Just a PSA about how natural cycles is a shady business. They charged me $150 for another year of service without giving me a chance to cancel. Oh - but they said they did… how u might wonder? In an email that was disguised as another bullshit promo email, titled “Your NC Journey!” With NO INDICATION of a charge coming up. I get a million emails a day, I’m not going to stop to look at each one, are u kidding. And so I get the invoice and I say um, no, I don’t want this service anymore and I can’t afford this right now, I need a refund, and they continue to double down on their “policy” even though I literally asked to cancel the DAY the charged me, before it even went through. It’s shady fucking business practice, hide your “notification” in an innocuous promo email, then rake in money from unsuspecting users. I’m fucking pissed and $150 is a lot of fucking money for me. I’ve had this issue with another subscription service and they understood and refunded me. Fuck NC. They’re fucking shady & unhuman.

So after forgetting my birth control pills for a total of 6 days with unprotected sex the last 2 days, I took plan b earlier today and I feel like an absolute wreck. I also realized we’ll have to use condoms for a week which sucks but hey, getting pregnant is worse?

But please tell me it’s the pill making me extra emotional and that my boyfriend is not a total dick?? After I eventually agreed to have sex today (with a condom) despite feeling like a mess, where he managed to finish just fine!!!! he complained about the condom and asked if we could use the pull out method instead of the condoms for the next week.

Like. Dude. You’re not the one who’s a hormonal mess thanks to plan b and I’m NOT doing that again anytime soon, no I’m not a fan of condoms either but ITS 7 DAYS and ik im the one who messed up, but still?
(Sorry if this is the wrong sub for my hormonal vent but- it’s caused by a birth control related issue and like my bf in all seriousness suggested, the pull out method is not really a safe option for those 7 days where I start my bc again, is it?!)

Hi y’all! I (20F) just got on Nexplanon about a month ago. My period has always been super regular and lasts roughly 3 days with medium bleeding. I started my period on Nexplanon around 9 days ago and the bleeding has been constant since (I am still bleeding currently). It has been significantly less than my period without birth control but the blood is extremely dark and almost black (kind of like the blood on the last day yk?). This is my first ever birth control so I’m just wondering if anyone else has experienced this and if it will go away? I’ve heard many stories of women having their periods for months at a time on Nexplanon so I’m having a little bit of anxiety about that. Thank you for your help!

(Sorry if the formatting is weird. I’m writing this on mobile.)

I’ve been on birth control pills for years (5+ years) because I’ve had irregular periods since I was a teenager. I’m in my late 20s now, and I get withdrawal bleeding during the last week of every pack.

I had an ultrasound to check for PCOS, but it came back negative. Other than my irregular periods, I don’t really have any PCOS symptoms.

My OBGYN still told me to keep taking birth control because it’s good for women’s health in general apparently. She also mentioned that she’s been taking it herself until her 50s.

I’m just a little worried about the long term side effects of being on the pill for so many years. Is it actually okay to keep taking it if I don’t have PCOS? I’m not sure if I’m overthinking this or if I should get a second opinion.

Has anyone else been in a similar situation?

As the title says. Can I just go ahead and take the next day's pill (Day 7) instead? It's so expensive to just have to throw out a whole packet, which is what the leaflet instructs if there are issues with Days 1-7.

Important context: I'm not using Qlaira for contraceptive purposes. I use it to manage my endometriosis. If I'm short a pink pill, will I have to deal with a full blown period now? (With endo this will wipe me out for a a whole week)

Hi everyone, for some context I have had the mirena iud for around 2 years now and I got it because I had heavy periods and irregular bleeding.

Honestly it has really helped with slowing down my periods and I haven’t had cramps as bad as I did before getting it inserted. But the main problem I have with the mirena is it hasn’t stopped the irregular bleeding (it’s probably actually worse). As well as this I think it makes me so much more moody and irritable.

I also opted for the iud because I felt that because it’s localised I wouldn’t have as many side effects.

Anyways I really want to switch to a birth control option that would make my bleeding a lot more regular as this had been a problem for me when I want to get intimate.

Which method would you recommend for this?

I started Yaz in early July. Since then I’ve had symptoms similar to my normal period with the exception of very light bleeding that hardly required a liner. sometimes the bleeding would last weeks but last month it was only one day and it was gone. I got married September and began being sexually active. I got my period this morning but it was much heavier than normal, I even had some clumping. I needed a pad and even had to change it so far. I’m really concerned cause all of the research I’ve done says this isn’t normal
just some notes :

- I take the birth control everyday at the same time and never missed it

- I started my placebos on Fridays

- I have never had a heavy period like this since before I got on the birth control

Hi all, looking for some reassurance or a reality check. Here's my timeline:

LMP: Sept 26

Oct 2 (cycle day 7): Had sex with Mirena still in. He pulled out.

Oct 9: Had Mirena removed and started Yaz that same night. No sex between Oct 2 and Oct 9.

Today: Had sex with a condom, and he also pulled out.

I've taken every Yaz pill on time, at the same time each day, with none missed. We also take pregnancy tests monthly and they've all been negative.I've had some nausea lately and started spiraling, but I think it's probably from the new hormones, since Yaz has estrogen and Mirena didn't.

From what I understand, sperm only last about 5 days, so nothing from Oct 2 should have been around when I removed the IUD, and the condom covered me while Yaz was kicking in. I'm planning to test in early November to be sure.

I recently came off my birth control that was falmina a combined one I switched after 16 years because my migraines came back I started slynd 2 and half weeks ago and my migraines were soo much worse to the point where I basically couldn’t see and my eyes hurt so bad I’m terrified of the iud and don’t kno what to do now

Hello,

Like the title says I stopped the Dianne 35 pill. I have had no period since June 28 when I stopped, and my partner just edjaculated inside me without permission. It's Oct 17 and I don't know if I have ovulated or not but I've been super hormonal and I'm really hoping to get my period. Google said a delay of 1 to 3 months is normal for my period. I took 3 pregnancy tests last month and all said negative. If I take a plan B, will it work?

Hey guys! I got an IUD about 2 years ago and I wanted to share my experience and hear yours thoughts. I got the hormonal IUD - Kyleena since I didn’t want to take birth control pills due to its side effects and thought IUD might be a better option. I had never tried any birth control before so, this was my first.

After the insertion, I was spotting for about 10-15 days and then again after 15 days. This continued for a few months with on and off spotting. I think I finally stopped sometime earlier this year around April-May.

Throughout the last two years, I feel like it affected me emotionally (mood swings), caused acne (like really painful kind, out of nowhere), cramps (especially after doing ab workout or running), affected my energy and libido.

After some thinking, I have made an appointment to have my iud removed. I will post about the after effects.

In the meantime, please share your thoughts/experiences about having an iud? Did you have similar effects? Thanks! 🙏

Hi Y’all, I’m a 20 year old female,
I’m just a bit concerned.
I had penetrative sex with my trans girlfriend 3 days ago. She didn’t eyaculate inside me, and we did it for not more than 5 minutes. We didn’t used protection, and I was on my last days of my period. I took plan B 48h later, I’m just concerned about getting pregnant. I’ll be grateful if I get some guiding!

Hi girls, I’m just looking for a bit of reassurance and comfort.

I’ve been on the combined pill for a few months now, and recently I started having sex without a condom with my long-term partner. I’ve realised I prefer it this way, not just because of the intimacy we share, but because the friction from the condom irritates my vagina.

Obviously, he finishes inside me, and a few weeks ago I wasn’t worried because I know I take my pills on time, which means I’m protected, and I also had my withdrawal bleeding, that gave me extra reassurance (I know many people say that doesn’t confirm anything; I’m not sure what to believe about that).

But this past week I’ve been overthinking it so much and I’m full of anxiety; I had sex twice, just after my bleeding stopped.

And now I have to wait for my placebo week to come round, and there’s still a while to go, it’s driving me mad.

I think I should stop reading so many stories on Reddit and scaring myself, just as there are bad experiences, there are good ones too. I know there’s always a chance of getting pregnant, so I asked my partner if we could use a condom more often, and he obviously agreed.

Does anyone else overthink things a lot? And what should I do to stop dying of anxiety (apart from using a condom, haha)?

Has anyone taken birth control / preferably mini pill I’m on incassia an experienced Pelvic congestion symptoms shortly after. I was diagnosed with PCS but never had symptoms of it until I started mini pill. I also was diagnosed with illiac compression bilateral an possibly adenmyosis.
I know they say birth control can help “PCS” and adeno pain but I have been on it 5 months and still getting heavy periods.

Hello everyone! I've been taking yaz since February and September I decided to skip the placebo pills to not have to deal with my withdrawal. Everything went fine. This month I decided to skip again and now I'm struggling with breakthrough bleeding. I still have two more weeks of my pack left. I've been bleeding brown and red for 10 days or so.

I'm really not sure what to do. Should I just finish my pack and then start my new pack. I read online about the 3-7 hormone free days to get my body back on track. I'm just worried about how heavy the withdrawal bleeding will be.

What do you guys think?

Hi everyone! I have officially decided to stop birth control. I first got on it when I was 15 and I am now 27. I started junel fe when I was 15 and was on it until April of this year. In April, my doctor had me switch to Slynd because of high blood pressure. My period has been irregular and my hair is shedding a lot more since starting Slynd which I know is normal with the change of birth control. But I have been debating for a while now about stopping and I finished my pack last Saturday and I realized I didn't have any more packs so I ordered from my pharmacy and they didn't have it in stock. So I just decided the time was right to stop and I really want to get my body back to its natural state. I don't wanna get pregnant so my boyfriend and I will be using condoms for a while until my body is back to normal and I have a regular cycle and can track ovulation. Any tips or advice would be appreciated!! 😊

Hello! Let me explain. I had my Nexplanon implant inserted 3 days ago. Today, while attending a protest, I was exposed to tear gas, which irritated my nose and eyes. I know that some of the chemicals found in tear gas can temporarily affect the normal menstrual cycle, so I was wondering whether being exposed to a small amount of tear gas could interfere with my implant and affect its contraceptive effectiveness.

Maybe this is a stupid question, so I’m sorry if it is. Thank you!

A little more than a month ago I was prescribed by my OB the lady pills as treatment to my PCOS, and I am not one of the fellows who uses PCOS as birth control (like????) and I've been taking it religiously since August. Consistently at 3pm. No miss no delays.

I will be going on a date with a special someone this month, and I'm assuming we'll do the deed. Searched online that you should take the pill on the first day of your cycle, or abstinence for 7 days if not. Well since I am well over that timeframe, am I protected to have sex?

Would really love to hear your suggestions as this will be a first time to me, as a year ago I usually opt for the dude to do the contraceptives, but since I'm already taking the pill due to PCOS, might as well 🤷🏻‍♀️ Hahaha

Thank youuu!

I just completed my first month on drospirenone, being used to manage my PMOS but also using it as a contraceptive whilst having unprotected sex. I’m not quite sure about how the protection works and when to start the next blister pack.

Due to PMOS I have extremely irregular periods and I’m not sure when my next period will be. However, since day 18 of my period I’ve been having dark brown discharge/blood (literally no idea what it is…). I don’t have cramps so I’m pretty confident it’s not a real period but I don’t know what it is and if it means I should be starting my second blister pack of active pills now. For a bit more context, today is day 24/final day for this month for me to be taking active pills.

My final question is: if I don’t get my period within the next four days where I’m supposed to be taking the placebo pills, am I still protected against pregnancy? My PMOS in the past has delayed my period by up to 4 months, and my doctor’s orders have been to start a new blister pack on the first day of my next period. I’m concerned about if I will be vulnerable to pregnancy if I have unprotected sex whilst my period is delayed in this way, since I think I won’t be taking the pill for an extended period of time.

Sorry if this didn’t make much sense. Any advice from people who have been in similar situations, or who know what to do in situations like this would be greatly appreciated.

I was on nikki for probably 6 months before I stopped mid September after my period. I had sex once since then on October 1st. My period is 3 days late now and no sign of coming (no cramps, no spotting) I’m freaking out but my boyfriend says it’s probably just getting off the pill. I noticed I’m bloated a lot and some acne on my face showed up. I know I should take a test but I’m scared I’m only 17.

Is this a normal for getting off the pill or am I cooked

Hi, I’ve been on the Nexplanon for the past year or so and all of a sudden I’ve experienced my periods being so long I scheduled an appointment to get it removed but I’m not sure to which other form of birth control to switch to.

I was thinking birth control pills but I’m not sure if it’s as effective as the nexplanon which I liked bc I didn’t have to think about it. Any recommendations?

I just started the Nikki (Yaz) birth control pill last month on the 27th. This is my first time even on birth control and the first placebo pill I'm supposed to take would be next week on Wednesday. Would my period most likely start on that day or would it be later on?

I only ask because I've got a busy next week, specifically Wednesday, ahead of me and I'm nervous. I usually have painful periods that are on or off (such as one month I can barely move and am bedridden, the next it hurts the most on the 1st day and is fine the rest and I can function as usual). Like I've been cramping like crazy for the past 2-3 days already so it's adding an extra layer of worry.

Hi! I’ve been taking Diane-35 for about a year now, and I’ve never missed a pill or had issues with breakthrough bleeding until now.

I’m currently halfway through my active pill pack, about two weeks before my expected period. I initially noticed some brown-tinged discharge, which eventually progressed to more noticeable brown bleeding the following day. It’s not heavy enough to soak a pad, but it’s definitely more than my usual discharge.

What’s strange is that my body feels like I’m actually having my period. I’ve been experiencing fatigue, mild abdominal discomfort, and muscle soreness in the same areas where I usually feel it before my period.

I normally experience PMS-like symptoms around two weeks before my expected period, but this is the first time I’ve actually bled during that time.
I’ve also noticed an unusually high libido over the past few days, although I’m aware that ovulation is generally suppressed while taking the pill.

I haven’t changed my pill routine, so I’m confused about why this is suddenly happening after a year of consistent use.

Has anyone experienced breakthrough bleeding for the first time after being on the same pill for a year or longer? Did it resolve on its own, and did your doctor explain what might have caused it?

I’m planning to consult my gynecologist, but I’d appreciate hearing similar experiences.

I’m 20F, and I could really use some advice from people who have been in a similar situation.

I started taking hormonal birth control (Yaz Plus) 2 months ago for PCOS and during my first month, I experienced a pretty intense depressive episode. I would get ready, go to university, come home, and start crying for seemingly no reason.

I felt emotionally overwhelmed and couldn’t handle things the way I normally would.

Looking back, I think I’ve struggled with my mental health for a long time. I’ve always been anxious, I tend to spiral over the smallest things, I overanalyze social interactions, and I often feel out of place around other people. I can get incredibly overwhelmed by thoughts about my future and things that other people seem to handle normally. I’ve also struggled with attention and concentration, (to the point that i can’t sit down and read a book no matter how much i want to) for as long as i remember and I’ve wondered whether I might have ADHD.

I think the birth control may have intensified feelings I had already been suppressing or made me more aware of them. Before this, I often felt emotionally numb, whereas during that episode I would suddenly cry about things I hadn’t really allowed myself to feel.

I need to admit something else, too. During that period, I started taking my mom’s escitalopram without a prescription. I know that was very irresponsible, and I’m not planning to continue self medicating. I took small portions of the 10 mg tablets, and I remember feeling noticeably better. I felt more motivated, could concentrate on studying. I understand that responding positively to an antidepressant doesn’t necessarily mean I need one, but it made me wonder whether professional treatment could actually help me.

I recently spoke to my mom about how I had been feeling, and she immediately booked me an appointment with a psychiatrist.

The thing is, I’m absolutely terrified of gaining weight from psychiatric medication.
I already struggle with my body image because of PCOS, and I’ve spent a long time feeling uncomfortable in my own body. I’m scared of finally getting some relief from my mental health issues only to gain weight and feel even worse about myself. I know weight gain isn’t inevitable with every medication, but I keep reading stories about people gaining a significant amount of weight on antidepressants, and it scares me enough to consider cancelling the appointment altogether.
Part of me also wonders whether I’m overreacting. Maybe this was just a reaction to the hormones, maybe I’m being too sensitive, or maybe my problems aren’t serious enough to justify psychiatric medication. I keep thinking that other people manage their lives without needing medication, so why can’t I?

Now I’m torn between two options, and I genuinely don’t know which makes more sense.
Should I wait until I finish this month’s pack of Yaz Plus, speak to my gynecologist, and ask her to switch me to a different birth control pill to see whether my mood improves? Maybe the depressive episode is primarily hormonal, and changing brands would be enough.

Or should I go ahead and see a psychiatrist now, rather than waiting, since I was already struggling with anxiety, overthinking, low moods, and possible ADHD symptoms before starting birth control?
I’m worried about going to a psychiatrist too soon and being prescribed medication I might not actually need. At the same time, I’m worried about delaying help for problems I’ve been dealing with for years just because I’m scared of the side effects.

I know strangers online can’t diagnose me or tell me which medication I should take. I’m mostly looking for personal experiences and some perspective because I feel very conflicted. I want to get better, but I’m afraid of what getting better might cost me physically.
Thank you to anyone who took the time to read all of this.