sometimes there is a week when im on the pill and im super horny like 2 weeks before period and then a week before it takes a nose dive and feel stress and tired. it sucks.

i have a question i dunno if someone can answer it for me. if i dont have those side effects for the first year and a half, is it likely that they can appear after that?

Sun_Sun - that was my experience, actually. I've been on the pill for approximately 2 years now and in the last few months I've just started to notice my sex drive taking a lovely nose dive. This is just my experience though, so a chat with your doctor would obviously provide a far more legitimate response

sun_sun & lildorthy - I experienced the same thing. I've been on the pill for years now, but switched what pill I was taking about 3 years ago. When I started the 3rd year of the new pill, I really noticed a drop in my sex drive. I talked to my doctor and we decided to switch to a new bc. I am back to normal... for now.

I get the super horny 2 weeks before my period thing and I'm on the pill but after those few days pass there are times where I can't be bothered. Don't have a lube problem. Doesn't your libido naturally go up and down though? Not sure I can blame the times I'm not so excited about sex on the pill. I've been on the pill since I started having sex so maybe I don't know any better.

I can't recall ever having this side effect.

thnx for ur insight lildorthy and starangel

Honestly, if your BC causes the side effects like decreased libido, etc...then that pill probably isn't for you. That happened to me with every other BC but this one. I have been on Yasmin a while now, and it is perfect. Zero side effects for me. Which is a huge step up from depression, spotting for months, no libido, you name it.

My libido is about halved. Still, I have a pretty high drive, so it's not that bad. I'd prefer to be off of the hormones, but I *love* having no cramps, and I really like not getting pregnant (right now, anyway).

I'm gonna say no. I was on the ring though and that killed my sex drive completely so compared to the three years on the ring, my sex drive now is pretty high.

actually while on the pill all i want to do is have sex...

I'm on Yaz for 2 years and my sex drive hasn't changed... I'm still as randy as ever!

Story of my life!

I recently went off the pill..well actually almost 6-7 months ago and it has made such a difference. I am able to be turned on and actually feel the flutter inside me of wanting to have sex and being turned on. (this didn't really kick in though until the past month)

It is inconvenient to not be on the pill but wanting to be with my boyfriend and becoming turned on is worth using condoms.

Oh - and I had been on the pill about 3+ years when I started having this problem.

I have that problem now. I have no sex drive at all. Perhaps next time I see an OBGYN I'll ask about a different pill, I've been on the same thing for over 5 years. it sucks!

I was on the pill for 10 years, off and on, and it definitely zapped my libido. I went to a doctor last month and now we're doing all of these fun tests to measure my testosterone levels. If I could go back, I wouldn't have stayed on the pill for so long, and I'm frustrated because my earlier doctor said there was nothing to worry about. Ugh.

I totally feel this and I've only been on for a few months. What pills are you taking that don't do this?

Nope nothing wrong with my libido.

I'm with VicVicVictooriaa, my Libido's pretty crazy,and I've been on the pill over a year. I like it actually, my partner and I are rarely stressed.

bcuz its trying not to get u pregnant duh i couldv told u that one

I've been taking it since iwas 16... and i've never had any side effects.. i've only been taking it because i get uterine/ovarian cysts and have endometriosis... if anything, its helping.. maybe i get the occasional weight gain (or maybe i'm just fat and lazy? yes.), but i love it. i only get my period 3 times a year, how can i complain??

OMG I notice a difference. When I am off my pill to have my period...I am a HORNDOG. Like I want to have sex multiple times a day! But then, when I got back on my sex drive goes WAAAAAY down

no, i totally don't notice a difference...but then again i've been on it nearly straight for 10 years so maybe i'd be even more of a horndog if i were off it...but i am always ready and willing!

I haven't had any of those side effects, that's why I love my pill, plus I take lybrel so I don't even have my period. I did notice that when I was on my antidepressant that it would decrease my sex drive to ZERO!! I quit taking those and use psychotherapy instead.

I didn't think that I was giving off a different vibe, but this weekend my boyfriend commented that I don't seem to be as interested in sex. After thinking about it I guess it's true but I know I'm still attracted to him and very much in love. The sex is great too and once we get going I'm really into it - it's just being in the mood to start I have a problem with I suppose. I can blame this on the pill? Or just complacency in the relationship.

I've been on the pill for.. almost 4 years now (or maybe just 3?) I think, and I noticed these side effects when I started -- but now it's been so long I'm pretty used to the way my body is now.

Though I hate to think what my libido would be like if this is it in a depressed state!! =p haha

I'm on Alesse and I really like it.

Sunshine -

I felt the same way too. I worried that I was complacent and losing interest in my boyfriend and that maybe he wasn't "the one". I would find him attractive but not really be interested in sex. When i did want to have sex (mentally) my body would take so long or sometimes it wouldn't get ready.

I tried switching pills for a couple months but I just wasnt seeing a difference so i decided to go off the pill. like dear sad - what's the point of preventing pregnancy if you don't want to have sex.

Now - 6 months off the pill our sex life is better than its ever been in our 2 years of dating. i actually feel that urge to have sex and the excited feeling inside! Condoms are a pain but we'd both rather have a great sex life and have to wear condoms than none at all.

I'm on the ring for 3 months at a time for endometriosis for about 2 years. My libido totally nosedived, but I just figured it was from having an infant that wouldn't sleep through the night. Now I'm going to talk to my gyno about it. I certainly don't want to go off BC completely because of the endometriosis, plus the added benefit of reducing your risk of ovarian cancer by up to 50%.

A question to other women on the ring: All of the sudden, I've been having breast tenderness and bloating, even though I've been on it for a couple years. Anyone else have side-effects that appeared later on?

Sunshine and Lemamike, I'm so glad to hear that you're going through the same things I am. I feel like I'm a broken women. I haven't wanted to have sex in so long. I feel the same about my husband and I love him dearly and can't imagine a time without him but I can't have sex. I don't want it, I'm not interested, I'd rather read a book and I don't want him to be hurt from it. I went off the pill in November and nothing is better and I kills me. I feel so much guilt for not wanting sex but I'm very happy to know I'm not alone.

Divine - I know it's terrible! Don't lose hope though. It will get better! Stay off the pill though and give it time.

My boyfriend understood what was going on and he was supportive but it is hard for them too. Definitely show him this article and all the responses so he knows you're not just going through this by yourself or that it doesn't have anything to do with him and how you feel about him.

I wish you all the luck Divine!

how can i switch when the good BC like yaz is $60-70 a month without insurance? the only kind i can get is 30

Lindssaurus, just because it's new and expensive, doesn't mean it's better. It just means it's better marketed by the drug companies. Some of the new ones actually have more serious side effects. Also, everyone reacts differently, so what may be awesome for one woman might make you miserable. Ask your gyno about all the different generic formulations in your budget. Plus, some pharmacies are now offering discount programs to people without insurance. Good luck!

I actually went to a walk-in clinic yesterday (and had to wait 6 1/2 hours for my turn... fun stuff) and i asked the doctor about the pill and decreasing my sex drive because thats what happened when i was on it last year (i had to get off it because i didnt wanna sacrifice my relationship for a pill) and he said that it doesnt affect it. He gave me a look like where did you hear that? but i know it did and i know friends who had the same effect. anyways, i got a prescription for Yaz (i was on tricyclin low) and im gonna try it out. If the same thing happens, im gonna go to a gyno next time who definitely will know what they are talking about! good luck to you other ladies.

I had been on Yasmin for about 2 years until getting an IUD in December. The hormones definitely did a number on my emotions & my sex drive. I think it's going to take some time for my body to get back to normal, but I feel like I am SLOWLY getting there.

It's affected my sex drive as well. If it didn't help my cramps so much, I'd probably just go the condom route.

A month ago, I began taking YAZ. My dermatologist prescribed it for me because YAZ is actually really helpful with clearing up acne. I was on the pill for only ONE WEEK when I started to get SEVERE symptoms.

I became extremely depressed and suicidal for no reason. I spent most of my time crying in my bed for no reason that I could pinpoint at all. I went through so much emotional trauma because of this pill, and believe me, I would not wish this on anybody. I became a completely different person and everyone noticed, including my boyfriend, who I wouldn't let touch me because among many other symptoms, I had COMPLETELY lost my sex drive. I would cringe every time he touched me and be completely turned off when he did the things that normally excited me.
I also began to throw up occasionally. I threw up three times in two days and, at first, I thought that this had little to nothing to do with the pill. I then looked up the symptoms some people had reported about YAZ and was shocked to discover that throwing up was one of them...
I immediately stopped taking YAZ and it took 4 to 5 days for my body to get back to normal, but now I feel fantastic and MUCH MUCH better than I did while on the medication!

I would not recommend the Pill to anyone...
It will ruin your relationships and make you extremely depressed. It really does change your life... in a really really bad way.

Lemamike, thank you. I've talked to my husband about it, many times in fact, and he too is supportive and doesn't pressure me. I even told him about the article and that other women posted on here experiencing the same things I am and how it made me feel better that I'm not screwed up or wrong or abnormal. And since I read this, I've felt so much better about my sex life. Thank you for sharing your experiences.

I had experienced same side effects, no sex drive plus WEIGHT GAIN!! Which was just terrible. Two years after taking the pill, I quit and its all been better since then. I was also unable to loose weight while being on the pill, no matter how much i tried. So its been overall a bad experience, and I would never go back to that! I was on Marvelon by the way.

I remember being on depo provera and my libido taking a nose dive. I think I went for about 6 months without even realising I hadn't had sex the entire time??

Man.

I just started taking Loestrin 24 about 6 months ago and it is the only BC I've tried that didn't decrease my libido - WOOHOO!

I would be really wary of Loestrin and other high testosterone activity BCs. For some people they can cause some unwanted side effects like hair loss, excess facial har, and whatnot. Be sure to ask your doctor about this. This happened to 2 people I know (hair thinning).

Oops. I meant high androgen, not testosterone. Sorry about that! I must be succumbing to sleep after pulling an all-nighter.

I had lost my sex drive because of taking hormonal birth control and returned my libido with Sentia pills. I had to have two courses of this supplement to be able to have sex and to satisfy my DH.

I am so glad to hear im not the only one... i envy the ones here who have had no effect. I totally have lost my sex drive and ive only been taking it for a month and a half.
The pill turned me into a complete demon at times i was in total rage i was crying and angry and i knew this just wasnt normal behaviour and i couldnt even control my emotions at all.

My bf has been rather miss-understanding and keep saying im talking rubbish that i say the pill has effected my sexdrive because all his ex's were fine on it, and this made me feel very upset as he singled me out and made me feel useless. I get wound up at myslef for having no sex drive. But he complains about useing condoms and that lowers his interest as it effects his erection. I just dont know what else to do...

Im in the same boat, im only 19 and me and my partner have been together 3 years i had my last depo shot in jan so missed my one which was due in april 2009, i have completly lost all my sex drive and feel constantly upset over every little thing - i feel like everything is my fault, i also have no periods because the injection stopped it, my boyfriend doesnt seem to understand how frustrating this is for me, i dont want to be the 'boring girlfriend' or anything but i just cant seem to help it no matter how much i try to 'get in the mood', its causing arguments between us and i feel like if i dont do something quick its going to drift us apart! Does anyone have any advise on how to help boost my sex drive? or how long did it take for anyone elses to come back its been 3 months now since i've been off the d/p and still nothing! ...

Sorry for the essay! lol
Shay

I was on the pill for a few months and I have lost all my sex drive. Nothing turns me on. I love my boyfriend so much and he's very attractive, I just am never in the mood anyomre and I miss that feeling I feel like so alone.