Apri and Sexual Dysfunction: What Users Say

• All...
• November 21, 2016

For Birth Control "I was switched from Loestrin 21 to Apri a few months back because my periods were irregular and my doc thought Apri would be better for me. I like that there's placebo pills in Apri because I was awful at taking 21-day packs. The first couple of months were a little tough adjusting to the higher dose of hormones. I was super emotional! But that's normal. I'm on month 5 now, and things are fine. I'm still a little emotional, but only 'cry at something dumb' emotional. Nothing I can't handle. My periods are light, and I barely have any pain. Close to no acne. My boobs seemed to have grown a bit, so that's cool. My sex drive seems to be a tiny bit lower, but I never had a crazy-high sex drive in the first place. My husband and I still have a healthy sex life. I might have gained like 5 pounds or less, but that might be because of my lazy ass and not the birth control. :) Best of all, I haven't gotten pregnant! I recommend Apri. Give it a chance and let yourself adjust to the hormones."

• DMH...
• July 20, 2014

For Birth Control "I've been on Apri for a few years, and it works 100% great! My acne is nonexistent. My periods are always falling on the 3-4 days that are supposed to. My cramps are gone, I used to curl over in pain because of them! Now I have little to no discomfort. But the reason I gave a 9 out of 10 is because your sex drive is close to none. I hate it for my husband, which is why I'll probably have to make a switch soon, but for me, I love the product!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 7, 2018

For Birth Control "Going into my inactive pills of my first pack. Although this is only my first pack, it has been the pits. Very nauseous, but no vomiting. Bloated, more depressed, very irritable, overthink everything more than usual, almost no sex drive, horrible cramps, almost no appetite, lost all motivation for things, got bad chest pains, indigestion, heartburn... you literally name it. I’m trying to give this pill a chance, but so far, it doesn’t seem worth it."

• Anonymous
• April 4, 2010

For Birth Control "I have been on Apri birth control for 3 years now. I give it a 3 for the fact that it in fact helped me to get and regulate my period, at the very late age of 22. And that I am not pregnant. But I have worse acne now than I did when I was 13. I have gained a lot of weight on my hips and stomach. I have the worst mood swings, and my sex drive is completely gone. It has caused a lot of problems in my relationship since I started taking it."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 25, 2012

For Birth Control "I haven't had a single noticeable side effect while taking this pill. No acne, no significant weight gain, no mood changes, no loss of sex drive. Not to mention it works wonders for your cycle: mine's extremely consistent, my periods are lighter, and my once terrible cramps are distant memories. Oh, and you also won't get pregnant. This is a great pill, the side effects some people report are probably an expected reaction or an individual bad experience. Highly recommended."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 11, 2019

For Birth Control "I have been using Apri for 6 months now. The first 3 months were ideal, it cleared up my acne tremendously, and this is the first birth control pill which hasn't affected my mood. However, after 3 months, I started noticing the negatives. I have felt super depressed, nearly empty/numb every day, which is opposite to the person I am. I, like another user, blamed my stressful job, but I've come to realize it was my birth control. I have no sex drive at all, and I actually have cystic acne on my face now, which I never had before. I would not recommend this pill due to how horrible it has actually made me feel."

• Anonymous
• May 20, 2010

For Birth Control "I switched over from Yaz to Apri and am on my 4th month. I was originally on Ocella, which made me gain 20+ pounds. Yaz was awesome, but I lost insurance and the clinic didn't carry it, so they put me on Apri. So far, I haven't gained weight, my periods are regular, but I have had an EXTREME decrease in sex drive, enough to affect my relationship."

• all...
• January 9, 2014

For Birth Control "Not really impressed with this. Ortho-Cyclen was much better for me. I have been on it for 9 months, and at first, it was okay, but after a while, I would get painful, heavy periods the first day, backaches during the period, breasts hurt all the time, and no sex drive whatsoever. Will be coming off of this soon."

• Anonymous
• June 30, 2010

For Birth Control "Been taking Apri for about 2 1/2 months, and I've gained about 10 lbs. My sex drive is extremely low, and I'm really moody for no apparent reason. It's really interfering with my relationship. I also have been having chest pains, and I feel a heaviness in my chest when I wake up. When my period came on after the first month, I had really bad cramps. The only reason I gave it a 3 is because I have an irregular period, and it came on time while taking Apri."

• Kat...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 27, 2019

For Birth Control "I've been on this pill for 3 months. My doctor told me to wait it out for a few months, and I should adjust. The first month wasn't awful, but it seems to be getting worse and worse the more I take it. The only time I feel okay (not nauseous and anxious) is when I'm on my period. I basically feel what I would compare to carsickness 24/7. I have no appetite, I've lost weight, which is nice, but not in a healthy way. I just don't eat due to constant nausea. My sex drive is nonexistent, which is awful for both my husband and me. I have panic attacks regularly, I cry about nothing, and the smell of anything cooking turns my stomach. My acne has cleared up, so that's good, I suppose, but that's the only positive about this pill. Overall, one of the worst I've ever been on. Discontinuing this month."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 21, 2012

For Birth Control "I have been on Apri previously, and it was not available for refill at one point, so they switched me to Cryselle. I lost all sex drive and was flatlined. I am now back on Apri and feel amazing. My mood is better, and my sex drive is back... so happy to be back on Apri, this has really turned my life back around to where I was before."

• Mmi...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 18, 2019

For Birth Control "Let me tell you... this Apri birth control pill has been something terrible. I was put on it because my hormones were messed up bad, and sometimes I had a period that wouldn’t stop for a month, then I didn’t have a period for like 3 months. So my OB-GYN put me on Apri. I also have PCOS. Anyway, I have terrible headaches, my sight has gotten terrible, made my anxiety worse, no sex drive at all, and the worst thing, I gained 40 pounds in like 6 months. This pill is straight the worst thing ever!"

• sha...
• October 4, 2009

For Birth Control "I started taking Apri as a replacement for Seasonique. My sex drive is completely gone, and my cramps are horrid. I'm not pregnant, though, and it's really cheap. My period is on time every month and very light, but the negatives definitely outweigh the positives. What's the point of being on birth control if I don't even want sex?"

• man...
• October 25, 2013

For Birth Control "I have been on Apri for a year and was recently put on another, then forced back due to a recall. I was so sad to be put back on Apri. While off for 2 months, my weight had gone down, and my sex drive went back to normal, and I had energy again. Now back on for not even a month, and everything is getting messed up again. It's not the pill's fault, but you may notice weight gain, feel sluggish, and a lower sex drive if your body reacts to this the same way I do. :( It's time to figure out something else... My body and relationship can't go through this again."

• gia...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 13, 2018

For Birth Control "I am 20 and have been on this birth control for years. I mean at least 3-4. I can say I have absolutely zero sex drive whatsoever. I didn’t even understand how girls were even interested in sex at my age, or even in the slightest. It made no sense to me. It’s really sucked. I am still on it to this day because I am prescribed Accutane and you have to be on a contraceptive to be on it. I haven’t noticed my skin get any better on this, but I didn’t even know people switched birth controls and have been living in sadness for years. I don’t know if the sadness is from the birth control or not, but it’s also been there for years. I hate these pills with a passion. Don’t be me, who feels like an 80-year-old woman with no sex drive and just feels like general garbage."

• Kat...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 10, 2018

For Birth Control "I was switched from Junel to Apri because of breakthrough bleeding. While that has been fixed, Apri has some pretty serious negative side effects for me. My mood is completely unstable and swings terribly, and my anxiety is uncontrollable. Sex drive is basically nonexistent. Other than that, no weight gain, acne, lighter periods, and less painful cramping (my cramps were unbearable before)."

• kel...
• October 6, 2016

For Birth Control "So, this is the only pill I've ever been on, so I don't have much to compare it to. However, after reading all the negative reviews, I felt I should chime in. I'm on my second month of this pill, and I'm almost done with it. So far, it's actually helped regulate my weight, which is awesome. The first month was kind of rough, I was spotty the entire pack. Once I started up the second pack, everything cleared up, and I've been good since! Worst part of this pill: no sex drive. It really does dry you up. I'm hoping this clears up after the third pack because my doctor told me to give it until then."

• Ale...
• May 14, 2016

For Birth Control "I've jumped around to many birth control pills through the years - some landed me in the hospital with severe, blinding abdominal pain, some made me suicidal, and some made me nauseous. This is the first one that did not do that, so I was thrilled. It also bettered my severe, cystic hormonal acne to only about a blemish or two a month. However, it absolutely killed every ounce of my sex drive, which used to be high and healthy. That's been very frustrating. Otherwise, okay pill."

• Anonymous
• July 16, 2012

For Birth Control "I have only been on Apri for about a month now, and I love it. I have not gained any weight, my sex drive is the same as it was before I started taking the pill, and my insurance covers it. I get it for no cost at all. I don't know why everyone thinks that one pill is going to give everyone that takes it the same side effects. Every person is going to have different side effects, and some will have the same, but the pill is going to react differently to every woman who takes it. This pill overall is my favorite. I absolutely love this pill. It's effective and affordable."

• Anonymous
• October 27, 2009

For Birth Control "I, my boobs got huge on this pill, but as well as them, I also gained extra weight on my hips. I completely lost my sex drive as well, so it is hurting my relationship. As well, it has been making me so moody. I give this drug a 5 because I never got pregnant. However, the side effects were bad."

• Anonymous
• January 6, 2011

For Birth Control "I have been on Apri for 6 months now. My acne has come back, I have horrible and frequent mood swings. I've gained at least 8 pounds around my hips. I completely lost my sex drive, which is ruining my relationship with my boyfriend. I have horrible cramps the whole week before and during my period, and I get it for at least 5 days. The kicker is, it was the perfect pill for the first couple of months, so watch out. I'm going to the doctor this week to switch."

• D32...
• June 15, 2015

For Birth Control "I have endometriosis, and my doctor wants me to continuously use this with 3-4 breaks per year to minimize the endometrial growth. I had terrible nausea and bad acne in the beginning, not to mention I spotted for a month straight and then bled a period flow for another month. Taking this pill before bedtime helped with the nausea. I've been taking this pill for 4 months now and have gained 5-10 lbs, the acne is still bad (I'm 34 and no longer had it before Apri). Oh, and my libido is nonexistent since taking this medication. I figured it wouldn't happen to me since I had a very strong libido, but it is now gone. I'm going to ask my doctor to change this medication."

• cyb...
• May 16, 2013

For Birth Control "I'm glad to have read these reviews because now I know why I'm hungry all the time! I think about food all the time. I have never been that way. I'm a healthy eater and gym junkie. So, I have gained weight, lost any sex drive (but I'm not active anyway), and am a little irritable. But besides that, I have no other problems. I'm using it for surrogacy, so they have me on my second pack in a row to skip my period, which worked perfectly. The last pill did not stop it. Why can't I be one of the people who have lost weight on it?"

• Anonymous
• August 5, 2009

For Abnormal Uterine Bleeding "I have been taking Apri for about 2 years now. At first, it was great. My periods were manageable, extremely predictable, and only lasted a few days. I gained about 10 pounds in the first 5 months, and shortly after, completely lost my sex drive. Recently, my periods have been getting longer, as they used to be, and cramps are coming back as well."

• You...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• April 26, 2019

For Birth Control "I have been on Apri/Desogen for over 10 years. The only side effects I experienced were tender breasts around my period, a decreased sex drive, and right before my period, usually a week, I would get very sad and upset about stupid little things. I never had that problem before until I hit the 5-year mark on taking this pill. Besides that, no weight gain (but I exercise regularly and played sports through high school and college). Good things were my periods were lighter and shorter, cramps were minimal (which is why my doctor put me on this pill, I had awful cramps when I was younger). I didn't really change my skin. I still have the constant little breakout before my period but nothing drastic like I hear some women have."