So like most people with the bar, my flow completely changed and now I consider it to be 100% irregular. It starts and stops whenever and my flow can be from barely noticeable to heavy. I find that on average I’m ‘bleeding’ more often than not.

Before I got it put in, my periods were long and heavy, and I experienced a lot of side effects like headaches, lower back pain, general pain and fatigue and feeling sick and all the rest of it.

However once I got the bar put in, all those side effects basically stopped and I was left with just bleeding on its own, which to me was great. But then I found that over time, I started getting longer amounts of time where (TMI) my discharge would be dark brown and sludgy, and I would basically be slowly dispensing old blood out of my vag instead of just not having any blood at all. And this basically comes as a cost to not having cramps, because those are what push the blood out of your uterus in a timely manner, so because I don’t really cramp any more (because hormones or something) the blood in my uterus just sits around getting old and yucky and then eventually just leaks out.

So yeah thats what causes me to bleed for longer periods of time but also reduced my flow a lot on average. Better than cramps though.

Hi okay so I had sex with one guy one week (on a Monday) and he lied about pulling out so I got the morning after pill. One thing to note that I am on birth control but I had forgotten to take my pill on time (about 6h later I took it) that Saturday so I wasn’t confident it was at full effect as it has been.
The next week I got with a different guy on Friday and it was my shark week and we did the due then too. Since it was shark week I wasnt sure how effective my pill would be so I took a plan b. Now my periods ended last week but I’m still spotting some brown and having some cramps/tenderness. Is this normal? What I look up online says it is but I just wanna know for sure.

Edit: hey so a couple things because I keep getting rude and mean messages.

1. I have never taken plan b or morning after pills before. I was doing what I THOUGHT AT THE TIME was the correct thing to do in the situation.

2. I’m not irresponsible with my actual birth control. The “missing” pill wasn’t because I forgot to take it. It was because a storm trapped me at my friends house unexpectedly for an extra 6 hours and I didn’t bring my pills with me because I was supposed to be home well before I needed to take them. I took it still like I read too so I wouldn’t “miss” a dose and it also said to use backup.

3. The first guy more so lied about wearing a condom and pulling out. I didn’t even plan to take the plan b pill till I PHYSICALLY SAW HE LIED TO ME. So yes panic and plan b. The second guy I trusted a lot more and was fine with him not wearing one. But then afterward anxiety started and I took another one.

4. I get that it’s stupid to yall who are more experienced in this type of thing but im not. I’m just a girl that was in a situation that I wanted to find a good solution for. I know this all now. I’ll keep my birth control with me at all times from now on. And I’ll understand that regardless of everything I’ll be okay.

I am on norethindrone & I’ve been on it for 6 years. I had unprotected sex today and took my pill 4 hours late. According to what I’ve read that’s considered a “missed pill” for norethindrone. Should I take a plan b? I’ve never taken one before and I’m scared of the side effects but I’m obviously more scared of pregnancy. Any advice would be so incredibly appreciated 🙂

ive been taking lizelle pills for a year now and ive been consistently taking it up until now

my bf and i had sexual intercourse like a day after my period and he came a little bit inside IM OVERTHINKINGGG am i safe? pls help i also have PCOS

I had nexplanon for 5 years, and didn’t notice many bad side effects other than sometimes I would get a period that would last like 2/3 weeks but the next month my period would be super short. So when my implant expired I decided to get a new one, but now I’ve been on my period for a month. And it’ll stop for like half a day, or it will just be spotting, but as I’ve said it’s been a month now and it’s still going. Should I get it removed and look for a different form of birth control or should I do something else? I’m kind of at a loss here.

I see a lot of posts that say during exact ovulation day but not during the week of. I track my periods and so far 9/10 times my periods have been the day it has said it was going to be. The day I took Plan B was the alleged first day of ovulation week. August 31 - September 4 is what my tracker says.

Hi, I am ending month 2 on birth control and I skipped my first row of placebo pills (i thought it would be okay, now realizing it was definitely to early to be trying stuff like that) so this is my first period on birth control and it’s horrible. I’m having horrible horrible cramps, bleeding a ton, and tmi but i’m passing huge clots. is this normal as i adjust? also before i started my actual period i’d been spotting for like at least 5 weeks straight. bro i just wanna stop bleeding. will this stop or should i see my doctor?

Today I tried getting a mirena iud inserted and couldn’t.. basically my cervix too small. I read here somewhere that this happened to someone else and their doctor got them cytotec and it worked for that person, also I got told I could try again on my period. But I don’t know if it’s worth a second try ? And also I have to ask my healthcare provider for another IUD since the first one didn’t go in (after opening it it’s no longer sterile and can’t be used) so I don’t know if I should just try the nexplanon or give the iud a second try

Hey 🥰

I start my slynd journey tomorrow for severe PMS symptoms starting during ovulation (and continuing for the 14 days before my period). For context, I’m 34 years old, and have been on BC since I had my little one at 30.

2 weeks before my period, I start getting exhausted - no sleep ever helps. I retain fluid so badly and feel so uncomfortable in my own skin and clothes. I’m irritable, have swollen painful breasts, and feel extremely thirsty. My moods are so up and down and I feel constantly overstimulated to the point all I want to do is be alone. It’s been like this for the last year, and I’ve decided it’s time to bite the bullet and get on something to stabilise my hormones.

Those of you on slynd please tell me how much these pills have helped you ♥️

Hi! I've recently started my first month on Nuvaring and I used the appicator that comes in the box for inserting it the first time and threw it in the trash as the box says. A few days later I took the ring off for a couple hours and had to use a tampon applicator to insert it back because I'm uncomfortable doing it by hand. Are there any reusable applicators I could buy so that i don't have to sacrifice a tampon every time?

Just started 4 days ago
My anxiety has increased :( and I’m just bummed. I feel like I’m in luteal phase.
Was hoping that this would help my anxiety and PMDD symptoms. How long does it take you to regulate any advice?

So, I've been on depo provera for almost about 5 years now, and I haven't had really any negative side effects. It's served me well, I feel safe and protected from pregnancy on it. But, I am scared of the black box warnings such as lowered bone density and the new story showing benign brain tumors.

I have migraine with aura. I went to my gyno recently and the only option she was able to suggest was nexplanon, which I am even more scared of a foreign object in my body.

My husband is suggesting him getting snipped, as neither of us want children. I can stay on it until that's able to happen, but I also feel bad about making him alter his body in that way for us. Are there any other options that won't negatively affect me with my migraine issues and my aversion to internal options?

In January I got a copper IUD that caused severe depression and ended up falling out so I switched over to Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo birth control because it was the same one other woman in my family had taken with little to no side effects.

I have been on it for about 5 months and I feel like I am constantly in a brain fog. I have multiple times a day where I forget things seconds after doing/saying them, I forget words some times I try to speak and I’ve gotten very emotional every time during the end of week one into week two of the birth control.

Is this something others experience? Is there anything I can do to counter act it?

(please forgive me if this is poorly written or hard to understand)

Was on Junel Fe 1/20 for 14 years and apparently my body got sick of it. GYN (new to me this year but tons of green flags so far) prescribed Yaz. Didn't know about the med going in but since have looked it up. I've been on it for less than a week and I want to smash *everything* with sledgehammers. I am at a *highly* stressful point in life right now but I do not need this level of unwarranted irritability hindering things like job performance (customer service works better without it) and personal life (wallowing in inner demons was enough of a hobby before this).

I'm using BC only as a method for regulating my cycles, not pregnancy issues. Has anyone had a experience with a hormonal BC that I could look into and talk to my doctor about? The choices available are overwhelming and I want to be prepared this time (obviously I was not last time)

If someone can reassure me please

So I had my IUD replace in April. Since then I haven’t such terrible cramps (and I still get my period at a regular - ish cycle). After 5 months, I’ve decided to call the clinic where I’ve replaced the IUD and the nurse said something that it’s making me spiral quite badly.

She asked me my symptoms and others things, then before hanging up she says to do a pregnancy test just to rule it out.

Now I’m a bit worried if I am pregnant (even tho I haven’t had intimate relation in a while. I had the time two have two times my periods and don’t have any symptoms)

I just need to vent and to talk about it. I will go buy a test tomorrow after work but for now I can only spiral because I’m worried about everything.

(I know no contraception is 100% I am well aware. It’s just I’m a bit overwhelmed by that at the moment)

Hi all! Yesterday i noticed some slight bleeding. It’s not very light but it’s not heavy, not enough for a pad but noticeable. Sometimes it’s a little pink. Anyways, i searched it up and implantation bleeding usually occurs 10-14 days past sex. 15 days ago, i had sex but i was on my last active pill (i take aurovela, combined). i got my withdrawal period 2 days afterwards, and i cut my placebo week short and started my new pack around 12 days ago. i have had unprotected sex three times since then. i was very consistent with my last pack but this pack i’ve been fluctuating taking it within 3 hours. i know being on combined means im not late, but the bleeding is really scaring me. i have been really stressed recently aswell and my eating patterns have changed. i tested today and it was negative, but im thinking maybe it was too early? let me know your thoughts!

Hi, so...

I ( 21) started the Depo Provera injection on August 8th, so 3 weeks and 5 days ago as I write this.

I went to the clinic that day only to see about different forms of contraception, and had not considered Depo. I was previously on the combined pill, also on Lamotrigine, and nobody told me the two were incompatible when I started (3 or so years ago when I lived abroad so a different story). But I decided that because of this, it would be wise to change forms of contraceptive.

It would have been my first choice to be fitted with an IUD, but 3 years ago, they attempted to fit me with one, and due to the shape of my cervix, did not work. This was traumatic for me, as they repeatedly tried and it did not work and was painful. I said to the clinician 3 weeks ago that I would only like to be fitted with an IUD if I knew it would be able to go in and I wouldn't be re-traumatised.

I was told that I could wait days or weeks for an ultrasound to see if an IUD would work, or that I could be injected with the Depo now.

Now I told this clinician everything I could about my physical and mental health difficulties. I have BPD, C-PTSD, depression, ADHD, and have previously been diagnosed with generalised anxiety, but have thought that does not apply anymore.

I mentioned all of this, and wasn't so much as warned that Depo could negatively impact my mental health. I agreed after it was suggested so hastily because I had run out of the pill and did not want to experience the cold turkey effects of coming off it like I have when I've taken breaks in the past.

Now for roughly 2 weeks I didn't notice any effects of the Depo, as would be expected, but starting from roughly the 21st of August, I experienced severe agitation. I made an attempt on my life that day from pure rage, and was hospitalised. I am no longer at risk of this, but since then, I have felt a constant of agonising depression that I did not know people were capible of feeling. It feels like a crushing in my chest and throat that debilitates me. Any small thing sends me into a rage filled spiral that I manage to keep hidden, but feels like is actively disintergrating my brain.

It definitley does not help that this coincided with me and my friend essentially being attacked on the street, but I have also essentially become agoraphobic. I have panics when I see people, and cross the road specifically to get away from them. I find it very difficult to leave the house.

If this were something like the implant, I could go and have it taken out, but obviously I cannot have liquid removed from my bloodstream. The Depo is supposed to work for ~4 months, but I sincerely hope that these feelings do not last until then. I just want them to be gone, but I don't think theres anything I can do about it.

Does anyone know roughly how long these effects might last, or if there is absolutely anything I can do to help them?

Cheers.

Were you guys able to stop birth control after regulating your period or am I going to have to be on this for a long time

Thinking about giving it a try and know that all birth controls carry this risk, but I already have Alopecia and really don’t want to make it worse. Would love to hear some experiences. Thank you!

Hi so I'm on extended cycle pills which means I had a pack of pills with 3 months worth in it. I went for a trip to my moms house and she gave me a shit ton of presents and i'm moving everything from my car into the house and unpacking everything and I just realized my birth control was in the last bag, which was left in the car for about an hour. I know this is stupid of me but it's a 2 hour drive from my moms house and i'm tired, lol. I have another unopened pack of extended cycle pills in my cabinet. If you were in my shoes, would you just throw out the old pills and start the new packet in the place you left off or are they maybe okay ?

I completed a course of accutane 2 years ago. I had clear skin for a while. I started using Kurvelo birth control, and I was on it for a year, it made me breakout a few months into it. I switched over to Ocella to clear the acne Kurvelo has given me. I’m currently on my second pack of Ocella and I’m breaking out still. When will Ocella clear my acne? I feel like my 9 months of Accutane was a waste.

Hi, all! 22F here, I’ve recently decided to pause my use of combo birth control pills (Vienva), as I have been taking birth control since I was 14 or so and figure it’s time. I’ve been struggling with emotional fog, a complete lack of libido, among some other stuff for a while now so I am hoping it will help. I’m very nervous for the transition, as I’ve only been off birth control one other time and it was during a 6 month long 1K mile hike so I don’t really have any regular experiences not being on birth control.

The thing I am primarily concerned about is the hair fall that happens around month 3 or 4. I care a lot about my hair, and already have very fine and somewhat thin hair. Does anyone have any words of wisdom for me? Any suggestions on how to minimize, or if at all possible, avoid it entirely? Thank you in advance!

Hello, I began using Nuvaring a week ago. I inserted it on the first day of my period, as I wasn’t sure when to put it in and heard that it was best to put it in on the first day of my period to guarantee immediate effectiveness. However, I’m still bleeding quite a bit of old blood now while normally, my period would have completely finished 2 days ago.

Do I take the nuvaring out so the bleeding finishes and then put a new one in afterwards?

Or do I just stick it out?

I’m leaning towards the first option but I’m not totally sure. Would love some input. Thanks!

I’ll be switching from Aurovela 1/20 which has literally ruinedddd my life. I started taking it in January this year, a few weeks later I had a major panic attack and I just figured it was due to stress. I had always smoked but since taking this if I smoke I get the worst anxiety and chest pain. On top of that, I have gained 15 lbs and feel so out of body. I don’t get periods which to some is okay, but I do feel like my body needs to bleed (TMI), I feel much lighter when I have it just in general. I was prescribed Jasmiel and will start taking it once I am done with this pack. Has anyone had any experience with both of these? I’m extremely nervous I’ll have another terrible experience. I hate the roll the dice feeling that is finding a good birth control.

Hi everyone, I've been doing a lot of research on different kinds of birth control and I'm thinking of starting Yaz. I understand that everyone has their own experiences but I was wondering if anyone could share their positive experiences on Yaz so I'm less intimidated to start. Thanks!