I did a little research on this and thought some people might be interested by the results of a study reported on this website. http://www.epigee.org/guide/pill_sex.html

I have been on and off birth control all through my 20s and at 31, I finally had to kick it to the curb. It made me feel like a zombie, especially sexually. The first few months of being off of it last year resulted in: 1. Feeling mentally and physically alive again 2. I could definitely tell when I was ovulating 3. When I was ovulating, my libido was going CRAZY and ANY MAN who walked by me made my nether regions throb - I was basically a 24-hour sex-crazed girl while ovulating. This balanced out over about 3 months and that doesn't happen anymore, but I will never go back to hormonal birth control. It had many other undesirable effects on my body, mind, and system that I never want to deal with again. And watch out ladies, estrogen dominance, caused frequently by birth control, is the leading cause of breast cancer. You'd be better off taking your temperature every day.

I feel that birth control plays a tremendous part in my sex drive. I'm on the nuvaring and have been on different birth control since I was 16. Only when I remove the nuvaring to begin my cycle is the only time I actually want sex. My poor husband think that it's something with him but not at all. Its the synthetic hormones that make me feel sexual inadequate at times.

I would just like to represent women that do not have any problems with the pill. I have been taking Ortho Novum generic (Necon) since I turned 20 and I love it; my fiance has to keep up with my libido! I don't experience any symptoms such as weight gain, acne, or moodiness either. Maybe I got lucky and found the best birth control for me the first time. My mother is and has been on the same pill for 30 years. I honestly think the article is right; every woman's body is different and it doesn't pay to be superstitious; find the right birth control for you. (and if your mom took the pill, find out what she took; your biology may be similar!)

Its so great to hear so many other women that had the same issues as I did with b/c. I was on Allese, Ortho-Trycyclin-Lo, and the NuvaRing. All of which made my libido non-existent. Not until several months ago did I talk to a friend who said his g/f used to have the same problem. I've been off b/c control ever since and it has been amazing. I had been on it for 7 years and never knew what was wrong with me. I wish the companies that make these drugs would stop trying to make all their side effects sound "minimal."

I am 23 years old and was just married two months ago. My husband and I have been together for eight years. We are children free due to birth control but then again you have to have sex to get pregnant. I've taken every prescription from the patch to the pill to the ring and all have killed my libido. My doctor recomended that we go to a spermicide when we've accepted the statstics of getting pregnant. I've been off my b/c for two months now and I feel like I am alive again! I never knew how muted I was by all the hormones I was taking now I feel such joy and more interest in my husband than I have ever had. I am so happy about our choice and he says if we happen to get pregnant it was all worth it to have the life that we have now.

I am 23 years old and was just married two months ago. My husband and I have been together for eight years. We are children free due to birth control but then again you have to have sex to get pregnant. I've taken every prescription from the patch to the pill to the ring and all have killed my libido. My doctor recomended that we go to a spermicide when we've accepted the statstics of getting pregnant. I've been off my b/c for two months now and I feel like I am alive again! I never knew how muted I was by all the hormones I was taking now I feel such joy and more interest in my husband than I have ever had. I am so happy about our choice and he says if we happen to get pregnant it was all worth it to have the life that we have now.

I was on many different brands of the pill and always had side effects, physical and emotional. I don't recommend artificial hormones as a birth control method. I got a copper T IUD a few years ago, no hormones, no side effects and I don't have to think about it! You can get one inserted by your OBGYN. I went to family planning and my IUD is by far the best method I've used.

POSERCALI -- thankkk youuuu (: your insert really helped me. I honestly thought i was going crazy, and i finally got to this point today i couldn't stand my own attitude. I was hoping it wasn't something wrong with me! thank you so much NO ONE NEEDS TO TAKE SEASONIQUE -- it may be easier to keep up with but it sucks the life right out of you!

I was on the NuvaRing for about 6 months. At first, it was okay, but gradually got worse.. I started getting depressed and didn't even want to be touched by my husband. I just ended up completely depressed and didn't even want to get out of bed in the morning. I'm on Loestrin now which seems to be ok, but I still feel sluggish and not as interested in sex as I used to be before birth control. I've told my husband about how birth control affects my mood and sex drive, but it's still hard trying to get into mood.

I, too, have been on the pill since I was 15. I literally have not enjoyed sex for 11 years because I had ZERO sex drive. I came off the pill 4 months ago to prepare to conceive and I have a libido again! Amazing! I am also much more in tune with my body now that I'm not on the pill. I like this new me...

Floridagirl, I am having the same problem. I am 22 and I have been on b/c since I was about 15 because of horrible periods. I really need to stay on it to prevent from being in unbearable pain for a week out of every month. But I feel horrible for my husband because I am NEVER in the mood. I just don't know what to do.

Low sex-drive and mood swings are very very common side effects of birth control.... i've read many articles and forum posts about it, when I started feeling these symptoms myself. It turns out vitamin depletion caused by birth control is mainly responsible for lower serotonin production, and thus, mood swings/ depressed mood in general. The increase in estrogen and decrease in testosterone (yes in women!) is responsible for changing the levels of a hormone responsibly for sex drive in women. Another reason your sex drive may be lowered is that birth control decreases general circulation in the body... blood flow to certain areas can really increase your libido. I tried a multi vitamin specifically for these two symptoms called The Pill Pill that helped relax my mood and also increase libido... I find myself thinking about sex much more which is good for my relationship :) You could also look into other vitamins that increases circulation in general and b-vitamins for your mood. I wish birth control companies or at least doctors would warn more people about these thing before starting a serious drug you take everyday!

I started taking the pill about 6 or 7 months before I got married. In those few months I switched pills 4 different times. There were the awful phisical side effects(one of those being having my period for 2 1/2 weeks!) and the mental side effects. I was depressed a lot and didn't ever feel like having sex with my new husband AND the rare times that we did, I couldn't climax. It was so frustrating that I decided to try to go off the pill for a while. I've been off for around 2 months and have no plans to ever go back. Now I'm the one asking for sex! We've just been using condoms... They aren't quite as convenient as the pill and I've heard guys say it doesn't feel as good (though my hubby hasn't complained). But it's better than not having ANY sex at all!

I got married December 2009. I started birth control pills august of 2009. My doctor put me on loestrin24FE. I loved this pill until March 2010. I started having break through bleeding, so my doctor bumped me up to a higher dose. I was then on Lo-Ovral. After I started taking Lo-Ovral,my whole world changed. No sex drive, severely depressed, angry, and I slept 14 hours or more each day. I hated everyone and everything around me, including my husband. I went back to the doctor after 3 months, and she started me on a higher dose of Loestrin. I took it for a month, and still felt the exact same way. So, in August 2010, we went to using condoms only. I also do the ovulation calendar, and we don't have intercourse when I am "fertile". So far, so good. I feel like a new woman, and felt like that after 2 weeks of being off of the pill. I don't have to worry about medicines messing with birth control any more and I don't have to go to the pharmacy every month.

i am in a similar situation. been on all the low dose pills since i was 16 and sex drive was killed. i would go off of it when i was single and felt great! i just switched to the nuva ring (it's been 2 months now) and it def has been a change for the better. its a local type of hormone so for me it hasnt affected my libido. i think it may be worth a try for anyone wanting off the pill! goodluck

I have been thinking about getting off birth control for a long time because I have recently switched to seasonex and it is AWFUL! I never know when I am going to be on my period! My husband and I recently got married and don't want to get pregnant but I am tired of taking the pill..and these blogs have really help me make my decision to get off easier!

Like many women, I have been on the pill or using Nuva Ring on and off since I was 14. I have heavy periods, horrible acne and other symptoms if I do not take it. I also have PCOS and am taking medications on top of the BC to lower testosterone (spironolactone). My husband and were married last April and then separated due to his deployment overseas. Before he came back, I started on Nuva Ring, along with the spironolactone since I was not menstruating on my own and suffering from acne and other issues. I was hoping my libido would be the same after he came back, but unfortunately it was not. I feel so guilty that I have no interest in sex. When I have a few drinks it helps, but that shouldn't be a pre-requisite. My skin is clear and I have a period, but our sex life is suffering. It's a hard decision, but I think getting off these meds is the best call.

Like many women, I have been on the pill or using Nuva Ring on and off since I was 14. I have heavy periods, horrible acne and other symptoms if I do not take it. I also have PCOS and am taking medications on top of the BC to lower testosterone (spironolactone). My husband and were married last April and then separated due to his deployment overseas. Before he came back, I started on Nuva Ring, along with the spironolactone since I was not menstruating on my own and suffering from acne and other issues. I was hoping my libido would be the same after he came back, but unfortunately it was not. I feel so guilty that I have no interest in sex. When I have a few drinks it helps, but that shouldn't be a pre-requisite. My skin is clear and I have a period, but our sex life is suffering. It's a hard decision, but I think getting off these meds is the best call.

I posted on here about a month and a half ago. I stopped the b/c and my antidepressants almost a month ago. So far, so good. I think my sex drive has increased a little. It would probably go up more if I wasn't worried about getting pregnant. Hopefully, my sex drive will continue to increase.

I am having issues with it killing my sex drive but I am scared to get off of the pill because I have a hormonal imbalance and it treats it.I am not sure about what other options I have.

I had never before thought to connect my lack of a sex drive with my birth control. Duh! I have been on the Depo shot for about a year and a half. The past couple months I haven't felt like having sex at all and it's painful when we do. We are a young married couple and we'd really like to hold off on having children until after I finish college and we're better off financially. I'm just having a hard time deciding which form of birth control to switch to.

I was on mirena since January 2010 and over a 6 month time frame, i look back and i see now, that my sex drive was on a downward spiral to non existent. It took me another 6 months to start to accept that this was definitely not normal, esp since i had just come out of a highly sexual relationship before starting this form of birth control. I never had problems on the pill other then remembering to take it, mirena was nice and easy, and then it became painful and a pest. I recently decided that i had to get it taken out and since then, i am already feeling better, the cramping has gone away and i dont have to worry about him pushing it the wrong way any more. He has been so sweet to me and sticking with me through this whole mirena phase.

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I stopped taking the pill for the same reason talk to your doctor about a copper IUD it's a hormone free uterine insert! I teach health and its one of the options we cover because some like paragaurd are inserted once, can last for 1-10 years and don't have hormones. 99% effective.

I think that maybe those pills you are taking are not for you.Maybe you should try to talk do a doctor and see what kind of pills he will prescribe for you.I have a friend who work as London escorts and she had the same problem.After she went to a doctor she started to take different pills and everything was great.