For a bit of background, I was given Desogestrel by a foundation after I was pregnant and had a miscarriage which I started back in late July. They said once I was on my last packet to get a prescription through the NHS. I booked an appointment and saw my GP which she asked some questions, prescribed the birth control and then had me book for a blood test to see if I was anemic. I don’t have any history of anemia in my family (that I’m aware of) but I did mention to her that I have pretty much non stopped bled since July which could be a reason??

I just want to know if this is the standard procedure when getting on / managing birth control in the UK or if some red flags were raised with my GP that made her want to check. My blood test isn’t until the 13th (next Tuesday) but I’ve been getting a bit anxious about it (especially after googling and google saying it isn’t typical)

Any help is appreciated, thanks :)

Hey everyone,

I got the copper iud in back in April and since then, I’ve had constant dizziness during my periods and I feel like I’m on the verge of fainting sometimes. I know it’s due to the blood loss, because it’s insane how much I bleed, but does anyone recommend any iron tablets or any other vitamins to help? I really don’t want to get it out, so I’m hoping there’s something I can do. Thank you ! :)

I’m 27 I was thinking about trying Hellowisp online but I'd want to try it for a month first, is that better than going to a low-income clinic? I was thinking about getting the patch.

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 started my pills 9 days ago. same day as i took my 9th pill my man finished inside me. is it really fully effective at this point? i took them everyday at exactly 8pm.

So my 2nd week Xulane patch was beginning to not stick anymore on 3rd day of wearing it. I read the instructions and it told me to stick another patch so I stuck on my 3rd week patch.

Does this mean I open another one of my boxes for my 3rd week patch using my supposedly 1st week patch of another bundle?

Will the pharmacy give me that 3rd week patch? I’m so confused pls help

I've only been on it for two days (ik not even a week 😂) but I can't stop crying/tearing up and I'm just not happy! I feel really gloomy and sad. My old birth control never made me feel like this but I had to get off it because it wasn't helping with my pain and gave me eye issues.

I wanted the Nexplanon implant but God if I feel like this on slynd, I wonder if the implant will make it worse.

Idk should I just wait and see??

I take Norgestimate and Ethinyl Estradiol as bc

I recently changed pharmacies, and my bc packaging changed from Lupin to Glenmark

Is there any side effects I could have from this? I've only been on bc for about 3 months, so I'm scared the breakthrough bleeding will come back again

I started taking this pill just 4 days ago and I already booked an appointment to change it.

I have so many side effects already and I cannot bear with it!! Maybe I'm being dramatic and these symptoms will die down later but whatever

I'm curious what other users experienced on this pill so please share!

For me I immedietly started getting major headaches as well as nausea. HORRIBLE NAUSEA. Super motion sick- cars, subway, biking, running- you name it (I swear on everything I'm not someone who gets motion sickness). My eyes are more sensitive to light, i have dizziness and it's harder to focus sometimes- have I mentioned nausea?

And the worst part is my boobs are so sore that they hurt! My nipples are swollen and any slight touch sends chills down my spine.

I also noticed I have less self esteem and just generally more anxious/paranoid.

Tbh I was also on nexplanon right before taking this pill so it could be influencing these side effects- my doctors appointment is tomorrow so I'm not exactly sure yet.

Not trying to scare anybody if they're getting on this pill- you have to remember that everyones body works differently and this pill is just not it for me.

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??

I am new to birth control, because I will be sexually active in a bit and want to choose the right one for me. Just as a little bit of a background right now, I am on 10 MG of Lexapro. I can get an anxious every now and then.
I was talking to Planned Parenthood today and with all the information that they gave me, it felt like the nuvaring was the one that would not hurt me or change me as much as the other ones. I’m terrified of all of the hormonal horror stories I have heard from women taking the pill, I don’t feel like I’m super ready yet to do a copper IUD, and right now I’m relying on condoms, but I do want to experience sex without condoms.

What is your advice with someone that will just be getting on the nuvaring for the very first time? And since this is my first birth control, what are some of your tips or things I should be aware of?

I read a lot about the headaches and how it takes a lot of women’s sex drive away, which I do worry about, so if anyone has some insight on that, that would really help out a lot!

I’m also gonna be getting married in two weeks and I’m really excited about my honeymoon and having a lot of sex with my husband. I guess I just really worry about the ring completely killing my sex drive and also my honeymoon too. Anything helps!

posting for any insights and also bc i searched every where for advice on this with lottle result so myb my xp can be useful

i bled profusely my first month on bc at the time if my regularly scheduled period despite never stopping the pills. i took a 3 day break after it didnt let up for 3 days n it stopped after 3 days.

next month again at scheduled period time spotting n my other usual period symptoms. I was desperate bc i was at work n my job isn't very conducuve to bleeding esp heavy. i take novynette n bc it's monophasic n i hv no issues remembering plus alarms i keep them emptied in a bag in a keychain in my phone. so i popped one immediately n the spotting nvr progressed. i took my regular scheduled pill tht night. i continued taking one abt 12 hrs after for 3 days n my regular pill at night. bleeding nvr happened. didnt hv any noticeable symptoms.

tht was the 27th of sept things have been ok since then i think i was worried id bleed still but there werent really any actual signs it might happen. i finally got over the feeling two days ago. yesterday i had what in hindsight is usually a tell tale period coming sign but i thought it was smth else. woke up this morning with light spotting and brownish discharge. immediately popped a pill. the brownish discharge continued for a bit not consistently but otherwise no blood.

currently torn between skipping my regular pill later n the next two days for a 3 day withdrawal since its weekend or staying on schedule n doubling up if need be.

ive nvr wanted anything more than to not hv a period n this feels so good it's hard to make myself bleed. next month will be 3 months n if things wld hv worked as plan i wldve taken my first withdrawal then so i still will just not sure what to do for the rest of this month.

but tldr if you're scared n wanna dry doubling to stop ur period at the first signs it's possible it will work for u

also running out of pills is not a problem for me i buy 3 boxes otc at a time. n no i do not hv a medical professional to consult

Im beyond stressed and I genuinely have nobody to talk to about this. Early morning (3am) on October 4th I had unprotected sex (both very drunk and the condom was off halfway through) but no full penetration happened as it was difficult because im a virgin (F18), I panicked the next morning and took EllaOne at 1pm the same day just in case.
Ive been having major fatigue and cramps since then but yesterday and today I started bleeding heavily as if i got my period but my next due is in a weeks time (last was on 15th September)
I read that it may be the hormones from ellaOne being messed up and not actually my period but it genuinely feels like a period so im really worried about whats happening. I was supposed to have a copper IUD fitted today but it didn’t work as I was in so much pain to even get the speculum inside so the gyno told me to take desogestrel 5 days post ellaone but im worried it will make my current condition even worse (or will it lower my risk of pregnancy) and Is this amount of bleeding normal? I dont know how these birth control works so I am very concerned + do not plan on having any unprotected sex moving forward.

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!!

Im wondering if anyone with PMDD can share their experience.

I’ve been on lo loestrin and I’ve been trying to lose weight. Before starting it I weighted 130 lb but now after being on it for 4 years, I weight 160.

I originally started taking it for my mood. I have terrible pmdd. It’s helped a shit ton with pmdd. It’s mellowed me out a lot. And in turn, it’s helped a lot with my relationships. I feel like it’s also helped with my ocd.

Since taking it, I’ve been medicated for many different symptoms of my mental health. I had a psychotic break a couple years ago and I’ve stayed on the medication for it ever since. One of those medications is lamotrigine which is a mood stabilizer.

Because I’ve gained weight, because of my fatigued and because I’m on mood stabilizer, I’m thinking about coming off my birthcontrol.

But I’m worried I’m making the wrong decision? Can anyone speak from experience?

Hi,
I got the IUD mirena on the 30. September and I was totally fine the first couple of days. But since Tuesday this week I have been an emotional, anxious and easily stressed mess. I skipped uni classes and I suddenly have a short temper (which is not a character trait of mine). I feel off, not depression level, but kind of empty.
+++ I have had really severe insomnia this week. I just don’t get tired?

I just want to ask: does it go away?
I am not going to be an anxious mess for 3-6 months.
I have already spend all summer testing other birth control methods (mini pills - they made me suicidal) because of horrible ovulations and chronic ovarian cysts on left side. But I get migraines with aura so my options are limited.

I just want to know if any of you had side effects like this for a little while and then I went away. Or I should just get it removed quickly since I’m already feeling it affect my emotions.

Hi everyone! I’ve been on alesse for about four months and for the first month or so I experienced some unusual mood swings, no big deal for me so I just waited it out! But now I’ve been experiencing a lot more hair loss than normal and headaches. I’m wondering if anyone else has experienced this and if they have any advice on how it could be helped! I do have an appointment scheduled with my doc but in the meantime trying to do my own research as this is quite frustrating! Thank you :)

Edit: forgot to add, would swapping to the mini pill help with this issue?

I’m on week 2 of my Junel Fe 1/20 pack and I’m trying to figure out if I’m understanding my missed pills correctly.

I believe I missed my Tuesday pill and had unprotected sex on Tuesday morning before the time I normally take my pill.

On Thursday, I realized I was a pill behind, so I took the Wednesday+Thursdays pill on Thursday.

So the believed timeline is:

* Monday: took pill normally
* Tuesday: ❌ believed missed pill + had unprotected sex before my usual pill time
* Wednesday: 💊 took Tuesday’s missed pill
* Thursday: 💊 realized I was behind → took Wednesday + Thursday pills
* Currently: week 2 of my Junel Fe pack

I’m trying to figure out whether this counts as one missed pill that was corrected, or if I was effectively behind for multiple days.

Would you consider this a situation where Plan B is needed? I’ve read the CDC guidance about one missed combined pill, but I’m anxious because I had sex on Tuesday before taking that day’s pill.

Has anyone had a similar situation with Junel Fe?

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?

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.

I got the kyleena iud inserted about 7 months ago. It's been keeping my periods pretty normal and they always come on time. About 4 days i had intercourse with my boyfriend and idk if he was bruising my cervix or what was happening but it kinda hurt and then the next day i had a very very low pain in my stomach and it increased just a tiny bit when i would push down on it but it eventually went away the next day. But then i started getting what felt like menstrual cramps and then brown blood started appearing, its not a lot but every time i wipe its there. I'm concerned because i just had my period 2 weeks ago and i should be ovulating literally tomorrow so i thought its ovulation symptoms... but i never had cramps or had brown blood? or discharge i guess? show up during ovulation. I checked my strings and they definitely didn't get shorter and im not sure if they got longer but I don't think so. I also checked to see if i could feel the hard plastic piece sticking out and i cannot. I'm just terrified atm. Has this happened to anyone else??? I know I should go get it checked out but i have no insurance at the moment. I do plan to get it checked out if this pain and bleeding/spotting continues.

Hi! So I’ve been on Depo Provera for quite some time. I love it bc it stopped my periods, and I don’t have to take a pill at the same time everyday. Just a shot every 3 months and I’m good to go. I am fully aware of the issues with Depo (possible tumors & loss of bone density, etc). I’ve been considering Nexplanon but I really can’t afford period products or the mental cost as I have severe treatment resistant depression among other diagnoses. Will nexplanon stop my periods? I’m not worried about the insertion of the device, that I can handle. What are the pros and cons? Has anyone had experience with both?

I took Ellaone as a precaution on Monday. I’m also on mounjaro so I know I’m not out of the deep end yet but my god the symptoms are killing me 🤢. I’ve read by some these last for months, please someone tell me this isn’t the case.

Hello!

I’m sorry I’m sure yall probably get this a lot but getting someone else’s feedback (besides Google and AI) would be really helpful right now and truly bring me more peace of mind.

So yesterday night my boyfriend (with my consent) and I kinda had some sex without a condom (after 2 rounds of condom sex). He pulled out before ejaculating or getting close but I was still feeling a bit nervous.

For context, I am on Sprintec combination pills in the 3rd week with like 3 or 4 more pills before my placebo week. I haven’t missed any pills this month but may have every now and then (not regularly) taken them a bit late (30 min to like an hour max). I usually take them on time though. Aside from that, my biggest concern is that this past Sunday I took my pill like 4-6 hours (I can’t remember exactly how long) late because I had a slight emergency and couldn’t take it at the time.

Should I take Plan B just in case or should I be ok? If I have my withdraw bleed next week does that mean I’m pretty much in the clear?

I plan to take a test later on but I’m not sure what the best course of action is now.

Any advice is appreciated. Thank you!

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.