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.

Hi!! I was wondering how harmful it would be for me to have left my birth control in a car overnight? I’m slightly concerned it will have affected the pills and rendered them useless, but I’ve also just started a new pack and don’t want to be tossing them away if I don’t absolutely have to. Any advice would be excellent <3

I just recently tried getting on the pill (opill) and it was terrible. I had cramping, bloating, heavy spotting, acne started to flair up, and I was moody. All in just 4 days!! So I stopped and I’m better now.

I did my research and read that taking plan b is basically birth control hormones but in a way bigger dose and is tough on your body. But in my experience, it doesn’t effect me the way BC does. No spotting, mood changes, acne, cramping or anything. It seems like the percentage is just a bit lower at preventing pregnancy, but still just as effective. Cost wise, it’s a bit more but not too much more since My Way is just $9.

So I was hoping to get some opinions on this and if anyone also just takes a plan b pill after sex?

Would like to mention that I would love to take BC…but dear god it seems like every single one has very real side effects that people Often get and I just don’t want to play with my mental health right now and risk developing depression because of a pill. Or gain weight. I’ve worked wayyy too hard to finally feel comfortable in my body and risking it isn’t something I want to do.

Thank you for reading.

I’ve been on Slinda birth control for 6 months and it’s been hell for my mood and general wellbeing I can’t take it anymore. I am getting the Mirena IUD put in next week and I’m terrified that it’s not going to help with my mood issues. I understand everyone is different but was wondering if there was a chance anyone on here has gone through this and how was that for them. Thank you.

Sorry in advance because I'm sure this has been asked a lot.

I've been on microlut (mini pill) for 6 or 7 months now, after taking doing Combined pill, depo, combined pill again etc.

To begin with I was getting regular periods each month and they were really heavy and painful. I was due for my period about a week and a half ago and it never came.

I did take one of my pills a little bit late during my last period around 5 weeks ago, but I'm not sure if that effected anything as I didn't have sex for a bit after that due to the period anyway.

I've taken two pregnancy tests and they were both negative. Some people say that after you've been on the mini pill for a few months and your body adjusts to it that your periods can stop, and others say it shouldn't stop at all, but it might cause you to have irregular cycles.

I'm kind of regretting being on it due to the smaller time frame to take the pills on time, but I can't go on combined pill again due to migraines.

Maybe it's nothing but if anyone has any advice I'll take it. Thanks so much.

Me (25M) and my gf (23F) have a relation for a couple of months now. We have been fooling around for a bit but since a month ago she wants to have sex and so do I. However, I am scared to have sex because of a pregnancy scare I had 10 years ago that only existed out of oral and hand stuff. She knows about this, she is currently looking into what birth control fits her but she is a bit scared of them. I did tell her that I 100% support her if she does not want to use birth control since the side effects look scary.

Obviously we will use a condom regardless if she is on birth control or not and I will still finish outside her. We even had the talk on what if she did get pregnant. She is willing to take a abortion. However I still want to avoid this situation since I know that this would devastate her. We both want to have kids in the future so sterilization is out of the question.

The thing is that we want to be intimate together but right now the only thing stopping us is my fear I had when I was younger. It just gave me the feeling that I couldn't be careful enough. It sucks because I don't want my past fear stand in the way of our relation. I support her choice about birth control whatever it will be and we talked about what to do if we happen to rely on condoms only. We talked about checking the condom for leakage afterwards and making sure we got plan B ready in our place. We even talked about that she could track her cycle on top of condoms + pulling out.

But no matter what, i'm scared. I'm scared for any accidents to happen. and I hate it that I can't give her what she wants. I must say that she is an absolute angel that is patient and understanding about my fear no matter how irrational or extreme I sometimes sound. So what type of birth control and what combination would you guys advice? She tried taking birth control with 2 hormones but that didn't work out because of the side effects.

Edit: with birth control I don't mean as what she should take. but also perhaps things I could do or we both can do. No answer here is something that is a choice we will follow. But more as a option that we can look into. Of course only she has the choice what to do with her body and only her and a medical professional know what works best for her. Like mentioned earlier, I am looking into what to do in situations where protection lays mostly on condoms and I will support her choice no matter what.

Hi all,

I went off the combo pill (tri cyclen Lo) about 2 months ago, after being on it for about 10 years (ages 17-27) because it stopped working for my body (I was spotting for 42 days…) and I’m not sexually active right now

The first month was great - I have my sex drive back (truly thought I was asexual on the pill), my energy has gone WAY up, and my appetite is more stabilized (I only think about food when my body sends hunger signals which I kind of like)

However, going into month two I’ve noticed I am extremely emotionally volatile. I have never been an angry, conformational, or irritable person and have always been known to handle my emotions well. Recently I feel irritated by EVERYTHING and my reaction to it is such disproportional anger to the actual event. Like the sound of chewing can set me off into blind range to the point I have to go to the bathroom and cry it out…… everything my sister does (or doesn’t) do, or says forms this like raging pit of furry anger in my chest that makes me so uncomfortable because it feels like I’m starting to resent her and not for any like truly valid reason….

Has anyone else experienced this?? Will this taper off eventually cause idk if I can keep this up, it feels all consuming right now….

Thanks!!

Edit: I also quit vaping after doing it for 8 years, two weeks ago.. could be nicotine withdrawal? I barely have any cravings though so unsure. Maybe a combination of the two!

Hi there. I am using Progesterone only pills after the birth of my first baby. I am diagnosed of Anti phospholipid syndrome which is why my OB prescribed me Pop pills. However I am have slight bleeding while peeing. On Friday I forgot to take the pill at 3 O clock but I took it at 7 in the evening. Is it because of that? Please guide

my upper arms are ridiculously sensitive, like even brushing against them is painful for ages and stuff like flu jabs wreck me for weeks,,, i cant find anything about why theyre actually put in the arm. is it a specific reason or is it just convenience?

like, the flu or covid jabs ect have to be in muscles and near lymph nodes or whatever but i know they can do them in thighs (like, always for babies) and they just do arm because generally people want that and its easier for both parties

im getting it in a week or two to manage periods and i think i would like the implant literally Anywhere else. i would rather have it directly in my forehead than my arm but i probably will have to get it there if thats where theyre trained to do it. i just wondered if its for a particular like medical reason

I stopped taking my birthcontrol pill (junel fe 1/20) after being put on it at age 14 for bad periods. It helped me a lot throughout the past 15 years but after doing research I decided to quit it cold turkey. I am using condoms with my boyfriend and (trying to) tracking my cycle. Problem is my period is late (35 days late) i have taken two pregnancy tests and both negative to be sure, I assume its late because i stopped my birthcontrol. I was honestly expecting a horrible early period when I stopped it but nope. I also am insanely bloated!!! Its been a little over a month since i stopped, when will i return to normal??? Help!

I’ve been on the combo pill for about 2 years now, and have honestly forgotten what it was like to not be on it.

I mainly use it for contraception, as well as to regulate my period, but I am thinking of maybe taking a bit of a break and going back to condoms for a while.

Honestly, i’m actually really scared to come off it for some reason, like i’m worried my skin is going to change and my boobs will get smaller, but I also just want to try life without.

Has anyone ever been in a similar situation? I would love to hear some advice on how you felt and what you recommend.

I only started taking birth control about six months ago, but my doctor said that I could skip the iron pills at the end of the pack if I wanted to, so that’s what I’ve been doing.

However, I’m studying abroad now and I miscalculated and I have exactly the correct number of pills, only IF I take the iron pills. I meant to just keep taking my birth control until I got back home for winter break.

So if I end up taking the week of iron pills, will I need to wait before having sex again? Would there be a much higher risk of pregnancy?

I take Femogesal (gestodene) and have done so for some months now. In this period of time I've had a month or maybe even two with very bad anxiety and stress that fucked up my sleep.

For a month or 1,5 I took Night Calm to help me sleep. I've stopped 5 days ago because they made me feel bad. There shouldn't be anymore in my system from the pills.

The problem is I can only sleep 6 hours and I don't wake up feeling refreshed. I fall asleep fairly easily but always wake up after 6 hours.

I've struggled with sleep on and off my whole life. But I've never taken BC before this year like maybe 5 months I've been on it now.

Can it be my BC? Or more likely just still my mental health?

has anyone had a good experience going on the mini pill after PCOS diagnosis? My doctor has recommended a few times but i’m not sure if it’s the right choice for me. Was majorly depressed with the last progesterone only pill i tried. Not sure if they’d all just do the same in that regard or if it’s worth a shot. Am currently not taking any kind of hormonal birth control and have found starting/stopping/changing pills very stressful in the past and not sure i want to go through all the changes it causes again! Any opinions? feeling a bit stuck.

I have been taking Maca powder as a supplement to help with PCOS symptoms. I’m just wondering if there is any point with me continuing to use the Maca powder now I have a hormonal coil (kyleena). I just don’t want to be taking something that might send the coil hormones a bit whacky and then increase side effects?

I accidentally left my birth control in the car over night, it's currently below freezing around here. I've left it in the car for few hours before with no issue but this was overnight, 3 months worth that I had just picked up. I'm not sexually active with any men, I take the birth control to stop my periods. The brand is Mirvala if that helps anyone. I know in the past when I talked to a pharmacist about some birth control that was left somewhere too warm they told me that as long as it was still in the blister pack and there was no visible moisture in the packet then they were likely fine. I'm not sure if that still applies to this.

Hi everyone. I've been taking Cerazette for a while now and my libido is dead. I went to my dr today and she prescribed the generic Desogestrel instead. She did say the ingredients are the same but people find they prefer one to the other.

Please could someone clear this up for me? After a bit of googling I can see they are exactly the same so i'm unsure how this would help me. Has anyone else found this change helps?

Thank you

Hi everyone, I have been on the copper iud for almost three years now. Before that I had a hormonal iud for a year but wanted something non hormonal so I switched. Since then, I have had hemorrhagic multiple cysts that have ruptured, severe pms, painful heavy periods, frequent urination, bloating, pain during and after intercourse, breakouts, etc in the last year. My OBGYN wants me to put me in a low dose combo pill. I have been having weird symptoms too that indicate a hormonal imbalance. I’m scared of pills and the side effects. I finally am at a somewhat good place mentally and it took me forever to lose the weight and become healthy again. Anyone who was in the same boat as me and had better results on the pill? Mental health, libido, stomach issues, etc improved or worse? I had no idea there were so many different brands and what not and I am genuinely a hypochondriac and my OBGYN didn’t really explain much so please give me any information/experience/what you take or took. Thank you 🙏

Hi there! Just going on day 4 after having Mirena put in and oh god, the cramps. The nausea and the exhaustion and the cramps!!! No amount of reading prepared me for what I’m feeling right now, can’t lie.

But I’m looking a bit into the future now, when I’ll hopefully no longer be dying in pain, and wondering: did anything change in your sex life? Any pain or discomfort from the IUD at all? My husband is pretty spooked by the thought of hurting me after these horrible days and I’m looking for something to reassure him a little.

Thank you ✨✨

I’m 4 months post-IUD insertion, and my periods have been getting longer each month. Last month, I was on day 9 of my period when I went to the doctor, which led to a prescription for oral contraceptives to be taken for a week (3 pills a day for some reason) to hopefully reduce the bleeding.

However, by the time I picked up the prescription a few days later my period ended, so I haven’t started taking the pills yet.

Now, I’m about to leave for another country in 5 days, and just started my period. I really don’t want to be on my period for at least a week after I arrive. I’m wondering if taking the oral contraceptives now will stop my period in time, or if there’s anything else I can take to stop the bleeding early

Healthcare is very expensive where I’m going, so I can’t afford another consultation just to get advice I could find on Reddit. Any advice is appreciated!

I’ve never taken bc before this one and I have a big history of mental illness but i worked and got to really good point mentally, but im just reaching my sugar pills to my first pack and my anxiety has been unbearable and I’ve been on my period for the entire pack.

At first it was just maybe mood swings here and there but then I started lashing out and I’ve been having really bad panic attacks again (which I haven’t had one in months) and my anxiety is so bad I can’t be alone. My boyfriend left for work and I hyperventilated because of how scared I was and I’ve always been very independent never really had issues like this.

I’m so scared that dumb stuff is going to happen that was never really that big of a worry before but it’s stuff like my house burning down, someone breaking in, one of my pets dying while I’m here alone, etc. I don’t understand because it’s not normal anxiety it feels like the walls are caving in on me.

I really want to know if anyone else has experienced such this soon on lo lo, I know a lot of people talk about the side effects but I didn’t expect it to be this bad. Am I just being dramatic? Anything helps!

Hello!

So I’m new to birth control after being prescribed at a local clinic - I did have experience using it for PCOS years back but it was very inconsistent. Now I am taking it as a form of birth control.

I do have PCOS and skip periods and therefore, my hormones are all over the place. I skipped one month (November) again and I’ve been feeling really hormonal and frisky as of late then became quite moody; so I assume I may be in the luteal phase of my cycle, I am not completely sure.

Prior to that, all I had was protected sex, but I’m always worried still. I’ve had spotting or very light discharge which is a bit pinkish brown and I decided to start on the pill during the 3rd day of spotting. I am not sure if this will make the spotting go away or if it will continue. I did read online it can occur prior to having one’s period so I’m not sure how it will progress - if I will still get a period or not.

Also, though I am highly doubtful, I will just get a PT just in case. But is it alright to be starting the pill while in this spotting phase? Has anyone ever experienced the same thing? The doctor says its fine to start whenever - but just want to be sure it’s completely safe and what about the spotting, does it become a period still or go away? And what are the chances the spotting may be implantation bleeding? Never had unprotected sex and so far the spotting and mood changes and cravings (which may be because of the luteal phase) are just making me concerned.

Thank you!

I’m not sure how to navigate this, and I’m wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience.

I’m 52 and I’ve been taking the progestin only pill for about a year. A month in, my period stopped completely. So there’s really no way to tell if I’m in menopause or not.

My intention is to take the pill until I’m 55, but I’m wondering if perhaps I should get a hormone test. Has anyone else experienced their periods completely stopping and also being menopause age and not knowing how to tell the difference, and if so, what did you do?

So! I just turned 19 and I've started taking Ethinylestradiol + Levonorgestrel aka the trust pill (I'm not from the states idk if its called the same there?). And I'm curious what the typically side effects of it are? I read the packets giant paper thing inside but I don't really have anyone to ask about their personal experiences with it? So I wanted to ask here about the side effects! 🧍🏻‍♀️

TL:DR: I just started taking Ethinylestradiol + Levonorgestrel are there any side effects I should know about?

who used a PinkCheck early pregnancy test? how accurate is that?

my gf has been delayed for 5 days already, we had unprotected sex 4 days after her ovulation week. but i pulled it out even if i dont feel that im cming. (i know precum)

the test kit says it can detect 10 days after intimacy or if not, maybe if the girl has missed her period. so yeah we had an intercourse last nov 19 and we took a test on Nov 30, her period must be on Nov 28. but i have something to say, when she was overthinking i buy her a emergency pills, and according to some review it delays a period after using it tho she don’t use it in a right way. idk if thats the case why she is delayed.

Hello,

I got my iud put in when I was 16 and got it out when I was 23. It's was a mirena iud. I got it removed Sep 9th and its now Dec 3rd(about 3 months ago).

When I was 22, I was diagnosed with PCOS. I had been having your standard PCOS symptons acne weight gain, cysts, since I was about 20 and maybe even before then but was harder to tell as I was a teenager.

I gained alot of weight since I had the iud put in and was wondering what other experiences were with weight gain and IUD remova? Did you lose some, gain some? How long after your iud was removed did you notice that change? And other iud symtons that changed after iud removal?

Finally and probably my more important questions... during my years with an iud I probably only got a period/light spotting 1-3 times a year. I had some spotting right after it was removed but I think that was trauma. I have been on my period since November 10th. It is December 3rd. Intellectually, I know my body is just dealing with my hormones being outta wack but did anyone else have this happen?? Like 2 or 3 months after getting the iud out, a what seems like a never ending period? I feel like a faucet... is there anything I can do? Is this normal?

Thanks in advance, I know its probably fine but low-key panicking lol

Hiya everyone, just wanting to see if anyone else share my experiences while on Jadelle rods and what it was like coming off of it!

While on:

• very irregular bleeding, spotting, often short periods every 2 weeks, or "normal" length period followed by almost 2 weeks of spotting.
• very quick weight gain and can't seem to get it off.
• hormonal acne flair ups!
• tanked my libido.
• making me more tired and moody despite regular exercise and okayish sleep schedule.

Only major benefit, besides not getting preggers of course, is not getting debilitating pms cramps and migrain episodes on the first day of my period.

I've had it in for coming on 2 years and it's been a battle to get my GP to take my side-effects symptoms seriously, so very much considering going off of it! Any experiences, especially if its similar to mine, love to hear from you ❤️

Hi is it okay to take a break after using a whole pack (3 months) and then I started a new pack of about four pills? After my three months of taking Noranelle, combi pills, I suddenly was bleeding and I didn't take a break. Now I'm like bleeding, not alot, but for a whole week so I want to take a break now from the pill but I had unprotected sex two days ago. Will I be still protected? And why am I suddenly bleeding after using a pack?

Hi, Basically the title , what was your experience on it? Any side effects, weight gain, mood swings, depression?

I've been on depo for almost 2 years. I really want to switch methods. I have a lot of negative side effects and it's affecting me a lot. Ever since I've taken the shot I've lost 15 pounds. I have this sense of guilt and sadness linger a lot. My cycle is messed up also. I'm thinking about switching to the pill. Has anyone decided to do this transition and how did it go for you? The only thing I like about depo is that you don't have to remember to take it daily. I'm also looking into the patch and IUD. Any advice or experience is needed please.

Plan b and uti

Hi I had protected sex this weekend and took a plan b thethe next day. Now I’m having frequency to pee but nothing comes out. I’m taking d manose to fight it what can I do?!!