Kariva and Sexual Dysfunction: What Users Say

• Anonymous
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• February 3, 2021

For Birth Control "So I was on this Kariva pill for years. Like 6 or 7 years. I never realized what this pill did to my mental health until I got off of it. I was always tired, always had brain fog, and was always crying. I had ridiculous mood swings. I just hated how I was. I always felt awful. My sex drive was way low too. Coming off of this pill was the best decision I’ve ever made. Believe the negative reviews."

• MEC...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 9, 2013

For Birth Control "I was prescribed Kariva after another birth control became too expensive. I was afraid to try it out since there were so many negative reviews, but I am happy to say that this is a magical little pill (so far). I have not experienced any weight gain, moodiness, or low libido. My acne cleared up (I'm 27 and have always battled with acne) for the most part. The only drawback is some mild discharge, but nothing to worry about. I LOVE this pill!"

• Clw...
• March 5, 2013

For Birth Control "I have tried 5 different birth control pills, and Kariva has been a lifesaver. I had cysts in my ovary, and Kariva shrunk it, and now it is gone! I have been on Kariva for 12 months, and my skin is porcelain-like, no pimples, lost a few pounds (I've been going to the gym, so it might not even be the birth control), and my mood stayed consistent. I'm switching to either the patch or the ring this month, though, because my sex drive has been awful for the past 4-5 months, and it's driving me (and my boyfriend) crazy! Zero sex drive and dryness are my only complaints."

• Abc...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 1, 2021

For Birth Control "I was on Kariva for a year and 4 months. I switched to it due to unwanted side effects of an IUD. Some pros of Kariva are that it’s super reliable (never had a pregnancy scare), and it did lighten my period. The negatives far outweighed the positives, though. The cons were: extremely low sex drive, dryness, extreme weight gain, and increased anxiety the week before my period. I love the effectiveness of this pill but can’t stand the side effects. Switching soon and can’t wait."

• Anonymous
• January 6, 2010

For Birth Control "I have been using Kariva for five months now, and it's been pretty good. I had some itching, mood swings, spotting, and lowered sex drive in the first two months. After the first three months, all the side effects were gone, and I've been feeling great with the pill ever since. I had no weight loss or gain and overall good health. Just wanted to share."

• Anonymous
• October 21, 2012

For Birth Control "I have been on this medication for about 5 to 6 months. And it works great for birth control. Even if you miss a pill or two by a little bit, you're still protected, and it doesn't affect your period. But ever since I got on the pill, I'm not myself. I'm constantly depressed and get bad mood swings. And I have literally no sex drive whatsoever."

• She...
• August 24, 2016

For Birth Control "I've been on Kariva for almost 3 weeks now, and the first week or so, my body definitely had to adjust to the hormones. I was getting hot flashes, burning up at night, fatigue, nausea, and easily agitated/emotional. At the beginning of this week, I feel like I'm finally adjusting. What I don't like is my vagina is so dry when normally it's wet all the time, and my sex drive has diminished quite a bit. Like others have said, this is taking a toll on my relationship. Guys have to be so patient while we deal with this crap! Overall, though, this is the best birth control I've been on. My skin is looking great too! I'm going to stick this out for a couple of months, but if my vagina continues to be like the Sahara, I don't think it's worth staying on."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 5, 2012

For Birth Control "I started taking Kariva when Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo became too expensive for me. I have been on Kariva for the past 4 years. Positives: predictable 5-day periods, no acne, fewer mood swings. Negatives: weight gain (20 pounds), no libido whatsoever. I was able to deal with the side effects for 4 years (my poor boyfriend), and now I've had enough. I've stopped taking it, immediately lost 5 pounds, have a great libido again, and find it easy to track my period with the P-Tracker app."

• Anonymous
• September 5, 2012

For Birth Control "I have been on Kariva for three months now. It has been the first birth control I have tried, and it seems to work in the area of birth control, as I have not become pregnant. However, I have had my period for eight days every two weeks and finally figured out that my depression symptoms may have been caused by it; I've been terribly moody, depressed, and cry way more often than normal once I started taking Kariva. Sleep disruptions, loss of appetite, and lower sex drive have also been symptoms I've experienced."

• CGa...
• April 3, 2019

For Birth Control "I’ve been taking Kariva for 6 years now for painful periods. I only take ibuprofen for 1-2 days now during my period as opposed to 5. My bleeding went from heavy to moderate and my period went from 8 days to 4-5, but that’s about the only benefit. Over time, my side effects have gotten much worse to the point I’m considering stopping usage. My sex drive is nonexistent, and sex has become very painful over the years due to dryness. I keep up with my annual gyno exams, and we’ve concluded that the pill is to blame. I never had a single yeast infection or BV in my life until taking this medication, and now they’re a yearly occurrence. I also have noticed more mood swings, and I’m much more emotional than I used to be. At this point, Kariva is very negatively affecting my relationship, and I wish I would’ve tried other alternatives to fix my painful periods before jumping on birth control. There’s an underlying reason behind painful periods, and taking birth control is just masking the problem."

• CGa...
• April 3, 2019

For Birth Control "I’ve been taking Kariva for 6 years now for painful periods. I only take ibuprofen for 1-2 days now during my period as opposed to 5. My bleeding went from heavy to moderate and my period went from 8 days to 4-5, but that’s about the only benefit. Over time, my side effects have gotten much worse to the point I’m considering stopping usage. My sex drive is nonexistent, and sex has become very painful over the years due to dryness. I keep up with my annual gyno exams, and we’ve concluded that the pill is to blame. I never had a single yeast infection or BV in my life until taking this medication, and now they’re a yearly occurrence. I also have noticed more mood swings, and I’m much more emotional than I used to be. At this point, Kariva is very negatively affecting my relationship, and I wish I would’ve tried other alternatives to fix my painful periods before jumping on birth control. There’s an underlying reason behind painful periods, and taking birth control is just masking the problem."

• Anonymous
• October 29, 2011

For Birth Control "My doctor suggested Kariva to me because I was previously on Ortho Tri-Cyclen (which made me extremely moody/emotional) and more recently Lo-Estrin (which gave me no sex drive whatsoever and made me completely emotionless). I was anxious to find a happy medium after going from one extreme to the other. I've been on Kariva for three months now. I've never been one to have any type of headaches of any kind, and after being on Kariva I experience headaches multiple times a day. I'm extremely tired all the time and I've gained weight in my breasts (I'm naturally a D and I've gone up to a large DD). No sex drive, extreme mood swings, acne, and increased appetite. I can't wait to get off this pill. Look for other options before taking Kariva."

• Not...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 25, 2016

For Birth Control "After reading a lot of negative reviews, I was nervous at first to start Kariva. I automatically thought it was going to be bad for me, but I have not had one bad thing to say about Kariva. It cleared my skin a couple of months after starting it, along with preventing pregnancy. Other than that, my sex drive, weight, moods, and eating habits have all stayed the same. I think it really differs from person to person because I love it."

• Rui...
• August 6, 2014

For Birth Control "I started taking Kariva in May 2013 when I was 18. It was the first time I was taking a birth control pill, and I was with my boyfriend for 3 months at the time, so it seemed like a smart decision. I mainly went on it to control my periods and clear up my acne, which I was fed up with after years. Now I have realized that over the past year, it has made me completely emotionless, and I have absolutely zero sex drive. On the bright side, my periods have been light and short (still painful cramping), and my skin has never looked better. I am going to stop taking it and try out a different pill that hopefully doesn't diminish my emotions."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 30, 2015

For Birth Control "I've been on this for about 3 years and experience very little cramping and other period side effects, which is great. Also, I haven't gotten pregnant, so I guess it does the job. But I experience drastic mood swings, no sex drive whatsoever, and my hooha is like a desert. I stayed on it because I'm too lazy to make a new appointment with my gyno, but it's starting to drive a wedge in my relationship as the side effects are getting increasingly worse, so I plan to change soon."

• Anonymous
• June 12, 2010

For Birth Control "So I was put on the birth control Kariva, and I never got pregnant, and it was the only form of birth control I used, so in that effect, it worked. However, I experienced severe migraines that were bad enough. They checked me for a tumor, decreased sex drive, tiredness, nervousness, dizziness, weight change, appetite change, and numbness in the left arm and hand. I have been off this birth control for just a few weeks, and I am already feeling back to normal."

• ano...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 15, 2015

For Birth Control "I was on this for almost 2 months. It did its job of preventing pregnancy, and it also cleared up my skin, but it wasn't worth the side effects. I started getting anxiety attacks and debilitating depression. It got so bad that there were days I didn't want to get out of bed. Also, my sex drive was nonexistent. I didn't want to be touched at all sometimes. All of the emotional issues and the low libido really took a toll on my relationship. When I thought this could be related to the pill, I went off. It hasn't even been a week, and I feel so much better."

• Anonymous
• October 1, 2011

For Birth Control "I started this in September 2010 and continued to use it until July 2011. Everything about it was great except for one thing, no sex drive whatsoever. My periods were short and light, no weight gain or bloating, no cramping or mood swings, however, the no sex drive didn't work for me. After being off of it for a month or so, my libido returned."

• Ale...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 18, 2016

For Birth Control "This will be my 4th month using Kariva. The only thing it helped with (besides preventing pregnancy) was making my period shorter. I went from 8 long, heavy, and painful days to only 2 very light, no pain days! Other than that, I've been miserable. It hasn't helped with acne at all; it actually started to cause body acne, which I've never had. Also, a huge issue that I have: I'm VERY dry down there; causing it to hurt during my period when I want to insert a tampon AND painful sex. I can't even begin to describe how painful it is; it's like my insides are being torn apart, and the pain doesn't go away for hours after trying to have sex. It's taking a huge toll on my relationship. I would not recommend this pill. I will have to talk to my doctor soon."

• jwa...
• May 18, 2016

For Birth Control "I've been on Kariva for probably 3 years or less now, and it is my favorite BC. I have tried others with crazy emotional side effects and heavy bleeding. Kariva gets rid of my period about 99% of the time, and with that, it decreases sex drive. It got rid of my acne and constant hot flashes. I didn't gain any weight on it. In fact, I just came off of Kariva a few weeks ago due to a severe yeast infection, which I had no idea what was causing, and since then my hormones are insane from being off of it. I keep binge eating, have cramps, my vagina is almost tingling a lot, my face gets very flush and red, and my skin is super dry. I gained 6 lbs in that time and hadn't changed my eating patterns. I am going back on Kariva due to this."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 28, 2016

For Birth Control "I have been on Kariva for about 3 years now. I originally went on the pill for my severe cramps and heavy bleeding. After one month, my acne cleared up, my period got much shorter, and my cramps were less intense. However, I have gained 20 pounds and a full cup size since being on the pill. In addition, I have absolutely no sex drive and a lot of dryness. Though I have experienced anxiety before taking the pill, it has gotten much worse since being on it. My PMS is much more severe as well."

• ren...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 4, 2020

For Birth Control "Kariva did improve my acne, but as far as anything else, I wouldn’t really recommend. Really put a toll on my emotions and made me have either bad bursts of crying randomly or just be angry for no reason. Didn’t really mess with my weight, though, but did lose all sex drive completely, which was awful as well."

• Kan...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 11, 2019

For Birth Control "I started taking Kariva for irregular periods after being on another pill. At first, it was fine because my periods were lighter, but after a few weeks, I started getting terrible cramps, bloating, and my acne got awful. It also completely changed my mood, and my sex drive is absolutely non-existent. Will definitely be switching."

• Anonymous
• February 24, 2011

For Birth Control "I used Kariva for three months and have been off it now for two weeks due to insurance problems. It did not cause me any weight gain. My periods, which were usually 7-8 days, were down to 4-5 days, and the bleeding was lighter. Also, much less cramping and feelings of nausea during my period. I didn't notice until after I stopped taking the pills, but they definitely lower your sex drive. You will still enjoy sexual activity, but just not crave it as much as you usually would. Other than that, I haven't had any other problems with this pill. I used it as the only form of birth control, and it prevented pregnancy even in the first month."

• Anonymous
• March 20, 2012

"Literally, the only good thing Kariva did was prevent pregnancy and clear up my acne. I'm 18, and it's the first birth control I've ever tried. Within the second week of taking it, I had a lower sex drive, I gained weight, and I couldn't get wet no matter what I did. Also, my periods were never bad to begin with, but on this pill, they were so heavy for 7 days. I had extreme cramping, was always tired, and had shooting pain through my anus every time I would sit down on the toilet. I've been off this for 3 weeks now, and everything is completely back to normal."