r/birthcontrol

I have a traumatic backstory with my first mirena IUD placement. It took two tries, and a combined total of 60 minutes to place. I have a small and Very tilted cervix/uterus that makes things difficult.

So for my next one I went in with my list of demands: paracervical block, anti-anxiety meds, and most importantly to me, ultrasound guided.

My OBGYN enthusiastically agreed to my list. The day of the appointment, I have a resident physician that is going to place it with his attending. This was fine, I knew that my original doctor wasn’t going to be the one placing it. We talk through everything, he tells me about risk of perforation but that with the ultrasound it’ll be much smaller a risk, yay!

They give me lorazepam and tell me they’ll be back in 15 for placement. Well, 40 minutes later, resident and attending are back, and the drugs have fully set in. They tell me they are Not going to do the ultrasound “unless they have to”. It’s not framed as a question of if I want it, it’s a statement. At this point i’m not in the right mindset to advocate for myself, I just let it happen.

It took multiple tries, they had to manually dilate me up to a size 6 Denniston dilator, and by the time it was in I was crying uncontrollably.

I don’t know if the ultrasound would have made it quicker, but it would have given me peace of mind, and the last second change of plans would not have increased my anxiety. I couldn’t stop crying afterwards, I felt violated. I hate that my medical consent was disregarded at the last second while I was under the influence and unable to advocate for myself.

Do I reach out to the clinic’s patient advocate to start the process of filing a complaint?

Hi! to give a little of context:

I'm a 20F, i Got on birth control for the first time at 16 (almost 17) I got Nexplanon (Long story short, my mom forced me to get it) since then, my weight has been a mess, I used to be very thin, my height is 5'5 and I usually weighted around 115lbs to 130 max, since I got on the nexplanon my weight went crazy, when I turned 18 I switch to the Mirena IUD hoping my weight and my periods would regulate, my periods did (a little) but my weight keeps being messy, since I got on Birth control I started to weight 165lbs+ (right now I'm sitting at 178lbs) which has been very hard for me. I go to the gym every week, eat supper healthy, it's not like I'm not trying, but at this point I don't know what else to do. I'm getting my IUD removed in two weeks (since I found out it is misplaced) I'm not thinking of getting it back on, I also don't know what other birth control to use tho and I know damn well I'm not planning to get pregnant lmao

I’ve had PCOS for 4 years now probably. I got checked in 2023, and my gyno told me i needed to lose weight, but he also prescribed me hormonal birth control to make my periods regular. I stopped the birth control after a month or so because it was making me so nauseous (I don’t remember the emotional effects because i was on lexapro and buspar because i had really bad anxiety). Fast forward to 2026, i got another check up and my cysts actually miraculously improved! I’m at a healthy weight now which means the weight loss was definitely a factor in improving my PCOS. But for some reason my doctor prescribed me more hormonal birth control and told me to take it for a year. Right now i’m not on antidepressants and i’m really not okay. I feel suicidal and it’s an emotional roller coaster every single day. The waterworks happen several times a day and i hate this because i’m usually a very happy and bubbly person and I can’t even show up that way to my friends and family. I hate being depressed and I hate having to take birth control to regulate my period. I really can’t keep going like this my emotions keep getting the better of me.

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Hello, I am going through a period of very severe anxiety because I am afraid of being pregnant. I am taking the contraceptive pill, Ludéal Gé specifically. My anxiety is so intense that several times, instead of taking just one pill, I have taken two for irrational reasons such as, “What if I didn’t swallow it properly?” or “What if I dropped it on the floor while taking it without realizing it?”

I also take pregnancy tests very regularly, including a blood test a few days ago that came back negative. However, I am worried that taking several extra pills may have affected the result and that the test could actually be positive.

I would therefore like to know whether taking an excessive amount of birth control pills can affect or interfere with the results of a pregnancy test.

Thank you for your response.

Hi everyone, I (24F) started lo loestrin a little over a month ago. I’m on the second pack now.
In the past I’ve tried progestin only mini pills due to health factors but the random breakthrough bleeding was driving me insane so I started Vienva.
Vienva was good bleeding wise but made my mental health plummet. I then switched to lo loestrin and it’s been great overall mentally but the breakthrough bleeding is back. I bleed like clockwork in 14 day cycles.
I see mixed reviews on if this side effect improves as the body adjusts (around the 3rd pack) so I wanted to see if this has been similar for anyone else. I’ve also considered an IUD but I want to see if this pill will work as time goes on.
Anyways, thoughts?

Hi girls😊 Recently me and my boyfriend started to talk about alternatives for condoms. I got interested in cooper iud, it doesn't have any hormones, BUT I'm really scared of a thought that something will be in me for ~5 years, especially there, where my child will be growing one day. Anyways. I have a lot of questions about this, and it's sounds very scary. Is it even prevents from getting pregnant, because I heard it doesn't help. Also how to know if my immune system will accept cooper. And what about the inside, I'm worried it might damage the lining and seriously injure my uterus.

I'm 23y.o, I was always was very skeptical and against it, but maybe it's not that bad and I should be more open minded😅

I'm a trans man. And being on testosterone and birth control makes it even more difficult to know wth is wrong with me.

I've been on progestogen birth control azalia to stop my period, for two years and half. So, I never have my period. Just some spotting. August 3rd I had sex 3 times, 2 times he came inside. I take my pill everyday at the same hour, never missed it. I have come to trust my pill more.

I spotted 2 times this year. February and July.

Now with more regular sex, I notice I'm bleeding more. Must be due to how dry my vagina is and the friction makes me bleed no matter if I use lube or not.

I'm doing a vaginal moisturizer and it's only been 2 weeks .

This morning I did an std test (just for precaution) and when she inserted the cotton, it hurt so bad, I was bleeding. After that, went home, peed and it burned. I assume also it's because how dry my vagina is. I applied my vaginal moisturizer inside my vagina and went to sleep.

I always have discharge after I wake up (I assume it's dead cells from the moisturizer), went to pee (burned again) and when I wiped, pink blood.

I know it can also mean implantation bleeding. I'd hate to think I was pregnant at my first creampie even taking my pill 100% correctly lol. I will do a test end of this month.

Now that I do sex more often, I cannot know what kind of spotting is. If it's from how dry my vagina is, or my hormones or worst, implantation.

I have emailed my doctor about the bleeding. Still waiting for her answer.

Hello!

So i’m on xulane and it’s 93% effective. I skip a week to get my period, which i heard is not a real period. Therefore, if I was to get pregnant would i still have this “period”? Would pregnancy be present if the fake period doesn’t come? How does that work? I’ve heard of women having bleeding and yet be pregnant.

I’m 3 weeks in now, and I started having raw sex now. I won’t let him ejaculate in me until 2 weeks after my free week next week just in case. I just wanted to know all the details if possible!

F26 I have been on the pill for a little over 6 years, (20-26) and it’s the only birth control I’ve ever been on. I plan to stop taking it this month for the first time in 6 years with the objective of trying to conceive.
Any experiences with long term use and what to expect going off it? any side effects I should be aware of?

Yesterday I went to the gyno to have them look at a large ovarian cyst I have. This is the only obgyn in town and I’ve heard bad things about her but it was my only option. She completely ignored me and brushed off my symptoms. She then did an ultrasound, didn’t say much about the cyst but said my iud was out of place and “deeply embedded in my uterine wall” she said she could remove it today IF I WANTED. She then did an exam with the speculum and stated she would be removing my iud completely taking the choice away from me. I tried to ask if it would be painful and what to expect, she again brushed me off saying it would be painless. She also made fun of me for clenching, which I was obviously doing because I was scared (I did Make sure I relaxed after she said that though so I don’t think it’s why I experienced pain). When she removed it I experienced intense severe pain that lasted for hours after. I have a very high pain tolerance and it literally made me cry, I don’t think I’ve ever cried from pain, it was 10x worse than having it inserted. I was telling her it hurt and she didn’t stop the procedure, only basically made fun of me for crying. From what I’ve read if an IUD is imbedded in the uterus pain should be expected, managed, and the provider should stop if you’re in pain. I left the appointment in pain and honestly feeling kind of violated. I’m not sure what my next steps are with this doctor if there is anything I should do or report. But also making this post to warn others, I should have advocated for myself more. if a provider wants to remove a embedded iud and tells you it will be painless and no big deal that’s a lie.

i’m 19F and i had sex a couple days ago and he finished inside me twice. i’ve been taking my birth control (nextstellis) pretty consistently but i started tracking it on august 9th. i had lost my birth control before so i just opened a new packet(idk if this changes things??) i have really bad anxiety and i gonna grab a plan b before the 72 hours are over. my friends are telling me i should take the plan b as well as my birth control. my period says it’s in 19 days if that help anything.

sorry if im rambling and it doesn’t make sense i popped out my sleep cs i had a dream i was the p word.

I feel like it’s low in this situation but had sex 3x w my bf last night/this morning. I rush to work today, leaving my pills behind, I just got my period at work. What’s the risk?

Hello, I've been on the pill ( Kelsee) for abt 7 months and honestly always had no major side effects, besides from like some pain in my boobs, the one you get before your period iykwim. Mentioned it to my doctor and she suggested to stop taking my placebo pills and just take the active pills all the time. ok i did that and it worked just fine, so I've been doing that for at least 4/5 months.

It has also happened a couple of times that I've had to throw away my blister still half full because I had left it in the sun lol, never bothered to count how many pills I was missing from the placebo because I wouldn't have taken them regardless, so in those cases I just started a brand new blister and that's it. the problem is right now I've decided to start taking my placebo again (long story not important) but I don't know when to do it?? like I can take them at the end of my current blister but what about the half taken ones in the lasts few months?

maybe I'm overthinking plss can anyone tell me if they had the same experience?

Ive been on birth control for about 7ish years now. I went off in March, due to blood pressure being too high. Ive been woth my boyfriend for almost 4 years now and since coming off of birth control ive been thinking about breaking up with him.

Im posting this more to ask, has anyone else gone through this? Either going on or off birth control changed your aspect on your relationship?

Hi, I am new to reddit and did not know how to post so i am just adding here. I am very scared rn and need help. I am 19 (f) and I have taken combined pill (oralcon 30) for about 1 month now, I have not missed a pill and have taken the pill within a 1-3hr period everyday. I had sex today where the condom broke and ejaculation inside of me and I am scared. I went to pharmacy and took plan b (levonorgestrel). For weight and height context, I am 72kg and 172cm. I am scared of getting pregnant and it is my biggest fear. Also for reference today was the last day of my period (well the withdrawal bleed) so I am not ovulating well shouldnt be from the pill. I am terrified, has anyone been through this and been fine

Hey everyone, looking for some insights or experiences from others who track cycles closely. My girlfriend's period was predicted by her app to arrive on Sunday, August 16, but today is August 19 and it still hasn't started yet.

​Here is her period tracking history from the past few months for context:

​April: Started April 4

​May: Started May 1, then again on May 25 (24-day cycle)

​June: Started June 25 (31-day cycle)

​July: Started July 19 (24-day cycle — 5 days earlier than usual)

​August (Predicted): App predicted August 16 based on a standard 28-day calculation.

​Our Situation:

We had protected sex during her cycle. I used a condom the entire time, AND I pulled out before finishing (completed outside of her). There were no visible tears, breaks, or leaks with the condom.

​My Questions:

​Since her July period came 5 days early (July 19), does it make sense that her body reset its internal clock from July 19 rather than sticking to the app's static calendar prediction?

​If we count a normal 30- to 32-day cycle from July 19, that puts her expected period right around August 18–21, meaning today (August 19) is technically only Day 31 of her cycle. Has anyone else experienced a longer cycle right after an unusually short one?

​Given that we used both condoms and the pull-out method correctly, how likely is it that this delay is just natural cycle variance/stress rather than pregnancy?

​Would love to hear if others have had similar cycle shifts after an early period!

My bf and I had unprotected sex this weekend. The last time we did was 3 days ago. (Today is now Wednesday) I forgot to take my Opill last night and fell asleep. Should I take a plan b? How at risk am I? I took my Opill as soon as I remembered this morning. Edit: I took a plan b

My girlfriend and I have sex about once a month, ALWAYS using a condom, and I don’t ejaculate inside her even when wearing one. She has always had an irregular menstrual cycle. A few cycles ago, we went through a situation where her period was 15 days late because she was under a lot of stress during an exam period. It was crazy—even though she had cramps, headaches, and all her usual PMS symptoms, we were overwhelmed by worry and anxiety. I didn’t give her the emotional support she needed; on the contrary, I made things worse rather than helping. Her period only came after she took a pregnancy test.
Now, the situation is practically the same: we had sex once, with protection and without ejaculation. The only difference is that her period is currently 9 days late. However, she has all the PMS symptoms she usually gets, including cramps, acne (which she always gets around this time), and headaches. She is also very nervous and anxious because she is about to start a new job.
Should we be worried? If she takes a pregnancy test, what are the chances that it will come back positive?

Hi guys! I was previously on the pill but just switched to the NuvaRing. I’ve seen that some people have problems with the one-size fits all part of the ring, with it being too big for their uterus. It cringes me to say this… but I am petite, I don’t know if that determines uterus size, but that is a concern for me. Also, one of my biggest fears is getting an ectopic pregnancy and losing a fallopian tube. I know IUDs increase that risk, but I couldn’t find a clear answer on it for vaginal rings.

Anyways, please tell me everything I need to know, the good and the bad! I still have a week to change my mind and go back to the pill.

Also I tried to ask my doctor some of these questions, but she either gave very vague answers or didn’t answer at all. I told her my sister had a good experience with the NuvaRing, which I think is why she was so dismissive…

I am not sexually active at all so i lowkey feel weird asking but i deadass cannot take being on my period anymore. I know imma be on my period bc a week before I start, I get EXTREMELY depressed and truly hate myself to where I start getting SI thoughts. I also just get so pissed that I have to go through this much pain when I hate kids like leave me tf alone I can’t take ts anymore 😭. I am somewhat active and love to do things but the first three days of it I deadass can’t walk or do things but I have to bc I can’t just stay still. I have my physical next week and want to bring it up bc being on my period is so fucking inconvenient to me like if I had a wizard I wouldn’t wish for no money. I would wish for me to not bleed out of my vagina. I deadass told my friend I would pay someone all I got to give me a hysterectomy bc I hate kids and my period that much.