r/Birthcontroltalk

Hello everybody, I’ve never posted on here before, but I’m hoping somebody can help me out or maybe just give me some advice. I’m having a really hard time with everything that’s going on and I just don’t know what to do. I’m a 20-year-old female and right now. I’m taking just progesterone birth control pills to help regulate my period.

I’m first gonna start off with some background. The end of last year I stopped taking my estrogen and progesterone birth control due to acne and I was on it for five years so I thought maybe it was time to switch. I emailed my doctor about switching my birth control or discussing other options and she switched me to just estrogen pills.

I was taking the estrogen pills for four months. The first two months were fine but around month three I started to notice a slight increase in my anxiety and depressionz I thought maybe it was just stressed between college and work so I didn’t really think much about it. My family and my friends started to notice a lot of change in my behavior, but I told everyone that I wanted to wait one more month to see if it was good for me because I was told that getting adjusted to birth control could take 3 to 4 months

Around month 4 I finished up the rest of my pills for that month and I have a placebo week where I get my period. Now that week I experienced a really bad panic attack, which I didn’t know it was a panic attack at the time because I’ve never experienced one before. I quite literally thought that I was dying and I was freaking out because I didn’t know what was wrong and obviously that made it worse. So I ended up going to bed. My heart rate was high no matter how hard I tried to relax.

I ended up waking up with a really high heart rate, I was sweating. I had a fever and I was also dehydrated. I was really hysterical and between whatever was going on with my body and the lack of sleep, I just wasn’t feeling great. I told my dad that we needed to go to the ER. He assured me that I was fine. He gave me some medicine to help me sleep.

I drank some fluids and I spent the whole weekend in bed. I was trying to drink my fluids and eat. It was really hard for me to relax and sleep. I would just have these random panic attacks. I would start crying and hyperventilating. I truly felt like something was wrong and that I wasn’t going to be okay. I trusted my dad because he is a fight nurse and I really didn’t realize how badly hormones can affect you. We checked my blood pressure and everything was fine. My fever was also gone.

That weekend I ended up emailing. My doctor and I was telling her about the symptoms that I was experiencing coming off my birth control and that I think I need to switch because my body is just too reliant on the estrogen and it’s just really hard on me. Unfortunately it took a little bit to get a hold of her as well as getting my medication to the pharmacy to get me started on it.

It took like a week for my new birth control to come in. During that week, I was honestly a mess. I had really bad panic attacks, trouble sleeping. I was convinced that something was gonna happen to me. Everything hurt, everything felt sore. I thought that like my body was giving up on me and I honestly was just at a loss. My health anxiety was crazy and it was just a really overwhelming time for me. It was just frustrating because I didn’t know where to go. I didn’t know who to see or who to talk to. I just wanted to go ahead and get started on this new birth control.

When my new birth control arrived, she had switched me to just progesterone so there’s no placebo week. I’ve been on it for about two weeks now and I am feeling a little bit better. My anxiety is not that bad. I still get a little anxious here and there but more specifically at night. I haven’t really had much panic attacks lately. I have found better ways to cope to help my mind in my body, but for the most part, I’m still very overwhelmed with everything.

Everything has just been hard on me physically and mentally and there’s just so many emotions going on in my head. I’m upset. I’m mad. I’m scared. I’m confused and quite frankly I don’t know what to do. I’m really hoping my body will adjust with my new birth control. I haven’t even been on it for a month so we’ll see.

I tried to get medication for anxiety, but my doctor suggested just over-the-counter supplements. I already have a hard time taking medication because I’m convinced that it makes me feel worse so I haven’t really taking anything for anxiety.

I made an appointment for the gynecologist because I just feel like my doctors isn’t making much effort to see me. I know it’s not her line of work so I understand. But I can’t get in until August so that’s another two months. I’ll have to try to convince myself that everything is okay.

I went to the ophthalmologist and he said everything was fine with my vision. I go to a psychologist and she pointed out that I didn’t start feeling this way until I switched my birth control. I thought about getting blood work done. I feel like maybe I have an iron deficiency. I have been bleeding for two weeks. It’s been off and on, but it’s still pretty annoying and such an inconvenience because one day I’ll be spotting and then the next day I’m bleeding and experiencing cramps. Somebody else also said that I could have PCOS.

I just feel like nobody really understands and I can’t get an answer on what’s wrong. I just wanna know if anybody has experienced the same thing as me or might be experiencing the same thing. It’s very scary and frustrating and I think I just need some advice and/or reassurance. I’m hoping everything will get better because I’m at the point in my life where I really need to feel normal again.

But my most recent symptoms have just been fatigue, nausea, I always feel sort of late and my appetite has been pretty increased so I’ve been trying to eat that way. I don’t feel so lightheaded and sick like I’m going to pass out. As of right now, my muscles are feeling a bit more relaxed and like normal. I haven’t had a lot of problems with heart, palpitations, or chest pain like I did before. It’s usually only if I’m experiencing some type of anxiety or panic.

Feel free to ask any questions!

For context I am 28F and I have been on the implant since I was 15 getting them removed and changed every 3 years. The first implant I had was implanon and the ones following were all nexplanon, both the exact same in my experience.

Yesterday I got my implant removed and instead of getting another one put in, I got the desogestrel pill instead, specifically Zelleta 75mg. My sister and friend are both on this pill and they said they get on well with it.

I chose to change as I just wanted the opportunity to stop taking birth control in the near future with ease, for a break from birth control, without having to book an implant removal. Also just curious about another method. I’m in a long term sexually active relationship and we do not want children for a few years, so unfortunately need to do something regarding birth control.

In my life, I have been on the implant for nearly as long as I wasn’t on it, so it’s really hard for me to say what the side effects are. I’ve gained and lost significant amounts of weight on the implant, never really had acne, suffer from anxiety and more recently panic attacks but this is a new development. I have always bled like crazy on my implant but it actually improves my periods - naturally they are literally debilitating and I can’t leave the house for 5 days, soak through absolutely everything etc. So, breakthrough bleeding or irregular heavy bleeding is nothing new or concerning for me at all. It’s more the mental side effects I worry about?

I guess I am just curious if anyone else has had a similar experience? Or can shed some light on how I’m likely to find the desogestrel pill in comparison to 13 years on the implant?

I just figured as this pill wasn’t a steady stream like the implant is, it would be sort of a soft launch into what I could be like without any hormonal birth control?

Any experience shared would be really useful and appreciated :)

I’ve been having unprotected sex (without condom) but I take daily birth control (Nogestrel tablets) in addition to emergency birth control (immediately after having sex). I’m extremely paranoid about getting pregnant (I live in Texas), but is it safe or even effective to have both pills? Please let me know what ya’ll think ❤️

I have been experiencing severely heavy periods ever since my very first menstruation, and I was also diagnosed with a thickened uterine wall. Because of this, my quality of life has dropped significantly, and I now suffer from low iron and vitamin levels.

Every gynecologist I visit recommends either a hormonal IUD or birth control pills. However, I am terrified of potential side effects like weight gain, acne, and mood swings.

Are there any alternative treatments or ways to manage this? Has anyone else gone through something similar? My next period starts in 10 days, so I need to decide whether to finally accept these hormonal treatments or find another solution.

Hello!! I’m planning on getting off my hormonal birth control pill (YAZ/ Loryna) tomorrow after being on it for about a year and a half. Tomorrow is the last day of my regular pills and then after that I start my placebo pills. How do I stop birth control without it messing up my hormones too much such as acne, hair loss, weight change, etc?? Is there a specific way I should stop the pill or ease off of it rather than stopping cold turkey? I haven’t brought this to my doctor’s attention due to the fact that she often doesn’t listen and she doesn’t give correct information. also, how long will it take for my period to be back to normal?

*i’m 18 is that changes anything!

okay so i got my iud placed less than a month ago on april 20th. i had recently had a miscarriage at 5 week’s pregnant and my provider told me i should get some sort of birth control to prevent pregnancy while my body healed. to be honest losing my baby was absolutely traumatizing and i didn’t want to risk getting pregnant again and having to go through this all. but anyway she strongly suggested getting the mirena iud and now im here.

having this thing in my body has been HELL!!!
i had it placed on april 20th 2026, and as of posting this it is may 18th. less than a month later. i have gained 35 pounds. i have developed severely painful acne all over my entire body. i dont look or feel like the person i was before i had my iud placed. it’s so painful and im bleeding terribly all the time. i’ve ruined every pair of underwear i own.

because of all of this ive decided to take it out. i would really like to have this done by a professional but i had it done in virgina (where my college is) and now ive had to go home over summer break (florida). im an adult but becuase im currently living in my parents house i cant figure out a way to go to a doctor without them knowing about it and they would be absolutely livid if they knew. i also have absolutely no money to have a doctor remove it.

because of this ive done so much research and ive decided i want to take it out on my own but i wanted to ask what you guys think about my situation, if you have any ideas on how i could possibly have a doctor do it, if anyone knows about any programs of health care providers that don’t require insurance and aren’t terribly expensive. by that i mean it would pretty much have to be free for me to be able to afford it.

if no one has any good advice on that front, i would love tips on how to take it out on my own.

i’m so desperate for any kind of help. i dont even feel or look like myself anymore. please let me know if you have any advice!!!

hello! i’m a 20 year old female who has been on birth control for about 7 years now (was on a couple diff pills for 4ish years, patch for 2ish years, and iud for 6 months).

I’ve always weighed about 125 - 127 pounds, and because i’m 5’2, this weight isn’t low for me and has always been seen as healthy by my physicians. i decided to try the iud for 6 months and ended up gaining some water weight, totaling at about 135 pounds. i got sick of being on birth control after that just because of the other symptoms it was causing me—not the smal amount of water weight gain.

after i got off of the iud, i didn’t go back on birth control & i dropped 3 pounds almost immediately. but then i started gaining weight a month later with honestly no differences in my amount of exercise, or eating habits. i gained 10 pounds within maybe a week and was up at 145-147 for a while. at the same time, i was getting two very light periods since my body wasn’t properly recalibrating yet. i was also having extreme breast soreness and swelling, acne, moodiness, etc. it was genuinely hell for me.

after three months i went to a doctor and she completely belittled me and said to go on ozempic…? i’m a 20 year old who doesn’t drink, smoke, party, etc. and i eat pretty decently, nothing crazy healthy but nothing crazy unhealthy. she drew some blood and it came back that my liver enzymes were pretty high—but that was all. immediately after that appointment i caved and went back on birth control because i had been suffering the last 3 months.

because of my liver enzymes, they called me back to speak to a different doctor. she believed me and said she’d run some tests on my blood they already took to check on my hormones. they then mishandled it or didn’t put the order in on time & i had to go in a week later to get it drawn again. i have my results back which i can include. she kept reassuring me that we were gonna figure it out and said she’d have an answer for me in a day or two. she then proceeds to send me this very long and vague message admitting she doesn’t know what’s wrong. after that, i stopped replying because i just felt so exhausted and hopeless.

however, its been about a month since then. i finally got a normal period about a week ago (really heavy and painful but that’s normal for me), and i still feel so bloated and im still at 147 to 150 now. im really concerned, and ive been super self conscious about my body as well. i just want to go back to normal. i cant see my usual person because shes booked months in advance & it’s impossible to see her.

i’ll include my lab results if anybody has had anything similar, i know most will not be qualified medical specialists but maybe something similar has happened. will i go back to normal?

results:
Estradiol: 10.2 pg/mL
FSH (Follicle Stimulating Hormone): 3.63 mIU/mL
Progesterone: 0.612 ng/mL
Prolactin: 29.1 ng/mL

time of testing was right before ovulation or just starting if my app was correct, and it basically always is.

Anyone who experience heavy super prolonged bleeding with nexplanon and got it removed how long did it take for the bleeding to stop. I am seriously considering getting it taken out. It is awful bleeding so heavy for months I’m ready to cut the f*cker out at this point.

I got my copper iud april 7th and its may 16th and havent had a period yet. i took a pregnancy test almost 2 weeks ago and one today and they both said negative all ive had is some yellow discharge and clear discharge too. what could this mean?

My partner and I had unprotected sex, with him pulling out, while I was ovulating but I didn’t take any plan B cause he always pulled out.

It’s a week before my period now and the condom broke but we didn’t realize till he’d already finished.

I do not wish to get any form of IUD, I have an appointment to talk to a doctor about going on the pill next week

What do I do?

I have had my nexplanon for about 9 days now, my period started the day after I
got it inserted. It started out like a completely normal period for me, but my cycles usually last 5 or 6 days and i’m now on day 8. After the fifth day, my period became light as if I was on the last day. Since when I would usually be off of my period i’ve had light, brown bleeding but only in a couple times during the day. I wake up in the morning with absolutely nothing on my liners but then i’ll bleed a small amount throughout the day. Is it normal for this to start this early? Also, i’m wondering if anyone else has had this experience and how long it lasted for them? I’ve seen that taking ibuprofen helps so i’m going to try that I think.

This is more to vent my feelings into somewhere but I’m still not sure how to feel about this situation.

I met this man a few months ago. We liked each other a lot pretty quickly. It was kind of tough to get him to be consistent with me, he has a lot of trauma with his previous marriage (I’m 30f he’s 37m) and he’s super avoidant but I noticed him getting better and opening up. There were small things that bothered me in terms of lack of effort like when I’m over you place I’d like a trash can in the bathroom because I’m a lady. those kind of small things I’d suggest would make me comfortable would never got done. But I still loved spending time with him and none of that was worth dying on a hill for.

There was talk about wanting kids in the future were both at that age but I wanted to start birth control because I didn’t want to chance it happening so soon.
I didn’t wanna tell him about it until it kicked in because I figured it wasn’t relevant information to him until then.
I was in the pill and omg I became crazy. Sobbing every day, hyper sensitive, depressed and extremely combative. Didn’t realize it could get that bad when u are already on antidepressants. And I wasn’t aware it was the birth control doing this until well into the week.
I went over his house and he was telling me about a car he wanted that was expensive (to poke my buttons) and instead of playfully poking back I kinda raged. Saying he should focus on getting a bed frame a trashcan maybe more than one towel. I said the place looks like it belongs to a manchild, not a grown man. And he of course was like “okay you’re being a little judgmental and demanding rn, like who put you in charge of my life” and I was kinda like “you when you made me your girlfriend”.
Like I realize it’s still new and a lot to put on someone off rip. I think I just kinda went off because I really wanted a trashcan I asked a few times and I felt like the effort to make space for a new woman in his life wasn’t there. But instead of saying that I went full crazy on him because of the hormones.
I couldn’t calm down and I was like let me try and go to bed. Lately when I’m over I’d sleep on his chest. He’s been needing both of the pillows he has to prop his back up from a fighting injury (he still trains regardless of the injury). I needed space so i didn’t want sleep on his chest, I took one of the two pillows. He grabbed the pillow I was laying on and was like “I’m sorry I need this” and I said something to the effect of “you’re a fucking jerk, you don’t even care if I’m comfortable” and angrily stormed out of the apartment. He tried to stop me but I was livid and could not regulate.
After that friends and family started noticing my neurosis and I realized the pills were making me way more irritable and unregulated emotionally.

I sent him a couple texts apologizing and saying I really would like to call him/ speak to him/ go see him. And he didn’t answer. Sent me a text last night basically being like “thanks for the apology but I’m all set best of luck”
Kinda breaks my heart because that’s not the person I normally am and there’s no way of him knowing that…Idrk if I wanna send him a whole thing explaining the effects of birthcontrol and I already said what I said and did what I did, but I never would have acted in that fashion normally. But also I gave him so much leeway for his shortcoming and avoidance and trauma triggers and I feel thrown away so easily.

Did the trash take itself out? Would it have made a difference to you if someone did this and then later explained that it was a medication causing their mood to change?

I’m 27, and have been on birth control for roughly 13-14 years. I have been on the pill for the majority of those years, aside from 3 months when I tried the birth control shot. The reason I stopped taking the shot so early on was due to severe cystic acne. To be up front, I always struggled with acne, and couldn’t find a treatment that ever made it completely go away. It was never so severe (until I was on the shot) that it was cystic, scarring, painful, etc.

So I immediately went back on the pill (as well as a course of accutane), and didn’t really have any issues until the past 2 years. My periods have been increasingly heavier and more painful, and at some points I have had to miss work.

The gynecologist I was seeing a few years ago recommended to not go with the IUD since the same hormone in the shot that caused the cystic acne is in the IUD, and I decided to not go through with it. Fast forward to now, and with a different gynecologist, after expressing my periods getting worse she suggested the IUD. I told her why I was apprehensive, and what my previous gynecologist said and she gave me the same “it’s more localized” answer that I’ve read others writing about in this group. She had me get an ultrasound, and everything came back normal.

I have the insertion scheduled for next month, but I’m still extremely apprehensive and have not found any comfort in any of the medical professionals answers. So if any of the girls that have struggled with acne have had either positive or negative side effects on the IUD in regards to acne, please share your experiences. Any general advice/opinions are welcome as well.

Hey y’all. I’m currently on the combo pill Loryna and had a quick question because I’m stressing a little. My placebo pills just ended, and today was the first day of my new pack. I usually take my pill at 4:00 PM, but with moving back home from college I completely forgot and didn’t take it until 1:30 AM, so about 9 hours late. I’m normally super consistent with both taking it daily and timing-wise.

Although I’m still bleeding from my placebo week, I’m worried about taking the pill late because it was the first pill of a new pack. Does taking it 9 hours late put me at risk for pregnancy, or am I still protected? I’m seeing my boyfriend in 3 days and keep seeing mixed answers online, so I’d really appreciate any help. Thank you!!

I started using birth control in 2015, and in 2023 I switched to the pill. This is my third month off birth control because my partner and I are trying to conceive. I wanted to hear about the experiences of people who were able to get pregnant after being on birth control for many years.

On another note, during my last cycle, instead of having a “normal” period, I started spotting brown discharge three days before my expected period. I had to use a tampon for one day, and then the spotting continued for about five days, becoming lighter each day. It was always brown — I never saw bright red blood like I had in previous cycles. For a moment I thought it might be implantation bleeding, but the test was negative.
I’m wondering if this would still count as a period, since I’ve never experienced anything like this before. Has anyone had a similar experience?

Ok ladies, what birth control are we using after our blood clots?
I know we can only use progestin and no estrogen
What’s one that you do well with
I’m also 3 months post partum. Found a blood clots 5 days post partum still on lovenox but will be seeing my hemo next week

I’m going to try getting off birth control. I’m not quite ready to get pregnant yet, but I’d like to see how my body reacts. I already talked to my doctor and she essentially said feel free to try it but we need to check back in if I don’t get a period in three months. I have very light periods on birth control (Nuva ring) so she said it’s unlikely I will ovulate or have a period. But I want to try.

What natural methods have helped bring back your periods and ovulation?

What do you wish you knew when you were about a year out from trying to get pregnant for the first time?

I think I have endometriosis and I want to be put on birth control to try to fill the pain a little,

I really want something that doesn't have lots of reports of weight gain or worsening periods

I don't care if there's side effects that can make me infertile I would get my tubes tied but I'm not old enough yet