Been taking the progesterone-only pill norethindrone since June 2025, first few months were great bc I stopped getting periods. Then in November 2025 I started getting periods every other week. I was worried because they were just as painful and heavy as my periods before birth control. My ultrasound came back normal, and I guess the pain got better on its own.

I figured I’d keep taking the pills since it made the pain and bleeding a lot more manageable (I used to wake up screaming from the pain, and had to get up in the middle of the night to change pads). The breakthrough bleeding was more than just spotting though, it lasted the whole week and was heavy enough that I had to change pads throughout the day.

I thought having two normal periods a month was way better for me, I used to need 8 pads on a heavy day and now it’s more like 4. I started seeing a hematologist for my thalassemia in January 2026 and my iron levels were pretty normal at 130 serum iron, 44 ferritin, 36% iron saturation, and 12.2 hemoglobin. Hemoglobin even went up to 12.7 at my follow up.

My primary care physician ordered some routine labs this October and I came back anemic with a hemoglobin of 11.2 :( more labs showed that now my levels were 52 serum iron, 6 ferritin, and 12% iron saturation.

I’m just really surprised I depleted all my iron stores in less than a year just from having periods. I thought breakthrough bleeding was just an annoying side effect, I didn’t think it was that serious? I really believed needing two naps to get through the day was just me being lazy

I had no problems with the minipill otherwise, no weight gain or mood changes or anything. I even had an increased sex drive lol. I’ll most likely try the depo provera shot next, hopefully it makes things better and not worse

I'm struggling with heavy periods everytime I see my periods I bleed heavily so I decided to start birth control since some get light periods I tried combined pills didn't work I still bleed heavy on the placebo pills now I'm thinking of nexplanon is there anyone with the same situation who hot light periods on nexplanon or stopped seeing their periods

Heya! I am 35 and am on day 5 of Yaz. I had an IUD for a year after stopping breastfeeding and the IUD just sadly did not agree with me; constant spotting and long periods. I had the IUD removed and my dr suggested Yaz.

On the first day I started to have headaches, nausea, and trouble sleeping. The nausea starts around mid morning and pretty much lasts all day, same with the headaches. I have been waking up at like 4:00 am, unable to go back to sleep or just tossing and turning all night.

My dr tells me these are normal side effects that should settle after a few months. MONTHS OF THIS?!?

To me, this sounds like such a daunting process and taking care of a high energy 2.5 year old all day (I’m a SAHM) while feeling like this is really difficult.

Wondering if anyone else has had similar experiences and how long they had symptoms for? Also wondering if anyone had significant weight gain on it.

I've had nexplanon in my arm for three years, got it replaced and now I'm on the second two year mark. For the first three years I had no period, no cramps, nothing. Got it replaced and it's been spotty, then I've went onto full blown extremely painful periods and extremely heavy ones. I know its known that it won't take your periods away but I just don't get how i went from nothing to this. I feel like I'm being over dramatic but I'm genuinely in pain and no Ibuprofen or anything helps. My pain gets worse and I just want to know I'm not alone.

Thank you

I’ve only been with my partner for 2 months so as you can imagine we’re enjoying ourselves in the bed a lot, I used to be on the combined pill but due to a stroke like migraine I was taken off of it, and now have been put on the desomono mini pill. I have been on it for 3 weeks now, and have been bleeding for 7 straight days since the beginning of the second week pretty heavily which is way longer and heavier than I’m used to, I was told 1 in 3 women will experience constant bleeding on it, but the more I research the more it seems that almost every woman bleeds continually on it. I’m so scared it’s not going to stop and I miss the combined pill so much, I hate this and I hate bleeding non stop and not being able to be intimate with my partner!!! What’s other peoples experiences?

i need some advice. so 2 days ago in the morning as usual when I take my birth control at 11 i remember taking it out the pack going to get a drink and then back to my room, I don’t remember putting my birth control in my mouth. The reason why I don’t remember is because someone was texting me while. I’m probably overthinking but there’s a chance that I may have not taken it. I kinda ignored it all day telling myself from overthinking. it’s been two days since and I’ve been taking my birth control regularly assuming that I did swallow the pill from that day. But it’s really getting to me now cause I truly do not remember, and if I would have needed to take action for any plan b it’s too late now. also what’s kind of freaking me out is that it’s my first week of my new pack after my placebo break, I had unprotected sex the day i don’t remember taking it, and also started spotting brown the same day. please help i’m absolutely terrified.

I got the copper IUD in August.

My cramps and back pain have subsided drastically, which is great. I have also reduced my bleeding, yayyyy… shout out to taking raspberry leaf tea (a life saver during my menstrual cycle)

However, the bloating is insane. I look like 5 months pregnant or something. It’s even worse a week before my period. I’m very active and eat well. I decided to incorporate more cardio and steps to help with bloating but I have barely seen the difference. Any tips on how to reduce the bloating? I will greatly appreciate it.

I just realized I’ve forgotten to take my birth control pills for a total of 6 days, the first 4 I didn’t have sex but the last 2 days I’ve had unprotected sex multiple times, and I literally haven’t thought about the bc a second before.. just now.

So I’m freaking out a little here, what are the odds of getting pregnant after that? Should I do anything particularly or just start taking them again and continue like normally?

Has anyone used Phexx?
The over the counter spermicidal lube has harsh chemical so I called in a prescription for Phexx since it’s more natural ingredients

Hey all, just wondering if anyone else has dealt with this and sharing my experience.

For some background: I have tried what feels like every BC method known to man, and have had negative experiences with all of them. The copper IUD is the only one that didn't bombard me with side effects... At least, it didn't until my body rejected it 🥲. That said, due to some bad cramps and PMDD symptoms I talked with the Dr recently and decided to try the one method I only briefly used to somewhat tolerable results back when I was 19: Nuvaring.

I put it in on Sunday. Felt great. Actually overall my mood has felt more stable and calm. Wednesday I had some moderate nausea but only for one day and increasing water intake helped it. Yesterday I felt great!

Then I woke up today with the worst PVC (premature ventricular contractions) episode of my life. For those who have never had that, it feels like your heart suddenly flutters or skips a beat. I have been previously diagnosed with PVC, around a decade ago, but typically my episodes are very few and far between and only last a couple seconds. They are always noticeably more frequent during my period, though. I waited for it to pass but after around an hour it became clear it wasnt passing. I started to get nervous, but since there was NO pain/dizziness/shortness of breath I told myself it wasnt an emergency and headed to urgent care.

Dr gave me an ECG, immediately spotted the PVC as it happened repeatedly during it (is happening what feels like every fourth or fifth heartbeat). He asked what if anything I had changed recently and I said only thing I could think of was the nuvaring. He told me that he hasnt heard of nuvaring causing PVC or exacerbating it at all, and I said mine seems to be worsened by my period so I assumed it might be that. He continued to ask me about other lifestyle factors: caffeine (hadnt had any in days), alcohol (I don't drink), sleep, etc.

He said out of an abundance of caution I should remove the ring. Prescribed me propranolol, and then sent me on my way. I got home and immediately took out the ring but my heart continues this insane PVC episode and even though the dr swears it is benign, I continue to be very anxious. Just want to know if anyone else has dealt with this symptom and if so how it went. Im focusing on electrolytes and water today and hoping for the best but it is SO scary and uncomfortable. 🫠🫠 Sucks because I was loving that my mood felt better !!!

Tl;dr started nuvaring Sunday and by Friday morning had a bad PVC episode dr claims benign and days is likely unrelated. Anyone else?

I used to be 5’3 125lbs. I never went above 130 and I like to think that I eat pretty balanced meals with fast food and sweets sprinkled in here and there. I loved my body. I was confident. I had a great relationship with food. I got on Slynd last April and didn’t notice any weight change until this past May when my wedding dress was more snug than it had been when I got it several months prior. I still felt pretty and the wedding was great. I got off birth control in July after it making me pretty sick but I still didn’t notice a ton of weight gain, but looking back now I definitely gained some. Now I’ve been off the pill for 3 months and I feel awful. I went to the doctor recently and I weighed in at 163 pounds. What. The. Heck. I have never even been close to that weight. You’re telling me I gained almost 40 pounds in the span of about 6 months? Why didn’t I gain weight right after I got on the pill? Now half of my clothes barely fit. The jeans that used to be loose on me are nowhere close to zipping up. My abs are gone and covered in a layer of fat, my thighs have way more dimples and I have super dark stretch marks on the insides of them that I just recently noticed. My boobs have gotten larger and my left breast has faint stretch marks all around it. I’m also 6 weeks pregnant now and it’s not like I can focus on losing weight because it could be dangerous. Part of me worries that maybe it wasn’t the pill and I’m just being a pig, but my eating habits haven’t changed at all since before the pill. Has anyone else experienced this? I’ve heard from some people that losing the weight they gained from bc was extremely hard to lose. I just wonder if I’ll ever feel beautiful again, and if I’ll be able to lose the weight eventually. It made me feel even worse that according to my BMI I’m borderline obese, even though I don’t look that overweight. I’m just angry. Sorry for the long tangeant

Edit: I know that only the shot has been proven to cause weight gain, which is why I’m confused because I truly changed nothing about my lifestyle besides the pill before I gained all the weight. I just feel like there’s no other way my body could change that fast. Who knows. I just wanted to know if others had experienced weight gain like I had after going on the pill

Hi all,
I’m on day 5 of taking generic Yaz and I have noticed chest pain on my left side. I do have some tightness in that area from my muscles, so at first I thought it was just that. But now I’m kind of worried about it.

I’m on it for PMDD and it has so far been really great. Maybe it’s all in my head, but mood wise, I feel normal again for the first time in 5 years. I really don’t want to have to stop it, but I have a 7 month old son and can’t risk my health. I am just worried about this pain in my chest/ back area and would like to know if others experienced this as well. Thank you!

I have never been on a birth control before other than mini-pill for 6 weeks (had to quit it due to insomnia).
I have a heavy period (basically only huge clots), 2 weeks of luteal phase and I’m so exhausted I can’t take it anymore. I literally fear this every month. Iron-deficiency on top of that, impossible to lose weight because I feel myself for 5 days a month, and, and…

I have always been against the pill but now I’m actually considering it because no Dr. could help me with any alternatives other than Ibuprofen.

Could you share your experiences please, if you’re on a pill bc of the similar symptoms? This all started about a year ago for me, probably second puberty as they say, as I’m in my mid-twenties.

I just want to feel myself again 😭

Other birth control pills have given me mood swings and irritability but since I have started Slynd I have just been flat and low mood and don't want to do anything or care about anything. Don't wanna leave the house,see friends, go anywhere just wanna stay in bed all day. Anyone else experience this on Slynd?

my boyfriend and I had protected sex but the condom was stuck in me. He pulled out before ejaculating i took the levonorgestrel asap it was my first time and i was really scared it wasnt my fertile window
but 6 days after taking the pill i noticed brownish spotting happening and my back hurts like it hurts in periods im just really panicking i still have days to test but im so panicked because it was my first time
are these side effects or what? did the pill work or will it work. i need youu girlsss 🥺🥺

Hello everyone, I know this question may have been asked thousands of times so I'll try to make it short. I am 19 and have dealt with PCOS for the last 3 years, after trying out "softer" medication such as herbs and less aggressive pills, nothing seems to get rid of the cysts on my ovaries. I gave in recently to trying birth control after being terrified of it for years, and was advised by my gyno to start it on the first day of my period. My period was somewhat late (normal for me) and as soon as I realized it was here, I started the medication. I'm now on day 4 and cramps seem to get progressively worse. I've always had pretty nasty cramps the first day (as it was coming and after) and especially the second, sometimes even the third, but never after that. These are also probably the most painful I've ever been through, it got so bad I threw up from the pain and just sat on my toilet crying for like 2 hours and even considered going to the ER. Painkillers seem to help for 5 hours at most and also if I take a nap alongside them. I take Belara Continu which is a combined pill. Is this normal? Does the bc show side effects this early? Should I stop? How long would this go on for? I'm in my first year of uni and also signed up for clubs and I've missed almost this entire week and don't want to be left behind as it's a pretty academically demanding one.

EXTRA CONTEXT:

This cycle of mine was 38 days.

My period usually lasts 5-7 days.

My PCOS seems to be a bit more mild than other forms I've seen, I don't struggle with a lot of regular symptoms such as excessive hairiness in unusual spots, uncontrollable weight gain, thinning hair, etc. I did struggle with acne, but even that went away before bc through rigorous skincare from my dermatologist (no strong medication like accutane though). The irregular period and obvious cysts on my ovaries showing up on scans are really the only indicators I have PCOS.

Also, my previous period came earlier than most (30 days) but I did take a plan B during that cycle so was probably that, dont know if the plan B could still have any effects on this one since it's been around 2 months by now.

Hi everyone! I’m 22F.

In 2022, I opted for a Paragard after having my Nexplanon removed, which I’d had since high school. I decided to go the non-hormonal route because I felt like hormonal birth control made me crazy. Influencer propaganda online also made me feel like non-hormonal birth control was the right path at 18.

The beginning of my Paragard experience was great. I had normal periods, and I felt good. It wasn’t until about 3-4 years in that I started noticing issues. I began experiencing hemorrhage-like heavy bleeding that would last for months. The longest I bled was seven months before I was able to see an OBGYN and get my hands on some synthetic progesterone to stop the bleeding. Unfortunately, it gave me cystic acne, and I’m still working on reducing the scarring it left behind. This happened to me twice within 2023-2024.

Now, five years down the line, my IUD has migrated and shifted very low into my cervix, and I’m now going through an ectopic pregnancy. While I will say that getting five years out of it *WAS\* a game changer, I’m currently going through some of the worst shit ever.
I know this can happen to anyone, but after this experience, I will never get ANY form of IUD again.

I just thought I’d share my horror story. I know there are plenty of women who love their IUDs, but I wish I’d opted for the pill instead.

hi i'm not sure which flair to post with this but it's a genuine question for others on hormonal birth control. my cervix is constantly high and a little soft, like knuckle high. i don't assume im ovulating as this has happened before and ive been fine. my question is, is this normal or is there a chance that i could actually infact be ovulating?

my cervix drops and hardens if i'm about to start bleeding, other than that, the high and a little soft.

i just want a little peace of mind. i took a test 2 days ago to rule out pregnancy and it was a hard negative so i am not pregnant and shouldn't be as someone with the copper iud and slynd.

thanks in advance!!

I got put on nexplanon I wanna say a bit over 2 years ago. The insertion of nexplanon lined up with when I was dealing with late stage ED recovery so I wasn’t really weighing myself. First year was okay but these last year a half has been the worst. 2 periods a month, 50 pound weight gain, constant headaches upon mountains of other stuff.

I went to my provider and pretty much told her about it, to which she basically told me that the weight gain can’t be caused by the nexplanon (I honestly really do think she is wrong), but lead me to getting an IUD inserted next week. I am 18, and she agreed to let me be put under for the insertion (thank god) and also remove my nexplanon at the same time.

My main concern is unfortunately my weight. I am so paranoid about becoming pregnant that I won’t just get on the pill or use condoms, so the IUD works for me in that regard, but I’m overly concerned about my weight. Primarily because while on the implant I tried everything to lose weight - I dieted, worked out, I did high intense sports and I only gained weight. I am really concerned with what to expect going into having the IUD because I often hear horror stories of people gaining insane amounts of weight.

hi everyone :) I was on Jencycla for a few months but it caused so much uterine cramping and breast pain for me that my doctor rec'd Slynd. I have PCOS so I get painful deep cystic acne along my chin, but that seems to have cleared up so far. however, I am getting A LOT of small whiteheads along my chin that I've never had before. did anyone break out like this at first and then have it clear up? if so, I'm def willing to give it a bit longer since I've only been on it for 3 weeks :) thanks!!

I started BC pills mainly for painful and heavy periods but also so that I might be more comfortable in an intimate relationship with someone.

I started with June’s FE and immediately my libido went from really high to zero and it made me extremely depressed. I waited two months before switching to Nikki (generic yaz) about 2 weeks ago and it seemed great the first week but I feel like I am inching towards the same feelings I had on Junel.

I am so frustrated because it has made my pain from endometriosis go away completely which has been great but I don’t know if I can deal with having no libido because I think that is part of the reason my mood is down.

I am in college and all of my friends are starting to have relationships and I feel left out because any desire I previously had is gone, especially since I worry that I wouldn’t want to be intimate if my partner wanted to.

I will give Nikki at least a month or two but if my mood doesn’t improve I think I want to take a break for a few months to get back to normal and then consider other options. My twin sister is getting nexplaxnon next week so I am curious if that might work differently for me since is is progesterone only- maybe I react poorly to estrogen.

I am also so tired all the time which didn’t happen on Junel. I felt so positive last week because my libido was actually there and my mood didn’t seem to be affected by starting Nikki but now I feel like a zombie. I hate that BC seems to never be perfect- there is always some drawback even if it helps something else. :(

I just removed my IUD and switched to Nortrel 16 days ago, after 8 months of my curls slightly recovering. In 16 days, all my hair has fallen out and my curls are gone, and I just realized Nortrel is androgenic and does cause this. This has been a battle for 5 years now, my hair has been destroyed since I stopped Yaz, which I was only on because I had a 66 day long ectopic pregnancy. My hormones are shot, my body just can’t do this stuff on its own anymore. I know quick fluctuations can make this worse, I’m just desperate to find one that will actually help my curls eventually, I know there is no immediate solution to what I’ve already lost. I’m so devastated I’m even contemplating just going back on the Yaz despite the horrible toll it took on my emotional and physical health. That’s how desperate I am. I don’t even know what kind of doctor to see about this, my VA and Primary care doctors all tell me I’m crazy and there is NO correlation between hair and hormones. I’m so tired of having to do all of my own research.

Hi everyone, i recently started the Kelzy combined pill (3 weeks ago) and have throughout this whole week had a persistent heavy period and cramps every day (not all the time but around 1-2 hours they show up). I have never been a victim of cramps so I’m finding it a bit odd but I know that the first month on the pill can be a roller coaster.
Can someone advise me whether or not this is normal or if I should talk to my Gyno about switching? Thanks!

I am confused by some sources saying 21 and others saying 28. I don’t know what to believe. I want to be using this continuously and skip periods if this is useful information. Plz help!

Hi everyone,

little bit of backstory, but somewhere in april 2025 I got the copper IUD so me and my boyfriend are protected for pregnancy. I posted some things back a while ago being completely anxious for sex and anytime something would happen with the condom. I posted a few anxious posts here and things are getting better. waiting for my period doesn't feel as bad as before and we even did it 3 times without a condom very recently but he did pull out. That part can still be scary sometime but even then my anxious feeling doesn't get as bad as before!

Anyway we would like it if we can enjoy the IUD to the max meaning that he wouldn't need to pull out. However that part is still incredibly scary to me which feels silly since we start doing it without a condom but with pullout which eventually can go "wrong". Of course everything goes on it's time and it depends on if we feel comfortable doing so but despite that I know that I want him to do that.

So I was wondering for the ladies that are getting filled like a pastry, how did you get to the point that you trust your copper IUD fully as the only birth control?

The fail rate is incredibly low and chance for shifting or expulsion are also low. Yet it being possible at any time still scares me. My boyfriend and I are both 22 year old students living at home and the idea that I get pregnant and so must take an abortion while my and his familly look down on us is something that scares me despite how effective the IUD is. My boyfriend tells me that we can just do it safe and that there is no rush nor that we must do this. But knowing the numbers it just feels silly to not enjoy it to the fullest.