Levlen and Sexual Dysfunction: What Users Say

• nes...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 23, 2020

For Birth Control "If you want to lose your libido and become a zombie-TAKE LEVLEN! When I first started Levlen, I liked it because it made me get bigger boobs, and I felt more mentally stable (less PMS), and my periods were shorter. However, by month 5 I realized I had absolutely no libido anymore, I couldn't even find my own boyfriend attractive. The thought of sex repulsed me. I felt so desensitized to the world around me. Came off it about 3 weeks ago, and noticed within 2 days my libido was back and better than ever!"

• Geo...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• March 3, 2020

For Birth Control "I’ve been on Levlen for around 7 years, and I’ve found this to work really well for me. No real weight gain (I was hungrier to begin with, but that subsided!). Slight decrease in libido, but my skin and moods have been very stable for years! I use it purely for contraceptive and only once tried another pill (I came back from a month vacation, gained weight, and naturally wanted to blame it on the pill, not my eating)... after one round on another type of pill, I decided I needed to back to what worked for my body - I was back on Levlen. I came into this pill with low expectations - I wasn’t expecting it to perform miracles. It serves its purpose, and with little to no side effects. I’ll come off it when I plan to start a family. I’m sorry to hear that it hasn’t been effective for everyone, but it’s also good to hear positive experiences on this pill as well."

• Mox...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 5, 2019

For Birth Control "Terrible! I went on Levlen for exactly 1 month, and it was terrible. On day one, I weighed 75.5 kg, by week 4 of being on this pill, I weighed in at 82.2 kg! Sounds impossible, I know! My breasts doubled in size, I experienced terrible migraines, was extremely bloated, had no libido, was constipated, and generally felt very low and unwell! I went straight off it after my period and haven’t returned to it! I have stayed off the pill entirely and feel back to myself and well! I’ve been off it for exactly 3 weeks now, and my weight has returned back to 76 kg by doing absolutely nothing! Ladies, listen to your body."

• Bea...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• October 16, 2018

For Birth Control "I have been on Levlen since I was 18 (I am now 24) and have realized how depressed and anxious this tablet has made me in the last 2-3 years, especially the last 6 months. It has gotten so much worse. I literally have no sex drive and feel really lazy and have no energy. I have constant migraines and dizziness, and I honestly think all of these things are related to this pill. I have decided to try and change my pill to a different one and see how I go, and already 3 days after not being on Levlen (period week), I feel amazing!"

• Ste...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 12, 2020

For Endometriosis "Started taking this pill, Levlen, continuously (no sugar pills) 3 months ago. I gained 15 pounds, I have no sex drive, leg cramping, higher blood pressure, anxiety, cramps, back pain, and spotting. This pill sucks! Just stopped taking it and hope to feel like myself again soon."

• Lol...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 5, 2017

For Birth Control "Moodiness increased, sex drive lowered to the point where I didn't want anything to do with my partner, extremely emotional, painful periods, and depressed. I've been off for about a month and feel so much better."

• Anonymous
• August 18, 2009

For Birth Control "I was on Levora (brand) for several months before switching to Levlen (generic) due to my pharmacy being unable to stock the brand-name drug. Over the last several months on Levlen, I've noticed my moodiness increasing and my sex drive drastically decreasing. This happened once before when switching from brand to generic."

• ell...
• July 22, 2015

For Birth Control "I was on Levlen for around 8 months. I started it a month before my wedding day, and because I'm still quite young, I was really adamant about contraception. After researching about pills, I figured as long as I didn't get acne breakouts, gain weight, or get hairy, it was perfect. Boy, was I wrong! I was completely depressed, anxious, and stressed the entire time, my libido was almost non-existent, and I started to get cystic acne on my face... you can imagine how all of this would affect newlyweds!! It wasn't until I had a major breakdown a month ago that I knew I had to get off Levlen ASAP! I'm now on Femme Tab, and it's working fine, just waiting to see how my hormones will react!"

• Hor...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 18, 2023

For Endometriosis "Started taking Levlen about 6 weeks ago, horrendous experience with it, immediate weight gain, depressed, and where I would have a heavy period for 1 week a month, I've had a constant period for the past 6 weeks with sore boobs. I spoke to the doctor who changed around the dose, and the bleeding seemed to get lighter, but I still have it. I've zero sex drive with it and moody all of the time. I will be stopping this pill, especially after reading all the other experiences with it also."

• Hol...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 5, 2020

For Birth Control "Just started Levlen around 2 months ago. Now I know that there is no proof that the pill causes weight gain, however, as soon as I started on this pill, I noticed a huge difference in my hunger levels. I’m usually one to lose weight quite quickly and “shake it off,” but I just can’t seem to get rid of it. I also have started to get bad acne/pimples, mostly around the chin area. Libido has completely disappeared, and I just don’t feel like myself. Will give it another month, but keen to try another pill."

• uhm...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 29, 2022

For Birth Control "The only thing good that came out of Levlen was not getting pregnant. Other than that, my anxiety and depression got worse (now I have to go on medication), my periods got heavier and more painful, and I continued to get acne, but also, I got severe chronic migraines after being on it. I also completely lost all sex drive, and this caused issues between me and my partner. Now I have a copper IUD and likely cannot ever have any other hormonal birth control when this wouldn't have been an issue before. It also increased issues with my other chronic illnesses, and I became more fatigued and struggled to do anything in the afternoon."

• Hay...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 19, 2022

For Birth Control "I have been on Levlen for around 2 years, and this pill is NO GOOD!! It’s taken me till now to figure it out, but I had side effects from the start. - Weight gain and inability to lose any weight, even with diet and exercise. - Mood swings were relentless, I felt angry all the time. - Low sex drive - Anxiety - Fatigue - Brain fog - Headaches - Bloating"

• Con...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 3, 2020

For Birth Control "Started this Levlen last August, and as of writing this review, I’ve been using it for about 7 months. It did take about 2 months for me to settle into it, which killed my libido, and my bleeding was abnormal (spotting, super long periods of 7+ days, unpredictable period starting days), but probably since November it’s been well. My periods come exactly when the pack says it should (though very heavy the first 2 days), and my libido is back to normal. I’ve had no issues with mood swings, though that might be attributed to my other meds. I also take Lovan (an SSRI), so my libido for the combination of these two is pretty good."

• Rob...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 29, 2020

For Birth Control "I took this when I was about 20 years old. For not quite 3 weeks. I got the worst nausea and had to take Maxolon to help with that. I remember when the anti-nausea medication wore off and I rushed to the bathroom, so sure I was going to puke. I didn't, but whoa! I looked at myself in the mirror and said, 'No pill ever again,' and I've stuck with that! Shocking what this pill does. And I took this years ago when the hormone dosage levels were far higher than they are now! It's not surprising how horrible so many women's experiences are on here. Being on the OCP is basically pretending to your body that you're pregnant, among other things. Nausea, sleep problems, weight gain, acne, lack of libido; you name it. The list of side effects of Levlen ED is disastrous. AVOID THIS PILL. Honestly, if you want all those symptoms from this pill, just get pregnant! At least you get a cute little baby at the end of it!"

• pho...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 18, 2021

For Birth Control "First of all, this pill is the worst!!! I’ve been on Yasmin for over a year and decided to change to Levlen as a cheaper option. I was told by my doctor it was a similar pill to Yasmin. I’ve been on Levlen for over a month now and have had the worst experience. Coming from someone who suffers from severe depression and anxiety, this pill definitely made it worse. I experienced increased anxiety attacks and genuinely felt very low and in a dark place. I felt like a zombie consistently and had no motivation to do anything, low libido, severe migraines almost every night, trouble eating, bloating, and gaining weight, hair loss, stomach cramps, and nausea. I thought I was going crazy, but after reading what other women have gone through, I realized this pill is very harmful. I would not recommend this pill to ANYONE. Worst pill ever, I will definitely jump back on Yasmin!"

• Pop...
• August 5, 2021

For Birth Control "I was on Ava 30 but got switched to Levlen from my doctor. I had the absolute worst experience. I got extreme stomach pains and had to get internal exams done, with nothing coming back in results. I also experienced chest pain while on Levlen and was sent to get X-rays and exams done on my lungs - again nothing in the results. I didn’t have a clue what was happening to me! I gained about 15 kilograms on this pill, had intense headaches and no libido at all. I was extremely emotional and had intrusive and suicidal thoughts often. For me, this was horrid and once I came off it, the symptoms disappeared within weeks. Worst couple of years of my life."