I took Loryna on Oct 19th 2026 and the following Wednesday was experiencing migraines with aura (phantosmia: diesel phantom smell/olfactory hallucinations/smells that are not present). Thought we were having gas leaks so I asked my dad and the neighbours and they smelled nothing but someone burning leaves two doors down. I emailed my doctor on October 25th about these symptoms and she asked me if I had a history of migraines. I told her no, not to this degree. Today, October 27th, I am experiencing an eye-watering migraine. I feel like I am going to faint from the intensity.

She prescribed me a progestin only pill after I answered her questions.

I reread the side effects if migraines with aura is a thing with this birth control but it's only migraines.

Posting just in case someone is experiencing phantosmia with me too.

I just got my second depo shot today after stopping it for a few years. since restarting it I have been having a lot of spotting, some quite heavy. all I remember from the first time being on depo is not having a period which I like. I don't recall experiencing spotting before.

I had a wonderful woman do my IUD today and just wanted to rave about the woman who are changing IUD insertion! I have a low pain tolerance, was given toradol, felt comfortable the whole time got lidocaine and carevix instead of a normal tenaculum. Did not hurt at all 2/10 mild uncomfortableness similar to the uncomfortableness of getting a flu shot. Find good providers guys!

Exactly as the caption says.

After having the WORST pregnancy scare of my life, I decided I should go back on birth control.

I was on the mini pill (zelleta) for a couple months and it landed me in hospital with severe pain in my ovaries.

so I decided to come off it for obvious reasons.

However, I’m sick of having to buy condoms every time I want to have sex.

My question is, how reliable is having sex on a birth control pill and NOT pulling out?

For extra protection should my partner pull out?

Is that even worth it?

When I was on the pill, I remembered to take it every day but sometimes would take it a couple hours late if I had forgotten (i have a busy schedule)

Another question, if I start a birth control pill when I am NOT on my period, how long should I wait until I start having sex?

Last time I went on the pill, I was on my period but I have literally just finished my period this month and don’t want to wait till next month.

Please send advice, experiences, other forms of birth control recommendations etc!

So im at a concert and i thought i brought my pills but i did not, i take my medicine at 6pm and the concert will end around 11-12. What should i do, besides taking it the second i leave? Im so mad at myself

I started birth control in August (pill) to skip my periods, meaning not taking placebo pills and going straight to the next pack. However, I still end up having a normal, heavy, period Sept 19th-Sept 26th despite skipping the placebo pills. Lame. After that, I miss the pill a day or two, then have a bleed October 5th-6th (assuming withdrawal). After that I QUIT birth control altogether.

Husband and I have unprotected sex Oct 15th.

Haven’t gotten my period yet and having headaches, back pain, high temps, boobs bigger for almost a week now. Yes, I get this before my period but maybe only a day or two before then it comes.

Is this in the realm of possibility or am I a psychopath? Is it hard to say when ovulation happened?

Yes, I tested and everything is negative. Too soon to know?

I’m 10 weeks and 6 days into my first Depo shot today. Yesterday, I had an ultrasound that showed a 2.0 cm follicle and a 9 mm uterine lining. I had unprotected sex last night, and I’m feeling SUPER bloated, my breasts feel SO full, and I’m having cramps. I also noticed a little red spotting when I wipe. Has anyone had similar experiences?!?

i haven’t really been able to find many people experiencing this problem but i’ve recently started back on nuvaring birth control about 2 months ago after being off it for a couple years. i never experienced this the first time around, but every time after orgasm i am experiencing extreme pain and cramping in the vaginal/uterine region. masturbation or sex has essentially become miserable because i am immediately doubled over in pain as soon as i hit the end.

they are worse than period cramps though a similar area and feeling and somehow also make me feel like i’m going to shit myself at the same time but it’s definitely not menstruation or digestion related.

i’m 25 and i am a trans guy who started testosterone a little over a year ago but my doctor made no mention of hormonal interference causing anything like this. but figured i’d mention in case it’s relevant.

i plan to get a sterilization procedure done some time at the beginning of next year, should i just take the ring out and commit myself to celibacy until then lol or should i stick it out in hope it goes away? has anyone else had this issue and did it go away for you?

I (25F) really want to start some method of birth control and have been considering an IUD for some time. Originally I was planning on going with the copper one, but I’m leaning away from that one due to the increased risk of ectopic pregnancies compared to the hormonal IUDS (amongst other things : worse cramps, long & heavy periods,etc). I think I would go with Kyleena if I do choose this route because it contains a lower hormone level than the Mirena. My biggest concern is the potential for hormonal hair loss due to the androgenic nature of levonorgestrel. I already have androgenic alopecia and my hair is significantly thinner than when I was teen. It seems like such a gamble that I don’t know if I should take. What has everyone’s experience been like with the Kyleena IUD? Did it cause hair loss, acne, weight gain?

TL;DR: I finally got my first real period since the beginning of May and my first after getting a copper IUD. Not a terrible experience.

Some background info:

At the time of posting, I am a 32F who, up until May 2026, had not touched any sort of birth control prior. Early May was the last time I had a true, unaltered period. In late May I started taking Opill (3 packs) but stopped (early to mid-August) because it drastically affected my mental health. While on Opill I would have breakthrough bleeding ever 2 weeks. Once I got off it, I had a 2 week withdrawal bleed then 2 clear weeks before getting an IUD (Silvercare copper mini, September 4th). From this IUD I dealt with a 28-day adjustment bleed (light with mild cramps) where I should have gotten my period about a week after insertion.

I finally got my first real period (Sept 21st) with the copper IUD, here's my experience:

I started cramping the evening before my period started (it started overnight), nothing terrible but definitely noticable. My period itself also wasn't that bad. It went from medium to heavy to medium to light to spotting over 6 days with mild cramps throughout.

This is slightly different to my baseline where I would have a 4-5 day period and intense cramps only in the first 24 hours. And on day 5 of this IUD period I still had light bleeding where I would normally be spotting, the spotting continued into Day 6 with some minor cramping. So overall, only a day longer and actually milder (yet prolonged) cramps.

I’m on yasmine combo pill and exactly six hours after taking my pill I get extremely nauseous, and I’ve thrown up once. I take it with food so I’m not sure, and then the next day I still feel queasy and can barely eat. Advice please

I feel very conflicted. I recently was told to take SLYND birth control but i’m feeling nervous. I have anemia, my hairs falling out fast and in clumps, my periods are super heavy. I cannot take combination pills due to other medical issues. But- I’ve read some reviews showing that SLYND caused extreme hair loss for some. I currently cannot afford to lose any hair. I can’t use minoxidil as I have cats; or oral ones due to health concerns. I don’t know what to do. I need something to stop my bad periods to help my iron levels but also cannot afford to lose anymore hair. Desperate for some advice or help if you’ve used SLYND or another progesterone bc that didn’t cause extreme hair loss.

Thank you.

Hi!

I have been on the pill for around 6-7 years now and have been taking the same one ( SLINDA drospirenone-only pill) in the same way for around 3 years : I skip the placebo pills and start a new blister immediately, skipping the week where I'm supposed to have my periods.

This has been effective for my migraines because they always came with the hormone drop that is the period week, it is hereditary and my mom and grandma have been sufferers as well of the same things their whole pre-menopausal life.

After this whole time though, I have been wondering about long lasting effects of such a usage of the pill. ( It was prescribed by a doctor this way )

I am wondering about its effects on libido, fertility, and most importantly physical effects.

I have been diagnosed with neuroproliferative vestibulodynia after years of pain in the vestibule and bartholin's glands area during penetration.

I have been looking for ways of treating this, but to not success so far, and I am now looking into potentially changing birth control method to see if it could change something regarding the vestibulodynia.

But my concern is those migraines! They are somewhat managed and contained now with this method of continuous pill, and I am genuinely terrified of the idea of what they might be like if I stop the pill for something else or to take a break from everything overall. They are very bad and basically leaves me bed bound the whole week, which as an adult is unmanageable.

I'd be so grateful to hear any experience regarding migraine management, vestibulodynia management, or both! Thank you!

So, I’ve been on Nikki BC since July, and every time I take my placebo pills, I experience what feels like a full-blown period. I bleed pretty heavily and pass a lot of clots, just like I used to when I had my natural periods. I understand that bleeding on birth control isn’t technically a period but rather a withdrawal bleed. However, I’m confused about how that works because I’m clearly shedding my uterine lining. I thought birth control was supposed to prevent ovulation and thin the uterine lining, so I don’t understand why I’m still experiencing such heavy bleeding and passing so many clots during my placebo week. Thanks for any replies!

Hi everyone,

To make a long story short, I use a COC-type birth control 21-day pill w a 7-day placebo for my period. When I first started BC at 17-19, I was still a virgin and used it to lighten my aggressively heavy & painful periods. I will admit I became very inconsistent and kept missing pills, especially during my college semesters. After a while I decided to go on a 2-3 month break until I needed them again.

During this break I met my now boyfriend and we started having sex, which made me go back on the pill since I still had some left over. I figured that after a week of consistent, timely use you’re fully protected. However, my mother told me that if I take a break from the pills, it takes almost 3 months for your body to process it again and block ovulation. I’m not sure if this is true or not. What do you guys think?

Link to any resources would help!

i was put on this birth control for possible endometriosis because the gyno said she didn't want to jump right to surgery for it. however my experience so far has been horrible.

since starting aurovela fe 1/20 my moods have been rapidly changing, my anxiety and depression are back, and so are my irritability and not good thoughts. basically everything my lexapro and buspar used to have under control are no longer under control and I feel like those meds are no longer working.

my period also came 2 days early since starting and my pain falls up has been bad this whole week with debilitating cramps, back pain, and leg pain that goes all the way into my toes and nausea every day. all these things I was told this birth control would help as well as my heavy bleeding but here I am on day 6 with the pain and nausea still as well as bright red bleeding with no sign of slowing down.

the gyno said I could switch to yaz and ask my doctor to up my lexapro buty doctor is hesitant to up my antidepressant due to another medication doing this to me.

at this point I'd rather just deal with my debilitating periods as I've been dealing with them for 19 years rather than have my lexapro stop working and feel like I'm a completely different person for the worst.

does anyone have any advice or experience with this birth control or switching to yaz?

I got my IUD inserted 5 days ago and last night I woke up in horrible pain. Went to my gynecologist and they told me that the IUD shifted sideways. I have an appointment to get another one done next month but should i? Will this happen again?

has anyone else experienced abdominal pain/stomach upset feeling on the first few days of a YAZ pack?

I pretty much documented my BCP journey here for the past 10 months. Started out with Yaz after like 5 years of no birth control and it made me bleed all the time, like all month long with no relief in sight. So I switched to Yasmin which has the same hormones but is higher in estrogen. It did solve the problem of permanent bleeding immediately but I faced another problem - I had orange-ish discharge almost all the time despite checks: no yeast, no infections, no smell.

I recently learned that this is very light breakthrough bleeding, like the super light stage before you get brown or pink discharge but still not normal white or pale cream colored yellowish discharge. So the higher estrogen pill, Yasmin instead of Yaz, doesn't seem to eliminate breakthrough bleeding completely... it's still too low? Like I'm always just told breakthrough is a common side effect but I never had this with Yasmin prior to pausing BCP for years.

Where I live there is only one pill that contains more estrogen and doctors do not prescribe that when you don't have major hormonal health issues like cysts. Still, it kinda leaves me out of options for a pill that is benefical to acne prone skin and to prevent water retention. Alternative pills offered to me where always the same dose of estrogen and the same estrogen kind (EE) which is the most common here.

Anyone here with Yaz -> Yasmine having the same problem?

I currently am on the Twirla patch. I have been on it for about a month. I don’t do a patch free week because of period pains so maybe that’s why. But for 5 days (including today) I’ve had my period. I’ve heard of breakthrough bleeding but it’s mainly described as spotting or old blood. At first it was like that but after day 1 it started being full on fresh blood. It’s just my typical period but lighter. Has this happened to anyone else?

Kind of scared of pills and was looking to try the patch instead ? Has anyone had a good experience on this

i (16f) have been on rigevidon for a little over a year and have noticed my periods have been so much more painful with the pill (ironic as i only started the pill to help them) i’ve seen others online say that they just don’t take the 7 day break and they’re fine and have been doing it for months or even years! so i was just wondering if it’s okay to do it, what are the possible side effects and what is the likeliness of spotting or bleeding ?

So I’m currently on the ring, and have been for over 3 years. It’s been good but realized I think it’s what’s causing my bad migraines, and also I’ve heard migraines with aura increase stroke risk if you take bc with estrogen which I get sometimes, so I’m hoping to switch to one without estrogen.

My issue is I’m super sensitive to mood changes. A while back I tried to get off completely and had the worst depression. I have bipolar unsure if that’s related, and take meds for it. It makes me feel as if I’m not on my meds. Before bc I didn’t have bad depression, so I think it’s just the drop of estrogen but it just never went away so I got back on it.

I take it for preventing pregnancy and also irregular periods. I’m considering the pill, since I’m too nervous to commit to one like an iud or implant as I’d want something if it didn’t work out I can easily switch or stop if it doesn’t affect me well. I was wondering if anyone has had a switch like this, and how did it go? Did it affect your mood? Which method did you use? If I do the pill, what are some good options?

Thank you! :)

23F, So I made a naive and stupid decision this weekend by having sex without protection during my fertile window. For reference, I have a very regular cycle that lasts anywhere between 26-29 days, and my period lasts 6-7 days. I use the Flo app to track my cycle, however I have never tracked my ovulation using home tests before, so the estimates are purely from the app's algorithm.

My timeline for the month:
-- 10/10 period started
-- 10/16 period ended
-- 10/18-10/24 my predicted fertile window
-- 10/22 my predicted day of ovulation
-- 10/24 the day I had unprotected sex

First, we had sex without a condom until he finished on my stomach. He pulled out with enough time for nothing to end up inside of me at all. Then he went to the bathroom, peed, and washed himself off with soap and water and we took a break. Then we had sex a second time, except this time we put on a condom. However during the middle of it, the condom slipped off and got lost inside of me, and had to be fished out. He did not ejaculate at all the second time, so my main concern for this entire night is whether or not his precum can make me pregnant. I do believe I was still in my fertile window as I was plenty wet/had EWCM.

The morning after on 10/25, I took a plan B one step. It caused me to have some nausea and cramping but I feel completely normal since.

My main concern is whether or not I had been ovulating during the time I had sex. If I ovulated days before, and the egg had long disintegrated, then I had no risk to begin with. If I ovulated the day after having sex, then the plan B hopefully extended my ovulation long enough for any sperm inside me to die off. However, if I had sex during the 12-24 hour window of ovulation, then the plan B will not help at all and I could get pregnant.

I have no clue when I ovulated, so I'm afraid the plan B will just end up being useless. I have an appointment scheduled for tomorrow (4 days after sex) to get a copper IUD, however I'm also nervous that this too will be pointless. I'm probably done with ovulation by now as my discharge has dried up and I no longer feel horny/aroused as much, but that's just my guess.

I'm just so afraid that even after I go through the pain and potentially traumatic experience of getting the copper IUD that it will still be for nothing because my egg may have already been fertilized. Everything I've read online states that the copper IUD is not necessarily proven to prevent implantation, and that its main function is preventing fertilization. What if I'm already past that point?

I am completely torn apart over this and could use anyone's thoughts or guidance. I know that he never ejaculated in me at all, so my risk lies in whether or not his precum contained any sperm, so that hopefully helps my case. And I know I made such a stupid mistake that I never will again, but I need to know whether it will really be worth it to get this procedure tomorrow. I'm so afraid it's too late. Anyone with a similar experience that can share?