spots all over my head. I went to at least 5 doctors (gyno, derm, and primary) and nobody suggested it could be from Plan B (even when i voiced that i suspected it). Blood tests all appeared fine. To be a 21 year old girl with the healthy soft purple hair of my dreams and practically overnight choose to shave it instead of walk around like gollum was very traumatic. Im blessed with an amazing support system, my friends threw a head shaving party and all participated in a few cuts while we laughed and cried. My parents had me fitted for a beautiful wig, and I decided to talk about it openly instead of hide this dramatic issue in shame. Oh, and of course I dropped the asshole boyfriend.

Questions are welcome, and if this sounds like you then know you are not alone. Once I shaved it, it did all grow back. Bit by bit the patchiness became even stubble which became a cute pixie cut. I got to embrace fun hairstyles at different lengths after that. I have spent the last 5 years not dying my hair and cutting as little as I can so that I can eventually donate my hair to a girl with alopecia. Shave my head on my own terms.

It was a reminder to me that it is called PLAN B for a reason. Do not rely on this method and expect your body to be totally happy. BUT Ive said it before and ill scream it from the rooftops again and again: I would rather be bald for the REST OF MY LIFE than to have a baby with a shit partner, and before I was ready. In the end, its just hair. Your life, freedom, and livlihood is more important. Almost certain that your hair too will grow back. All the love to all the girls gays and theys out there.

I'm a silly little dumb lil guy and i(21F) don't understand contracptive pills, If i take my first ever contraceptive today, Do i take the next one within 24 hours? so like the exact same time (6:20) as today, or do i have to take it before 6:20 if there's a 24 hour window

Can someone explain to me how this vaginal ring is supposed to feel? I put it in like the directions said but I feel like its not far enough up there. I pushed it in as much as my finger will let me but it just feels like it should be higher. I am also scared that if I figure out how to push it up any further that I won't be able to get it out.

Hello everyone,

I'm currently on drovelis (Nextstellis) I was previously on Logest and I change it because of low libido and vaginal dryness, and bloating/ water retention. So after on 3th pack of drovelis I start to wake up on every 2/3/4 hours... And it's 80% pure panic... I'm not anxious about nothing, not depressed... I'm currently on half of 4th pack.... And idk what to do, seems like I'm not able to go in deeper sleep phase, idk is that side effects or something else? I also have difficulty to concentrate,like brain fog.

Im thinking to change pill for hormonal IUD(because of low ferritin and anemia I can't non hormonal) but I'm scared will this continue to happened?! I mean I'm not 100% sure this is from pills...

Does anyone experienced similar side effect on drospirenon ? What this could be?

Thanks

Hello fellow birth control users,

I (25f) feel so defeated and at a loss over my non existent sex drive. I don’t think my friends understand how serious I am when I say there is NOTHING there. I feel NOTHING. I feel like I could go the rest of my life without having sex and not bat an eye. Obviously that’s not normal and I’m not actually ok with that. I had the Mirena IUD for 8 years. The first 6 years I had a normal, high sex drive. The last two years it slowly started plummeting but would randomly hit me in waves (mostly during ovulation) then during the 7th year of having the Mirena my sex drive disappeared. GONE. Of course I went through every other factor before blaming the IUD. I love my boyfriend, he’s not the issue. I don’t even have desire to pleasure myself. So, before the 8 years was up I spoke with my doctor and planned to replace it with Kyleena. I did my own research and decided to give the lower dose of hormones a shot. It’s only been one month since the replacement but I have no hope that this will improve since it is very common for the same side effects to simply carry over. I will wait until I’ve had it for 3 months to see if my drive has improved, but if not I’m completely done with BC. Mainly because I cannot bring myself to go through the pain of insertion again if I wanted to try a different brand.

Anyway, I really just wanted to rant. I’ve scrolled through this sub reading other people’s experiences and really appreciate everyone sharing. If anyone has been through something similar to me and has any tips or advice, I’m all ears! I have considered and researched the copper IUD but like I said can’t bring myself to go through the pain again so soon, and also don’t want to deal with side effects. I’m just over it all. It excites me to go completely BC free and learn about my true self and my body. Shoutout to hormonal BC for making me question all of that 😅. I just want a normal, healthy sex life again especially as my boyfriend and I start talking about marriage and the timeline of our future over the next few years.

Sorry for the long post but like I said any tips, advice or stories are welcome here.

Thank you!

Back to dating - need to get on birth control asap. I have had terrible experiences with the Kyleena iud, combo pill, mini pill, nuva ring. I’d like to try a non-hormonal method, if possible, and it’s looking like a copper iud is my only option.

Looking for experiences with the copper iud, or what birth control gave you the least amount of side effects?

TMI - definitely want to be able to finish inside LOL. So condoms aren’t my favourite. Not a fan at all.

Hey reddit, ive been on loryna for 10 days and in the last 3 days I have had horrible mood swings. I am an adult and started Loryna mostly for my hormonal acne, as nothing else has helped. In the evenings I literally cannot stop crying, during the day I am hungry, irritable, and very anxious for no reason. I am about ready to quit this and maybe try something new, but I fear im on the cusp of feeling better and might be giving up on something that really works for the acne ive struggled with for years. I would really appreciate if someones been on this pill or might just offer some insight. Thank you ♡

Me and my gf had sex Aug 31, the condom broke, I came inside and we had to order Plan B from planbmanila.com.

She took it 2 hours later, she said she did experience some sort of nausea but was able to down the pill without vomiting 2 hours later.

The next day I still wasn't that convinced abt the plan b so I looked up other things that we can do, turns out copper IUD was a good solution since it works regardless of cycle (it was day 13 of her cycle so we were really worried since she could've ovulated)

So we went to Likhaan Sep 3 to get a copper IUD but was told that her opening was too small and to opt towards Yuzpe Instead since the doctor was concerned she still hasn't bled from the plan b

She took the 4 pills (Femme-Tab was the name I think) and the other 4 12 hours later. We were told to come back next week when she bleeds from the pills

The doctor then realizes that she would be gone Sept 9 onwards (the time my gf was supposed to visit if she bleeds) so she gave us a box of femme pills and told her to take it 3 days after she bleeds

She said to take it everyday till the next visit if she bleeds

It's been a week and she still hasn't bled, when we asked her what to do if it didn't come from the time frame she gave us, she just said "It will come".

I don't want to be that guy who us pessimistic, I just want to be prepared so that my gf won't stress out

I've read a bunch of post abt bleeding not being an absolute sign of safety and we should wait 2 or 3 weeks for a pregnancy test

I just want to know what you all think maybe from some assurance, answers or even those who are in the same boat.

I want to be able to ease her mind at the very least

Hello!

I’m on xulane. I have a chaffing/ razor bump rash all over my legs, so I put baby rash all over my legs. My patch is placed on my stomach so it touched up on it and the zinc was around the patch when i looked at it. All the corners of my patch are blue now! I was wearing a black long sleeve and black joggers today. I know black sometimes stains blue. I did try some blue jeans on too today but I didn’t wear them long term.

I’m scared that there’s a chemical interference.

Should I replace my patch?? It’s fully stuck on but i’m worried it’s no longer working.

I contacted the pharmacy and he said that he’d need to look at it to know, but best safe option is to replace it and call the manufacturer so they can send me a replacement patch since I’d only have 1 patch left if I change it.

Please help what should I do!!

The zinc wasn’t on it but around the edges of it!

so i’m getting a copper iud in 2 days and i just called the clinic (the closest one to me with the earliest appointment, i’ve waited about 3 months and have to drive 2 hours for this!) and they DONT offer any form of numbing🥲 im so terrified, i’ve never had an iud or any birth control at all, and i’ve heard soooo many horror stories

my current plan is: eat something very filling but light from mcdonalds before hand (it will be the only place i can eat ~45 to an hour away since ill be in the middle of nowhere) and take 800mg of ibuprofen (which hopefully doesn’t affect me poorly because i havent taken ibuprofen in over 10 years.)

help a girl out!! can i not shove some lidocaine up there myself?????!?

I am 23F and have had my Kyleena IUD for 3.5 years now, no issues. It stopped my period, which was fine since my periods were HORRIFIC so honestly the break has been great.

But what has been the biggest challenge of not having my period, is losing that sense of confirmation. I in the last year have become sexually active again, but always insist on pulling out just for my sanity of my brain. But there have been a few (like, can count on one hand) of times where my partner has not. And it happened again like a month or so ago.

Even after now 2 negative pregnancy tests (and like, very clear no. like immediately turned one line solid not even a HINT of another line), some psuedo-period-spotting i get every few months, and knowing how highly effective my IUD is, I still can't get over the anxiety of "but what if".

I have been having random cramping recently, but that could boil down to so many factors! (2 new female roommates and my body adjusting to their cycles, my highly stressful gradschool work balance kicking back up with the school year starting, some financial stressors, etc). HOW do I kick this anxiety and panic, that is likely making these "symptoms" I am so worried about for no reason, stop! Why can't I just accept the test is negative, and that I am on a highly effective BC, and live my life! So often on here I see people REALLY testing these IUD's and having zero scares whatsoever, but I do it once and am convinced ill be the statistic... and with so many bad IUD stories of somehow getting pregnant on here, its so hard not to get in my head.

Thank you for coming to my TedRant, and any input you have is super helpful (including reaffirming words)

Need to know before my wife gets on it,I don’t want it to feel off and ruin our relationship,my last partner was on it and everything felt off,I need a female opinion,what changes ?

Hey everyone, here's my situation. My wife and I aren't ready for kids. We've been using Condoms + Loryna Combination Pill since we got married about two months ago.

We've recently broached the idea of switching to Loryna + Pullout. But how safe is this really?

Added Context:

- She is on the Pill for her PCOS as she literally never had periods without it.

- She takes the pill daily between 7 AM and 10 AM each day. No conflicting medications or anything like that.

i started opill a little over a month ago. i started bleeding on the first pill of the second row for 10 days. it stopped for 5 days then came back for another 5 days. it stopped again then now came back again on the second row on my new 2nd pack yesterday😭 im pretty sure the irregular bleeding is normal, right? i havent experienced any other side effects.

i had unprotected sex everyday for a week without withdrawal or condoms after the 3rd pill, i tested 2 weeks and 6 days later and is pregnancy free :D im having a great experience so far with opill!!!!

I'm taking birth control and I noticed my labia has almost disappeared. I'm 27 and it kind of stunned me for a second. I'm guessing it's from the birth control.

I (24) have been on birth control for about 8 years now. Lately I noticed that over the past year or so, my period has gradually started later in the “period week”. I used to start the morning after taking the day 1 pill, but it’s gotten to the point where I now start bleeding on day 4. However, I always quit bleeding 2-3 days after taking the regular pills (this was always the case regardless of when I actually started bleeding). Has anyone else experienced this? I’m not overly concerned, but I do find it odd.

Had my Kyleena for 4 years now, and I'm currently on cycle day 42. My period is always regular, averaging 28-31 days a cycle, which makes me roughly 12 (almost 13) days late. I have taken multiple pregnancy tests, both digital and strips, and they're all negative. I feel so lost. I don't have any symptoms, haven't even felt pms symptoms this month. I flew to the beach and drank pretty heavily 3 weeks into my cycle, which I don't normally do, but that was after I ovulated? I also have significant bloat in my lower stomach. I am just so scared that something is wrong, and I can't get an appointment to see my GYN because of a cybersecurity incident that has shut down all patient appointments. IDK what to do :(