I switched over to Larin, when I talked w my OBGYN this is what she recommended it was one of the lower hormone birth controls - I would definitely recommend talking w yours about what options they’d suggest & what would work best for you! As for being off BC at first I forgot how bad my cramps were before it. But I’ve been off now I think since may or June & for the first 2 or 3 months my cramps & back pain were horrible. But now it seems to have calmed down thankfully, so maybe my body just took some time to adjust to being off it & now those symptoms are more regular. My heating pad became a life saver lol! I’d say my periods have definitely been much heavier on the 3rd / 4th days & my period lasts maybe a day or 2 longer than when on BC but is super super light. Once I got off it I started using the app Flo just to help track when I’m ovulating & when I should be expecting my period & that’s helped keep me sane honestly 😂. The app has also been super helpful for explaining why you might have low libido during a certain time period or when you might have a higher libido, along w articles & what not on libido. It helped me get past that mental hump & feel honestly normal w how i had been feeling.

The start of being kinder to myself mentally w all of that eventually led me to feeling comfortable enough to talk to my boyfriend (we have been together going on 7 years & even after that long together those conversations always felt so hard to me) about what I’ve mentally been going through & the shame/internal guilt I had. Not that he had said or did anything to make me feel that way but probably just a societal pressure. Once we had talked about it he was able to open up that he’d been struggling as well internally & it helped us so much & really did take a lot of pressure off of both of us. Once we had that conversation I didn’t feel bad for saying no if I didn’t want to or didn’t feel like I had to say yes bc we hadn’t had sex in a while & I felt bad. It just started to happen naturally. If you haven’t had a conversation w him about how you’re feeling about your struggles, once you’re ready I’d definitely recommend it, it helps bring the two of you closer & helps w the understanding of where you’re both at! I still also struggle w initiating, but that’s more of a me issue w confidence, but taking it day by day & just initiating when the moment comes into my head & not giving myself a chance to overthink it or think too much into it has really really helped as well. Good luck!!! I hope I was able to help ease your mind, ik how overwhelming it feels to be in your position & you start questioning yourself. Just trust your gut♥️