I have been on the NuvaRing for about five months now. As I began my adventure into this form of birth control, I decided to research it a bit. Of course, as a girl, I consulted my friends about their birth control options. (Much like the women in the NuvaRing ads do) My friend, Aimie, told me she LOVED it, that is was easy, she never had to worry about taking a pill, and you don't gain weight from starting it. Gotta admit, I like all those. No girl wants to gain weight while she's getting used to sleeping with someone! I'm comfortable with my body and size, but no, I don't want to put on ten pounds for any reason.
Next came watching the ads for the pros and cons- they always list the possible side effects, and of course, I wanted to see if there were any different from ol' faithful, THE PILL.
It seems, after my mini-investigation, that NR is basically birth control made easy. Once a month, non-latex ring (I'm allergic to latex) that delivers a "low dose of hormones." (though there has been some speculation on this, read more about the lawsuits and possibly deadly side effects that may be associated with NuvaRing)
As a woman, I worry about my reproductive organs and what I am doing to them by taking hormones. We all know that blood clots can happen. Stroke. Heart attack. Scary stuff. No one wants to take this stuff that could kill them, buuut... Who wants a baby when they aren't ready at all?
So I called up Planned Parenthood and made an appointment to get birth control. I asked the clinician if NR was safe- she said yes. What risks might be higher- she said no risks, but more likely I would experience an excess of vaginal fluid, that it was the most common side effect.
She was right.
Along with that, I have virtually no natural lubrication and for the first two weeks, sex was so painful I just couldn't do it. I googled this and found that many women can't have sex for a while/at all if they're on NR because of a thinning of mucous membranes and vaginal lining (though I don't know if that is a fact, it is what I have read. If you would like to know more, google probably has more answers for you).
It has, for the most part, eliminated my sex drive. I still have sex (CONSENSUALLY, mind you!!!) about 5-6 times per week, but it's not until a few minutes into it that I become aroused. This, of course, bothers me. Maybe this has something to do with no natural lubricant being present, or vice versa, and though I don't mind astroglide, I gotta say, sex is just better when you don't have to apply lube.
As far as my hormones go, PMS has been an interesting ride. I get extremely depressed, feel self-hatred (which I did NOT feel before), get excessively angry for next to no reason and feel a lot of pain (PMS, mind you, not period time). My period used to last for three days and now last 6-8, but is so light I don't need to use tampons, just panty liners. It still hurts just as much as before, only now, instead of two days of cramps, I have five.
When I called Planned Parenthood to ask about my extremely dramatic mood swings, they told me to take vitamin b12- I take a multivitamin every day, faithfully, which has 200% of my daily b12. Sigh.
I am waiting this birth control out for a while longer, because as much as it irritates my body, taking birth control pills makes me nauseous, every single day.
Maybe you have a different experience with the NuvaRing, but this is mine. I want women to be informed about what they are consuming.
Share your experiences here if you'd like; I'd love to hear about your variances.
I was on a Progestin-only birth control pill that I loved and didn't have any unpleasant side effects. It doesn't have the hormones of a usual pill so it might be easier on you. I had issues with Ortho-tri normal hormonal pill as well as the Depo shot. The Progestin-only pill also gave me super light periods.
ReplyDeleteEmotional side effects are scary IMO.