Provera symptoms and conditions

OK....so ive been experiencing spotting and clotting since August...i went to see my dr and he put me on ortho tricyclen lo it wasnt working so he put me on provera for 2 weeks n it didnt work....a trip to the er n here i am on my 2nd month of FemCon 3rd row of pills and im already experiencing bleeding it happened last month also......stomach pains n nausea....make for a long day.....and the weight GAIN.....My MOODS r terrible....my husband has learned to brush it off but I can cry bout the smallest things i feel depressed....and want to rip someones head off for no reason.....I hate birth control in the first place.......i Dont know whats wrong with me...anybody have any advice..........

My Mirena was inserted June of 2008. At first it wasn't bad, I would ignore the symptoms because I thought it was from the change in birth control from depo-provera. But recently I have been tired all the time. I don't want to even have sex. I feel unattractive because of the acne and weight gain. I am ALWAYS hungry. Then all of sudden I always feel a crash...I'm always too tired to do anything or even think! I yell at my husband, son, and I am not able to focus at work. I feel like I'm in a daze!!! want to sleep and never get up. I am so glad I found this forum. I plan on making an appointment with my OB and getting this thing out. I never thought of linking my symptoms to the Mirena. My doctor assured me I would be ok. Now I know the truth! I thought I was pregnant but I also got a negative. Please keep posting your comments!!!

I actually posted my side effects (profuse, foul smelling discharge) before reading many of the posts here. I found my side effects to be common on other sites. I did want to mention that I thought the IUS (Mirena) was not to be used on women who ha not had a baby yet and I read here several women who have had it inserted before ever having a pregnancy! I'd check that out because Mirena literature itself would rule out a condidae based on that. Otherwise gals, my Mirena worked wonderfully--to virtually no pain or bleeding at insertion, to all but eliminating my period. However, I can't and won't live with the excessive foul discharge...CAN"T WAIT TIL 12/29 FOR REMOVAL!!!!!!

I was on the Depo Provera birth control shot for roughly 6 years. It did stop my periods but that was the only good thing about this shot! I am now 30 years old and it has been about 2 years since I stopped receiving the injection. My teeth are decaying so rapidly that they chip and break as if they are made of layers (like a flaky biscuit). When I first started the injections my smile was pretty perfect. My diet and daily regimens have not changed so I can only attribute the dental issues to this birth control shot.
I also suffered from lowered sexual drive, depression, mood swings/anxiety and insomnia while on the treatment. After several years of my issues getting worse I linked them to the shot and no longer received the injections. Since then my other symptoms have gone away but the tooth decay still lingers.
Is there anyone else out there with these same issues? I desperately would love to find help or others like myself.

I am a 27 year old who has been on birth control for the past 11 years. I was on Ortho Tri Cyclen for the majority of that time until my sophomore year of college when the doctor suggested I switch to the "shot". Depo Provera caused me to bleed continuously for several months on end and I was then switched back to pills by my new gynecologist. He placed me on a generic form of the ortho which again worked wonders for several years. At 25, I started bleeding constantly from the generic and was switched to several Loestrin 24 which completely stopped the breakthrough bleeding... initially. After a year of it, we were back to constant bleeding. The ONLY side effect I have ever experienced from birth control is breakthrough bleeding. I moved cities and with a new town came a new doctor who thought Femcon might work. I was prescribed it in May and have been taking it for nearly 6 months. Over that time I have been so happy with it as there is no bleeding except when there should be. That is until I read today that my increased anxiety (I have a diagnosed anxiety disorder to begin with), vivid, realistic nightmares, and 15 lb weight gain could be caused by this pill. I am getting married in January and my dress barely fits at this point because of the weight gain. I go to the gym 5 days a week for cardio and weight training yet keep getting fatter... I thought I was stressed out by the wedding and that is what was causing my emotional imbalance... I really thought I was losing it. I just called my gyno and left a VM asking if this could be the reason... Don't quit taking a birth control based on other peoples reports, they are all going to react differently to different people and all meds come with an initial side effect that goes away once your body is accustomed to having that hormone or chemical in it. Initial nausea is common... I have always had it when I started a new medication, especially birth control. It goes away after a couple of weeks. Will keep you posted.

So, after my boyfriend and i used condoms and it ruptured due to the fact we used a warming lubracant that wasn't water soluble.
I got pregnant and we aborted. this was 2 weeks ago
I started the nuvaring that planned parenthood gave me.

well, i've been feeling tired, depressed and not hungry.
i barely eat any food these days
and i fear my weight is slipping, i used to be 112 lbs, and i;ve been exercising for lean muscle gain (since i had very little) and now i'm up to 118.
I'm scared i'm going to lose all that lean muscle i worked hard to put on.
i haven't been working out for 2 weeks since the abortion and all.

but anyway, ive been feeling very depressed lately.
i feel ugly and unworthy and i know that neither of those are true.
i feel like i'm a terrible person, i feel sad all them, i cry so easily (like i'm doing right now)
the other night i had a breakdown when felt horribly down on my self, i felt like i'm worthless and i felt ashamed because i feel like i always want sex from my boyfriend and i feared that i i don't love him, i feared that my sex drive is out of control, and then i felt like because he doesn't want to have sex with me everyday, i felt like i must not be worthy or that i'm ugly, stupid, a pain, and that he doesn't love me and then i thought things like 'well would you want to have sex with you? who could blame him?"

today i started feeling those feelings for no reason again, this time i started feeling like i hate my life and wondering why i'm alive

when i had thought perhaps i was suffering from early adult bipolar (im 24 btw)
i had an epiphany and realized, WAIT, it probably ISN'T bipolar, if all this just happened RECENTLY
and before the ring i was really happy. AND my boyfriend never does anything to make me feel unloved or unworthy.
he always takes his time and he's very sweet to me all the time.
he treats me to almost everything and he's so patient and loving.

I realized that my sudden mood changes MUST be because of the damn Nuvaring!

i have a follow up from planned parenthood tomorrow, so i'm going to tell them everything i've felt and i'm only going to continue this damn ring until nov 24th.
i get my prenup for my tubes to be tied.

my boyfriend and i don't want kids ever, (if the recent abortion is ANY proof to that one)

anyway, i would NOT recommend this ring to ANYONE
i know everyone is different, but still.

and i do realize that i COULD be having early adult bipolar or some other sort of depression/anxiety issues that i might just THINK are ring related.
I will continue to monitor my health and if i ever feel like this again i will seek help

I just called my OBGYN for my Mirena insertion date... January 2006. At my regular annual visit in December 2005, I weighed 167lbs... December 2006 - 173lbs... December 2007 - 175lbs... This December I will be in the 185lb range! I do not come from a 'fat' family and have never experienced such weight gain except when I had 2 courses of the Depo-Provera BC shots - then I gained almost 30lbs in 6 months. I am going to request the removal of the Mirena this December. I exercise and am not an over-eater. After reading this website, I can't wait to get rid of it! I don't have periods per se, but do experience PMS as if I did. I really haven't seen any increase in hair loss, but at 47-1/2 can't figure out all the acne. My sex drive (normally considered as exceptional) comes and goes like the tide. I have been experiencing a lot of headaches, but figured they were stress-related... maybe not. Thanks for the info & keep the lines open!

So thankful I have found this site. I am currently on Depo-Provera and my doctor has been pushing me to get the Mirena. After thorough research, and also reading these side effects, I do not think I will be having this inserted. I am 43 and he wants me off of Depo as he says it depletes calcium from your body. I think I will take my chances.

I have been on birth control for 11 years, never having any severe problems. I had a baby 3 years ago and was taking Yaz. With being on Yaz I had a migraine about every 3 months. My Dr. suggested me trying the NuvaRing. I was on it for 2 months and my bleeding was uncontrollable. During the time of switching bc, my grandmother got really sick and I lost my job. I was concerned about the heavy bleeding and clotting and questioned my dr. and they just told me to hold on for another month or so, it was probably from the stress. I changed from the NR to Seasonique, still the bleeding was uncontrollable. I never had menses like this in my life. Going back to the dr. I had a pelvic examine and they just gave me provera to help stop the bleeding. Well it worked for a week and then here we go again! After about 4-5 months of this cycle I decided to stop taking any bc and let my body try to get back to normal. About a month later I started hemoraging and had to go to the er. They kept me for 2 days and found that I have a fibroid on my uterus. I also had to get a blood transfusion. The fibroid is pushing on my uterus causing my uterus to be double in size. WTH? Where did this come from? I am now having to take the Lupron shot to help shrink the fibroid and hopefully in 3 months I can have it removed. I can only blame this on the NR. I NEVER had problems like this before. It is truly discouraging. I advise anyone thinking about the NR to clearly STAY AWAY!!! I know have several medical bills all from trying to stay away from migraines. I can deal with those much easier than what I have been thru.

This is unbelievable... i thought everything that's been wrong with me, has been in 'my head', sex drive, weight gain, fuzzy vision, mood swings...

I honestly think this should be taken off the market. I cannot believe everyone's comments about this contraception. I have taken the pill over the years, depo provera, and thought my mood swings were bad then, but what really is the kicker, is the sex drive, hot flashes and weight gain/bloating.

At 29 years old, i have never felt the way i've felt on this, i've been trying to explain to my boyfriend 'it's just me' !, now i realize why.
as for the weight gain, i have always been conscious of my diet and exercise. for the past two weeks i have especially been trying to lose weight, but to no avail. hot flashes, it's insane. Please after reading this, look for another form of birth control. This should never have been approved. I took it out immediately after reading other's comments.

Well ladies, I don't really have much to add. Weight gain, depression, anxiety, loss of sex drive and as many of you have said the mental problems are the worst.
In high school I tried "the pill" despite my better judgment. Ironically the female doctor I had requested did not believe me when I told her my regular migraines were caused by estrogen. Predictably I became extremely aggressive and angry.Since then I had been taking a pill with no estrogen, a once a day birth control pill, the kind you have to take at the same hour every day.
I changed over to Depo-Provera because I don't trust myself to take a pill with in an hour window. And because with out some sort of birth control I'm worried I might bleed to death. During the short period between the once a day pill and the shot I bled through two tampons and a pad in under five minutes.
I pushed through all of the horrible side effects of the first year, weird bleeding weird discharge. All the ups and downs.
I am glad to say I have no more period.
But I don't know what to do, I'm losing my friends, my life, and myself.
I'm starting to feel like this whole birth control thing is just one big joke. Or worse some sort of sick punishment.
I don't understand how these medications get passed inspection.

I was on Yasmin for 2 years and it was 2 years too long! I should have stopped taking it immediately. I experienced EXTREME HAIR LOSS!!!! It started to fall out as soon as I started taking the pill, but I was also coming off Depo Provera and thought it was the Depo causing the hair loss. This happened in 2 different cycles. The first time, A LOT of hair fell out and I was humiliated. After about 6 months, some hair grew back; but my hair was still extremely thin and you could see most if not all of my scalp in strong lighting (outdoors for example). About 8 months later, it fell out again...this time worse than ever because I had about half of the hair I used to. I think I was literally lost 3/4 of my hair this time. Most if the hair loss was on the top of my scalp and every doctor I saw had something different to say. In the beginning stages of the hair loss, they said it was stress. Then when they saw it progress and they realized how much hair I had lost on the top of my scalp, I was told I had female pattern baldness...only no female in my family had ever experienced this before. Finally, I went off the pill and WOW...I HAVE HAIR AGAIN and it is probably close to what I had before I ever lost any of it. Oddly enough, Yasmin is used to prevent hair loss; as it is prescribed for women who have higher testosterone levels...yet it caused me to lose mine. I also gained A LOT of weight on that pill!
I have been off of Yas for about 6 months now and my periods are definitely less than regular. I won't get my period for 3 months and all of a sudden I am getting it every 2 weeks. I also have cysts on my ovaries and I thought I had Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome which can also cause hair loss, but the doctors are quite positive that I don't have PCOS and that it is not what led to the hair loss.
Moral of the story...unless you have to go on a pill that is designed for lowering your testosterone levels (and I recommend Diane 35 if so), do not take Yas! If I ever go on the pill again, I am sticking to something like Alese that is low-dose.

i took one shot of Depo last year, and i still say i never should have, in fact i still wish i hadn't... side effects i got were: daily bleeding for the 3 month span, weight gain, nausea, plus breathing issues, etc.
but the main problem was my moods and mental health, i was either crying or enraged all the time and had very bad anxiety. also, i just did not feel like myself, i had no idea who i was anymore. so i got off it, then 6 months later another doctor suggested i try the lowest possible dose of the pill. well i only took i think 2 doses, because it ended up giving me morning sickness... waking up puking at 6am. but i think that those 2 doses somehow combined with the not-yet elapsed dose of Depo i'd had... it can take a year to wear off... because i am still feeling the mental and mood effects. i'm beginning to think it's taken a permanent toll on my mental health or something, or that maybe i'm just crazy, or hormonally off balance. i feel like i should be on sedatives or anti-depressants, or both, because i'm still very stressed/worried/nervous/anxious all the time. the other problem is that i don't have health insurance. Planned Parenthood gave me the Depo, and a Women's Clinic hospital doctor put me on the pill... i haven't seen my actual doctor in a long time. so i really need help but feel like i don't know how and would have no way to get it.

*** i've posted this on the "Depo Provera Contraceptive" thread, as well as in response to other people's horror stories... the reason i've been posting the same account multiple times is that i am really in dire need of some answers... if anyone can tell me anything that i should or could do to alleviate this mental state, i would greatly appreciate it.
please & thanks,
JesoftheEast

Hi I am 33 and has had a bilateral tubal ligation (cauterization) and I a have stopped having a regular monthly cycle for the last 2 years My doctor prescribed this BC for me over a year ago, however I did not fill the prescription. But about a month ago my period finally came after being absent for about 4 months. It was very heavy, bleeding through my clothes and feeling weak. After having my period for about 2 weeks I decided to go to my obgyn to get some help, she gave me provera for 5 days to stop the bleeding and said that I should take the yaz to regulate it. The provera stopped the bleeding for 3 days then I started to bleed again. She said that was normal. I started the yaz about 9 days ago, and began to feel very sick. I wanted to vomit all the time, my head hurt like crazy, I became very moody, restless in the night when its time to go to bed and ends up staying up all night. I ended up missing days from work and when I did go in I would leave early. I decided to stop taking it and for the last two days have felt better. However I have started bleeding again. I really don't know what to do but I don't think I want to continue taking any form of BC.

i will be starting femcon fe as soon as my next period comes..and from a lot of peoples postings im getting really nervous about this pill. i have an irregular flow. my period last for 9 days and sometimes comes twice a month..my OBGYN said that it will help regulate me and make my period shorter..im just really hoping that i dont break out in acne, because i have never had bad skin before.
does anyone have any good results from this pill????

-jacqueline

I was on the ring for 5 years with no problems. Toward the end I was having major mood swings; I would get angry or upset very easily. I also would experience occasional stomach discomfort, but not 100% sure that it was as a result of using the ring. It has been 10 months since I stopped using the ring. About two weeks after I quit using the ring I started having periods that would last anywhere from 14-20 days, and stop for 5-10 days. I've had blood tests and an ultra sound just a couple of months ago which came out negative. I've also tried Provera to help regulate my cycle, but that hasn't had much of an effect. I'm still experiencing extremely long periods (averaging 14-16 days long), and short lengths of time (averaging 7-10 days) of not having a period. I wish I never would have taken the NuvaRing.

My daughter had her first Gardasil shot in June. She started to have severe pain on her right side. Doctor diagnosed bladder infection. After 3 days of antibiotics ended up in emergency room due to severe pain in her right side. They did a ct scan and found a tennis ball sized cyst on her ovary. They thought her pain was from the cyst so she ended up having surgery to remove it. While they were in there they found endometriosis. So now we are working on a treatment plan. They gave her a shot of Depo Provera. She got her period while on vacation and the pain was so severe that she ended up in the hospital again. Her pain is being caused by the endo and is so severe it is debilitating. She had regular pain before with her periods, never anything like this. Another problem she is having is severe pain on both of her hip bones. My daughter was a normal, healthy teenager before this now they want to suppress her periods until she is ready to have children. I can't help but think this is due to the Gardasil.

I'm so glad I found this site! I thought I was going crazy! I got my mirena inserted about 2 months ago, and I feel horrible! I cramped severely when they were putting it in, after they put it in, and still now. I have really sharp pains every now and then that almost completely takes me to my knees. I've been moody, my l sex drive is shot, I have no energy, I'm bloated ALL the time, and I can't seem to loose any weight what so ever! I was previously on depo provera and experienced weight gain so that's one of the reasons why my doctor changed me to the mirena. I have not had any children yet. I thought maybe that was why I was experiencing such horrible cramps. I also, can feel it in me. My doctor asks as if I'm crazy too when I've told him what I'm experiencing. I am going this morning to see a new doctor. I know my body and there is something wrong! And the more I read these blogs the more I'm convened that it IS THE MIRENA!!! I'm just so glad that I'm not the only one experiencing these same side effects and that I'm not insane.

I just went to the Dr. for my second Lupron injection and to get some help with the side effects. Menopausal/emotional me, started crying!!! Gawd! I went in with my list of side effects from the last 3 months (and it was long!) and wondered what was worse, the pain of endometriosis or the life changing side effects of Lupron. My Dr. is wonderful and spent an hour with me; he decided to put me on Provera (progesterone or add-back therapy) for a week to see if the side effects improve. If they do, I get my second dose of Lupron in a week. If not, we stop it all and let my body slowly try to get back to normal (although I have never known what "normal" is since endometriosis) and see how the "therapy" worked. He is strongly encouraging me to follow through with the 6 month course as that is the recommended length of time for the best results. I'm 5'8" and have lost 10 lbs. in the last three months, I'm down to 107 lbs. He told me to try and eat more if I could (although my nausea is constant 24hrs. a day) and make sure to take a daily vitamin and calcium for bone loss. He said that he has never heard of blurred vision to be a side effect of Lupron, "But every woman is effected differently." I'm really hoping the Provera works - any kind of relief is better than this! I'm still having 3-4 hotflashes every hour with extreme exhaustion/fatigue, night sweats, daily migraine headaches, nausea 24hrs. a day, life changing mood swings, and shaky hands. He kept reminding me that this only 6 months out of my life - it's not forever ... forever feels like an awful long time when you can barely get out of bed!

Eureka! My unexplained weight gain (10 lbs), moodiness, fatigue, acne, excessive white discharge, recurrent yeast infections, and clumpy periods are no longer such an enigma. I previously had some horrendous side effects from Depo Provera, to include severe depression, suicidal thoughts, and hair loss; I thought NuvaRing would work great for me due to the low dose of hormones. At first, the ring was fantastic....didn't have to remember to take a pill everyday and no downward spiral of depression. The first symptom I noticed was the excessive discharge and the clumpy periods. Next was the moodiness, anxiety, and bouts of crying during every week 3 (that the bf has patiently put up with!). I have been trying to ignore the fact that my jeans don't fit, I have turned into a TV watching zombie, and I have a burning sensation associated with my 2nd yeast infection in 3 months (ugh!!!!). I wish I would have found this website earlier; it would have helped me put two and two together, acknowledge the side effects, and quit the Ring much earlier (not 11 months later!). Yes, each woman's body reacts differently to hormonal birth control, but if you have undesirable side effects from the Pill or Depo, you'll most likely get them from the Ring plus a few fun extra ones:) The upside to this product: it is incredibly convenient and my small breasts filled out. So not worth it to me!!!!!

All those interested in joining a Class Action lawsuit against the makers of Yasmin. Info available from
apopa (at) eden (dot) rutgers (dot) edu. Written out like this so it doesn't get blanked out. Please join - we need as many women as possible to get a case together.

THANK YOU EVERYONE!! I am sooo glad that I read all your posts, because I was so confused about taking this pill. I have been diagnosed with PCOS, and I have been told to take Provera, but then told that my acne and hair growth won't be under control by Provera, so I went to another gynecologist, and she prescribed Femcon FE, but I have been told that BC makes you fat, and makes you breasts bigger. I have already gained like 20 pounds since I started having irregular periods, my breasts have increased from a 32A to a 34D..its good, but it sucks at the same time! I hate being fat. I am only 18!! I don't wanna get anymore fatter! I am def. not taking this..Thanks again!!

I was on Yasmin for a number of years and had chest pains. I also have 2 red "dots" on my hair line that formed about a year ago. I noticed my hair thinned out too. I never made the connection that it could be related to the Pill. I also had frequent headaches, but would just take some Aleve and be on my way.
Anyways, I went off in February, and it is now June, and I still have no period. I've seen the gyno, tried to take Provera, and nothing is working to help me get my period. I ended up getting some bloodwork done. My estrogen levels are extremely low (like someone that is in menopause). I AM ONLY 25!!!! I am guessing it is related to coming off Yasmin somehow. Please contact me if you have similar things, as I am now getting all the symptoms of menopause (severe hair loss, night sweats, hot flashes, uncontrollable moods).

Hey Everyone! I have some of the same side effects as most of you. I got the shot for my allergies on January 15. I literally had a non-stop period. My period would last for two weeks with an average of only 2 days in between the next period. I did not want to get put on birth control, so I kept hoping for my period to regulate itself or for the medicine to leave my system, but none of that ever happened. I went to see my physician on June 3. (That means I was on my period from January to June.)

I explained what happened to him, and he told me that he wanted to try medicine that is NOT birth control. He explained that the Kenalog shot, a steriod, probably interfered with my hormones. In order for a woman's body to function normally, she must have a normal balance of estrogen and progesterone. I had way too much estrogen because I was always on my period, so he put me on a drug called Provera (medroxyprogesterone) for seven days. I am happy to say that the drug worked, and I have been off of my period for SIX days so far! My physician also told me that it may take up to two months for my body to figure itself out and for my period to start again.

I hope this helps someone. Provera worked for me, so maybe it will work for those who do not want to get on birth control!

I don't know if seeing all these posts help me or scare the crap outta me even more (none the less very helpful), I have no insurance and really want to get my IUD removed. I had it inserted when my daughter was 8 weeks old that was about 11 months ago. I have had nothing but problems, severe cramping, nausea, periods that last a whole month, one month it will be icky brownish discharge with a lil blood here and there, I will stop for about 2 weeks and get it again this time lasting about 3 weeks then i will go about 6 weeks and have it again this time with severe cramping and bleeding for a whole month straight. then i may not have it again for 6 weeks etc... I have really nasty blood clots that look very fleshy. I also have had very thick yellowish stinky discharge everyday i don't have my period ( I have NEVER smelt this bad) I feel like im losing my mind Im so absent minded i forget the simplest things, my arms and legs go numb and tingly, my hair is falling out in clumps, im extremely moody and very impatient. and the tiredness is really starting to bother me, no matter how much i try to stay awake its almost impossible, i literally need to take a nap every 3 hours it seems like just to function...I feel like im falling apart. Has anyone else had a lot of these symptoms? And what should I do about getting it taken out....I don't qualify for Medicaid so I was wondering if i should just go into the hospital the next time the pain gets bad and see if they will remove it any advice will be helpful! And good luck to anyone else going through problems with this IUD.