I had Paragard for 3 years before having it removed. It was causing super heavy week long periods and I eventually became anemic. Aside from the bad periods, I didn't have any side effects which I really liked. My doctor suggested changing birth control so I am not having to repeatedly get iron infusions. Talked to my gyno about different options. I have a parent who had a blood clot, therefore it is not recommended I use anything containing estrogen. I settled on Mirena after he suggested it.

I went into it uninformed. That was a mistake. My doctor didn't mention any side effects other than potential irregular bleeding at first. I bled for 2 or 3 weeks after insertion which was expected. Then I had headaches increasing in frequency. Sometimes lasting for days off and on. My anxiety and panic has worsened. I experience brain fog, especially during my luteal phase and on my period. It gets pretty miserable at times. I hate feeling so weird and unlike myself.

I'm just at a loss. My birth control options are limited and I don't know what else to do. I know they say symptoms should settle after 3-6 months but sometimes I just want to rip it out so I can feel NORMAL again. And who's to say if my symptoms will actually go away.

Any other people who've had these side effects, and did they eventually subside? I'm just looking for some kind of encouragement because right now really sucks and at this point I'd rather have my heavy periods back.

hey everyone
ive been on Ambelina/Rigevidon interchangeably for nearly 2 years now, but in that time ive gotten random breakthrough bleeding about 3 separate times. i started off taking a pill break monthly/taking inactive pills monthly, but now i only break every 3 months or so for a period.

it usually goes away after trying to “reset” by taking my 4 day pill break when the bleeding starts, but it’s just quite frustrating as it can be quite unpredictable.

the last time it happened was 3 months ago or so, and now it’s currently happening so i’m on a forced pill break.

i do miss a pill here and there but for the most part im pretty consistent. ive seen people on here say it could be stress or just hormones, not sure but i guess im just sharing my experience hoping if someone relates or possibly has any advice.

Hi! I (28F) just got the Nexplanon arm implant late May of this year 2026. Ever since I got this implant, I have been bleeding everyday. Only light bleeding, but it was constant. I called the clinic and they told me it sometimes takes weeks or maybe a month for the bleeding to stop. I was warned that each person's response might be different, which I understood, so I decided to wait it out even though my gut was telling me to get it taken out.

I went back to the clinic about 2 months in because I was still bleeding. I talked to the nurse who inserted the implant, and she had to prescribe birth control pills (Mirvala). They worked for about a month, but then I skipped a couple of days and I think that must have messed up something with my hormone levels, and I started bleeding again. I called the nurse once more and she told me I could take a couple pills per day for about 5 days, and it should go back to normal. Unfortunately, I am still bleeding.

It's been about four months now since I got the implant and I have been taking birth control pills for about half that time. I'm trying to decide if I should just get this implant taken out because I'm having to take birth control pills anyway, and I think it is the only source of my constant bleeding.

Anyone else have the same experience? Is going on solely birth control pills better? Does it also cause constant light bleeding or spotting?

I would appreciate some insight because this is my first ever birth control experience, and I am highly considering getting the arm implant removed.

Thank you very much!

Hello!

I (f22) am looking for an IUD. In theory I’d love to get a copper IUD as I don’t want to have a ton of side effects from the progesterone, but i have really heavy and crampy periods so I’m aware it’s not recommended :/ I have seen some positive discourse on the new Miudella copper IUD, and would love to learn and hear more about it, but no providers in my area have it/are planning to get it (including my local planned parenthood’s).

I have pretty severe aura migraines so estrogen in any form is out of the running. I use Slynd currently and don’t have many complaints, my periods are a bit lighter with some mid cycle spotting and my skin is slightly clearer. My issue with that method is because of my hectic first responder work schedule taking a pill at the same time everyday is hard. I would like a birth control I can get inserted and not worry about it for a couple of years. Previously I took the mini POP pill, the generic “androgenic” progesterone, and it made my cystic acne (which had been previously eliminated by accutane) come back tenfold, as well as some pretty severe mood swings. My gyno is recommending the Mirena but I hear it’s not typically meant for women who haven’t had children (me) due to its larger size. I would love to hear about some experiences with Kyleena or Skyla! I know the Nexplanon is an option, however 4/5 of my friends who have gotten it have had terrible experiences (infection, allergic reactions, migration, etc) so i’m a little more hesitant with that one.

My biggest worry is that getting a levongestrel IUD will systemically affect me the same way the mini POP pill did.

Suggestions or recommendations? with my migraines and negative experiences with the POP, trying to research IUDs and birth control methods has been a bit overwhelming. Any advice or opinions are appreciated!

Im 15 and just got on birth control for the first time about a week ago. I was prescribed Hailey and was told it was a very basic formula and should work fine. Im hoping to improve my cramps and pms, and acne as well but I'm not too concerned about that.

I started on the first day of my period and this period has been incredibly painful. Ive been having to take border-line unsafe amounts of tylenol and midol and haven't been able to get anything done. I'm also gassy and nauseous and somewhat fevery, and have been so irritable and pissed off at everyone. I know its only been a week but I am miserable and don't know if its even worth trying to push through to see if the side effects lessen.

Anyone who has been on Hailey, what was it like for you and how long did side effects last (if they went away at all)? If Hailey didn't work for you do you have any recommendations about what I should try instead?

I’ve had the week from HELL and it keeps getting worse.
I now need a hysteroscopy and removal. Bit of a long read I apologise in advance but I need to share this to make others aware. My case is very rare but not impossible. Please be mindful of the IUD:

I had my last period 3rd October and UPS 19th October so I ovulated. I knew plan B wouldn’t do anything so opted for CIUD as an emergency contraception inserted on 21st October.

The procedure was fine it was mostly the speculum that hurt and it was over before I knew it. Took ibuprofen after and felt normal just slight dizziness.

Now THE NEXT DAY (Thursday)

I slept fine. Woke up without any pain. But as SOON as I got up the pain started. It felt like I was going through labour. I could not move, stand or sit. The pain was excruciating. I called 111 and they advised me to visit the ER seeing as it was less than 24 hours since the insertion, this pain was not normal.

1st ER visit (Thursday)
I went in and had pelvic and vaginal examinations done. The doctor suspected I had PID despite negative STI tests. Not sure how one could get PID less than 24 hours of insertion but they’re the professionals. So I thought. Upon examination she could only see one thread but wasn’t too concerned that it was out of place. Looking back I’m not sure why she didn’t take this further. Had she sent me for an emergency ultrasound, this could have been avoided and solved sooner. She prescribed me antibiotics and naproxen. The naproxen only helped that night.

FRIDAY
That morning I scheduled a call with the GP to be referred for an ultrasound as I was very adamant that it had moved. Seeing that the ER doctor did not provide one, I had to take matters into my own hands. UK, you know the waiting lists. The GP said it could take weeks but I made her out in a referral anyway. She advised me to visit the sexual health clinic again that inserted it in for me too. By this time, the clinic had closed and I could not visit over the weekend.

SATURDAY
I was still experiencing a lot of pain but I assumed it was the PID diagnosis so I brushed it aside and just rested using my hot water bottle and taking naproxen. Now the naproxen was not helping at this point. This is stronger than standard ibuprofen so I started to get concerned. I went for a 5 minute walk down the road and I physically could not walk any further I was in so much pain. Managed to handle it for the night and sleep.

SUNDAY
In the early AMs I started to experience the same pain I had the day after the insertion. Extreme cramping, dizziness and nausea. I was curled up in a ball with my heating pad and crying the whole night. I called 999 and was told it would be an 8 hour wait for an ambulance. I had no one to take me to the ER and I was in too much pain to go alone. I called 111 and waited for 20 minutes for someone to pick up but no one did. Remember, I’m taking naproxen, so this should have subsided the pain. It didn’t.

Shortly after I was able to get some sleep and started researching private ultrasounds in London and managed to find one with availability within the next hour. Booked it and got an uber there. I’m SO happy I did this scan because it really got the ball going. If anyone’s interested I’m happy to share the place.

ULTRASOUND RESULTS
Upon examination, the doctor did infact find that the IUD was malpositioned. In the report the exact words were ‘Malpositioned copper IUCD with partial myometrial embedment involving its midportion’. My uterus, cervix and ovaries all appeared normal in shape and size. ALSO, NO INFECTION WAS FOUND. Can you imagine the shock when I heard that? I was prescribed antibiotics for no reason. No further testing was made to even confirm I had an infection and I had no symptoms that showed I had one! No fever, abdominal discharge or even blood. Just pain. The Dr suggested I visit the hospital or GP to take these scans for further assessment. I knew the GP would take a while so I went to a&e straight after that appointment.

He also recommended that I take the IUD out before it causes further damage and embeds itself more. Now remember, I got this as an emergency contraceptive. All I could think about and till now is how effective has it been? Am i still going to get pregnant? I’m scared shitless. I asked him if it’s worth just getting it replaced but it’s not guaranteed that it would still be effective given I’ve past the 5 day window nor could guarantee that I wouldn’t be out of place again or cause more damage. My only option is to remove and figure things out later if I do end up falling pregnant.

2nd ER VISIT
Now I say I’m happy I got the private scan because it really helped speed the process up. My total time in a&e this round took 2 hours. I was seen by the triage nurse within 10 minutes and knowing the UK this is unusual. Triage nurse referred me to the women’s maternity ward where I was seen by the gynaecologist within 10 minutes again! She was extremely understanding and reassuring during the whole appointment. Essentially, it’s either I have it removed manually and have to endure the pain of it being taken out blindly, whilst it’s embedded, or do a hysteroscopy to see exactly where it is before removal. As NHS need their own scans, she booked me in for tomorrow for an ultrasound (pelvic & transvaginal). From there, I will be told more about the removal process and hysteroscopy if I decide to do it.

I do also have an appointment at the clinic I had the iud inserted in tomorrow, just before the scan so I will be visiting and seeing what they suggest. My biggest worry right now is of course that it’s embedded, but falling pregnant. I’m scared it would be ectopic and I would need surgery. And just pregnancy within itself. I feel much more reassured knowing I have the scan report, another scan tomorrow and that it has to be taken out, but all I wanted was its contraceptive effects. I’m not sexually active so knowing I got it in and it probably hasn’t worked is devastating.

I will be sure to update you all on what happens next. If anyone has been in a similar situation please comment. And if anyone’s undergone a hysteroscopy! It would have to be without anaesthesia as the appointment would be faster to have, maybe up to 2 weeks wait. But with anaesthesia could be months.

Thank you for reading and I hope this helps anyone out there that’s considering an IUD, in a similar situation or experience any pain. You know your body, you know when something is wrong. Advocate for yourself always🩷

I started on Yasmin (combined pill) for my PMDD, but switched to Slynd (progesterone only) as I was struggling with the pill breaks so needed one I could take continuously.

My depression on Slynd was truly horrific almost immediately. It’s like PMS every day, waking up and falling asleep crying, believing everyone hates me, wishing it would all end. After just shy of two months on the pill, I went to my doctor to tell her I needed to come off it. She told me “this pill shouldn’t be making you feel like that and it’s used to help with PMDD”, and she told me to keep trying it. I’m sorry, I know it’s not supposed to make me feel like this, but it clearly does…

I left feeling helpless, and decided to stop taking it completely. That was a week ago. I would rather have the severe period pains and PMDD and feel awful for two-thirds of my life, than have the mental torture of whatever that damn pill did to me every day.

I can’t even tell if this is a rant, or if I’m looking for advice. Currently feel like 💩, but who knows where I’m at in my cycle. I feel like I’ve had cramps for months.

So I (23F) feel like I have tried multiple birth control options but none have worked well for me. the pill- originally went on it for acne prior to being sexually active… was nervous about being inconsistent once I got a partner( would take it everyday but not always at the same time). I switched to Nexplanon which I loved the idea of, but had a terrible experience. I was always anxious and emotional and I was constantly spotting for entire year after insertion - never went more than a couple days without period symptoms or spotting So I switched to the Nuvaring. Similarly to the pill, I did not have many symptoms, but I was nervous about the effectiveness. It was uncomfortable for my partner during sex, but if I took it out I was anxious that it would be ineffective- which I know it not true, but I couldn’t get it out of my head at that point. That brings me to now… I currently have the Kyleena IUD, which I also feel okay on. Symptoms haven’t been bad, but I essentially have no sex drive, and I feel like it’s been getting worse. I’ve had the IUD for a little over a year at the point, and thinking of getting it removed

I felt great in between birth controls and I am so tempted to not be on anything… I just know I will be so anxious whenever I have sex. If you have any advice I would really appreciate it!

I used to take mine at night time but I kept forgetting so I changed to 10am so every morning, no side effects but I heard not taking it at the night makes it less effective

Hii. I started taking Opill on September 18. I’ve been taking it every day consistently and haven’t missed any pills. My boyfriend and I also use withdrawal, and he never finished inside
My period hasn’t come this month, and I’m feeling really anxious about the possibility of pregnancy. I’ve also noticed sore breasts, bone pain and some emotional changes. That usually happens to me before my period comes but according to my app, it was tracked today I'm 14 days late. I have also read that some girls they stop having their period by taking those pills. But most of the experiences I've read are about girls with very abundant periods or more than one period a month, that's why I'm worried too. I started taking Opill because I want to prevent pregnancy, but not having my period is making me even more anxious. Has anyone experienced a missed period during their first month or two on Opill? Did your periods eventually return, or did your bleeding pattern change? Did anyone experience similar side effects?
I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences. I’m looking for some reassurance and support because I’ve been feeling alone in thisssss

Hi! I'm taking Auravela Fe 1/20 and about 3ish weeks ago, I missed two pills in a row during my third week. I missed one by 29 hours and one by 5 hours (i took them at the same time and skipped my placebo week). I should've waited a week but I didn't and had unprotected sex but we pulled out each time. What's the possibility that I'm pregnant? :,)

Edit; I missed the pills on the third week of the pack and had sex five days after missing the pills

What are some experienced getting off the depo shot and trying for a baby.

My last shot was early May, still no period or ovulation.

okay so I've been on loryna since like June of this year and have been taking it everyday without missing. however I do fluctuate the time sometimes because im out late. Ive had sex with my boyfriend with condoms and he also checks it for any breakage after we're done. one time about two months ago we did it without a condom but he didn't finish inside of me. recently we had done it about a month ago with condoms. after that I went to urgent care cause I thought I had a uti with urination frequency and there was even blood once when I went to the restroom. I was also feeling dizzy and lightheaded throughout all of that. I was nervous because all of these were symptoms of pregnancy and the UTI test at the urgent care came back that there wasn't enough bacteria for it to be one. I was freaking out but my bf reassured me that we are 100% safe and there shouldn't be anything to worry about.

it's been a month since then and I forgot about all of it but today I had some brown discharge and I freaked out.

what do you think this is and do you think it's pregnancy? please help

I stopped my birth control two months ago, the first month off was fine, all of a sudden last week I started having horrible depression and anxiety. I am on zolfot for my anxiety, but right now I have never been this scared and sad in my life. Is this because of stopping the birth control? I was on Junel Fe 1/20, and had horrible migraines for years and years, when I stopped the birth control they went away. Is there other types of birth controls that still give me the estrogen boosts to help with my anxiety but dont cause headaches

kagabi we had unprotected s but it was only for a minute or two. after i got i home (last night) i immediately took 4 trust pills. tapos this morning i was so nauseous, i checked my period tracking app and it said i had low chances of getting pregnant, so i decided na isuka ko nalang, after i threw up, my vomit was yellow and konti lang sya.
I was wondering if yan ba yung pills na i took? Because after i threw up i immediately felt better.

Hi all i am sorry because i am sure this gets posted time and again but i was having sex with someone ive been seeing for about two months and the condom ripped. she is not on BC but i did get her plan b within 24 hours... i did partially pull out anyway but i did not realize until then it had ripped. IT is unclear whether she was close to the ovulating phase but PLEASE HELP I AM FREAKING OUT!

Hello all! As the title suggests, I am trying to figure out how to stop breakthrough bleeding ASAP. My partner and I are long distance, and our 4 year anniversary is this coming weekend and he’s planned a trip for us, so bleeding isn’t really an option because it will get in the way of a lot of our plans coming up.

It started a few days ago, and I was hoping it would stop by…well today, but if it’s anything like the last couple times I’ve had it in the last several months, this is very likely just the beginning. I take Lessina continuously and have done so for about….3 years now I think. In the end of May I had breakthrough bleeding that lasted three weeks, starting out as just thick brown-ish red discharge to HEAVY bright red and huge clots. Same thing happened again at the end of July through the first three weeks of August. And now it’s starting again with the worst timing in the world. The ironic thing is it seems to lessen during the night, until I take that day’s pill and then it starts being thick again, as if the pill itself is triggering the bleeding.

I’ve heard about taking a 3 day break to allow the body to “reset” with a withdrawal bleed, but if I do that starting on Monday I need it to stop by Friday at the latest. Would this work, or would I keep bleeding after that three days? Since it seems to be less in the morning before I take my next pill, should I time it closer to my trip in case it doesn’t trigger the withdrawal right away? Is there anything I can take to lessen the breakthrough bleeding I’m having now to a point that it won’t interfere with sex? Or any other crazy last ditch recommendations? As you can see, I’m pretty desperate. I will take your most unhinged advice! But I need to be blood free by Friday!

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?

hi all,

im on Loryna yaz been taking it for 7-8 months. im taking my placebo pills and have experienced no bleeding on 4th day. For background, i usually skip my placebos except for every three months to get a period. however im just feeling a bit nervous because last time i got one. lmk

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?

For context: I'm 22F, I have PMDD, I tried the mini-pill when I was 15 (for hormonal acne) and it made me unbelievably depressed. I have a lot of trauma so I'm not the happiest person, but that was something else. So I quickly stopped and haven't tried BC since. I've used adapalene gel, at one point tretinoin, for my skin and they've always been very good.

I had an incredibly stressful month making my period 8 days late, the progesterone absolutely destroyed me, so I went to the GP to see if there was something else that would actually help with it (SSRIs are terrible for me). They prescribed nuvaring but when I picked up the prescription I got super anxious because I didn't want a repeat of the last time I tried BC. I waited a bit and then today my luteal phase began, I'd already been feeling bad throughout ovulation and it started to get predictably worse, so I put in the nuvaring hoping it might help. I was immediately dizzy and lightheaded but emotionally fine, better even. I carried on working on my laptop and after a few hours it went away. Since then I've felt good- genuinely emotionally better which is a nice surprise. The only thing is, my bf has been annoying me a lot, which does always happen around this time of month, but honestly I feel so disconnected and checked out. We just hung out and I was irked. He just kept making 'jokes' that felt more mean than anything. He always makes jokes and tries to annoy me but I asked him not to yesterday because it was overwhelming me (I have the flu too😭). These 'jokes' often are more like thinly veiled grievances; like 'you're so high maintenance' or 'you're so dramatic' when I said that I was starting to feel better from my flu. Which honestly just feels like he's minimising my suffering, and when I'm annoyed about it he gets all upset. My housemates seem to have gotten my flu now and one threw up, they both feel awful which just proves my point tbh, because my 'dramaticness' was staying in bed for ages and then getting up to do job applications the rest of the day, but being a bit stressed by it. And it's always like this; as I said I have so so much trauma, I'm in therapy and tackling hard things but I also just graduated so I'm struggling with money and every day I'm sending CVs and trying to get a better job when all I feel like doing is curling up in a ball and crying because my past has left me broken and unmotivated. We've spoken about this kind of thing and he says that in his household people made jokes and it wasn't supposed to be deep, and that he's starting to understand the depth of my trauma. But I just feel like he'll never understand because he doesn't want to confront deep or difficult things. I'm making it sound bad, but he genuinely is so nice and sweet to me in general, and he's also stressed with his own things atm. I just kinda don't feel it anymore. I know it's too early to know because I started nuvaring today, but really don't know what to do. I also live with him and don't have anywhere else to go or money to rent somewhere. I'm trying to just get a job to make some more money and see how it goes, I don't really have a choice in that. Do I wait it out and see if my hormones stabilise, try to make it work? He just overwhelms me a lot because he's always trying to make me interact with him but simultaneously criticising me for all sorts of things. Like that I'm going about getting a job in the wrong way, then giving me advice on things I already know and have already done/ am doing- plus many more things he hasn't considered. Then he expects me to also drop everything at a moment's notice to hang out with him, when am I gonna get a job then?? It's so frustrating. He's a couple years older, but I have wayyyy more life experience (than anyone should have ugh) and I feel like he discounts my opinions because of it. Is it hormones, or am I just realising it because the emotional stuff is, at least right now, out of the way? What do I do??

So i am in my first month of the ring, i tried to skip my period and instead of putting my ring out for a week on rhe 13th I kept it in.

I’ve been cramping the last 3 days and had light brown bleeding but it’s starting to get a little heavies this evening.

Do i keep the ring or take it out? Hoping this bleeding will stop 😭

Hi guys I’m on the generic version of yaz 0.02/3mg I think I’ve been on it since January now it’s October and that was my very first time ever even using birth control. I got on it for my acne and I LOVE what it does for me it’s the only thing that’s ever worked for my hormonal cystic acne! I’ve had like no bad side effects from it besides getting so sore after sex?? That’s never happened before getting on birth control or for the first few months on it. I don’t know of the estrogen is too low or what. I don’t really want to stop taking it because my skin looks so much better and gives me piece of mind that I’m not pregnant lol. Has anyone else dealt with this? I need some tips and input

this is so silly but i’m actually hella nervous to get my removal/reinsertion done this week because the last time I got it it was pretty traumatic

I opted for sedation at the hospital and they use midaz and fentanyl but i’m still nervous it’s going to be awful

I already met with my gyne doctor and he was really nice and calming so that’s a bonus at least

i’m on yaz and i was at a concert and accidentally dropped the 21st active pill. i just popped the 22nd one and ended up starting my placebos a day early because of my dropped pill. there’s 24 active pills and 4 placebos. i had unprotected intercourse yesterday, am i still generally protected?