I've been on a few different kinds of pills, partially because I'd get really intense cramping and back pain and the like when I got my period. One of them got me really depressed and just down. My libido took a vacation then, too.

Since starting the pills, I've never quite gotten my libido back to where it was when I was 16 and started having sex, but it has improved with different pills.

Let's see.. I've been on Femcon FE, Orth-tricyclen-lo, and now Yaz. Maybe one other somewhere in between. For me, it was just a matter of finding the right pill. My cramps were so intense, I'd usually miss work or school. With the pill, I don't get any of the bad symptoms, just some sore-trying-to-cramp-u p feelings.

I'd suggest talking to your Gyno, or getting a second opinion. I've also shopped around for new doctors, and that's helped too.

I was on the Ovcon-35 from 17 to 22, when they stopped making it. I always had a very high sex drive and the pills did not change that. When they stopped making my pills, I switched to Loestrin-24. I hated it. I had no sex drive and it was extremely difficult to get off. I talked to my gyno, who told me that Ovcon had simply been made into a chewable pill called Femcon, but that the hormones were exactly the same. I switched to that and have had no problems and my drive is back to normal.

Different pills and hormone levels effect everyone differently. You may have to try a few different pills before you find one that works for you. I also saw you mention depression. If you are on anti-depressants, those can completely kill your libido and make orgasm difficult as well. Like BC pills, anti-depressants effect each person differently and you may have to try several before finding one that works best for you.

I also would see about getting a second opinion from a different doctor.

I was on Ovcon for years,until the patent expired and the rights were bought and Femcon came into being. It was perfect for quite some time, then the past year I have been having increasingly difficult periods with heavy bleeding and cramps as well as some depression and decreased sex drive. I am currently coming off of the pill for these, as well as other reasons and am having holy hell with it. My emotions are all over the place, crying one minute and mad as hell the next. I think my body is freaking on me because I've been on hormones for so long and it is expecting them and not getting them. The fact I'm having such major withdrawal is testament to the strength of that tiny pill that is so much a part of women's lives. It helped me when I needed it to (I had severe dysmenorrhea and would bleed for three months at a time) but I am glad to be coming off of it...

I've been on Loestrin 24Fe since January, and I absolutely love it. The first month was Hellish, but after my body adjusted, I felt fine. My once debilitating periods are really nothing nowadays; I had my one "bad day" today, actually, and I mostly just felt tired and lethargic, versus the severe pain and fatigue I had pre-pill. My sex drive HAS dropped a little, but not all that much, and considering I was hyper-sexual beforehand, I don't really think it's a bad thing.

The only think I hate about Loestrin is that it makes me secrete more discharge, and it kind of "dyes" the discharge yellow, so it tends to stain my white underwear. T_T

I started on OTC-Lo, and switched to normal OTC the following fall since there was a (much) cheaper generic available for OTC in pharmacies. I've gotten moodier, but I've also gotten used to it (for the most part). My hair used to be really thick, black, and shiny, but a bit has fallen out and the color has lightened to a dark brownish color, which my mother hates. In terms of changes in the bedroom, I used to get wet enough to have comfortable sex without additional lubrication within minutes. Now, unless a lot of really good foreplay is involved, I need a good dab of silicone lube, or it hurts like hell.

Well I wasn't even using it for actual birth control, it was just to minimize cramps and take less painkillers. My doc put me on them, I never wanted to go on them. If I want birth control, I'll either get rubbers or my bf gets snipped, which he doesn't mind, he's not keen on having kids either. Having a IUD might ruin me, I'm very sensitive to things put into my body, as I said I was on the lowest of the low bc pills. Plus I'm losing my medical insurance so it'd be a bad idea to have something in me I cannot remove on time later on down the line. That and my dad would want to know why I'd get such a thing as he doesn't want me sleeping around, though he doesn't know I did once with my bf. If he found out, oooo, I'd be getting it, would be scared to be tossed out. Or he'd never let me date again.

I'm currently trying to research herbs that naturally inscrease testosterone/androgens in the body and decrease levels of SHBG in the liver.

I have never had a problem with birth control pills. I've been on the same birth control (Tri-Sprintec 28) for 2 years now with no problems. It's got a slightly different mix of hormones which may be useful. I like it because it's cheap and effective. (it's $9 at Target with no insurance).

It is possible that the hormones have caused depression, since mind and body are linked. However, is there anything else in your life that may influence it? Diet, exercise, sleep, stress, and life events can lead to depression too.

I was also looking at some scientific info about it. You may want to switch to a pill with a higher proportion of estrogen to progestin. Apparently, progestin can lower the levels of serotonin in the brain leading to depression.

Since you don't really want to be on birth control anyway, some things to try to deal with the pain are changing your diet, increasing your exercise level, and taking hot baths.

Please don't take 800 mg of ibuprofen per day...I did that this past year when I tore part of my achilles tendon and another tendon in my ankle. I was taking so much ibuprofen a day I got a stomach ulcer from it and landed myself in the hospital again. Granted, I think I was taking 600 mg 3 times a day before the doctor put me on a steroid anti-inflammatory.

Goth, your story sounds so much like mine. the wet jeans virgin at 19. yep that was me. and the guy was long distance, online. i used to have the most painful periods ever. so i thought that would help me. the pill made me crazy so i switched brands. unfortunately before i switched pills my boyfriend had already dumped me because of my psychotic mood. the new pill was better. i believe i switched from regular ortho to lo a short time later. was on it until 3 days ago! I'd been having problems and my doctor said it meant i needed a higher dose. but my dad's medical wasn't going to cover it anymore. well, actually they would cover the generic kind that makes some people go crazy. not what i wanted to try. what really made me stop the pill was actually inspired by something here at edenfantasys. i saw some of the lotions and stuff containing pheromones. so i looked up some stuff on pheromones and started doing a lot of research on it. turns out that many studies have shown that birth control pills mess up sense of smell and also changes the type of pheromones you release. it makes A LOT of sense because bcp pills makes your body think you are pregnant. because of that, your body adapts in some ways to that of a pregnant woman. pregnant women release a pheromone to attract men of similar genetic makeup, to help the mother attract next of kin to help her with the baby. they are not releasing pheromones to attract a mate. also, the woman's sense of smell changes to identify those of similar genetic makeup. i'm not saying you will be necessarily attracting brothers or fathers, or even cousins necessarily, but you will most likely be attracting guys who are genetically similar. also, hyper-masculine. I've been wondering why i've attracted so many guys who have ended up being gay. i kinda feel real bad because my pheromones were the ones that were probably confusing them. Also, I worked in a 'club' and i was on the pill. all the girls loved the time during our period because we'd make way more money on those days. i made a little bit more money than usual, (maybe it's because i was on the lo-horomone) while the other girls who i knew were not on the pill made twice as much as they usually made. i was shocked to find that a study was actually done at a club that came out just like that. I knew there had to be a scientific reason! also, they call the pill 'the divorce pill.' ever wonder why the divorce rate went up so high after it was introduced to society? it wasn't just the fact that a divorce became easier to get. that is only part of the reason. why do you think it became easier to get a divorce in the first place? it was because so many people were filing for them that they just gave up and made it easier. divorces=money for the state. the one good thing the pill has done for me is it has kept me from getting pregnant, but honestly i think it has screwed up a lot of my relationships and has cost me more in visits to the doctor and psychologists. Think of how terrible you'd feel if you were on the pill till you got married and then decided to stop so you could have kids, only to wake up one day realizing that you aren't attracted to your husband because the pill messed up your ability to choose a mate. it is sad really.

oh yeah, and i thought i might add that i've been off the pill only three days now and today i had one of the best orgasms i've ever had via sex toy. like you, it used to take forever and i just lay there in fetal position. not anymore. being off the pill has definitely made it easier to get to o-ville and it took a shorter time. i was shocked really. i had no idea how much the pill has effected me. unfortunately i've been having some bad side effects. very bad headaches and dizziness. anxiety. rapid heart beat. and i swear i thought i had a stroke. actually about a minute ago i had to stop typing because everything started spinning and i had to put my head down and close my eyes. yeah. i am so glad i am off these things now.

I had no idea it was pheromone based. I know that if a guy's sweat smells raunchy to a woman, it usually means similar genetic makeup and the bad stink will prevent the pair from mating. However that's never been the case with my bf and I...

Though I'm not sure if it's the pheromones that's caused anything. I was attracted to my bf before the pill, but also hadn't seen him face to face. I don't think they really affect me because I get attracted to people via emotional connections, really. But no one's ever been attracted to me except my bf of now. Everyone just seems to prefer me as a friend.



As an update, slowly getting some drive back, not what I used to have though, sadly. Also more stressed now, though. But I'm having a 2nd opinion from another OBGYN this coming Monday, so hopefully some tests will be done, or I will get bitchy!

But good news, I had my first orgasm without any toys the other day, I'm so happy, I don't feel so broken anymore!

I think most pills instructions says about two months is how long for your body to return to its own, unmedicated cycle. I've heard lots of things about people having problems with pills like unability to orgasm, depression, weight gain, or lack of drive, but I guess I never knew it really was that prevalent. I know when I am on my birth control, I do have lack of drive, but that's about it. Good for you, though, recognizing the problems and getting off of it. All medication really affects us all in different ways. Thanks for the update, and let us know how it continues to go.

Glad to hear that some drive is coming back, and hurray on your orgasm!

I hope that your 2nd opinion gives you some good results.

I have been on BCP for 15 years for the same reason {dysmenorrhea}. Now let's note I am only 26, so you can see how God awful my pain was for my specialist to put me on the pill after exhausting all other options. I have gone off an on during that time, and never had an issue with libido. Have you had your hormones tested to see why you are in pain. Also, ask about the mini pill, that is the only pill I can take due to a severe allergy to estrogen.

Having said that, taking pain killers will destroy your liver, so be very very cautious there.

I really hope this all works out for you, and hopefully your body will change in the next few years so you don't feel this way forever. Take note that in your early twenties your hormones are freaking nuts and your sex drive will mimic that as well. Be patient.

Got done with the doctor. They won't do a Testosterone test, BUT, he said either depression or thyroid issues could be the culprit in all of this, or be interlinked. Checking my neck he did say my thyroid was pliable, (he said from sitting and talking with me my neck seemed rather large to him), which it shouldn't be. So to be safe went in for bloodwork to check that.

I'm somewhat hoping it IS the issue, and somewhat hoping it's not....

*waits for the phone call back*

I'm somewhat confused about the thyroid and its function and if it can be life threatening at all. Also will it always have problems and need medication or will it revert back to normal after some time depending on a person's age and habits?

It's odd, no one in my family has a history of thyroid problems, and I never had issues until after the birth control, so I wonder if the cause is linked or if it's all just coincidence.

I also wonder if meds are needed, can they still be gotten when there's no medical insurance....

Just got the call.

Thyroid is normal.

I guess the only other thing is depression.... I really do not want meds and make things worse.