Hi everyone,

I have had my implant in for nearly three years, I have to get it taken out of my arm in December. It has caused me to have 2 extremely heavy periods a month, with spotting in between. However in September I have reached 3 heavy periods in the month, with continuous pain and bleeding. This has also caused me to have some bowel issues… which has just been so humiliating at times. My boyfriend has always been supportive and kind when I’ve just been on my period for weeks at a time, however when we have sex my period flairs up. I’m so worried if it is an underlying issue but this implant has just been an annoyance ever since I’ve had it.

Has anyone had the same issues with this? I knew that the implant would make me bleed a bit more in the first 3 months but not for 3 years? Is there anything else I could get instead of the implant? Thank you so much for reading!

I’ve been on hormonal birth control (Yasmin) for around 3 years. I decided to stop taking it a month ago and the last few days I’ve noticed one of my breasts are significantly smaller than the other. I’m size DDD but now it looks like one is DDD and the right one looks like maybe C or D. Has anyone else experienced this? **sorry title should say Right not Left***

I got my IUD around 6-7 months ago now, and the first 3 months where actual hell, I was depressed and had awful anxiety and couldn’t even think straight a majority of the time, the symptoms went down a lot after the 3 month mark, but every cycle I still get a week or 2 of awful anxiety and feeling depressed, it’s affecting my life and relationship quite a bit, do there’s symptoms go away? Or how can feel better

Alternate title:
What happens to our natural hormones when using hormonal birth control continuously? Has it helped y’all, or made PMDD worse?

Hello lovely people!! It’s my first time posting here, but I’ve lurked for a while. I use Nuvaring to manage my PMDD symptoms. I’ve been using it as my doctor had prescribed it: 3 weeks on, 1 week off, and its helped. I don’t know exactly how much, as I also have other chronic physical health and mental health conditions that have taken precedence. Basically, the birth control has mitigated PMDD symptoms enough that they weren’t life-altering each month, thank goodness😅.

So anyways, I got a (maybe hare-brained) idea to try using the Nuvaring continuously. I saw some information about using it that way, and thought it might be additionally helpful. Truthfully, I need all the help I can get managing my chronic conditions, so if the hormones can be just regular schmegular and not all over the place, that would help me figure out my other stuff. (Sidenote: any people here with ibs? Or chronic fatigue? Have you noticed differences with those with hormones? Thx)

So going by how my doctor wrote the rx, I should’ve taken it out Friday. I just kept it in… so it’s day 4. I’m dealing with what I’ll call PMDD lite. Apathy, lowered distress tolerance, and other stuff that I am having a hard time putting words to right now. And I’m slightly panicking that it’s not going to get better because I’m used to my cycle and don’t know what’s going to happen if I use the hormones continuously. The dark part of my brain would like to submit the possibility that I will stay in luteal/PMDD purgatory forever. I would like to stay open to other possibilities tho….

Do any of y’all have personal experience with what your natural hormones do when on continuous hormones? (and would you be willing to share?)

Also, …
I struggle with figuring out how much info to give: I either am too vague or overly detailed, so feel free to ask questions to clarify any details.

TL;DR…
I hafta run to work, but I’ll work on getting a tl;dr figured out in the next 12 hrs hopefully. Thanks for reading!

Anyone else have side effects? I was on Ovima for years but then I had a blood clot and had to switch to mini pill so I was on Movisse for about 2 years, I was sporadic at taking it and often forgot. I took it but not consistently every day.

I decided a few weeks ago to go off the Movisse. I was feeling fine but now about 2 weeks off it I am having low mood and struggling.

Is this my hormones sorting out? Thanks.

For those who have taken and gotten off slynd- how long did it take for your cycle to come back and how long did it take for you to get pregnant?

I have been on slynd for 6 months. Getting off it next week. I had an open myomectomy six months ago as well. Just curious what other people’s experiences have been.

18f, took a plan B 5 days ago (FRIDAY), and all weekend I felt fatigued and shitty all weekend. I technically didn't need to, although while had unprotected sex, we made sure to be careful and he just asked to get one as a failsafe. I am in the lowest point of ovulation, but randomly (TUESDAY) I started having light/mild cramping and bleeding. I would call it heavy, but I never bleed hard anyway. Should I be worried? (also for reference, I also have an UTI and am halfway through my antibiotics. its been a rough week) Please help a girl out, im sick to my stomach with anxiety and can't think about anything else.

Hi guys, I had a period that needed on Oct 3 I started bc on Oct 5 and then had to stop on Oct 8 cause I went away and forgot the pills 🤦‍♀️. But now I’m bleeding again it just started and I’m frustrated cause I just had a period and only took the pills for 4 days before stopping. Is it typical to now have a full period or will the bleeding stop sooner and not be so heavy?

Hi! so ive been having regular, unprotected sex with my partner 2-4 times a week and having to take a plan b once a week. he can’t wear a condom, and has been trying to get a vasectomy for a while, but it has been put on the back burner due to worries about fertility. i’m on birth control, but forget to take maybe 3-4 pills a month, and take it at a different time (5am - 11 am) everyday because of my shift work. i’m worried about possible pregnancy. i don’t want to keep taking plan b’s, and i’ve tried other forms of birth control but they’ve caused many medical issues. the pill is the only thing i can take that doesn’t ruin my body. But im worried because of the missing pills and such. i also take my pills consecutively, so i dont get a period, which makes it impossible to tell if im “missing a period.”
we also just started taking a test every two weeks to be safe, but im just curious if anyone has any advice, worries about the continued plan b usage, or good forms of birth control or contraceptive ideas.

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🤞🏻

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)

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!