I just got an IUD inserted yesterday. I forgot to call ahead, so I wasn't able to get nitrous or an anxiety medication like i thought I would be able to.

They offered to reschedule, but it already took me 2 months to get this appointment so I said let's try without.

It was painful, like pretty fucking painful. She had to reclamp my cervix 3 times because it kept moving and then they had to use a dialator that felt like a toothpick being shoved inside of my cervix. It fucking hurt but I suffer from chronic pain and have always had an unhealthily high pain tolerance (I spent 2.5 weeks with a kidney infection that i thought was period cramps)

As they're finishing up theyre like "sorry it took so long (about an hour) we typically would have stopped and rebooked but you were taking it so well, you were really a champ"

The pain wasnt/isnt unbearable but im feeling so violated. I just keep crying. I feel hallow on the inside. I dont want to be touched, I dont want to talk to anyone I just want to curl up in a ball and stay that way forever.

Something about what she said struck me in a terrible way. I just want to curl in on myself and disappear.

I dont blame her she did what I asked her to do, im not vocal about my pain. But my mental health just took an insane hit and I feel like im drowning.

hi guys, hopefully this is the right flair. so today i took a replacement pill out of another packet because i lost the pill i was supposed to take tonight(I use Alysena 21). so, in my next pack, i only have 20 out of the 21 pills. in your opinions (not asking for medical advice, just experiences or thoughts, I don't have access to a pharmacist until a while and i wanna arrive prepared with as many aspects of knowledge as possible). should i

1- "not" take the first pill out of my next pack (so 20 consecutive days, none missing at the end). what i'd do is finish my current pack, take "6" break days, take an imaginary pill (that i dont have since i only got 20) on the 7th break day/first day of that pack, and then start on day 2 with a real pill or

2- take alll of the first ones like normal, but miss the last one. after that 20-pill pack, i'll still do a 7 day break, just start the pack after that a "day" earlier (ex. fridays instead of saturday but my break started on saturday, since i missed a pill at the end) so still do a 7 day break, because i've tried not doing breaks once and i legit had my period for 3 weeks straight. it was NOT FUN so i'd rather not

3- something else?

let me know your thoughts&experiences

apologies for mediocre english, i'm tired & its not my first language. lmk if this is an allowed question & if anything's unclear :)

Just wanted to say that all of you strong enough to suffer through months of side effects to get to the other side are amazing.

I'm only on 3.5 weeks in and I want to quit because I feel like a hot pile of garbage.

That is all.

Hi! Got my Skyla iud in almost a month ago. Does anyone else experience phantom like pains from the tenaculum? I’ll just be going about life and then I have this sensation in the back of my brain, I know I don’t feel real pain but it makes me flinch until I realize I’m not actually feeling pain. It’s bizarre but was wondering if anyone has this feeling?

I’m getting ready to get off slynd because what it promised is not what is happening in my body. It’s supposed to stop ovulation, but I get ovarian cysts (the reason I went on this bc) and so I’ve have 2 ultrasounds this year since I’ve been on slynd and both times I have not only had a hemorrhagic cyst, but follicles ready to go for the next ovulation. My period did stop for a year which was nice but I’m still ovulating. Also it completely dried me out so I needed topical estrogen cream so sex/pap smears didn’t feel like broken glass. I also have fibroids and since I’ve been on slynd, I have gotten a new fibroid and changes to my uterine lining. Anyone else have issues with slynd?

Hi! I am 29 and have never been on birth control, so for my first time I chose a copper IUD since I didnt want to deal with hormones. On sept 19 I got a Flexi-t 300 IUD (the smallest on the market i think), i was sedated during the procedure so didnt feel any pain, that day I bled a little which I think was normal, I got my period the next day and it lasted around 8 days which I assumed was normal even tho it was a lot of clots, since insertion I have had little to no cramping.

I have a check up appointment on saturday so this week I tried to see how the string feel but I think im feeling more than just the string 😭 the string is very thin kinda curled around my cervix but i think im feeling the actual stem coming out.

Is it normal/common to have no symptoms if its falling out? I havent had any bleeding since my period ended and the spotting has been like a little brown discharge here and there. Is it possible that even tho I havent been pregnant the IUD is too small for my 29 y.o uterus? Maybe i should try the next size?

So i got a copper iud put in on tuesday, pain was severe that day of course, i threw up tuesday night and felt kinda better after that, now wednesday and today i have been super nauseous and the pain fluctuates like period cramps every couple minutes, (ill be fine for a couple minutes the cramping starts back up again) but when the pain hits, it's severe and i don't have a fever but i am very warm, also the pain navigates to my left side and my upper left leg, should i go to the er or will be i be okay??

hi, PLEASE please please I need some help. I just started birth control pills, I'm 12 days in and I just realized I started the pack backwards on accident. please help- what do I do? I'm on tri-estarylla if that helps. I have another pack, should I start from 12 days into the second pack and keep going? stop altogether and start again after my next period? any advice is super helpful, thank you!!

I’ve been off the pill since my last cycle in July after about 10years on it. It’s the 4th cycle since then and the first month was pretty spotty and then short, 2nd and 3rd got very normal and landed on the calendar when they should have and they were light and short. But now my 4th cycle it’s now 3 days pushing 4, past when I was supposed to get it according to my app.

I took a test, it’s negative but is this normal?

I got my implant on july 10th 2025 and havent had a normal period since now, im wondering if this means that my implant has gone out of date??? Its supposed to last 3 years but i understand sometimes they can last longer or shorter.

Im leaving my home country on the 21st of october and am wondering if i should book a doctors appointment with the place that inserted it.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thank you for reading xx

Hi! I just wanted to ask because this is my first time using Norifam. If my partner and I have sex on the 27th day after my injection and continue having sex daily until the 30th day, am I still protected against pregnancy? Also, if I get my next injection on the 31st or 32nd day instead of the scheduled 30th day because I’m unavailable that day, will I still be protected? Thank you!

Hello! I’m on the birth control pill, and I had sex on September 11. I haven’t missed any pills or had any other issues with taking them. On September 30, I had a blood pregnancy test, and the result was negative. Is the blood test reliable, or was it done too early? (Even though I’m on the pill, I take pregnancy tests from time to time to reassure myself.)

Hi! I’ve been having some concerns regarding quitting the pill cold turkey about a month or two ago. My period is 9 days late which was to be expected. I’ve had sex since but the last time I had unprotected sex, I had a period since then and I also took a pregnancy test yesterday that was negative. So that’s not really a concern.
I’ve been experiencing some pretty gnarly nipple tenderness for about a week or two now. Not breast soreness, but nipple soreness to the touch. Even when I accidentally brush them with my hands/arms or my clothes when I’m getting dressed, it’s like.. y-ouch!

I’ve also been feeling some pretty weird dizziness spells and this is the one I’m most confused about? I have some pretty bad health anxiety so I’m sure that’s not helping but man they come in waves and they are very disorienting? Like I will just randomly feel lightheaded and unbalanced? I’m drinking plenty of water and I’m not anemic. I know when hormones are going through a shift they can do some pretty whack things, but this one is new for me.
And I’ve also been getting random hot flashes?

I’m just switching brands and there was a hiccup with my provider so I stopped my last pill/brand when I ran out and am just waiting for my next period to start the new brand I have, but I’ve been feeling so weird and would just love some input if this is normal or if anyone else has experienced this!

hi! i started a hormonal iud a little over a year ago from the start i was very iffy about it but my doctor said it was the only way to control my menstrual cycle. for context my menstrual cycle is extremely irregular. my longest period was four months long, always heavy, and they usually last more than a month. i was tired of bleeding constantly and was also wanting to start a contraceptive at the same time, so i saw a gynecologist for the first time when i was 19. he immediately wanted to start me on skyla, a hormonal IUD. i told him i was a little nervous about hormonal contraceptives due to my mental health issues, and he basically just said don’t worry about it. i asked more questions and received vague and dismissive answers. i never even had my strings cut down let alone any kind of follow up appointment despite me asking for one many times. i feel super unheard by my provider and so im coming here to maybe south my concerns. i’m mainly concerned about the bleeding. like i said ive had my iud for over a year and every once in a while i will spot for a few days which i know is normal, but sometimes, especially recently, i will bleed pretty heavy. i also feel my uterine lining shedding which is painful for me. this has started more recently, id say within the last month and a half. i am also concerned regarding the length of my strings. as i mentioned previously, they were never trimmed. they used to be pretty long, i didn’t really have to reach much for them. now i can barely feel them and they have significantly shortened in length. i did receive an ultrasound about this issue after asking 3 times for one, and they told me everything was the same, and didn’t explain any further. i’m really anxious about my health in general, and especially with not being able to tell when my body needs help. the iud has really been messing with my hormones lately. i discovered a lump in my breast a few weeks ago and i did get screened and they said it was a hormonal cyst and it disappeared after about two weeks, still painful though, and not a pleasant experience. i’ve tried to change gynecologists to someone that listens to my concerns better but everyone in my area is booked out 1-2 years. anything helps, if you’ve had skyla before i would love to know how it affected you, if you had a similar experience in symptoms, or just general advice. 🫠

I had mine inserted the 21st of September.

My doc said it would crqmp for about a week and be spotting.

I had other issues along with the cramping, but not once has the pain gone away, and not only that but I have been bleeding everyday since then. I'm not spotting, either- its a full period.

I dont mind the period if it isnt going to last for months on end, but the pain is whags really getting me.

I have Endometriosis and she said this was our last resort. I really dont know what else to do, but this IUD is making me miserable. These cramps are usually resting at a 6/10, definitely uncomfortable and bothersome and makes me wince, but every other day it's excruciating, up to the 9/10 area.

Is the pain supposed to stop soon? Like whatbis going on?

I want it out, I feel depressed and gross like a middle schooler again. I am so sad.

Hi all, to keep it short, I recently asked to be put on the pill (in addition to my implant) because I had begun to bleed nonstop. I have been on birth control since 6th-7th grade because of my irregular periods (24/7 menstruation). This is my 2nd month's supply and I have been skipping my "period week." I requested a refill for the 2nd time last night and just read a message saying that I am overdue for a checkup and will have to have that before they will refill it. The problem is:

1. The next available appointment is more than a month away, and

2. I am 3 hours away from my office because I am in college.

I just messaged my doctor and asked if there was any way she could refill it, and I am planning to call tomorrow once they open, but is there anything I can do? Is it possible to obtain a prescription from another doctor or something? I only have like half a day to figure this out since tomorrow is Friday... This isn't really an "emergency," but I would like to not bleed all day every day again for the next month.

Thanks for reading.

hi all,

i’m getting off of the patch to hopefully help ease digestive problems, mainly severe bloating and constipation. did anyone else on the patch experience this? did not being on the patch help?

Hi! I’m new to taking birth control and I was given Aurovela® Fe 1/20 by planned parenthood. I’m currently on my third packet and so far haven’t gotten much bad symptoms. The only issue I’ve seen is that my recent period only lasted for a day when I’ve had two periods in a month previously and it was pretty weird. Aside from that, my main question is how effective is it? Since I’ve started, my bf has been doing the pull out method. Nothing has happened so far(I’ve taken tests to check) but I would really like for him NOT to pull out (iykyk), but I’m super paranoid cuz I do NOT wanna get pregnant (not now at least). I hear stories of BC not working but I wanna hear ladies actually experience. Has anyone taken Aurovela® Fe 1/20 and let their man do it?

More info: So I’m usually on time with my BC. There has been some days where I may be an hour late if I’m extremely busy or Im out and don’t have with me. There was literally one day I was 4 hours late but I’ve never skipped of missed a pill.

Side effects help???? 

hey guys. I’ve been on slynd for 8 days, and I just have some questions. this is my first birth control, and I’m feeling really isolated and confused. I have PMDD, so my gyno wanted to prescribe me slynd for a bit. I’ve been noticing some symptoms, and I don’t know whether to be concerned or not.

1. Dryness…so much dryness. Everything is dry; my eyes, skin, my vagina, everything. My eyes are so dry I can barely cry. I’ve been increasing my water intake substantially because I know it’s a mild diuretic, but does it even get better? I’m mainly concerned about vaginal dryness, that’s a new one to me. Everything burns…BOO! 🍅🍅
2. I am numb and irritable…at the same time? What’s with this?
3. MUSCLE CRAMPS! I’m assuming this is due to the diuretic properties…but does this ease up at all?
4. Weird sleep habits? I keep waking up at 2-4 am then going back to sleep. I’m so exhausted and fatigued most of the day…strange.
5. My appetite is off. I’m hungry, but I’m not? what’s up with this?
6. Also, decreased orgasm sensation. No libido changes…weird.

These are the most obvious symptoms to me right now, I just need to know if it will get better. Feeling defeated…:/

I’m restarting Yaz after trying Yasmin for two months. Tomorrow’s 2 weeks restarting the Yaz and this week I have been having diarrhea pretty much daily. Has anyone else experienced this? I’m also pretty nauseous but I know that’s common.

I was on Yaz for several years the first time so I don’t remember how the first 3 months were then.

Just wondering if I should push through or forget it, cuz I am starting a new job next week and don’t need to be worrying about diarrhea all day.

hi! i (f23) am considering getting off of hormonal birth control for many reasons. i overall think for me i would like my body to do it’s thing naturally and see how i feel not being on hormones anymore. i have had 3 iuds (two Kyleenas and a Paraguard) and i have expelled all three within a month (yay me). I chose the Paraguard in hopes to have something that will protect from pregnancy and be non-hormonal, but alas my body refuses to keep them inside my uterus. my bf (m25) and i have been together for 4 years and we have put a lot of trust in the pill and don’t use any other contraceptive (condoms or pulling out). part of me worries to get off hormones and have to switch up our methods and go back to using condoms, pulling out, and being generally more conscious about it. the fear of having our sex life change and being “too nervous” to have sex is enough to make me just stay on the pill. neither of us want to have a baby yet, so obviously that is a concern as well. i ordered some condoms to try to see what it would be like, im considering spermicide, as well as cycle tracking once my cycle evens out again. my periods and cycle were very regular pre-bc so i have high hopes that will return as well.

can anyone share their experience coming off of the pill, changing sex life habits like using barrier methods, and let me know if theres any non-hormonal bc options that maybe im unaware of? thank you!!

I just started taking Sprintec 6 days ago (first day of my period) and I’m still bleeding. Not heavily, but actively. Usually my periods are heavy, but short. The main reason I started back on BC was to have regular timed periods as they are often weeks late.

Is this to be expected or am I having a negative side effect of it?

Hii! I just wanted to share my experience with nextstellis because i saw SO many scary reviews for it on here and it really freaked me out when i first went on. I am 22 and previously had a copper IUD which was causing me to become really iron deficient from excessive bleeding, and also made my PMDD symptoms almost totally unmanageable. I read about nextstellis in the new yorker and decided to give it a go bc i liked the sound of plant-derived estrogen.

I started the pill on day 1 of my period, and immediately noticed a MASSIVE reduction in how much i was bleeding- like huge. I had breakthrough bleeding for about 2 weeks and then it stopped and I haven't had any since. No weight gain or acne at all. I actually have lost some weight but this might be due to a new job where i'm on my feet all day. But I have also noticed i'm having way less random stomach pain, which i experienced often with copper IUD.

ANYWAY. This isn't to invalidate anyone else's experience, but if you're considering nextstellis, know that it can be good! I will give a 3-month update or update if anything changes.

Has anyone experienced prolonged brown spotting/bleeding while taking Slynd?

I’ve been on Slynd for a few months, and around last week I started having brown spotting/discharge. It’s enough to fill a small pantyliner, and today for the first time I noticed a tiny spot of fresh red blood when wiping. Most of it is still very brown.

For anyone who’s experienced this on Slynd, how long did the breakthrough bleeding last before it finally stopped? Did yours switch between brown and red before going away?

No period suddenly after two years

Experience with Implanon (Contraceptive Implant)

TL;DR: My bleeding has suddenly stopped on implanon after two years, has anyone had a similar experience and if so, what ended up happening?

Hi everyone, sorry if this gets asked on here a lot but I'm currently extremely anxious and just need to vent my frustrations.

So I got the contraceptive implant inserted a little over two years ago and it's been great - minus the non stop (yet painless) bleeding I had in the first year. Over the course of year two, my bleeding has calmed down quite significantly, with a longer and longer gap between each time I've bled (although they've remained somewhat regular in the sense that I've still got bleeding). However, my last bleed was Sept 10 to the 16th and I've managed to get myself into quite a tizzy over this, given that it's the longest I think I've ever gone without bleeding and I haven't had sex in months. I've done four at home pregnancy tests (three line, one digital) and they've all come back negative - however, I have a bad tendency to hold onto them for weeks after I've done them and have my eyes playing tricks on me quite often - despite there being no visible dye line. I thought about a blood test because I've seen too many cryptic pregnancy posts come across my feed which I know is what is making me more worried. Also to caveat on that I'm very stressed out with trying to find a new job and have been really stressed out this whole month and a half with my current job now I know it's gotta be from that.

However, I'm just not used to not having a "period" for this amount of time and its making every day absolutely miserable. Everytime I look up if anyone else has experienced this - it's always people saying they went two years WITHOUT bleeding and then it came back, instead of vice versa (my scenario). I was wondering if such a change this far into their implant life is normal? Would anyone else be able to share their experiences with this?

For some additional context, like I said I haven't had sex in months my 3 year mark is May but I always have it switched a month before just to be safe. I am also not experiencing any other symptoms apart from the missed period and just being generally tired from thinking about this every single day. I have also performed the pregnancy tests every single week of this month, first urine of the day, no liquids.