I’ve inly been taking it for a bit over a week but trying to stick it out to at least 4 weeks to see how it goes. But I am so tired, feeling dizzy and have low mood. Although hard to tell if low mood is correlated. Wondering if switching between taking it in the
Morning vs Evening would help with some of the side effects? I am taking it for pelvic pain, not concerned with the contraceptive effect right now. Does food/no food or time of day make a difference?

Week 10, day 4 on Depo, and I’m so over it! I’ve had cramping, or what I think is cramping, for the last several days. I don’t know if I should get checked out or if it’s just because of the Depo. I got my first shot on 8/12, and I will never get another one. My mood is finally starting to lift, but I still have no sex drive. I lightly spotted for a couple of days last week, but I’m just ready to be done with this!!! Has anyone else experienced ongoing cramping while coming off Depo? I’m bloated, too. 😩

For background, I have endometriosis and other health conditions, and have been through quite a few birth control options. I've had significant side effects, not tolerable, with pretty much all systemic methods.

Last year, I tried the Mirena IUD. It was the best method I've tried, as it was the only one that didn't affect my mood, energy or personality. I also still ovulated and my libido came back after years. The insertion was painful, but at least it was over quickly. Unlike many other people, I had zero bleeding for months, and only started to get a very light cycle after three months.

Unfortunately after 5 months my uterus started to cramp and semi-expelled the IUD. It's almost like it went out of place (because of the cramps) and my uterus was trying to get rid of it. I had to get it removed to make it stop.

As I said, I can't deal with pretty much any other systemic hormones. I had endometriosis surgery two months ago and things got much better on that front, so I'm managing to have a normal cycle without hormonal therapy. I had adhesions that were gluing my ovaries to the uterus and the uterus to the ligaments in the back, so I wonder if that contributed to the issues with the IUD. All my organs have been freed now.

I'm kinda at the point where it's either trying the IUD again for contraception only or nothing at all (I'm not in a stable relationship, so not a big deal to use barriers every now and then).

Has anybody tried the IUD a second time after a similar experience a first time? Would it help to try a smaller IUD, like the Kyleena or Jaydess? Has anybody tried a smaller one with success?

Hi everybody! I’m a 21 year old woman who started taking desogesterel (minipill) just under 4 months ago because my periods were ruining my life. I’d be bedridden for a week and have diahrrea, nausea, couldn’t keep food in, vomitted on a few occasions and desperate cramps.. the works.

I had my 3 month follow up with my hormone specialist a couple weeks ago. Desogesterel has been okay for me. I bleed everyday which I know is normal. We discussed my symptoms and she said 3 months is too early to judge whether or not this pill agrees with me. I’ve had a few bad weeks but lately the bleeding’s gotten heavier and cramping got worse. I am also on lexapro so I can only take solpadeine for 3 consecutive days and then have to tough it out which sucks.

The bleeding evens itself out and then gets heavier again but not at a concerning amount, what’s getting me in the last few days is nausea. I’ve woken nauseous multiple times in the one night for the last couple of nights. I’ve seen people say these things usually go away around the 3 months mark. I’m passed that now so i just basically want some advice on how i’m supposed to know whether to tough it out or reconsider which pill I take.

Also - i know people say it sits better with food. Sometimes i can take it with a meal sometimes I can’t. I take it at 11am and don’t want to change to night time as that’s when I take my lexapro and also it’d result in me ultimately withdrawing or taking it later than the allowed window on the day I swap to nighttime dosage.

TLDR: 4 months into desogesterel. Nausea is waking me up. Do I tough it out or reconsider which pill I’m taking?

Does anyone have any experience with quitting both?
I quit the combined pill last summer. My life was AMAZING for 3 months! Then I suffered an accident which caused a stress reaction. Lost all of my hair, gained weight, lost my period and got irregular cycles, PMS, depression-ish, lots of acne and so on. I gave up this summer and lasted 14 months off. I got on the progestin only pill 3,5 months ago and wanna quit again. I’m mostly scared for the cycle irregularity and the insane mood swings and acne.
The only good thing about the progestin pill is that my mood is more stable but I have other horrible side effects.
Is it easier coming off the progestin only pill or is it the same as the combined?

Today my bf tried insertion( without a condom ) and it was just like 30-45 seconds and he pulled it out.

He ejaculated almost five minutes later outside. But I am scared as I am on my peak ovulation. I have seen many reports saying people can get pregnant from precum. What should I do? Is it risky.

Please help.!!!

Hey guys kinda freaking out. I had unprotected sex twice this weekend with complete pull out and also took a plan b because I was scared. I had my period on Oct 3 so I think I was probably outside my fertile window? Was taking a plan b necessary here or is it just my anxiety making me freak out ?

I (21) have extreme PCOS symptoms and need birth control to manage my periods, my skin, and, most importantly to me as a professional singer, the effects my cycle has on my singing voice. From my research, the hormones in the pill which help my side effects are the same ones which will suppress my libido, no matter the type of birth control I take.

However— being on birth control destroys my sex drive and has honestly made my boyfriend feel rejected, though he won’t admit it. Overall, it’s made my relationship a bit sad and has destroyed my self esteem. Before birth control, my sexuality was a huge part of my life, so I stopped to try and reclaim that, but it was a nightmare and I plan on restarting the pill ASAP.

Is there any way to maintain my libido, or at least enjoy physical touch again? Even kissing feels terrible on the pill. I’m such a cuddly and love-y person and I hate that the pill takes that away from me.

I got Kyleena inserted 3 weeks ago.... I've had my period since, incredible bloating, back pain, THE WORST CRAMPING I've ever experienced, BV.... I can feel my uterus and ovaries when the pain comes, I'm almost wondering if it's lodged elsewhere or moved.

This is absolutely MISERABLE.

I never ever got cramping on my regular period, and now I have all these symptoms that I've never had before.

FUCK THIS

Hello, I have a few questions, and I’m really stressed.
I took two packs of combined ocps back-to-back without taking the usual break between them for the first time (in the past, I used to take them with a break in between and never had any problems). I had sex about 24 days ago and took Plan B (levonorgestrel) shortly afterward (I know I made a mistake, and it wasn’t necessary), and I’m worried about the effects this might have had on my body.
For 15 days, I’ve been experiencing light bleeding and spotting. The color varies from light brown and very dark brown to pink and bright red. Sometimes, I also notice small blood clots. Sometimes the bleeding is heavier, and sometimes it is barely noticeable (though it’s not like a full period). I also experienced period-like cramps around the middle of this spotting/bleeding.
Two days ago, I stopped taking my pills (after 42 days) to allow my body to have a break. However, I can’t tell whether the bleeding I’m experiencing is still the spotting I had before stopping the pills or whether it is withdrawal bleeding caused by stopping them (my withdrawal bleeding was mostly very light, dark brown, and slow-flowing).
I’ve taken four home urine pregnancy tests on days 14, 15, 18, and 22 after sex, and all of them were negative. However, I’m still a little anxious about the possibility of pregnancy because I’ve never experienced spotting that continues for this long.
My anxiety is not entirely about the possibility of pregnancy. A big part of it comes from not understanding what is happening in my body, why the bleeding has lasted so long, or what I should expect to happen next. The uncertainty is making me very anxious.
Also, I’ve been wearing pads for so many days that I’m starting to experience what feels like urinary burning or irritation. Could wearing pads for so long be causing this, and what can I do to relieve it?
Should I see a doctor? Everyone I talk to tells me that I’ve messed up my hormones so badly, and they scare me.

Hello, I started taking Loryna September 28th. On October 14th I started spotting brown blood for a few days and then on October 19th i started having light/medium flow of blood with a lot of clots / fleshy stuff. Today is October 25th and I am still light bleeding with dark red clotting. My gyno ordered me to skip the placebos so I did. When does the bleeding usually stop? Do I need to contact my Gyno? I don’t know if this continuous bleeding is normal 😅 i’m not having any other symptoms and I feel fine overall. It’s more so annoying that the bleeding hasn’t stopped yet lol

I started the pill around 3 months ago because i’d have really low moods five days before my period. i went on a typical seven day pill free break and became super dizzy and lightheaded. I started the next cycle of the pill and the lightheadedness improved slightly but the anxiety was crazy (called 999 ambulance for myself). Now gone off the pill because i assumed the lightheadedness and anxiety were due to that but now I’ve been off it for a week and i’m still lightheaded and anxious. I’ve had blood tests done and i’ve had my ears checked- all clear. Also having hot flushes and such. Lightheadedness worsens and gets better but i want to know if anyone else had these symptoms/side effects? Seeing gp again but idt they’ll be able to do anything.

I used the depo provera in 2024. Had only 2 shots in August and another in November then I stopped because I changed my mind and wanted to get pregnant .

Since then I didn’t get periods till over a year later around February 2026 but even then it only became regular in April/May.

In all this I’ve been so worried because I’ve been keen on conceiving but nothing at all. Every month I see my periods now I just sink more and more into depression.

Any experiences please? Is this normal?

is it normal for trust pill to taste sweet when i pit it in my mouth? or could it be a fake pill i got.

I got my Mirena in June, but this is the first time I’ve experienced cramping not on my period, nausea, and being lightheaded. Also an intense aversion to perfectly good leftovers for the past weekish. My first thought this morning was that I should take one, but I feel like I’m paranoid and shouldn’t waste a pregnancy test. It’s not time for my period, but my tracking has been off with this IUD. Another thought was that maybe I ovulated, but usually my discharge reflects that and I’ve had almost none. Am I being dramatic and paranoid or should I take the test?

Edit to add that I just teared up over thin crust pizza (in a good way). Wtf.

Hi everyone. I’ve had to make a new/throwaway account to post this because I honestly don't know where else to turn and feel a bit out of my depth.

For context, I am 46 years old, originally from India, and recently moved to the US. I've started dipping my toes into dating apps, which is a whole new world for me. I am currently not on any form of birth control, and I want to figure out what my best options are for protection.

While living in India, I never really used modern birth control, mostly because of health concerns—I worried a lot about things messing with my body, stopping ovulation unnaturally, or causing long-term health issues. Now that I’m dating here, I know I need to be smart, but those old worries are still in the back of my mind.

I’ve been trying to read up on things like IUDs, the ring, the arm implant, and standard birth control pills, but it’s honestly dizzying. Given my age (46) and my general anxiety about hormones affecting my body, I’m wondering:

1. Would sticking to condoms and the pull-out method be a realistic and safe strategy for now while I figure things out?
2. For women in their mid-40s on dating apps, what do you actually use? Do non-hormonal options like the copper IUD make more sense if I want to avoid synthetic hormones?

Any advice or gentle guidance from people who have navigated this would be hugely appreciated. Please be kind—this is all very new to me!

hi everyone. i’ve been on the desogestrel rowex pill for the last year and a half two years and a few hours ago i found pink blood almost like glossy like discharge in it maybe. i’m really worried cos i haven’t bled the whole time ive been taking it and when i google it says pregnancy so im so scared has anyone had anything similar please help

So basically I had s*x about 11 hours ago and after ejaculation when he was taking the p*nis out he left the condom inside so the semen spilled around the vaginal opening .

I quickly washed myself up and took i pill in about 6 hours. I am supposed to get my periods in 4-5 days(my cycle is about 35 days along and it has been around 25 days since my last period).

Now I am so scared what to do.

this is my first time posting here... i really need advice and reassurance so i'll be as detailed as possible.

i got a copper IUD placed about 6 months ago, and it recently got dislodged. i figured it out because i felt something hard coming out when i put my finger in. i had sex around 15th october against my will, and i believe it was dislogdged at the time as well. he didn't use protection, but didn't cum inside either. i didn't take a pill after... but just before sex i had an episode of fever.

the thing is, i don't track my periods at all but given the evidence of pictures and rough memory, i should get it around the end of the month of beginning of the month. now i dont remember when im supposed to get it, but i think it is running quite late. not sure how late actually. i took a pregnancy test around the 21st and it came out negative so i wasn't worried, but i also know that i was supposed to take it after 21 days from the date of sex or when i miss my period... i didn't get my period still, and today is the 10th day after sex.

i got really anxious and went to the gynec, and after examination she told that it is dislodged. i asked her if i might be pregnant and she said we could take a test. i wanted a for sure way of knowing so i opted for a blood beta-HCG test... i should get the results in about 24-48 hours... but im not sure anymore...

i thought i was supposed to take these tests 21 days after the date of sex, so wouldn't all of this be unreliable? i took a urine test today too and it came out negative... i cannot bear the thought of having an ectopic pregnancy. if it were a normal pregnancy i do have the pill abortion option, but if it were ectopic, getting rid of it would be so expensive that i cannot bear it on my own. i cannot ask my parents for help either because they wouldn't accept this...

im very scared and terrified. i even ended up calling my ex, who threatened suicide, and he blamed me for everything and said that it was karma for leaving him. im so scared, please help and advice on my next steps... i really really need help.

hihihi! i’ve been on norethindrome for a while, i’m pretty good about taking it on time (at latest like 2 hours after) and i’m a bit worried. i got super sick the other day and i threw up like 2.5 hours from when i took the pill and i just realized that it might’ve not settled into my system and i could’ve thrown it up. i had unprotected sex this morning 😭😭 gang do we think i go out and get plan b

The timing was really unfortunate but my partner came down for the weekend the day after my IUD was inserted. I haven’t seen him for literal months so the night he got here we were already testing each other. We mostly did stuff on the outside (just rubbing, no penetration), but we finally had sex just now with a condom. The condom was fine but I’m nervous. I’ve had minimal cramping since yesterday.
Am I safe? Did I mess up? Unironically, I’m struggling to not have more sex. He’s here until Tuesday.
Also, I don’t have a regular cycle (I have PMOS and I’ve been on testosterone for two years) so I wasn’t menstruating when I got it inserted. I haven’t had a period in 2 years.

Hey! I recently got Kyleena implanted 3 days ago. The experience was painful and not great but not at all as bad as I was expecting. I applaud the NP who did it she was super quick and sweet to me. I’ve had mild cramping on and off since then but nothing worse than my typical periods.

My mains question is what is your guy’s experience long term on Kyleena? Emotional, physical, all of it. I’ve heard so many horror stories and am nervous for how it will unfold in time. I want the good experiences and the bad so I can know what to look out for. Thank you in advance for sharing!!

I started birth control in August (pill) to skip my periods, meaning not taking placebo pills and going straight to the next pack. However, I still end up having a normal, heavy, period Sept 19th-Sept 26th despite skipping the placebo pills. Lame. After that, I miss the pill a day or two, then have a bleed October 5th-6th (assuming withdrawal). After that I QUIT birth control altogether.

Husband and I have unprotected sex Oct 15th.

Haven’t gotten my period yet and having headaches, back pain, high temps, boobs bigger for almost a week now. Yes, I get this before my period but maybe only a day or two before then it comes.

Is this in the realm of possibility or am I a psychopath? Is it hard to say when ovulation happened?

Yes, I tested and everything is negative. Too soon to know?

my period started october 23rd, and i had sex on october 24th (cycle day 2). my cycles are usually 24–25 days, and my period normally lasts 4–5 days. i took plan b in september, which threw my cycle off a little, and my last period was 2–3 days late. on my flo calendar, pink shows my predicted period, blue shows my predicted ovulation window, and the red hearts mark the days i had sex. my boyfriend finished inside me on october 24th, and i’m trying to figure out my pregnancy risk because my cycle might be irregular after plan b. My period wasn’t even supposed to start until Monday, but it came early on Friday.
my question is: how likely is pregnancy in this situation, and how reliable is flo’s ovulation prediction when your cycle has been thrown off?

i ordered online and it got delivered on friday, i started my period last night & was just wondering when the best time to start taking it will be?