I am 22 years old and I have been on the nuva Ring for about 3 months. It was easy to use, there was no pill popping. All of that was cool until I started getting depressed, having mood swings and loss all interest in sex. I noticed the weight gain too. I started getting irritated at the sound of water dripping. Its ridiculous. My boyfriend thought something was wrong and he always blamed the ring. He said thats when it all started. So anyway I am still using it, and I don't know if I should wait until the end of this cycle or take it out now. I have a one year old, I can't be depressed and irritated. I am glad I read these postings.

I would honestly suggest giving it another month. Someitmes it takes about three months for symptoms to clear up, and you might find that it works wonderfully.

But it might not. In that case, the only benefit to waiting to the end of the month to take it out would be that your period wouldn't get too messed up. If you take it out now, your period might get really whacked.

I would not recommend the Nuvaring to anyone, but I have read that some people have no problems on it. I am very sensitive to hormones. I took Ortho-Lo for years after taking the regular Orthotricyclen made me nuts! I stopped taking the Lo in September of last year and I noticed my weight started going down, my sex drive was back, my life started feeling like mine again. So dramatic, but it's the truth. My boyfriend was very supportive of it and we just used condoms. I ended up breaking up with this guy, and started seeing a new guy and figured it was time to get back on BC. I went to my yearly gyno appt. and said I wanted the method with the least amount of hormones. The Nuvaring was recommended to me. I was kind of excited about it at first, it seemed kind of cool and different, plus the hormones were delivered right to the source, so it made sense that perhaps they would affect me less than the pills. But I could not have been more wrong.
My list of symptoms includes headaches, moodiness/irritability, constipation, acne, lowered sex drive, and paranoia that my boyfriend was going to leave me if he didn't call by a certain time, etc. I also saw a return of depression. I have read that many women had problems with depression on BC, not just Nuvaring. I was on depression meds for years, almost all while taking the pill...it makes me wonder whether the depression was really there or it was the BC. It kind of infuriates me to think that all I went through was augmented by hormones!! Maybe the depression alone could have been handled better without all that mess.
Anyway the Nuvaring was really bringing back the depression and all things I hated from being on the pill. I only had it in for five days, that was all I could take. I was so afraid of gaining weight, as I have just worked so hard to lose a bit of it. And "waiting it out" for three months...I cannot do that, I cannot let my quality of life be ruined for 90 days while hoping some of the symptoms only might subside. So I talked about it with my guy, and we both agreed it was ok to stop, we are just being very careful. I just think hormonal BC is unfairly promoted to make women think they are doing something awesome for themselves when there are so many unspoken side effects. Yes, not getting pregnant when one does not want to is a great thing, but at all costs to one's sanity?
I feel so bad for all the women who have had hair loss, I hope it starts coming back in when you stop the Nuvaring. I wouldn't wish the effects I had from the Nuvaring on anyone, it was utterly miserable. Condoms may be a hassle in the heat of the moment but it's better than dealing with all that drama caused by hormones. There's my two cents.

I have been on the Nuva Ring now for over a year. I love the idea of once a month but I am beginning to think it's not worth it!

I am glad to see that I am not the only one with "psycho-like" side effects from this thing. I never thought about my mood swings/depression/poor self image being a result of my birth control, but that is what I have narrowed it down to. I cannot find any other reason that I am so "blah" every day other than that.

I am being too cautious as to not take it out until the "off" week comes. After that I will be done. Does anyone have any suggestions as to a pill that has worked for them after having these irrational side effects? Please help me if you do!

I think Orthotricyclen Lo is one of the better bets. But anything with hormones is gonna give you similar problems. I took that one for a while, it was better than the regular ortho tricyclen but there were still problems. I think low sex drive is one of the lamest of the side effects. It's like why am I even taking this crap if it makes me not wanna have sex?!?!
I have another question myself. I only had it in for 5 days but when I took it out, I had another period. It was medium to light flow. It seemed more like breakthrough bleeding but it lasted 4 or 5 days so does that mean my cycle was interrupted? I don't know if I should count the days of my cycle from my original last period or the one after I took the ring out. Any help on the matter will be greatly appreciated!

I've been on nuva ring for about 7months and it wuz great at first until i started getting infections ALOT. Then i wuz off for a month or two then i got back on and i've had irritation so i thought i might have a std so i went to the doctor and it wuz negative. Has anyone else experienced vaginal irritation or recurring infections please help!!!!!!!!!

It's been a month since I last posted a "reply" about the Nuva Ring problems and side effects. Since then I have quit the Ring and started Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo. So far I am not having any problems with it. The only side effects that I have noticed are: I'm a little drowsy everyday, and I have put on a couple of pounds (but that may be because I stopped working about around the same time I got off of the Ring). I definitely recommend the Lo. I'd rather live with a few extra pounds and a little sleepiness everyday than be a raging B. LOL So to anyone who is having problems on the ring I strongly suggest taking it out at your normal time then going for a month w/o it. Trust me, you WILL notice a huge difference.

If you had it in for 5 days and took it out, that wouldn't really be a period, it would just be withdrawal bleeding. Any hormonal birth control will alter your cycle, and while you are on it (any hormonal bc) you can't consider your cycle natural- it's simply nonexistent. You will have to wait for your body to begin it's natural cycle again before you can try to determine where you are at in your cycle.

So to you're question about counting your cycle from your period or from taking the ring out, the answer is neither! You simply didn't have a cycle at the time you were on bc. So wait until you have a natural cycle, and then you can start counting again (from the first day of your period)

After I was on nuvaring for about a year or so, I started feeling the same way. It was great at first but then I started getting a lot of irritation to the point where I would cry after sex. It didn't matter how much lubrication we used or anything- and yeast infection treatments didn't help (because that wasn't the problem)

that's when I quit the nuvaring and got on a pill.

I was taking nuvaring for 6 weeks. I had hair loss (MAJOR), weight gain, mood swings to the point that I could hear myself saying aweful things but I couldn't stop myself, I had my period for almost 3 weeks, severe cramping on the first day, insomnia, depression to where I felt like I had post partum depression again, and anxiety. I finally stopped it and it's been a week now but can anyone tell me when the hair loss stops? It's coming out in clumps and i'm really really getting worried. I feel great except for the hair loss.

After realizing my IBS-like symptoms were being triggered by the pill (Orthotricyclene and Trinessa), I wanted to give something else a try. My OB/GYN recommended I try Nuvaring because of its "lower dose of hormones and localized release". I wish I had found this forum before I gave it a try.

I used Nuvaring for 3 months. Within those 3 months, my stomach/digestive issues returned, but this time with a host of other horrifying side effects much worse than what I experienced with the pill. I was very moody, irritable, and extremely depressed. I was upset by (and cried over) the littlest things. It got to the point that I didn't want to be around family, friends, even my husband. It suddenly became very hard just to get through the day. I had no sex drive (and for me sex was uncomfortable with the Nuvaring in), my acne worsened (big zits that took weeks/months to heal), and the first week into my 3rd month on Nuvaring, the hair loss started... handfuls of hair when I washed it, and even more handfuls when I brushed it. It wasn't until my hairdresser, also concerned by the amount of hair I was losing, asked if I recently changed any medications that I realized Nuvaring might be the cause.

After researching online and finding this forum, I read of so many others that were experiencing the same symptoms as me. I immediately stopped using Nuvaring. I've been off of it for about 5 weeks now. It took about 2-3 weeks for me to finally feel back to my normal self again mentally. My acne has improved. My sex drive is back. However, my hair loss continues, and isn't getting better. I went to my family doc and he did a battery of blood tests to make sure my hair loss wasn't caused by other issues (TSH levels (thyroid), anemia, female hormone levels, etc). Those results all came out normal, in fact "perfect" in my docs words. In 3 weeks I am going to see a dermatologist to find out when/if this hair loss will stop, and if it is temporary or permanent.

I've been checking back every now and then in hopes that someone is able to answer how long the excess hair loss lasted for them, and whether or not it grows back. I plan to post again when mine improves and when I have more answers to help those of you out there that are also wondering as I am... if anyone out there has experienced the hair loss and it has stopped, please let us know how long it took to stop falling out and if it does grow back.

Don't be fooled as I was with the lower dose of hormones. I've read that Nuvaring is higher in androgens than most other forms of BC. Side effects of androgens include loss of scalp hair, acne, among a host of other side effects experienced by Nuvaring users in this forum. Regarding the hair loss specifically, this article from Web MD describes Nuvaring as a form of BC that has "a significant potential for causing or exacerbating hair loss" (http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-tr eatments/hair-loss/hair-loss-oral-contrace ptives). I personally have decided to swear off any forms of hormonal birth control, the side effects are not worth it to me. Nuvaring was by far the worst of any that I've tried.

I am just about to start my fifth cycle of the nuvaring (my first time taking birth control). About a month and a half ago I started noticing increased hair loss (right from the root all over, but most noticeable around the temples). It seems that I'm not alone. I hear that going off it can exacerbate hair loss but I don't think I want to stay on it. Feeling a little trapped!!!!!

Has anyone gone off it and noticed hair growth recovery...or stayed on it and noticed regrowth??? Some say that it improve..others say it will regrow after a few months. Totally freaking out!!!
HELP!!!!!

I've been on many BC pills, ortho, ortho lo, yasmin, and the patch. The last pill i was on was yasmin but had to get off it because i was a raging..though i have been with almost all of the pills. i dont remember having as many side effects with ortho (other than some weight gain) so i'm back on that now. So far i'm still moody but not as depressed with yasmin, and i feel like i am gaining a little weight. I'm still waiting for my sex drive to return. I'm going to be trying ortho for atleast 4 mo again before i swear off BC for good. I'm still waiting for Yaz to come to canada, i have heard many good things about it.

Anywho...through all of this i did consider going on the Nuvaring. I decided it wasn't for me (nor was the patch) because i have a history of heart problems and strokes in my family. I didn't want the hormones flowing directly into my blood stream and be at increased risk. As an ultrasound tech i scan a lot of people's legs for deep vein thrombosis (clots in the legs that can go to the lungs, and can be quite serious). BC can sometimes cause this is some people, or atleast increase the risk. One young girl i scanned around 23 years old had occlusive clot which had formed from the back of her knee all the way up to above her groin. Other than that she was perfectly healthy and had said the only thing she had noticed was the she had started the Nuvaring a little while before it happened. I had never seen this in any other female on the pill.
Something to definately consider.

I posted back on Aug 10, and said I'd post again with an update on my hair loss status when my excessive hair loss started to improve. My hair loss has decreased significantly after being off of Nuvaring for 7 weeks (I noticed a gradual slow down of hair loss throughout week 6), and the hair loss is almost back to normal. I am starting to see some new growth as well. I spoke to my dermatologist, and she said that my hair loss is temporary (telogen effluvian). She said normally 90% of the hair follicles are in the growing phase and 10% are in the resting phase. When a shock or stressor is placed on the body, the hair follicles shift to 85% growing and 15% resting. The hair loss is generally not noticeable until 3-6 months after the shock or stressor is introduced. It typically takes another 3-6 months beyond that before you will start to see regrowth. It has been a little over 2 months since I first noticed the excessive hair loss to when it started to subside.

Based on the timeline of my hair loss, and since I'm already starting to see some regrowth, my dermatologist suspects Nuvaring may not have been the cause. She suspects that my hair loss likely began before I actually noticed it. She asked if I had been stressed about anything else before starting Nuvaring, and I did experience a job transition shortly before I began using Nuvaring. She suspects my job change was actually the cause of my hair loss, not the Nuvaring. I'm still not convinced after reading how many other people on Nuvaring are experiencing hair loss, and given the host of other horrible side effects I experienced from Nuvaring. But, I wanted to pass along that information so that you can evaluate for yourself if there may be some other shock or stressor in your life that may have caused the hair loss (approximately 3-6 months before your hair loss begins).

At any rate, I was very relieved to find out that my hair loss was temporary, and for those of you experiencing the hair loss, despite how you are feeling, you will not go bald. I had those same concerns. After 2 months of some very heavy shedding, the thinning isn't noticeable to others. I notice there is less hair when I tie it back in a ponytail, but it was an overall thinning, and friends and family say they can't tell I've lost hair (and I had thin hair to begin with). And, it is growing back now. So, don't stress too much about it, although it looks as though you are losing a lot daily, you'll still have lots of hairs left on your head! But, I strongly advise that you have bloodwork taken to be sure your hair loss isn't caused by other issues (thyroid, anemia, hormone levels, etc). Trust me, you'll feel better after seeing a doc about it, and it is important to rule out other potential causes for your hair loss.

Hopefully this will help to ease the anxiety of some of you out there experiencing this same issue...

I have been on Nuvaring for a little over 2 years. I thought it was a great form of birth control for me however I also have been breaking out in a rash for just about the same time that I have been on the ring. I never really associated the use of the ring with the rash until now. I have been to my primary care doctor as well as a allergy doctor thinking that I was suffering from a allergic reaction to something. I have been diagnosed with everything from chronic hives to scabies. And actually the cream that is prescribed for scabies cleared me up either for a couple of weeks to a couple of months as I tend to reuse it because it makes the rash go away temporarily. Anyway, the rash usually starts under my arm near my armpits and has a extreme itch to it. I scratch until I break out in hives and a open sore with form with a pit like appearance. I get chicken pox like blisters on my hands and fingers and wrist. I breakout under my breast and along my inner thighs and panty line. I itch so much that I get anxiety. I took my Nuvaring out last week for at least a year because my significant other is out deployed for a year and I am hoping that this is the culprit but if anyone can share or give me insight I would greatly appreciate it.

It's interesting to hear all of these things about hair loss, and mood swings. (I could cry over anything some days) I just wanted to add some of my experiences. I have been on the nuva ring for about 2 years and seemed fine in the beginning, with the exception of an unbearable headache that I get every month just about the time I remove my ring. They last for about 3 days. It feels like a severe tension headache or an ocular migraine with pain from my shoulder blade through to behind my eyes. My OB assured me it was not the ring and perhaps a change in my body. I also noticed changes with my skin that were gradual and made an appointment with my dermatologist, who let me know those ugly liver spots on my skin were a direct reaction from my birth control....TERRIFIC! My weight is usually maintainable, but did notice the 5-6 pounds that we always love to lose for a nice dress, yeah that seems impossible. I was probably about 10 pounds lighter before the ring, but also had been off of birth control for nearly 5 years. I have since gone off of the ring, and am going to undergo some lazer work for my discoloration on my skin. I wish the doctor gave me better info. I had the neatest skin and unfortunately the gradual developing of my spots didn't alarm me at first BUT....no headaches this month.

I have been on the Nuva-Ring for 6 months. I do notice during the first 2-3 days after inserting a new ring a horrible discharge. To the point that I NEED to shower twice in a day. It is really gross and sticks my panties to my vagina. It is HORRIBLE when I forget that this occurs, OUCH! That is pretty much the only complaint that I have. I have also experienced some weight gain, which I'm not sure should be attributed to the ring or just my metabolism catching up with me. I am 25 now and should probably be changing my diet.

I have been on the ring since the beginning of April 2008 and have been stacking it only allowing myself about 4 periods per year. At first it was great! But then I started to notice really grose discharge that got worse during the week after I would finish one of my periods YUCK! My biggest problems though are deep paranoia, depression, anxioty and suspicion especially pertaining to my boyfriend and thinking at all times that he's not happy and going to leave me (thought's I hadn't experienced the first year and a half of our relationship while NOT on the ring). I am 21 and have NEVER been depressed. My self image has also decreased dramatically which it one of the biggest signs that the ring isn't for me as I have just lost 20 LBS and am able to fit into a sz6 jeans from Victoria's Secret! It's like the more weight I loose the worse I feel about the way I look...

I've been so confused wondering if I'm really happy and I know I should be b/c I have an AWSOME life but for some reason my emotions are not following my brain. It's completely irrational and HAS TO STOP!

Another strange reaction is that when its time for me put a new ring in (the time when ppl who are not stacking would normally get their period), I've noticed that my symptoms get worse and then when I actually DO get my period after 3 mos of stacking...OMG!!!!! My emotions worsten 100 fold!!! What's up w/ that?????

After reading all these posts I have decided to take a break w/ hormonal BC - I've been on diff. pill BC's but have had other side effects like migranes so it's going to be condoms for a long while now. I'm going to look into the copper IUD too.

Hello .. I have been on nuva Ring for five months now and noticed that my hair is much thinner. I can see my scalp . and i noticed i am not alone.. what i want to know is i have decided to stop using nuva ring. Once i stop will my hair eventually go back to pre nuva ring fullness?? Is anyone still suffering from Hair Loss once they stopped with the Ring??

Any feed back will be great!

Thank you Ladies..

I have been on the ring for 2 yrs now, and have not had any issues until recently. 1. My hair is falling out, especially on the left side by my part. It has been severely thinning for the last 2 months. I went to my Dr and we are waiting for the blood results to come back. Other reasons for thinning is harmonal inbalance or an underactive thyroid. Or the Nuvaring. 2. My sex drive. What sex drive? I am 33 yrs old and have not felt 1 single urge over the last 3 months. 3. Fatique. Now, that my body has adapted to the ring, I feel like the side affects are coming at me. The hair loss deal is the worst though. I Have been wearing a headband for 3 weeks now and clumps are still coming out. I decided today to remove the ring for good. I have enjoyed the convenience of it but the side effects are not worth the trouble. I am now taking shen min for rebuild the hair on my scalp, this was picked up at the health food store. Also, I bought Beautiful Lengths by Pantene. This was advised by a friend, who lost her hair from cancer. She said it works and also proceeds are donated back to cancer programs.