Discussion Hormonal Birth Control Woes

[Celerity]

I had to start birth control to regulate my menstrual cycle. After trying a few of the oral options, I started wearing a patch. While I am happy that this finally fixed my problem, I have new ones.

The weight gain is something I expected. Not being able to get off is another. I am just endlessly horny but not really? It's hard to explain. It's like I have sex on the brain but my body hasn't gotten the memo. It is almost an intellectual exercise. I find men more attractive. I daydream about sex nearly all day. Even so, nothing happens below the belt. It's like I'm obsessively imagining Tetris or Pong like its the hottest new game, but hell, even that sounds more stimulating than whatever dull hell it is that I'm trapped in.

Anybody else struggle with birth control side effects? I am thinking about trying to quit this to see if my cycle can return to normal without help.

 

[Fimbulvetr]

I've actually always had difficulty reaching orgasm, both on and off birth control. The most "consistent" methods I've had were with my nipples... and even that is less than half the time.
But my period is only "normal" on birth control, otherwise it's completely unpredictable. Can happen 3 times a month, or once every 4 months. You never know. x.x Only birth control has made it consistent for me, unfortunately.

 

[Celerity]

I've actually always had difficulty reaching orgasm, both on and off birth control. The most "consistent" methods I've had were with my nipples... and even that is less than half the time.
But my period is only "normal" on birth control, otherwise it's completely unpredictable. Can happen 3 times a month, or once every 4 months. You never know. x.x Only birth control has made it consistent for me, unfortunately.

My period used to be textbook. A stressful event could throw it off-whack once in a while, but it was otherwise extremely steady and always progressed the same way.

I really feel for women who have had to take it most of their lives.

 

[Fimbulvetr]

Surprisingly, I wasn't on birth control until recently, I just always immediately ran to get a pad whenever I woke up and was bleeding. Couldn't ever predict it... But I could still handle it ig? Even if my bed sometimes looked like I woke up from being stabbed down below.
I actually only got on it recently for a number of reasons, along the lines of this:
I was going to start being sexually active, and I wanted to make sure I didn't get pregnant; but also needed a way to more consistently tell if I was or not. ...I didn't want my bf to deal with the panic my irregular period is, really. XD
It also boosts my estrogen levels, since I have oddly high testosterone levels for someone who's AFAB. We thought I had PCOS, but after having an ultrasound it seems to not be the case.
I also have vaginismus though, so there's a whole mess with my entire body, ig.

 

[Celerity]

Surprisingly, I wasn't on birth control until recently, I just always immediately ran to get a pad whenever I woke up and was bleeding. Couldn't ever predict it... But I could still handle it ig? Even if my bed sometimes looked like I woke up from being stabbed down below.
I actually only got on it recently for a number of reasons, along the lines of this:
I was going to start being sexually active, and I wanted to make sure I didn't get pregnant; but also needed a way to more consistently tell if I was or not. ...I didn't want my bf to deal with the panic my irregular period is, really. XD
It also boosts my estrogen levels, since I have oddly high testosterone levels for someone who's AFAB. We thought I had PCOS, but after having an ultrasound it seems to not be the case.
I also have vaginismus though, so there's a whole mess with my entire body, ig.

Oh fuck. I don't know if I have vaginismus. It sounds like a nightmare. I hope you are able to get that rectified. How painful and mortifying.

 

[Fimbulvetr]

Currently I'm using some dilators for it! Uh... I have a habit of fucking up though and forgetting for a while, and then... I have to basically start over. It's really frustrating and exhausting. x.x;

 

[penguinl0v3s]

Not being able to get off is another. I am just endlessly horny but not really? It's hard to explain. It's like I have sex on the brain but my body hasn't gotten the memo. It is almost an intellectual exercise. I find men more attractive. I daydream about sex nearly all day. Even so, nothing happens below the belt. It's like I'm obsessively imagining Tetris or Pong like its the hottest new game, but hell, even that sounds more stimulating than whatever dull hell it is that I'm trapped in.

This is a really common side effect of birth control. I lose a bit of sensation and it's harder to feel good enough to orgasm on my anti-depressant. Many women have their sexual side effects go away after they get off of it.

 

[Celerity]

This is a really common side effect of birth control. I lose a bit of sensation and it's harder to feel good enough to orgasm on my anti-depressant. Many women have their sexual side effects go away after they get off of it.

That is good to know. I hope that will be the case for me. I can't stand feeling like this. I do not feel like myself.

 

[BornHated]

It will also depend on what sort of hormones are involved. There's a bunch of different ones.
libido went up for me when I stopped mine for 9 months as opposed to taking it… I was on Be/Yaz since 15 for acne, took a 9 month break but I started losing hair so I went back on to a stronger different one now to delay alopecia and stabilize my mood since my home environment is godawful lol
I guess it's more about the changes being felt by the body than anything else. It does keep tabs of its own rhythm as "normal" and acts accordingly to any variation.

It also boosts my estrogen levels, since I have oddly high testosterone levels for someone who's AFAB. We thought I had PCOS, but after having an ultrasound it seems to not be the case.
I also have vaginismus though, so there's a whole mess with my entire body,

I think it's more common than assumed to have different levels not only in hormone proportions but also their receptors. everyone's got a different baseline; That's how you get cases like androgen/estrogen insensitivity syndrome.

 

[psp3000]

I thought I would have the same side effects since I am on the pill (taking it to regulate my cycle as well so then I won't have to get anymore iron transfusions)

but I don't really have the ones mentioned besides weight gain, breast growth, and an extremely high drive and it is annoying to me personally

but when I started taking it after about a month I had was experiencing the stuff you mentioned when it comes to arousal (I have been taking the pill for about 2 or 3 years now I think)

also cramps when aroused/ during arousal I don't know if it's a me thing or if it's a side effect of the pill but I didn't really have them until after starting it ?

also I had no idea there was a patch ! I was only offered the arm implant, the disc, IUD, and I think there's a gel and a shot as well ?

it was a few years ago so I can't quite remember but I am glad to hear about the side effects of the others because I was afraid of them but then again everyone's body reacts to things differently

 

[Spiritual survivor]

Unfortunately the issues u listed is why many women don't take birth control or end up getting off of it. The side effects can be really bad. I had severe side effects from all contraceptives I tried and decided to just try to be careful or use less effective methods which unfortunately led to unwanted pregnancy. The contraceptives are not good for us and lead to hormone problems down the road as well. U might end up with more health problems down the road from lifetime birth control hormones screwing up the natural balance of your hormones how they are supposed to be. I had some of the same issues, killed my libido and ability to orgasm, gained weight, became depressed and emotional, it even alters what kind of guy u will be attracted to. So if u meet someone and are attracted to them on birth control that could change when u are off. That might be awkward. Your sense of smell changes or something. So u are not picking a guy u might normally choose that is compatible with your genes because it throws all that off. They don't want u having kids, enjoying sex, and prefer u to feel fat with no libido spending your youth working for a corporation not becoming a mom. There are other methods u can use to avoid pregnancy that are better for u. Look up natural ways to control when u get pregnant or if u need to avoid getting pregnant. I think due to the side effects and failure of many contraceptive products is why they have abortion legal. It's sad that birth control is not always effective enough and u might end up in the position that u feel pressured to abort your unborn. Ideally be married or in a solid commitment with a guy if u are having sex so that if u do get pregnant it's not a crisis situation where they don't want to participate with u or help u with having a child.

 

[soulessbunny]

I've tried pretty much all except iud, my friend suggested them for heavy flow. I've had the injection,patch , implant and pill. I found the injection did give me weight gain but as I was slightly thin it was ok, it did stop my periods so bonus. But decided to go on mini pill s similar to injection but doesn't cause damage to bones.. I mean I haven't had any bad side effects with mini pill(my anti de does lower my drive slightly) but I found The mini pill worth it, I do take two at a time no stops my periods, (to me they were always an inconvenience) but haven't had any bad side effects, no acne, nothin.

 

[Kattt]

I spent decades addicted to heroin, which prevents menstruation. Although it's still possible to become pregnant, it also eliminates the libido.
Unless you're in a long term relationship, condoms are the only way to be certain that you won't end up with an STD as a souvenir from that night of passion. Having worked as an escort and never contracted an STD of any kind, I believe I have earned the right to declare the value of insisting on the use of a barrier method. Fuck complaints about reduced sensitivity and it's even more important if you're into anal, because the membranes are more vulnerable. Slightly reduced sensitivity is a small price to pay for protection from a host of STDs including the dreaded HIV. We may think wrecklessness is ok because we hold life itself in disdain, but unprotected sex is Typhoid Mary behaviour. If you don't know what that means, you have the same internet as everyone else.

 

[penguinl0v3s]

That is good to know. I hope that will be the case for me. I can't stand feeling like this. I do not feel like myself.

I'd suggest getting off of it right away then. Unless your doctor told you that there's an adjustment period and the symptoms aren't stable.

 

[theslasher]

I'd highly advise against birth control (or any synthetic hormone for that matter), not only due to its affects on your body, but everybody else's.

Stick with me here... synthetic chemicals and medications of all kinds are released into our water treatment facilities everyday (since the human body's digestive system only absorbs a small amount of the chemicals in each pill and about 90% of the chemicals are released through the urine and back into the water system), and since these water treatment facilities are not able to filter out such chemicals, it comes back to us in our tap water.. which is one major factor why men's fertility and testosterone rates have been consistently decreasing the past several decades. The only way to avoid such chemicals is through reverse osmosis. Men who use reverse osmosis water filters tend to see dramatic increases in testosterone and decreases in estrogen (which puts them back at their normal & healthy hormone levels, because there are no endocrine disruptors or environmental estrogens in the water they drink).

There's countless studies and articles on this subject, here's a quick excerpt from an article I found:

"Researchers have found evidence that even extremely diluted concentrations of drug residues harm fish, frogs and other aquatic species, and have been shown to labs to impair human cell function.

One of the common culprits is estrogen, much of which is inadvertently released into sewers through the urine of women taking birth control. Studies have shown that estrogen can wreak reproductive havoc on some fish, which spawn infertile offspring sporting a mixture of male and female parts. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh found that human breast cancer cells grew twice as fast when exposed to estrogen taken from catfish caught near untreated sewage overflows. 'There is the potential for an increased risk for those people who are prone to estrogenic cancer,' said Conrad Volz, lead researcher on the study."

Humans are much healthier (both physically and psychologically) when they are not consistently exposed to synthetic hormones.

 

[RosebyAnyName]

I have severe PCOS and I've been on hormonal birth control since I was 12. Without medication I was almost non-functional, and any kind of regularity in my cycle didn't exist. I've even been on multiple kinds of birth control pills since, certain brands made me feel great, other brands made me feel like garbage, it depends on the type of estrogen used (look up the four progestin generations for more info). That said, to my knowledge, reduced sex drive is a side effect of all hormonal birth control with estrogen. If you aren't treating severe hormone dysregulation like I am, then I'd consider trying the mini pill if you haven't already, as it does not contain any estrogen.

Here are my experiences with estrogen birth control medication: I used to use a brand that contained norethindrone, but that brand was discontinued so I was switched to a brand that used desogestrel. Both worked great for me but have been known for giving nasty side effects to people who already have stable hormone levels. Meanwhile, when I tried something with levonorgestrel, I felt awful. But, lots of women who already have regular hormone levels swear by levonorgestrel. An example of a brand that uses levonorgestrel is Seasonique.

 

[ColorlessTrees]

I hate birth control for its side effects. I finally gave in because premenstrual dysphoric disorder makes my life a living hell, but I was too sick to eat/nearly threw up daily and lost 8lbs in a month even on the low estrogen one. Not even worth any slight mood improvements. And I'm in the same boat with "periods used to be clockwork regular until body said haha fuck you actually" (happened after the bc honestly)

I also feel you on the being horny without enough sensitivity. Annoying. My guess is maybe testosterone is low, but I'm not a doc. I remember reading that many of them suck up a lot of the testosterone, which is why it's used for treating certain conditions like PCOS.
If this is annoying enough I've also heard there are "androgenic" ones iirc in relation to the progestin type used. What I took (Junel Fe, not sure of generic name) seemed to have this effect. But I also have issues/symptoms with elevated testosterone at baseline, so it could just be me.

Annoying life interrupting hormones/cycles/contraceptive solidarity