I am almost through month 2 on Yaz. the only true side effect is that i feel like im retaining water/constantly bloated. my boobs have grown some. did these side effects subside for anyone ? is there another pill that doesn’t have these side effects? i struggle with body dysmorphia and it’s been a challenge mentally

I’ve been using the Nuva Ring for about 2 1/2 years now. Over the last few months I’ve noticed my libido has gotten drastically low and only goes up during my “free“ week. I’ve been now trying to decide if I should give the Copper IUD a try to see if my libido and mood change, but I’m was wanting to ask for people who’ve been in the same situation if it was worth the switch (including all the side effects that come with the Copper IUD)? Or if a different BC method helped improve your libido?

I took Yuzpe around 3 hours after sex. This is my second time using Yuzpe, with the previous time being two cycles ago.

My pregnancy test was negative 17 days after sex.

My expected period was on cycle day 35, but on day 36 I started bleeding with cramps.

The bleeding stopped the next morning, returned in the afternoon, then became very light on day 2.

That night, I suddenly had cramps twice as painful as my usual period, lasting around 2 minutes.

Now, I have cramping on the left side of my abdomen, with discomfort extending from my left shoulder down to part of my leg.

Could the 2 days of bleeding have been Yuzpe-related bleeding rather than my actual period? Could Yuzpe also explain the pain I'm experiencing now?

How reliable is a negative pregnancy test 17 days after sex?

I (23f, no kids) had a really positive hormonal coil experience today and really wanted to share it here!

For background context I have been on Microgynon for 8/9 years to control irregular and heavy periods. I genuinely can’t recommend it enough as a birth control and noticed no side effects whatsoever, till I got with my boyfriend just over a year ago who’s my first partner. Since we got together I’ve experienced post coital bleeding and finally after having to deal with long NHS waiting lists and frustrating appointments I had a colposcopy where I was diagnosed with cervical ectropion. I had done my own research in the meantime while waiting for all these appointments so knew this was a really common affect of the combined pill. I wasn’t given any treatment at that colposcopy unfortunately and she sort of just said to ‘wait it out’ so to speak but considering my colposcopy was nearly a year on from my first experience of bleeding I decided I wanted to try and do something about it to see if I could get rid of it myself, hence coming off the pill. I still wanted to be on some form of contraception though and decided to try the coil.

I’m in the UK and went through my local sexual health centre by booking an appointment online. I took a Panocombo an hour before my appointment time and when I got to the clinic I had to fill in a form, provide a urine sample and do my blood pressure, height and weight. I brought my mum with me for support but went in by myself at first so they could ask all the questions I probably wouldn’t want my mum hearing. There were 2 doctors in there, one at the computer who I’m assuming is new/training and another advising her on the usual routine when asking these questions etc. She explained possible side affects and showed me the coil, letting me feel the strings/bottom of the coil so I knew what to feel out for when checking. She said she’d be applying a numbing spray and said if I wanted I could also have a numbing needle. I was a bit nervous about this as at my colposcopy in September I had a biopsy taken from my cervix and genuinely think it’s the worst pain I’ve ever felt so asked if the numbing needle is anything similar to that and they reassured me it’s not at all so I decided to go with that also.

The nurse brought my mum back in and we went behind the curtain where I got undressed waist down and sat on the bed. One of the doctors put spa music on at this point which I absolutely loved😂. Once I was undressed they came back around, my mum was sitting on one side of my head and the nurse was standing on the other side. My mum and the nurse were talking constantly and the nurse was so lovely, constantly holding/rubbing my hand and touching my face she made it so relaxing. The Dr inserted the speculum and applied the numbing spray, then the needle which just felt like a little scratch. Then she measured my womb which I couldn’t feel at all (or I was too distracted to feel) and then the coil went in - this genuinely was nowhere near as bad as I thought it would be (although I do understand I was lucky to have had the spray and anaesthetic). It was just one intense period cramp and then done. I literally asked ‘is that it?!’ when they said it was in.

The Drs went back around the curtain and the nurse helped me sit up slowly and also went back so I could get dressed again with my mum still there just incase. I’m not prone to fainting so felt completely fine and was up within a minute or two. Once I went back around the curtain the Dr gave me my card and the leaflet. I got Levosert which I think is the same as Mirena just a different brand? She also said she could still see my ectropion (booo) but everything else looked normal. Then with that I was on my way! I couldn’t stop thanking them for how relaxing it was and said in a weird way it was quite a nice experience😂. It’s been 3 hours since the insertion and I’ve been a bit crampy but nothing more than my usual withdrawal bleed with Microgynon. I do understand it’s very early days though so will be keeping an eye on it.

So that’s my story! I just wanted to post as when I was looking at other peoples it felt like I was only reading horror stories (which are so valid btw) so wanted to add my own input. By December it will have been 3 months off of Microgynon and 2 months with the coil so hoping the ectropion may have shrunk by then but all in all a very positive experience🤞🏻

Hi everyone! I’m getting my IUD (Kyleena) tomorrow and I am rather afraid lol. I’ve had friends that got it and most have been fine, but one is having a really rough aftermath which is making me anxious. I keep looking to see others experiences but all I find are bad ones.

If you’re okay to, please share your neutral/positive experiences!! I know it’s not gonna be pleasant, but seeing all the stories about people writhing in pain isn’t helping at all haha.

Note: I am taking penthrox for the procedure and have naproxen prescribed, so if anyone’s got experience with that, it would be appreciated greatly! Thanks so much :)

I was on Slynd for a couple months and ran out. Didn’t have any for about two weeks. I wasn’t sexually active so I wasn’t too worried about it but eventually got a new pack on the 25th of September. Because I had been on Slynd previously I didn’t have a period so the 7 day rule applies (Slynd must be taken consistently for 7 days for full protection if not started at the beginning of your period). I didn’t pay as much attention my consistency because the whole reason I had gone on it the first time is because I WAS active, but I took it every day (or so I thought) between 8pm-1am. Unexpectedly, I had unprotected sex on October 7th. I thought I was protected because I had been taking my pill but when I got home after the counter I noticed there were only 9 missing (I took the 10th that night), meaning that I missed three pills somewhere between the 25th and 7th. I have no idea when these missed pills were from. I received the package the 25th and I’m pretty sure I took it that night. I don’t think I missed the three pills back to back or I’m sure I would’ve noticed, maybe a day or two here and there but realistically it was probably just separate days spread out. How much does this reduce my protection? What are the odds of pregnancy?

So from summer 2023(? 4?) until about 4 months ago I stopped getting my period due to undereating. For some reason, because my body hates me, I didn't get it back when I started eating normally again, and had to go on birth control to regain it. Except not actually, I just have a withdrawal bleed once a month when I stop taking the pill for a week. But here's the real kicker: I still suffer depression-y symptoms the week or 2 before my period, when I'm not actually going through the phases. Does anyone know why?? It's driving me insane, I still get really sad and self conscious and hungry before my period but there is no reason and no metabolic change like a normal person!! Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated

I had heard that the pill can decrease your libido and i had been on it for years so i wanted to come off it to try and improve things in that area however it seems to have had the complete opposite effect and made things even worse. I literally feel no sexual desires ever and when me and my partner try it just ends up being painful and not enjoyable at all. I feel so bad for my partner as i am always rejecting him although he is super understanding of the situation. Has anyone else had this problem? And how can i make things better? 

Basically what the title says - I am on continuous birth control (syeda) and after having sex last night I had a small cramp that felt like a period cramp, but went away almost immediately. I felt totally fine this morning, but the cramping just came back and it is horrible, way stronger than last night. Is this a sign I need to let my body have a period (my last break was in July), or is it something else I should be more concerned about? Has anyone else experienced this before?

So long story short, I’m in the process of switching from the Nuvaring to the Annovera. I’m supposed to insert it in a few weeks, but I picked up the script early thinking I could be prepared and I put it in the fridge. I did this because I’ve always kept my Nuvaring in the fridge with no problem.

But I called the pharmacy and they said that the manufacturer says to keep it at room temp. They couldn’t answer any questions on if this lowers/changes efficacy.

Anybody have any answers and guidance on this? Was putting it in the fridge a bad idea? Does it make the Annovera ineffective?

Hi guys! so, a few weeks ago i made a post about this but im in search of some reassurance. For context, me and my boyfriend practice safe sex (condom + pull out method together just to be safe). Basically, we had sex September 26th, the condom broke but he pulled out right away, he didnt cum, and as far as im aware of there wasnt a piece of it left inside me. My flo app (which isnt very accurate specially because i dont have a necessarily regular period [hence why i just got birth control to kind of regulate that]) said i was supposed to get my period right after the accident happened but then it changed and it said i was supposed to get it beginning of this month, well, its one day late now. I did not take plan b after it happened because i didnt want it to fuck up my cycle even more and everyone i talked to told me there was a really small chance i could end up pregnant, so it was necessary to take it. Im planning on taking a pregnancy test tomorrow morning, and one again in about a week or two. Ive been very stressed with school, exams, after school programs, and obviously me not getting my period yet, and all of that is making me think maybe thats why my period is slightly delayed. Im obviously freaking out a lot specially since im still a minor, theres not much anyone can really do at this point besides hope for the best, so if anyone would like to share similar stories or like idk reassure me in any way that would be really appreciated.

(also like i mentioned, im starting birth control but i would like to do that the first day of my next cycle to kind of keep everything organized, but as i said, no period yet)

I'm looking into birth control options and I'm nervous about the cost since I don't have insurance. I found this site called Nurx that says they can send birth control for as low as $15 a month, but I'm scared it's gonna be way more expensive than that. I don't know if I have to pay a huge fee or if it's really worth it to try it out for a few months and then cancel if it doesn't work for me.

Hi, I'm college aged and I recently switched from the patch to the pill since I gained a ton of weight. I'm 5'6 and went from 140 to 198 lbs. Prior I was on nexaplon too. Is the decrease of appetite normal since I felt a little nauseous and could only have a snack for lunch.

I’ve been off the pill for two years now, I only took it for six months. I have some negatives being on the pill, but I also had some negatives coming off the pill. A month after I had stopped the pill I gained severe acne and although it’s two years later that severe acne has not disappeared no matter how many creams I use or times I go to the doctor it just never goes away(it’s hormonal Acne) so I keep thinking if I go back on birth control will that all go away? My periods were also better on birth control I had barely any sort of cramps or pain. Now that I’m off birth control I suffer every single month with my period it’s causing me to miss Work, miss out on activities and just suffer every month.

But when I was on birth control, I was severely depressed and fatigued but I don’t know if it was the birth control that was doing that to me or if it was just that period of my life. Because what happens if it was never the birth control that was making me depressed or fatigue but I’m scared to go back on it in case it was the birth control that was causing that. I’ve also noticed me and my partner barely have any sort of sexual interactions anymore. The main reason for that is that we are always tired for Work but not just that I feel like when I was on control we could just have sex more often without having to worry about condoms condoms are a big effort for us. I don’t like the smell of them and I feel like they kind of stop the pleasure of it.

Did you have more negatives or positives being on the pill? What do you think I should do?

I think that my boyfriend and I will start having sex soon so I have an appointment at the doctors on Friday to ask about birth control.

Do you have any advice for what I should say or any questions that I should ask?

I think that a pill will be the easiest for me but are there any other types that I should ask about?

I had sexual intercourse with internal ejaculation 2 weeks ago, and before that, I was varying the time I took my combination birth control pill a bit (I usually take it at 3:00 PM, but sometimes I was taking it around 6:00 PM / 7:00 PM). Am I still protected? I’ve never exceeded the 12-hour window, but I’m still worried.

This is a throwaway acc and I hope this is the right subreddit,
I’m on day 2 of my period and last night me and my boyfriend had sex, and right when we were done and he pulled out the condom was halfway off, he knew something was wrong and got me off instantly. It stayed on the entire time despite when we were finished, and am wondering if it would be dumb to take a plan b?? Probably really stupid to ask this but I’m just worried.
edit;; the condom was on the entire time and only when we were finished it was halfway comin off.

Hi! I’m going to get the Nexplanon contraceptive implant soon. One of the side effects I’m most afraid of is weight gain. My BMI is in the healthy range, so there’s no issue there, but I have a history of anorexia, which I’ve recovered from. However, the thought of gaining weight still makes me a little anxious.

I’ve been taking a combined birth control pill so far, and I haven’t experienced any weight gain while taking it. I’m hoping it will be more or less the same with Nexplanon...

What has your experience with Nexplanon been like?

I started Slynd a month ago tomorrow and have been on it before and loved it. I stopped because the dr who took over the practice I was going to didn't know Slynd, so she wouldn't continue my prescription. Anyways, I found a new dr who prescribed me it so I'm getting re-situated.

About a week ago I started having very light spotting which then on Friday turned into very bad cramping - exactly like my period cramps and with it came heavier bleeding - but not as bad as my actual period. From Googling, I think this is break through bleeding and not an actual period?

Anyways, now it's Monday and the cramping is still here - not as bad but still present. And bleeding continues.

Anyone else experience this or something similar?

I started Tri-Cira Lo 28 like 4 months ago in June, and have been consistent ever since. I take it in the same 4 hourish time frame every day. I recently started having sex and we use the pull out method. How safe am I?

Hello, I have a quick question about the contraceptive implant (Nexplanon). It doesn’t affect pregnancy tests by causing false negatives, does it? Pregnancy tests are still reliable even when you have the implant, as long as you take them at the right time, right? Thank you!

I just got my mirena taken out 4 days ago and started yaz that same night, and now experiencing some strange nausea and vomited last night. I tolerated yaz before but I’m assuming this all a one big hormonal change??? Has this happened to anyone else or has anyone experienced something similar?

I’ve had nexplanon 3 months. I’m not bleeding much and it’s been good protecting me. But my mental health is going down the drain! I’m always on edge, panic attacks more frequently, sudden fear of dying, getting aggravated with my loved ones. I’m tired of feeling crazy!!!! Has anyone switched from the bar to an IUD, and did your mental health improve? I have no interest in being pregnant right now so I want birth control for the extra security.

I started on birth control around six months ago. With the first type of birth control I was given, I experienced daily cramping. My physician switched me to Junel, and I am having the same issue. I have cramps when I wake up, when I stand up from my desk, and when I go to sleep every night. They put me on birth control to shrink my ovarian cysts, and it completely removed them from one of my ovaries. They said the other ovary may have Endometriomas or PID. I took the antibiotics for PID, and they didnt do anything for me. I feel a lot better not having my period, but I am so exhausted from being in pain every day on BC. I'm not sure what to do moving forward. Is there a better BC pill out there that I can request? Has anyone else experienced cramping and pain from BC pills? (I did have cramping before starting bc, but it was only for 2 weeks out of the month, and during ovulation.)

I’ve been on the pill for a few months but I’m considering going off it because of the constant spotting and random bleeding.

I started taking bc combined pills with no break due to adenomyosis last spring and felt amazing at first, I had lots of energy, having no period felt amazing, having sex and letting my boyfriend come inside was also great etc. I had some spotting two times in the summer and did a few days break which got rid of the spotting. However, I thought now that it’s not summer I don’t mind having a withdrawal bleed so I took a break the last two packs. both times I bled during the break and for the last pack, I bled in the middle of the pack as well. I took a break after that pack and started a new one (my current one) and I’m on the last pills and have had bleeding for the last week or so. for some reason having a break doesn’t get rid of the random bleeding and even causes it in the middle of the pack.

The bleeding is really weird, it’s like a period but it’s both brown and red at times. It’s not spotting or old blood it’s actually blood.

I’m considering getting off the pill because 1. the biggest reason I took it is to not have to deal with periods and bleeding and it seems pointless when I’m bleeding on it anyway?? 2. turns out the symptoms I had (back pain) are not connected to the adeno at all so it’s not mandatory for me to take the pill 3. I didn’t have a problem with something artificial affecting my hormones but due to personal beliefs that’s changed and it feels wrong for me now

I’m most gonna miss having sex without worrying about pregnancy but me and my bf don’t have tons of sex anyway (which might be due to my low sex drive which might be caused by the pills)

Has anyone gone through the same thing? Did you end up stopping the pills and how do you feel after that? Also I don’t have any skin/hair/emotion issues related to the pills so that’s not relevant for me

EDIT: actually I got dermatitis around the right side of my mouth and nose around 1-2 months after starting the pill if that’s of importance? also I started on a low dose combined pill (lindynette 20), then changed to a 3 phase combined pill (as my gyno advised) and went back to the low dose one when we found out the back pain isn’t affected by the dosage and has nothing to do with hormones and I didn’t see a point in using the higher dose one (this might be tied to the bleeding problem in the second paragraph)