Got my Kyleena removed today after 3 months, had too many side effects. Had a constant fishy smell and periods smelt like hot, rotting garbage - if you did a blind smell test of my period and a bin left in the sun for days, you’d have a hard time knowing which was which. Never had a problem with smell before, never even had BV. Made BC redundant, was too embarrassed to have anyone near me (or maybe more effective?). The smell then happened when I ovulated and it was the last straw. Had full STI and BV tests, all negative, nothing stuck on the strings either.

Found a post on here with the same issue and full of comments relating, including a nurse who does smear tests and was told to expect bad smells from anyone with an IUD! Then the nurse that removed mine today also confirmed it, some people do just have a constant smell with an IUD.

So if you have one and have noticed the same, it’s a thing and you’re not crazy, or if you’re considering one then you need to know it’s a possibility in terms of informed consent!

So my girlfriend and I have been together for about 7 years since we were 17 and she's been on birth control this whole time. She's recently stopped birth control because she doesn't like how it affects her, and I absolutely support her decision for whatever she feels is right for her body. However we both hate condoms, she doesn't like the feeling of them and neither do I. She doesn't want hormonal based birth control. We've been trying to figure out what method is best for us, even when she was on BC I've always pulled out because we didn't even want to risk it, I'm thinking condoms are our only full proof method but the first time we had sex she insisted I take it off cause she didn't like how it felt, I too was not a fan but I'm an even bigger fan of not having a kid lol. I'm fully aware of vasectomies as well,but we haven't ruled out not having kids for our whole life, and although they can be reversible I've heard don't get them if you're not 100% you don't want kids. We've looked at spermicidal lube and pulling out but I've heard that messes with the PH and I don't want to mess with her downstairs that way either. So are condoms basically our only option?

started the combined pill 2 weeks ago first week was horrible with irritability and crying .. last few days have been better but today was pretty horrible again. Have any of you experienced this ? Does it go away over time ?

Hello, I took the pill for the first time last Sept. 3, I had intercourse Sept 2.

For reference I'm 18, my boyfriend's condom broke and although he didn't even finish instead, we decided the pill was the safest thing we could do. My period lasted from Aug 26-30.

Now, I sincerely don't know what's normal and what isn't when on the pill, my best friend, god bless her, guided us throughout the entire thing, however I can't simply base my experience and her's since of course, we're different people.

Going back, this is a timeline of my experience.

No vomiting, nausea, or anything, I feel fine

Sept 4: Very light spotting
Sept 5-6: Nothing
Sept 7: Spotting
Sept 8: A light(?) bleed w/ mild abdominal cramping and mild breast tenderness

I had known that spotting was normal, but looking things up on my own, light bleeding with clots apparently isn't? Is it really possible for me to start another period when mine had just ended days ago?

I'm so sorry if I'm another one of those posts that are uninformed and could learn answers with a quick Google Search; I'm genuinely unsure which of the things I see online are true or not. I wasn't taught proper sex education that involves side effects and what to expect when using the morning-after pill, nor do I have a gynecologist.

I've been worried all week because I don't want this to turn out for the worst. I'm terrified of pregnancy since my country is one of those that deem abortion illegal. I hope this doesn't take the turn I'm not ready for.

I am in a relationship with my first boyfriend. We just hit our 6months together mark.

We have recently started having sex. So far it’s just been a handful of times. Every time we have used condoms so far.

I was expecting the first time we did it to be somewhat weird or unpleasant but then get better from there. I was just always told the first time kinda hurts.

After the fourth time doing it I am still sore the next day from it. My boyfriend says the sex felt good which is why I didn’t think we needed to use lube.

I talked with a few people from Reddit about this dryness problem and my boyfriend and a lot of people are saying the condoms could be causing it. He has been asking to go without them and we have been together for 6months now, so it’s something I / we are considering.

I am not currently on birth control or have an IUD. I am trying to consider options I have heard both can have bad side effects. Also, which one starts working the fastest?

my OB prescribed me althea pills for my irregular periods and it’s my 4th month na. i didn’t ask about this pero do they also work as contraceptives?

or my different types ng althea na non-contraceptive and contraceptive? thank u!

So, i had sex with a guy about ten days ago and his condom broke and he ejaculated inside me. About two hours after that, he bought me a morning after pill and i took it immediately. When that happened, i was on the fifth day of my period starting and the blood had already subsided.
Now, about a week after i started slightly bleeding again, got period like cramps and some light blood diluted with other clear bodily fluids. that stopped and yesterday i bled again but this time full on and it stopped today.
I know its a stupid question to ask but i have a lot of pregnancy paranoia and im new to sex and birth control.
im under 155lbs as well.
Am i in the clear?

so things were getting a little hot and heavy and he put it in without a condom (he’s been wanting to for a little bit now) i’ve only ever had sex with him and made sure we used a condom until last night because i’m so scared of getting pregnant. but he was adamant that it feels so much better without one (now that i’ve experienced it i do agree but not the point), i’m not on birth control because i had no need for it when i wasn’t having sex(i know this is both stupid and risky) i’m not ovulating and he didn’t finish inside me, is there still a chance i could be pregnant? i’m super paranoid about this because i am new to having sex and obviously not on birth control yet.

sorry if this is all over the place but any perspectives/ advice would be appreciated!

As the title suggests, does this happen? Maybe I’m just over thinking all this. I just started BC no more than a week ago, and I can’t tell if it’s just me or the BC. But I have been feeling more off since starting it than normal. Is this normal? Is this the beginning transition before I feel better?

My doctor told me to take it for 3 months, and will be going back around that mark to check in and see how I’m feeling. And overall I just feel really lost on all this.

Hello.

My sister just messaged me that she had 2 microdoses (.20) of tirzepatide (i am not sure what brand) and she just knew that it lessens the effect of birth controls so she’s planning to stop and she’s worrying so much right now.

Is she still in the clear? I think she had sex within the doses…

So I started the OPill about 48 hours ago and took my 3rd pill a couple mins ago as of writing this! Woohoo! So far I have had no side effects, so I am very happy about that and I hope it stays that way.

When will it be safe to have sex without a condom/have my boyfriend finish inside of me? It says on the box to wait 48 hours but I want to be as safe as possible.

I'm nervous because I've never been on birth control before and I want to be extra safe. Would it be okay for us to use the pull out method now that I've been on OPill for 48 hours? lmao thanks guys!

did the mirena iud stop your period?

I’ve been taking combined OCP for three months. During these three months, my periods have been extremely light. Last month, the bleeding was a little heavier, and this month I started bleeding on the second day of taking the placebo pills. I had normal cramps, and on the first day, the bleeding was relatively good, although it was still much lighter than my usual periods.

Since last night, the cramps have stopped, and now that I’m on the second day, my bleeding has become extremely light. The blood is dark red, brown, and sometimes almost black. Yesterday, I also passed one or two small clots.

I’m worried that this could be implantation bleeding. My last intercourse was on day 5 of my previous period, and I used a condom as well. As far as I could tell, the condom did not break. I also took my combined OCP every day without missing any pills. At most, I may have taken them one or two hours earlier or later than usual.

I took a urine pregnancy test 21 days after intercourse. It wasn’t first-morning urine, but I had not drunk any water for about six hours , and the test was negative.

Is it possible that I could still be pregnant with this type of bleeding? Do I need to have a blood test, or would that be unnecessary?

I also have another question. Since starting the OCP, my vaginal discharge has increased significantly. However, around the middle of my cycle, I still get discharge that looks similar to the type I used to have around ovulation. I no longer experience the ovulation pain I used to have, though. I also get cramps about three to four days before I finish taking the active pills.

Could these symptoms mean that my birth control pills are not working properly?

I always take my pills without missing any, and I have also checked possible drug interactions with my gynecologist. I currently take sertraline, olanzapine, lamotrigine, AHCC, and a multivitamin.

Does anyone here track their cycle and be intimate accordingly? I got off the nexaplanon about 10 days ago and I’m thankful!

My partner and i obviously still want to be intimate but I don’t want any birth control. Is there a way I can naturally track it to avoid my most fertile days ?

I’m having a hard time finding a birth control method that works well for me, and I’d love to hear other people’s experiences/recommendations.
I was on different birth control pills for a few years before switching to the Paragard IUD. Unfortunately, Paragard gave me absolutely awful periods, so I eventually had it removed.
After that, I got the Kyleena IUD, which I actually really liked overall. I didn’t get periods with it, and I loved the convenience of not having to think about birth control. However, I experienced pretty significant weight gain while I had it, as well as stomach issues that felt similar to acid reflux. I can’t say for sure that Kyleena caused either of these things, but they were enough that I decided to have it removed.
I had Kyleena removed about 5.5 weeks ago, and now I’m ready to try something new. I’m open to another IUD because I really like the convenience and effectiveness of them, but I’m also considering going back to the pill.
One big factor for me is that I’m emetophobic, so the possibility of nausea as a side effect is a pretty major concern when choosing a method.
For anyone who has had similar experiences with Paragard/Kyleena, what birth control ended up working well for you? Especially interested in experiences with different hormonal IUDs or pills that didn’t cause much nausea, weight gain, or stomach issues.

I’ve been bc pills since I was 18 I believe and I’m 26 now. I’ve specifically been on Slynd progestin only pills for about 2 years now. I’ve been fine on them and throughout my pill years, I’ve had usual side effects but never been pregnant. I work a lot, super busy and my memory is terrible nowadays so I got the Liletta IUD inserted on 9/31 to be safer. I never want kids and have 2 dogs that are my babies. I have still been taking my pills as my doctor told me I could take them for a week after insertion until the IUD is effective. I still have 2 months worth of pills left and am just not completely convinced/comfortable with relying solely on the IUD just yet. Would it be okay to stay on them for my mental sake, extra safety, and help with controlling the spotting. I’ve still been spotting occasionally but the iud insertion was not a great experience so I believe my body is still healing. Thank you in advance.

Hey guys! This is my first time ever being on the pill. My OB-GYN prescribed me Loryna, which is drospirenone 3 mg / ethinyl estradiol 0.02 mg, because of my PCOS and also explained that I need to protect my uterine lining since I don’t ovulate or get regular periods.

My biggest issue with PCOS has always been nonstop spotting/bleeding. I basically bleed almost every single day and have to wear a pad constantly because I don’t ovulate and don’t really get normal periods.

My OB told me the birth control should help regulate everything and eventually stop the constant bleeding. At first, everything actually seemed okay, and I thought maybe it was working.

Then I got to the last week of my first pack and everything went downhill. I started bleeding REALLY heavily. I’m talking maxi pads, way more bleeding than the spotting I was dealing with before, and it honestly feels like a full-blown heavy period. I’ve also been dealing with headaches, diarrhea, and just feeling like absolute shit.

I’m starting my next pack, but at this point I’m frustrated because I feel like the birth control is causing me more problems than I had before taking it. I went on it specifically because I wanted the bleeding to STOP, not become heavier.

Has anyone else taken Loryna, especially for PCOS or irregular bleeding? Did you bleed heavily during your first pack? Did it eventually regulate after the second or third pack, or did you have to switch birth controls?

I know everyone’s body reacts differently, but I’d really love to hear other people’s experiences because right now I’m seriously questioning whether I can keep taking this.

Might sound disgusting, but I need some sort of advice. So I take a combined pill, and after 30 minutes of taking the 18th pill of my pack, I had diarrhea which was a bit watery and loose, then an hour and a half later I had loose stool without any water. The day after I had sex with my boyfriend just to find out later on in the day that diarrhea can reduce the efficacy of the pill. Im considering taking a plan b rn, a day has passed since then. What do I do?

I’ve been skipping the placebo pills (Yaz) for months for pmdd and has helped so much except I’ve noticed I have now have heavy bleeding at least 2x a week. And it’s pretty heavy. Should I stop taking for a little and have a withdraw bleed? Anyone else experience this?

I am just coming off the Depo shot however I wanted to express that I believe the Depo has done something to where I can’t process or handle my alcohol anymore. I’ve never had any issues drinking before and then all of a sudden when I get the shot, I progressively develop an allergy like symptom when I drink. It could be one shot and then thirty minutes to an hour later my skin is forming these little red rashes and I get a painful pins and needle feeling. I also feel like I would be burning up on the inside.

I’m not sure if anyone else can relate or have had any issues with being able to drink when on birth control or maybe this could just be a me issue.

But I know that I do not want to be on birth control anymore and it sucks that the shot will be in my system for a bit longer before it actually clears. I want to test my theory and try to drink again when I know for sure the Depo is gone.

Also, I’ve never had this issue before but I was bleeding or spotting the entirety of the Depo use…I plan on getting seen soon though because it is off to me. I haven’t had a day where I wasn’t bleeding.

I was taking birth control for about 2 years, and I got insane anxiety and started feeling not like myself, so I decided to stop in April.

I’ve always had fine hair that never grew past my collarbone, but while I was on BC, my hair got thicker and grew more than ever. I know hair fallout is a side effect of getting off the pill, but it’s been 5 months and I’ve lost so much hair… I’m truly shocked I even have hair on my head.

Any tips or suggestions on how to slow the hair loss or any products that can help thicken/grow my hair? is this normal?

Anyone has ever bled for weeks even if it was months after taking plan b? Previously, I’d bleed for 3 days a week after taking it & then the bleeding stops and it was light. Then it would come back again a week later for 2-3 days and disappear. I stopped having the bleeding for 2-3 weeks, and it came back but this time it looks like a normal flow and i even had tenderness. It’s been almost 2 weeks if i include the light bleeding , but 10 days if i don’t count the light bleeding.

I went to doctor and she talked with me about birth control or either waiting it out. Has anyone experienced this? I’m scared. I don’t have any pain of any sort just the bleeding .

started taking a combination pill about 2 and a half months ago. i’ve taken it regularly/at the same time every day. i experienced a bit of spotting/breakthrough bleeding in the first weeks weeks but nothing too intense. i was able to skip my most recent period, but ever since i skipped that period i’ve been experiencing breakthrough bleeding more than it was previously. it was originally dark brown and today i noticed some of it was pink when i wiped. it’s to the point where i have to wipe 4-5 times to get all of the ‘blood’ gone. i’m not sure if this is just my body getting used to the bc since i’ve only been on it about 2 months now, or if i should give myself a break and have a withdrawal bleed? any advice welcome!

I’m on Ashlyna (levonorgestrel/ethinyl estradiol extended-cycle birth control). I’ve taken **11 consecutive weeks (77 days) of the blue active pills** and have one week of blue pills left before the 7 yellow ethinyl estradiol pills.
I’ve been having breakthrough bleeding that has now turned into pretty significant bleeding with extremely painful period-like cramps.
My question is simple: **Can I skip the remaining 7 blue pills, start the 7 yellow pills tomorrow, and then start a new Ashlyna pack after finishing the yellow pills?**
I’m specifically NOT asking about taking a 3–4 day hormone-free break. I want to know whether moving the scheduled yellow week forward by one week after already taking 77 consecutive active pills is safe and whether it would compromise contraceptive protection.

Restarted combo pill 8 days ago, used to take this pill for 6 years and stopped for 10 months, but now am restarting. Had lots of side effects the first 5 days but they’ve settled, the only thing I’m still noticing is bloating, light cramping and gas. Wondering from others experience when I should expect this to subside? I never had any symptoms when I started this pill the first time.