Have you STOPPED using birth control??

My side effect was weight gain. I actually went to the doctor last week and was started on Metformin (because I have PCOS). So when I stop the pill all of the symptoms come back. I gained 20 lbs in two months....very unhealthy. Since last week I have lost 2 lbs once started on the medicine to control PCOS. Good luck!

I stopped taking mine because it was making my depression worse, and the water retention just wasn't worth it. I tried 4 different kinds before I said enough with it all ready. I recently talked to my dr about getting an IUD, not sure about it yet but I think that is my next route.

I got the Mirena IUD (my pill was going to cost me a lot more than it had previously). it does have progesterone (sp?) but not estrogen, so the hormones in it are a little different. I've had a great experience with it, and my doc like some others let me get it even though i haven't had kids. The insertion was a little painful, but my periods are so light it was definitely worth it. if you're sensitive to the hormones altogether, there is a copper IUD with no hormones (the copper is toxic to sperm but safe for you). but if you are looking to have kids in the next few years, you may just want to go with condoms.

I haven't read all of the replies yet, but I stopped taking birth control about a year after getting married. It was making me pshyco. I was so mentally and emotionally unstable and it took me that long to figure out that was a big cause of it. I did also gain 40 lbs in that year.

I highly recommend the book "Taking Charge of Your Fertility". It's really insightful about your body.

I came off birth control twice. As you can see from my ticker. I won't be doing that again!

I take Diane, I have not noticed any moods or weight gain but that might be because I was fat and a bit of a ***** to start with :laugh:

It has been 3 years since I stopped taking BC and I do not plan to ever take it again! Everyday you will feel better and "more yourself". Like one of the other ladies said, the only side effect......a baby! We did natural family planning and it worked fine as long as you are very conscience of your cycle and keep track of your days! Best wishes!

I stopped the pill back in June. So glad i did. i didn't have any side affects after. I say use condoms and the ole withdrawal method should work out okay.

Not sure if anyone else has mentioned it but the coil is a great alternative to the pill. I was on POP pills, progesterone only, which really didn't work for me hormonally with all kinds of side effects and a complete pain to remember to take every day. A few of my friends got the hormonal coil before me all without practically any side effects or discomfort, two of them were really lucky and don't get periods/spotting at all, I have minimal. Because it's er...localised the actual amounts of hormones is tiny in comparison with the pill, plus you don't have to think about it at all for five years, or less if you wanted to stop birth control before that which is easily doable. There's also the non-hormonal copper coil which actually has about the same percentage protection as the pill!
Good luck!

I have never heard of the "coil" What is it and can you get it through your gyno? Is it the IUD?

Yeah the IUD or IUS, one of them is the copper one and the other hormone release (mirena), sorry should have used it's proper name

I'm on NuvaRing and I love it! I'm not having any side effects like I was having on the pill. The question is would you rather gain weight from BC or would you rather gain weight from a baby? Its kinda a lose lose situation. Either way your guna gain weight and your hormones are going to be retarded.

I went off bc this past August w/o any side effects. I was on a low ogestrel one. I've been on bc since i was 19, so A LONG TIME lol! I remained on it due to cysts. I switched to the Depro shot......wanted to shoot myself, it was awful, worst side effects and huge weight gain Anyways, i've been fine off the pill for several months now and my period is now every 25 days instead of 28-30 but oh well I am also trying to start a family!

Google Mirena. I would highly recommend it. I have not experienced weight gain from it and any pms symptoms I had prior to the Mirena procedure remained the same and didn't worsen or change. An added bonus is that periods are diminished or non existent for many women. I was one of the lucky ones and have not had a true period in at least seven years The procedure took literally less than five minutes at my OB-GYN office, there was no discomfort before, during, or after, and was covered by insurance. It lasts up to five years or can be removed sooner if pregnancy is desired before then.

Hormonal birth control is the devil for me. I was on Ortho Tricyclen and Ortho Tricyclen Lo at a later point. HUGE mood swings, irritability, lower sexual desire. When I stopped taking it, the side effects went away within a month.

I recommend the Paraguard IUD. It is a copper IUD, so NO hormones, which is awesome.

LOL the above post made me laugh.

I don't think there are any side effects. Some pills are supposed to help with the moodiness so I would recommend trying some different types of pills to find one that works better for you.

Ditto been on it for over 4 years

I stopped taking mine about 6 weeks ago. Since then, my appetite is less (yay for losing weight!) and my acne is back. I feel like a teenager again.

My husband and I are abstaining until I decide if I want to get an IUD. I'm pretty sure I want to get the Paragard, but I hear it makes your cramps and bleeding worse for the first few months. I don't even know what my period is like without the birth control pills. I had a period right after stopping, and again about two weeks later. I'm due to start again any day now, but I don't think I will. My period is irregular when I'm off the pills. My doctor said that if I don't get it in 2 months, something might be wrong with my hormones and my thyroid. Ugh.

I want to have at least one more complete cycle before I get the Paragard just to see what my natural cycle is like.

Google Mirena. I would highly recommend it. I have not experienced weight gain from it and any pms symptoms I had prior to the Mirena procedure remained the same and didn't worsen or change. An added bonus is that periods are diminished or non existent for many women. I was one of the lucky ones and have not had a true period in at least seven years The procedure took literally less than five minutes at my OB-GYN office, there was no discomfort before, during, or after, and was covered by insurance. It lasts up to five years or can be removed sooner if pregnancy is desired before then.

Yeah I have heard both good and bad things about Mirena... I've researched all the IUD's but they seem to not recommend them for women who have never given birth. Apparently it is more likely to fall out and/or cause problems for a woman who has never been pregnant... so that sort of deterred me!

Your risk of expulsion is only slightly higher than that of someone who has previously been pregnant. Many who are nulligravid (no pregnancies) have very successful insertions and do not expel. There are smaller IUDs designed specifically for people who have not been pregnant but they are generally not available in the US. If you are interested in traveling to Canada or Europe, there are more options (the Flexi-T 300 is a T shaped IUD designed for a smaller uterus; the Gynefix is a frameless IUD that is implanted in the fundus of the uterus, also works well for a smaller uterus).

Can you explain what you mean by an IUD causing problems for people who have never had children? There are a LOT of misconceptions still floating around the internet (and even in medical circles) courtesy of the Dalkon Shield and I like to dispel them where I can!

I stopped taking BCP about a year ago. I have been on various types for 13 years. I stopped because I was having decreased circulation in my lower extremities and I am in my 30's now so I may want to start having babies soon. I found that it took about a year for my body to adjust back to normal after I stopped taking BCP. I was depressed for about 6 months, I started breaking out with more pimples, my sex drive was all screwed up, and the worst part is I gained about 25 in 6 months without ever changing my diet. Which is weird because I thought that getting off birth control would help me lose weight. But now that my periods are finally back to the way they used to be 13 years ago my weight has stopped increasing, I don't break out as much, and my moods are back to normal. I will NEVER take birth control again. It totally screwed up my body. It took a whole year for me to get back to normal and I'm sure its because I was on them for so many years. Everyone is different though, we all have different hormone levels and respond different.