If you have questions about or want to discuss methods of birth control, this is the place for you! Please see our sidebar for some great resources.

I've been having continuous breakthrough bleeding for months now and am on day 5 of my break. I bled a lot the first few days and then stopped for a day and just started bleeding again today. I originally planned to go a full week but would like to end the break tonight. my question is, how long do you personally take a break for? my doctor said 3 days but that wasn't working for me.

I take the combo pill continuously btw

when approximately will i get my withdrawal bleed? i was about 9 pills into my new pack when i stopped taking them. i took my last one the night before yesterday, and have no signs of spotting or anything. when can i expect to get my “period?”

My girlfriend got a Nexaplanon implant recently, around early March specifically. I am aware that it is advised to wait 7 days after getting the implant to trust whether or not its effective.

I know it might sound a bit dumb, considering how supposedly effective Nexaplanon is, but my girlfriend and I are still worried.

6 days after she got the implant, the opportunity for intercourse presented itself. We saw no harm in not pulling out, and we went on with life.

Shortly after the implant, she had one extra long period and then nothing since then. Just in case we tried having her take two pregnancy tests, and both of them came out completely blank. We weren't sure what this meant, but we trusted the Nexaplanon enough to ease our worries.

Recently she started spotting and today she was nauseous. I know thay irregular bleeding is a common symptom, and the nauseousness could be due to anything, but I thought I'd ask for opinions here. We plan on buying another two tests this week to try and get a negative test result.

Should we be worried? And what actions should we take to cure our pregnancy anxieties?

Thank you all for any help!

Hi all! I got the depo on January 24 and was supposed to go back got the 3 month mark on April 24 .I had to cancel my appointment which i haven’t gone but i had unprotected sex a few days ago and I’m a little worried that i made a mistake of us doing it. Fyi he did not in me but I’m scared I just made a bad mistake. Thank you any help would be appreciated!

So I somehow missed a pill entirely yesterday and ended up taking the pills 6 hours late today. (I doubled up)
I take Nikki (generic yaz) I haven't had sex since the day before yesterday and even then we've been doing pull out method. I know sperm can be in precum though, not sure if I should be worried rn or not. Any advice is welcome.

27f desogestral pill

had sex with my boyfriend around 16 hours ago and i’ve forgotten to take my birth control pill which i last took over 24 hours ago. will i be ok? or is this risky now? i do have pcos so i doubt its a pregnancy risk

I want to stop my periods for the summer so I don't have to worry about planning around them, primarily for backpacking. I went through NuRx and was sent norethidrone .35mg (combo pills are not recommended because they can decrease efficacy of another med I am on). Now I'm doing some reading and it seems like they will not reliably stop periods. I read that the 5mg dose of norethidrone acetate is used to delay periods, but I don't know if that can be done for more than like a week? What if I had trips 2-3 weeks apart? I know when one longer trip will be, but might take other, shorter ones with less advance planning. How can I manage my periods for a few months?

I forgot to bring my blister with me while traveling. I found this from 2 months ago in my luggage, I thought I had lost this pack. This is Apri (desogestrel and ethinyl estradiol). I’m on Day 8 and I’m wondering if I can take a Day 11 in place of a Day 8 ??? This group will not allow pictures. But I’m on the first pill of the second row. Wondering if I can take the 4th pill of the second row, in place of the first pill of the second row.

i got a hormonal iud today for the first time. it hurt so bad and it’s i’ve been having bad cramps since i got it. maybe it’s because im finally laying down but i can feel my uterus throbbing from the pain (i think?)

is this normal?

i took 600mg of ibuprofen before the procedure and 400mg afterwards. maybe i can feel it more now that it’s probably worn off? i took some melatonin an hour ago but i don’t think it worked.

I am 4 weeks post partum and ready to get back to birth control once I get the clear from OB. Prior my infertility journey and eventually pregnancy, I was on nuvaring for 12 years. It worked great for me in terms of:

1. Regular, light/normal period
2. Clear skin, no more acne
3. No weight gain at all, if anything I lost some weight (this is a big factor for me!)

The only downside is physically having a ring inside my vagina is affecting my sex life. It is manageable (was for 12 years) but I’m just over “managing” it anymore and would like to get on to something different.

Any thoughts as to what could be the same as nuvaring but not having to physically insert something? I have heard that the pill has the same formula/content as nuvaring but my fear is that I always hear about the noticeable weight gain as side affect, which is something I would like to avoid.

I will absolutely have this talk to my OB, but I’d like to see what potentially my options are prior.

For back up: I have a Kyleena IUD and typically my bf and I use condoms along with pullout. This time I just did pull out. My last period ended around May 9th-10th. I had intercourse May 12th with just pull out. My next period is predicted to start anywhere from May 22nd-28th (More than likely around the 28th mine typically start at the begining of each month usually.) I want to know when I can take a pregnancy test as soon as possible and get accurate results. I was thinking the 22nd and the 25th.

Recently I switched from Sprintec (combo pill) to Slynd ( mini pill). I’m on my second pack of Slynd. I’ve noticed since starting the mini pill that my hair has been getting greasy and extremely oily after 1-2 days of washing. My whole life I’ve only had to wash my hair once a week so this side effect is really strange to me. Is it because I went off estrogen? Has anyone had this side effect on Slynd?

Caucasian, 240 lbs, 24F, history of pcos and fibroids.

I’m just going to do bullet points as I don’t feel like writing this all out, but I do need advice.

• had horrible periods from ages 12(first period) to 24. Horrible pain I couldn’t move or talk, heavy heavy bleeding, stayed home every period, passing out, the works…..hell every month. Oftentimes long periods. Was 120 lbs up until 2 years ago gained weight from antipsychotics.

• was diagnosed with pcos and fibroids FINALLY around 2022 after extensive tests/ultrasounds etc. by a free clinic (no insurance at the time)

• was recommended to get the mirena then but didn’t have the money

•saw ANOTHER free clinic 2023 was told after more tests NOTHING was wrong- no fibroids or pcos. Just “irregular periods” no one was of any help. Pain and bleeding was getting worse. I knew something was wrong.

•mirena finally inserted Dec 2023 after a lot of problems with the drs office about it. Immediate horrible pain, cramping, heavy bleeding for a long time.

•kept contacting drs only for them to say it was normal. Bad smell kept coming back down there, they did tests and said it was normal. Said pain was to be expected but it was excruciating most of the time. For months.

•dr checked iud placement and said it was good, but set up ultrasound appt for may 30th-to make sure?? … around 3 months away…..and my coverage was ending.

•last month the bleeding stopped and so did the pain (lasted 4 months or so )

•pain started back up last week and so did the bleeding. It’s light but it’s getting heavier every day. The pain is really bad but not the worst I’ve experienced.

I finally have insurance and I’m trying to set up an appt. Just need advice on how to get someone to listen to me for once or if something seems wrong to any of y’all.

I can’t keep doing this. I’m scared of something really wrong plus infertility and other things but no one ever takes me serious or believes I’m in as much pain as I say I am.

At the end of April I decided to go on the mini pill norethindrone to help with my endo. I keep getting complex cysts from endo and have very heavy periods. Decided to finally try bc, went on that pill and last week started getting headaches, called my doctor and she changed it to slynd, my headache has continued. I’ve had a headache now since last Thursday. My head is killing me today so I check my bp.

157/93! And I knew it. Anytime in the past my bp has been high I get this kind of headache.

I’m sooooo confused I thought mini pills did NOT affect bloop pressure???

i’ve been on birth control sense 12 years old i was on the depo until around 15 and i switched to the iud. i had that for about a year before it started to move sideways in my uterus. i had it removed and went back on depo. the iud was miserable getting it in i threw up and was in pain for months non stop and getting it out i threw up as well. i want to go off birth control but at the same time i don’t want to deal with pregnancy scared and periods again. at the same time tho i haven’t been me without hormones sense 12. if there’s a better option id go for it but until then i think i have to thug it out till my bf can get himself snipped.

I have been on the combination pill since I was 15 and I’m now 23… I was seeing someone regularly and we were having unprotected sex and he pulled out well before he finished every time. (5-10 seconds at least and would finish elsewhere)

I am not perfect with my pill but always either take within a 2 hour window or the next day. We only had sex one time in the last month and it was normal (pulled out with a good amount of time) but now my withdrawal bleed did not come. I’m on day 6 of the sugar pills and all I’ve had is very little brown discharge… I took a pregnancy test and it was negative, but this has never happened before.

I had cramps and back pain which is par for my symptoms for my “period” (withdrawal bleed) but not any blood. Just the discharge.

Has this happened to people before where a period has been so light you feel you may have missed it? I feel anxious because I know pulling out is not perfect, but I was using that along with my pills. Everything online says to keep checking for pregnancy - but I really don’t feel it’s that… just want some advice

Hi, I'm 17 and have recently started looking at different birth controls. I'm very nervous about all of this lol. I've never been on BC before and have always had a hard time starting new meds due to fear of the side effects. I've tried researching all the different kinds and brands but none of the thing I've read have been very helpful. I was hoping you guys would have more insight for me <3

I’ve been searching around for an answer to this and have spoken to a few doctors and pharmacists who don’t recognize it as a symptom, but has anyone else experienced a fogginess or just felt out of it when starting their patch? I switched from the mini pill 2 weeks ago now and I’m feeling awful.

Just wanted to know if it’s side effects that will go away or if I should consider switching again because I don’t want to feel like this forever.

Thanks!

Anyone who has taken this birth control, did your “periods” go away ? I’ve had a period every month since I was 12 even on other birth controls. This one is a significantly lower dose than my others so I know it’s possible I’m just curious…. It’s not looking like I’ll have one 😅. (Which I’m perfectly fine with)

27/F I am currently using kyleena IUD and I am having it replaced Friday. I am just getting kyleena again. Will it cause my skin to breakout or will it stay the same since it’s the same IUD type?

Me and my partner had sex yesterday morning and i was wearing a condom, we had sex for maybe about 13 mins untik we heard footsteps, i quickly removed the condom and my partner told me that there's no one there, this is where i think i made the mistake.. after i removed the condom we reused it again and i forgot which way i entered the condom.. i just put it in and we went back on having a great time.. i just thought of this after a few hours.. can condoms absorb precum? Will my partner be pregnant with precum? Should i ask her to use contraceptive pills?

i’ve been using the patch birth control for a couple of months and everytime i have my patch free week my period doesn’t come until the last day (usually friday-sunday) and then i have to out a patch on monday?? am i still protected like that

as of right now i just got off my patch free week but started my period on saturday before i had to regularly start a new week and out my patch on monday? is this normal? am i protected

I saw some people say on this sub that the combination pill they took elevated their mood. If you experienced this with a combination pill, please tell me which one it was! I know everyone reacts to things differently but I think this could give me an idea on where to start. Thanks! 🩷

So I 28F haven't had sex in like 5 years and haven't been on birth control for a WHILE. No reason really just wasn't interested in dating at all. But I met a guy and things have been going well. I started on Opill a few days ago just for convenience sake since it's OTC and i don't have insurance until i can get in with a doctor for more "standard" birth control options. I guess i'm just terrified it will fail - obviously i can have him wear a condom as an extra precaution. Just wanting to know it is working for people? Like i just need to hear people to say "he finished in me, i am not pregnant" LOL Also is a week enough time? I started taking the pill on sunday after my period ended (my only symptom is having some spotting which i figured is the norm) and planning to meet up again on saturday with him

I started the pill on one package, and travelled with a different package, so I was a bit confused when I came back and "combined" the packs Per say.

So instead of taking the sugar pills, for 3 days I took actual birth control.

Can this effect or delay my period at all?? (I also had unprotected sex but I was taking the pill properly then, but ya never know.) (Need to know if delayed period of because of this or sex)

Do I push the days and take the full 7 sugar pills, or pretend like everything's normal?

I’ve been taking dim supplements (200 mg) for about a week or so now, does that mean that I’m going to be unprotected until I take the pills for a week straight without taking dim? I can’t find any information on this and now I’m quite concerned 😭

Hi all, I just had my second copper IUD removed in a two year period, both slipped down into my cervix. Talking to my gyno today, it was reccomend that I should try something different, and they suggested the Kyleena IUD because it's smaller and meant for people who have never been pregnant/ given birth before. Although technically I could try a third copper IUD, my gyno mentioned it will probably have a similar outcome to the first two. Here's the issue, I've never been on hormonal contraception before and I'm scared of two side effects 1. Weight gain and 2. Change in temper. Is there any way to prevent these? I see so many posts saying how so many of these changes just happen regardless of diet and exercise and it's scary. Qny advice or experience? :(

Norethindrone was the first contraceptive pill I ever tried, I was on it for a month and I had no side effects. I thought I did, but I later realized it was something totally unrelated. I went on to try depo-provera, and then camrese.

Recently, I decided to try norethindrone again, and within the first week I started to feel nausea after eating. I don't know if it was also causing me to have extra anxiety, or if it was just a brand new development with my anxiety disorder, but it made me panic to the point of nearly vomiting on several occasions. I couldn't even talk about the post-eating nausea without instantly getting the anxiety-nausea all over again.

It got to a point where I couldn't tell the difference between hunger, fullness or digestion. It all felt like nausea. I lost 6 pounds in a week because of it. Two weeks in it was getting worse everyday, and I finally realized the only new variable was the bc, and stopped taking it. It got better, but not much at first. I had a lot of days where I thought I was past it, just to have another really bad day right after. Even the smell of food could make me nauseous and dizzy. It's been over a month now, and I finally feel normal again.

So, what I'm worried about is the fact that I was on norethindrone before and nothing like this happened. I was on it for a whole month, and this time it only took a week to start doing this to me. Can I go back on any other birth control when nausea and vomitting is a possible side effect for all? I'm afraid to even try camrese again when I was just on it 6 months ago. It didn't cause nausea then, but neither did norethindrone when I took it the first time.

Stopping Mili after taking it for several years (was switched from Sprintec some years back) and have been on oral BC for the past 11 years. Anyone have any experiences coming off Mili specifically? Experiences coming off other oral BC also welcome 🙂

He pulled out a minute before he cum. Is there any chance of precum getting inside me that could cause pregnancy? Im on my second day before my ovulation day when we did it.

About me: A diabetic (type 1) teen with 39 days menstruation cycle.