Hey all, I'm 31f and been taking Alysena since I was 16. I've been having some issues lately that make me concerned I could be in early perimenopause or some other hormonal issue. On average, I only have my period every other month. When I do get my period, its much heavier than it used to be. The longest I went without having a period was 4 months. I've also been dealing with night sweats, waking up in the middle of the night, and some vaginal discomfort.

My doctor has suggested that I stop birth control to see how I feel and how my cycles react. My thyroid levels are normal. I've had a transvaginal ultrasound and regular ultrasound which show no signs of cysts.

Im not sexually active right now so I dont have concerns about pregnancy prevention. However, I'm worried how stopping BC could affect me after being on it for so long. My life has been pretty chaotic these days with employment. Got laid off and recently got another job that isn't very secure in terms of sick leave, so dealing with harsh symptoms from medication change isn't ideal.

For those who were on BC long term, how were the side effects when you stopped?

Did anyone stop due to concerns regarding hormonal issues? If yes, did you discover you did in fact have a hormonal issue or were going through peri once you stopped?

Are some of my issues like missed periods just normal for being on BC long term? I hear mixed things about this.

I know 31 is pretty early for perimenopause but I do deal with autoimmune disease (ankylosing spondylitis) which puts me at a slight increased risk. I would appreciate hearing about others who've had similar concerns or experiences.

I’m mentally exhausted to try hard to convince someone stubborn who never educate himself about these things making me doubting my doctor first we‘ve decided not to have babies in the first two years of our marriage because we both wanna learn about each other , grow up , get more skills and being healthy also so when I decided to check doctor for this and also to control my period cramps which were super hard each month he gave me birth control and when I told my husband about this he argued with me telling me you aiming not to have baby with me and you definitely talking to someone else and got super paranoid

I want someone advice from woman who used to take pills and nothing happened to her after decided to have baby

SLINDA SIDE EFFECTS
My whole body is itching and I’m going insane.
Hi everyone,
I really hope someone can help me. I’m taking Slinda and started taking it at the same time as isotretinoin because of severe acne.
About 4 weeks ago, my legs and arms suddenly started itching like crazy. I went to my doctor and was told to stop taking isotretinoin, which I did. But the itching is still there. It’s spreading and it looks like razor bumps.
It itches everywhere, and I scratch so much that I feel like I’m going to scratch my skin off. Both my dermatologist and my doctor have ruled out various skin conditions and blame the isotretinoin.
I can’t take this anymore!!! Please help. Has anyone else experienced something similar? Could it be caused by Slinda?

I AM ASKING IF THE MIRENA IUD HAS THE CAPABILITY to STOP MENSTRUAL PSYCHOSIS. NOT PMDD OR PMD. NOT IF IT FOR SURE WILL. JUST IF IT HAS THE CAPABILITY TO. DO NOT COMMENT WITH ANYTHING ELSE. I KNOW EVERYONES EXPERIENCE ISNT THE SAME.

Every time I get my period (besides the previous 5 months after I had just gotten off birth control and my hormone levels were going back to normal) I get menstrual psychosis and the period flu. I did not realise this until this cycle because A. I didn’t start remembering day to day life until I was around mid to late 14 yo (this was due to dissociation), so I didn’t remember much except for when I had my first period at 13 and B. by the time I started remembering day to day life I was chronically ill, anaemic, vitamin deficient, and had absolutely atrocious mental health from around a decade of abuse.

Everyone always complained about feeling horrible and “moody” or some shit while on their periods so I naturally assumed that what I was going through was normal. I even thought I got lucky with how “good” I got it because everyone around me always outright told me their was “so much worse” and I “got it so easy”.

Now I’m currently 20, I’m taking multiple vitamin supplements, my health is a whole lot better, I’m in therapy, and I’m taking medication for me mental health (though I’m still in the same household unfortunately).

So when I got started getting my period I was weirded out by the first like day or something where I felt absolutely awful. Like I was actually sick. Then, the next day was a lot worse. I had severe flu symptoms and could barely get out of bed. Yesterday was when the psychosis definitively started. It started at around 3-4 pm when I was in my college class. I don’t want to go into it but I was very much manic, had self injurious thoughts, was angry, and absolutely had violent thoughts. I was worried about driving home but I ended up having to anyways and there were several points where I got so angry that I wanted to ram into people with my car.

So I want to not have to deal with this anymore. I asked my OBGYN for a hormonal IUD specifically as it does not distribute progesterone throughout my whole body which I do not want due to me being trans and having gender dysphoria and the idea of taking any hormones but testosterone really stresses me out (especially with my experience of being forced on estrogen + progesterone birth control by my mom and at the time OBGYN).

So I wanted to see if anyone knew if the Mirena IUD stopped menstrual psychosis, if not I might have to get hormonal birth control that goes through my whole body but at this point it’s kind of whatever because I cannot deal with having really bad psychosis and still keep up with my parents expectations.

What do you guys recommend for the pain? This is genuinely the worst pain I’ve ever been in

I honestly think I'm going to just give up trying to find a birth control that works for me. I WANT to be on birth control, I'm absolutely terrified to get pregnant, but I just don't think birth control is for me. I was on Lo loestrin fe for about 10 months , stopped taking it july 2025. It completely ruined me and I wished I would've stopped it sooner. I swear it even took a full 6 months to feel like I did before taking it. I haven't been on anything since.

I have a family history of blood clots at a young age, so my PCP was very hesitant to put me on anything besides the Lo loestrin fe. So I want to avoid anything with a lot of hormones, especially estrogen. I also don't think I should do an IUD because I'm prone to infections and there's increasing evidence that they can cause reoccurring/more frequent infections. I'm really bad at taking pills at the same time every day, so mini-pills are a bad fit for me too. I'm scared to get the implant because its not easy to take out, incase I have a bad experience with it like several of my friends have. I'm really just frustrated and feel like there's nothing I can use besides condoms. I just got married so I'd like the extra protection, but it seems like every birth control isn't a right fit for me for one reason or another. I hate how trial and error birth control is, I shouldn't have to suffer for a couple years while finding one that doesn't make me want to kill myself and hate my husband.

Hello everyone i hope ur doing great i need some help me and my partner made sex on 31 of the last month her period started on the 17th and ended on 22 of the last month and we did 4-5 rounds i never came inside her i washt it afer i came and i urinated 1-2 times not sure cuz of the stres and she took this pill 25h max after we made LEVONORGESTREL 1.5MG can anyone please tell me how much likely its to happen a pregnancy or somthing please. Thank you very much

Hi all,
I’ve been taking hailey fe 24, recently switched to junel fe 24. I’ve been on it since october 2024 so almost 2 years. I got on it due to heavy and painful periods. we ended up finding out in november 2025 i had under 5cm cysts in both ovaries. now in august my left ovary is clear and the right has some small cysts. i am due for an ultrasound again in november. I am stopping the pill in order to see what happens with my cysts and natural period cycle. What should i expect stopping the birth control? i am on the 3rd week of my pack. Thanks for all the insight and advice.

I stopped my birth control recently due to supply chain issues and not being able to get a resupply. I was off of it a for month before getting a refill and now I’m ready to start it back up. However, I have yet to start my period back up and have been waiting on that, as the directions say you’re supposed to start directly after one.

I read online that it’s often delayed after stopping birth control, up to 3 months. Should I wait to start until I eventually have a natural period, or should I go ahead and restart my birth control now that it’s been a month since my last?

Hi everyone! The title pretty much explains it. I (29F) was on the depo injection from the time I was 17-28, and after I got married last year I switched to the mini pill (jencycla). I stopped taking it about a week ago, as we are finally ready to start trying for a baby. However, I have not had a regular period in 12 years. My gynecologist is very optimistic that my period will come back within a few weeks, and that I will not have trouble getting pregnant, but just looking for other success stories from similar situations since I have been pretty anxious about the whole thing!

Hello all. Today me and my bff had an accident. I got a prescription for Ella because I’m over the weight limit for plan b. I am scared though because everything I read everyone has had bad experiences. Literally some saying side effects last for months. I am so scared. I have never taken a plan b before let alone Ella which I heard is stronger than plan b. Any good experiences? Honestly debating on whether I Should I just say fuck it and take my chances….thank you all for your input.

Hi all!
Apologies if this is the wrong place to ask -
I was on a variety of birth control methods for the past 15 years or so (with a couple of breaks in between while trying to find the right method). I was most recently on Yaz for ~5 years, and went off completely 4 months ago. I bought an Oura ring around the same time I stopped the pill & synced it to Natural Cycles so I can start tracking/learning about my cycle, and according to the NC app, every cycle has been anovulatory. I’m trying not to freak out and I’m hoping my body is still adjusting to life without hormonal BC, but has anyone experienced a delay in ovulation after stopping the pill? I’m going in for bloodwork tomorrow to test my hormones, but I figured I’d ask here too in case anyone can ease my mild a little or offer insight. My husband and I are hoping to start TTC in a year or two, so I have time to figure things out, but it’s hard to not stress about it now 😅 FWIW, my body has taken quite a beating with BC withdrawal and has not bounced back to baseline yet, so it could be that I’m slower to reacclimatize, but it’s so hard not knowing what’s going on in your body. Sorry for the rant! Sending love to all who are struggling with any BC related changes. It is so hard!!

Got the Mirena and have been bleeding for a month since. I'm starting to get worried. Is this normal?

Hi all, I’m wondering what everyone’s experiences are with the copper IUD, and which one?

Did you have any side effects? How was your cycle? Heavier? Longer? Same?

What did you do to help your transition if you were previously on birth control?

Let me know!

Hi I’m just looking for some support or maybe advice, possibly even some reassurance. So I recently (around 5 months ago) got my IUD removed and have been off of any form of hormonal birth control for the first time in around 11-12 years. And the up and down waves of symptoms and emotions has completely thrown me off. Most recently I started to realize that for the past 5-6ish months I’ve been feeling so “off” and just not myself. I’ve also went through a lot of life changes during that time too so for every symptom I had, I had an excuse for. Most commonly I’ve experienced very low energy, brain fog, extreme fatigue, unable to sleep at night, and decreased strength (I’m an avid gym goer). So I had my labs done and estrogen and progesterone came back normal. My doc did not test my testosterone level for some unknown reason and I’m planning on getting that tested soon but I wanted to know if anyone else has experienced any of this or if it’s normal and my body is still regulating. I’m just so tired of my feeling like myself and feeling like there’s no end to this. Any and all advice or experience is appreciated
TIA

I’ve been on Slynd for a while but since summer started I got scared the efficiency of the pills will drop as my apartment constantly gets close if not over 30 degrees (i store my pills in a cupboard close to the ground), so i started using condoms as well.

I’ve been really careful but last night we put the condom on the wrong way and flipped it after. I didn’t realize instantly because i was thinking i’m fine cause im on bc, but now all i can think of is that my pills are not working cause of the heat and that i failed to use a condom properly.

I’m really scared, but i don’t know if i should take a plan B or that will just mess up my hormones, does this situation realistically propose any risk??

I know I probably sound so paranoid, which I kind of am. I'm limited in options for birth control and this is about the last pill my gyno said other than implants.
I took Slynd around 2 yesterday, and ever since then I cannot stop sleeping. I am exhausted to the point I don't even want to be awake. Even as I'm typing now I feel like I haven't gotten a lick of sleep.
I'm kinda worried to keep taking it honestly. I'm scared i'll just end up being like this so I'm unable to make appointments and do anything. I have read this can be a side affect just has it been this bad for anyone and does that get better?

hi all! ive been on birth control for 6 years, and just this may started taking it continuously to skip periods. i take alta era 21 day pack. after almost 3 months of usage, i started getting breakthrough bleeding. it has been persistent since aug 16. it’s light and has been brown and has been getting better until sunday when my partner penetrated me deeply. this caused me to bleed red again (is now brown but is more excessive) i usually never bleed with deep penetration until recently. anyways, anyone know what to do? should i take a 4 day break after i finish this pack?

I’ve been on a combo pill (blisovi, junel, hailey) for about 14-15 years with no issues. I most recently switched to Slynd in February due to migraines but that started messing with my liver so now I’m moving onto Jencycla.

Just looking for experiences. I know everyone reacts differently but looking for (hopefully) positive experiences!

I’m on mya (canada yaz) and i slipped the 4 placebo pills over 2 weeks ago, because i was on vacation and i have terrible periods.

It was the first time i skipped, on my second pack ever. i’m on the third pack now.

But since then i was okay for maybe a few days, than i got brown spotting and it’s been going on for 2 weeks, plus cramping, each day it gets more painful and now it’s looking more red?

Since im new to this im just wondering if anyone has similar experience?

I can not induce a period right now because i have classes starting in a week and my periods are so heavy i cannot leave the house, hence why i was put on this.

Any advice? ☺️

Anyone rely on this for birth control? If so, whats your experience?

my and my bf had unprotected sex last night and he finished inside on accident. i’ve been on a combination pill birth control for about a 2 years now. i’ve read online that if i start my pill again within 5 days of starting my period im immediately protected but im still a little anxious. i got my period tuesday and started my new pack on saturday. do i need to buy a plan b?

hi po since i dont have a prescription and parang hindi po talaga ako makakapag checkup and ask for one, i was wondering where i can buy trust pills online or which pharmacies sell them without asking for prescription 🥹

I genuinely don’t know what to do. I started taking combined pills on the first day of my period. At first it was light spotting but then it turned into bleeding, and kept getting heavier and heavier. On the third week on the pills I already needed night pads. I started the placebo week yesterday and today i’ve had to change pads every 2 hours because it’s straight Niagara falls.
I’m sooo sick of bleeding for a month straight. I’m constantly worried about leaking and staining my clothes, I can’t even do any sexual activities with my boyfriend because of this. And nothing even guarantees that the bleeding will stop during the next pack. Is stopping the pills a bad idea now? Any advice is welcome:/

I got my first mirena in 2022 while under general anesthesia. We were already doing a laparoscopic removal of cysts and endo so it was just a two birds one stone thing. Fast forward to yesterday - it was positioned far too low and i had to get it removed. I opted to put a new one in having no idea what it was going to be like. I wasn’t even expecting to have it done. I’ll be honest, it’s the worst pain I’ve ever felt in my life. I got to my car and just immediately cried. I don’t remember how it affected me in 2022 because i was on oxy for the first week due to my surgery.

But within the past 24 hours I’ve had
-heavy bleeding for the first maybe 5/6 hours
-still bleeding just light
-nonstop crying
-general exhaustion
-and pain localized on like my right hip/thigh?

The pain is managed with OTC painkillers but comes back 3-4 hours on the dot. It woke me up multiple times last night and I’ve had to take the day off work. Is this all normal? Am I just a wimp? I don’t have any friends with a hormonal IUD so I’m turning here.