I just remember my colposcopy...and how AWFUL it was.
I need to talk to my doctor, I'm horrible at remembering a pill everyday and it will in no way compare to the rings convenience except maybe retrieving my sex drive.

What about the Patch? I know it's not a huge favorite of some women, but I used it for a year or so and survived. I liked it because I only had to think about it once a week, though I guess the hormone dosage is higher than the Ring. That's the thing about the Ring... it has one of the lowest hormone dosages available.

And then there's always condoms... I know it's not fun, but ktspktsp and I used them (along with BC) for basically 2 years straight, since we were serious about never wanting to get pregnant. We basically stopped thinking about it after we got used to it... just became part of our routine.

About not remembering a pill every day... why not have both you and James set your watches/cell phones to remember, so that you're both involved in reminding you to take the pill? You talk every day anyway, right?... so it would just be one more thing to talk about at the same time every day. :) Just a thought.

Oh, I don't know if I mentioned this before, but having free counseling through my university was one of the saviors of my mental state and probably our relationship as well, throughout the long-distance period. I was able to work out a lot of my insecurities and emotional instability about us being so far apart, and how that translated into our relationship. Something else to think about, if you have free counseling at your school.

I saw this thread the other day and have been thinking about it...the this morning I got an email about Lybrel and a woman who had dies of a blot clot because of it. It looked like a job for Snopes. It is actually partially true. Here's a link to the Snopes page which includes the email I received.

http://www.snopes.com/medical/drugs/dishuk.asp

I tried to cut and paste parts of this article for you, but for some reason it's not happening for me. Sorry, Gals.

As far as the IUD goes... man, I have posted all over the place about it.

Yep, it hurt to get it. At least for me - I had never had much in terms of cramps before, and boy did I when they inserted it. However, advil or motrin are your friends, and your very bestest friends. They are the *perfect* med for cramps. So take about 4 an hour before you have it actually inserted. If you lived through the coloposcopy, you'll live through this. It's frankly similar. (I've had both.) The first few days, you will be a crampy whiny thing, so have plenty of advil on hand and don't make plans that involve a lot of walking. I know, I'm not reassuring you. But I am telling you the worst that it could be - it's not going to be worse than it was when I did it, because the cramps were such a revelation for me, never having had them before. If you've had cramps before, it won't seem like as big a deal to you.

Things to know: if you're cycle is heavy now, it will only get heavier. A light cycle now means a medium to heavy cycle after the IUD. The first six months, very heavy. Cramps: if you didn't have them before, you will now. Advil works wonders - seriously, half an hour after taking it, you'll actually feel giddy b/c the cramps are so gone. Just keep up with it as long as you have them, and you'll be fine. Once I figured that out, I was set. Now, a year and a half later: medium cycles, occasionally very light, occasionally really heavy. Cramps: mild to medium, easily managed with Advil. Sex: whenever I want it, no concerns ever. Oh yeah - make sure your doc leaves the string LONG, NOT cut, for James' sake. And if you've ever had PID, they won't do it (too risky to your health). If you don't know what PID is, you probably never had it. (pelvic inflammatory disease)

Ideas: try the progestin-only pill. See if it works. If it does, and your libido is fine, you could get the Mirena IUD instead - all the joys of an IUD with no heavy cycle or cramps to go with. Get over the "not remembering" part - put them with your toothbrush and you'll remember. Or your contacts. Or something like that. I'm actually not a proponent of hormones anymore, but they work for a LOT of people.

Hey girls, I've been meaning to reply to this thread but just haven't.
I'm in the process of trying to find a clinic near my townhouse and talk to them as well about getting the guardissil vaccine. I'm still uncomfortable to the max about having anyone see me downstairs and ugh last time it was just humiliating. James mentioned me going to planned parenthood. I know they're a good place to go and all but it's still embarrassing, at least to me.

I was looking up the Mirena IUD and that sounds like something James and I would interested in for sure. Just need more information.
I'm supposed to be getting off the ring now..I took it out yesterday however I still don't like the idea of not being on BC while we're sexually active, even if we're not having sex that often.

Freaking out over Nuvaring side effect
 

Well, I have changed BC from the pill to Nuvaring.

The thing is, right after I put it in, I started to feel some abdominal discomfort. Almost like a dull ache, a very mild cramp.

It has not gone away. I am really worried and don't know if it's normal.

On the leaflet it says that it's quite a common side-effect. But if it doesn't go away, then am I supposed to put up with this for as long as I'm on it? I don't know if I can take it. It's not something I can forget, it's there constantly.

I am seriously thinking about removing the damned thing.

I have tried to contact my doctor but don't have a reply yet. So I decided to post something here and maybe get some advice...and it may help me to stay calm.

I'm freaking out a little. Thanks for any advice you can offer.

I wouldn't worry about it. There are so many things that cause the feeling you describe that it probably isn't the NuvaRing. When I started the NuvaRing, I had some breast tenderness, but it went away over time.

One thing to remember about Mirena, Depo and Seasonale... they all use the same type of hormone.
I'm going to talk to them about getting my tubes tied in February.
I've gained more than 30 lbs in the past two years when they were trying to help me deal with my hormones.
I'd rather have periods, cramps and mood swings but no baby than the roller coaster I've been on.
But it's just me.
Can't use the ring because I had severe dysplasia about 12 years ago and several more years of abnormal paps. Oh well.

Good luck.

Hey guys...so I'm having a problem that has lasted for months now. I have absolutely NO SEX DRIVE. None. Zip.Nada. Nothing makes me want to get it on. I don't know how to get it back. Very frustrating.I'm thinking my experience on the Nuvaring might be the cause?

HELP! Anyone else been through this and conquered it???

GG I LOVED LOVED LOVED every aspect of the nuva ring except for the fact that it killed my sex drive. I knew it was the ring cuz the week it was out I wanted to hump my dresser.

I told my gyno and he has me on YAZ. I like it, I feel more normal though I don't have my complete sex drive back but it is much improved. I think the lack of sex drive is just a horrible ironic joke of bc. You can finally have sex without worrying so much but now you don't really care is you do. *sigh*

The moment I can afford it I'm getting an IUD. I miss my sex drive. Granted I think lack of one affords me more time to study. I used to be so bad I didn't care if I studied to pass a test, all I wanted was to jump im2smrt4u.

This is scarey crap. Go see your doctor and try something else.

Okay, so I'm having kind of a random Nuva Ring problem...I switched to it from Seasonique, so I don't have any of the typical emotional/hormonal problems-it's basically the exact same hormones, but in a lower dose. So I'm loving it for that. The problem I'm having with it is it keeps falling out during sex. The first month it was in this never happened, but then we were having sex not too long after putting my second one in, and it just fell out. I figured it was just a one time thing and didn't think much of it, but then, about a week later I started spotting, which is really unusual, considering it was only about 2 weeks after my last period. I checked to make sure the Nuva ring was up there-turns out it wasn't. I put a new one in, and just this morning, it ended up around my fiance's penis (which was really hilarious, but still kinda frustrating). So has anyone else had this problem? Am I doing something wrong, like not pushing it up far enough? Aside from this problem, I'm really liking the nuva ring, so I don't want to switch, but I'm starting to think I might have to-I really don't want to get pregnant because I don't notice the ring falling out. Help!

I had it happen occasionally, and yes, once it ended up around his penis (I agree, completely hilarious). If it falls out during sex on a regular basis, hang on to the packet it comes in, and take it out yourself before sex. Just don't forget to put it back in (I recommend putting the packet somewhere glaringly obvious that you will see just after having sex). The Ring can be out for a couple of hours without any problems. By doing it yourself, you won't run in to the problem where it fell out without you noticing, and you'll be able to have sex without worrying that it will fall out.

I always got into the habit of checking myself afterward to make sure it was still in there. It was rare that it wasn't.

I know, old thread, but I figured I'd add.

I start NuvaRing a week ago. No real problems, although I did have some bad cramps the first couple of days. At the risk of TMI, I will note that I was also kind of constipated at the same time. So far, so good. Granted, it's early.

I've been on various BCs over the course of my nearly eight years as a sexually active woman; Ortho Tri-Cyclin, The Patch, Ortho Lo. The Patch was definitely my favorite--I hate taking pills, and I definitely have trouble remembering to take a pill at the same time every day. I've never had a lot of major problems with BC. At least, none that I can definitively attribute to BC itself. For instance, I had a low sex drive on my stint on Lo, but I was also in a failing relationship with a man to whom I was no longer attracted. So....hard to say. I've been off BC for a long time, so I'm eager to see how my body reacts.

Cheers!
SF

My friend said it made me bitchier than usual.


I hate how I have to take it out every time I have sex, too.

OK, so the dose of hormones is having a very annoying side effect--my pubic hair is growing like wildfire! I keep a "mowed lawn" as it were, and just noticed that I"m sprouting dark curlies that weren't there before--like between my crotch and my legs! I'm not thinking this is a direct result of the Ring so much as it is going on birth control after a long hiatus, but was wondering if anyone else had this problem?

You don't have to--only if it's getting in the way.

Fortunately for me, mine never gets in the way, unless we're trying some wacky position wherein it ends up around him when he pulls out. No biggie.

Nope, can't say I've had this problem either. Of course, any additional growth of pubic hair on my person would be difficult to assess. I tend to just let it grow :D

I started the Nuvaring back up this week. I'm so relieved to be back on it. BCPs are awful things. When I had kidney stones a few weeks ago, I couldn't keep anything down--including my pill. Since I was on Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo, my period came super-early as a result. :( But with the ring, I don't have to worry about that. It's nice.

It totally gets in the way when I have sex. My partner can feel it. I can't, though.

Wow, I know it's an old thread, but I'll bump it up anyway. I just got my first NuvaRing (haven't put it in yet) from Planned Parenthood yesterday. (I've never used any kind of birth control before.) I'm getting married in 4 weeks so right now I'm trying to calculate the best time to start so I'm not either really cranky and/or on my period for the wedding. Lol. We're the old-fashioned "no doin' it before marriage" type so I don't have anything to worry about there. The Ring is effective after seven days, right?

Anyway, I'll let you all know how it goes with me, if I'm overly moody or crampy or what. Although, I AM in the process of planning a wedding right now so any symptoms may or may not be accurate. *sigh*...I can't wait for this stupid thing to be over! haha

quick update: 2 days on the ring and i feel great! a bit nauseated, but today i've felt less cranky than normal - don't know if it's from the ring or not, but i'll take it! lol

4 years later...I renewed a prescription for the Nuvaring and not even 2 weeks in my boyfriend is commenting on my lack of sex drive! SHIT! I hadn't noticed it, I did not remember how bad the headaches were. That and the fact that I am very emotional. I'm going to repeat history and try it for another month and if it does not improve I'm going off it. The problem with the monthly counting system we had was due to the Depo shot fucking up my system. I had my period for 3 months straight after getting the shot. Not doing that again. Maybe if I do the ring for a while it can regulate everything and we can start the monthly system again.

If the ring doesn't work out, you might consider an IUD. There are a number of us on here with them. I have the Mirena (low dose of progestin), and some of the other women here have the Paraguard (no hormones).

http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/ladies-...-you-know.html

To be honest, insertion hurt and I've had some cramping since then, but it doesn't seem to be anything a couple Aleve doesn't handle. Looking out over the long-term, the pain has been worth it for a birth control method that lasts 5 years; the Paraguard lasts even longer.

I can't take regular BC in pill form because it makes me sick. In fact, most of the symptoms you mention + horrible month long cramps are me on BC. I haven't had any problem on the Nuva and am glad I found it. I was on it a few years ago when it first came out for about a year, then I started back up about 4 mos ago and have been happy with it so far.

Good luck. I hope you find something that works for you.