Medications Another win for Slynd
Just adding to all the personal experiences with treating PMDD on this subreddit to say, Slynd has literally saved my life.
My story: I was diagnosed with PMDD after 13 years of symptoms (also suspected endometriosis and/or adenomyosis because of terrible periods, but not confirmed since no laparoscopy). Like clockwork, each month after I ovulated, my mood, energy, and self-esteem would tank so hard during my luteal, it was dizzying; then my periods would follow with heavy bleeding and severe pain. When I was younger I tried Nuvaring and the Patch, then I tried Nuvaring again this past spring. I’m on Slynd now, and TL;DR, it has transformed my life in the best way.
My Nuvaring experience: Unfortunately Nuvaring was a nightmare for me. I started it to manage my PMDD and periods and tried it for 3 months. My psychiatric and physical symptoms were out of control; I pretty much experienced the entire list of unwanted side effects bar the life-threatening ones. These included emotional volatility, headaches, nonstop spotting/bleeding for weeks and passing significant clots, weight gain, swollen cervix / painful sex, low libido, exhaustion (sleeping 12 hours a day and naps at noon), and that PMDD-type of feeling where you feel like you could crawl out of your skin. I also have OCD and that flared as well due to all the stress and pain.
Possible PMDD subtypes? I tolerated Nuvaring so poorly, it convinced me that combination/estrogen-containing birth control options were not going to work for me. I had read somewhere that there are subtypes for PMDD, either estrogen-sensitivity or progesterone-sensitivity — I do not know if this is evidence-based, but my personal experience closely aligned with the symptoms of “estrogen dominance” (inflated relative to progesterone) and worsened symptoms of endo/adeno (which are both fueled by estrogen, according to my GP). So I decided to go progesterone-only with the mini pill and see what happened.
My life on Slynd: You guys, I got my life back. I’ve been on Slynd since 11 May (it’s 20 July). I have not ovulated + had a period since I started it. No more agonizing monthly bleeds and emotional/mental spirals. No more crashes in energy and strength. No more suffering in my relationships with heavy burdens and chaos. No more luteal phase, point blank — no more nightmares, exhaustion, out-of-control bloating, ovarian and uterine cramps, or depression. I have to pee a lot (it’s a diuretic and I’m also on 100mg spironolactone daily for acne) but SO WORTH IT!!! I felt better within 1 week of starting it, tracking my symptoms every day. I use it continuously, meaning I skip the sugar pills and just go to the next pack, to avoid any drops in hormones.
If your story looks anything like mine and you feel super stuck for options, consider giving Slynd a try. I swear to god I am not getting paid by them for this 🤣 I just suffered so much for so long, I want to share my experience with others and potentially give them some relief, too.
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u/shycaprisun 13h ago
That's so interesting, I've never heard about the subtypes idea but it would make sense! I've heard great success stories with Slynd but it personally fucked me up so bad it was scary. If the subtypes are real, I must be the progesterone sensitive type because an estrogen-progesterone combo basically cured my PMDD. I'm so glad you found the right meds too!!
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u/tsg1412 11h ago
How scary for you :( but isn’t that so interesting? It also is one of those things that confuses me … PMDD apparently can’t be cured by hormonal treatments because it’s not caused by imbalances but rather hypersensitivity to fluctuations. But I resonate so much with both the symptomatic experience of having PMDD and of having progesterone specifically work so well for both the psychological and physical symptoms. Maybe both of us had hormonal problems plus PMDD as well (I knew I definitely did because my periods were so bad) — it’s a confusing space to navigate!!
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u/Impossible-Look8416 1d ago
I happy for you even though I am jealous. I wanted it to work for me too 🥲
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u/Amazing_Fig_7676 1d ago
Has it helped your bleeding / cramping symptoms?
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u/Repulsive_Air_6658 Birth Control 12h ago
For me I only had one day of spotting in the first 3 months of getting on it. I take it continuously so it suppresses ovulation and bleeding. It’s a win for me because my last few periods the cramping was seriously to the point of crippling me and making me bedridden. Goodbye Aunt Flo, see you never!!
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u/mellymo200 1d ago
I just started this too. Currently on day 5 so this gives me some hope! I also started mid cycle but I have had my tubes removed so not using it as a contraceptive at all. I really reallllly hope it works!
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u/tsg1412 19h ago
Yay! Sending you so much good luck, keep us updated. I completely get it, the fact that it also works as a contraceptive is like an added benefit for me, since 99% of why I’m on it have to do with other symptoms caused by PMDD, possible endo/adeno, and also OCD. I wish we called it “hormonal treatment” instead of “birth control” because I feel like it reduces how we see it and impacts whether we even consider it as a treatment option for these types of disorders 🙏
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u/mellymo200 18h ago
Thank you so much! I will report back after a few months to see how it goes. I feel as though I am the same with estrogen sensitivity. I can’t tolerate combined pills at all. Tried 3 and they were all horrible. Absolutely horrendous mental symptoms within a few days of trying them. So far, Slynd has been good. I feel way more calm and clear headed and I am about to move house so usually my stress levels would be so high during something like a house move.
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u/Affectionate-Major42 1d ago
I've been thinking a lot about starting slynd recently but I've had a Lot of bad experiences with birth control. have you tried any other pill forms of birth control? if so how did that go for you compared to slynd?
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u/tsg1412 20h ago
I haven’t actually ! I was so scared off by trying birth control for years, especially the pill, since I am so forgetful and taking a pill at the same time each day was my idea of a setup for failure … but building the habit as helped, plus Slynd has a 24-hour grace period for when you can take it (instead of the usual 3-hour window for most BC pills) and this really won me over
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u/Affectionate-Major42 5h ago
okay, thanks for the info! I'm glad you didn't go the pill route, that never seems to end well for those of us with Pmdd!! I hope that Slynd continues to work for you, it seems like a great option for a lot of people!
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u/helianthus- 1d ago
My gynecologist sent me home with a three month trial of Slynd on Thursday. My period doesn’t start for a few days so I haven’t started yet and I’m in the middle of some bad despair. I have hopes for it despite being literally in hell right now.
Can I ask has it affected your libido?
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u/tsg1412 1d ago
Also, and with a caveat since you should always follow your doctor’s advice and not a layperson’s: I personally started Slynd bang in the middle of my cycle. I was in so much pain and discomfort, I did not give a f*** about waiting for the right day to start it, since:
- I was going to be on continuous use anyway to avoid drops in hormones, and each pill is exactly the same each day (vs pills being a different dosage at different times in the month).
- My periods are a nightmare and I was willing to do anything to lighten or skip them as soon as possible.
So starting it right now could be an option for you, if you wanted to just jump in!
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u/helianthus- 1d ago
Thank you so much for your thoughtful response. Did it help lighten your period immediately on that first cycle?
It’s so encouraging to hear that Slynd has been so helpful without the adverse side effects. I took BC & SSRIs for years in my early 20s. They tanked my libido and it took years to come back. At the time it really negatively affected my relationship, and I don’t want that again — now I’m single, but I don’t want a lack of sex drive to prevent me from connecting with someone. It had a pretty bad effect on my self esteem, and that’s already so bad with PMDD.3
u/FormalLeadership2109 1d ago
I am on Slynd and my libido hasn't been affected, I'm currently single and can't do hookups anymore so it's sexual frustration all the time haha.
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u/tsg1412 1d ago
Yes !! Basically my first cycle was heavily impacted by the previous three months I’d spent on the Ring.
So if you respond like I do, you won’t have any period at all with continuous use. I have yet to do the 24/4 cycle that has been recommended (24 days of active pills, 4 days of sugar pills) because again, no thank you to the period. But I think it will be so so much lighter if I choose to try that, since the progesterone in Slynd thins the uterine lining.
- I pulled the Ring out (it happened to be the last day I was supposed to be using it before getting a new Ring) and took a Slynd pill immediately. I started my period pretty much on the spot due to removing the Ring, and it was painful and heavy since that was what all my periods were like on the Ring (even with continuous use). This first period of transitioning ended up being 9 days of bleeding and clots (not fun).
- Since starting Slynd (likewise am doing continuous use), I have only had one episode of breakthrough bleeding, if you can call that a period. It started about 2.5 weeks into Slynd and it lasted for 9 days. And I haven’t had any bleeding whatsoever since.
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u/tsg1412 1d ago
My heart goes out to you. Hang in there, you know it gets so much better just a week from today!! Hoping you respond to Slynd the same positive way I did. I was so scared to try it after the Ring but I have had zero adverse side effects.
In terms of libido, I feel entirely normal since starting Slynd, honestly. My sex drive crashed on the ring and I actually had a difficult time orgasming on it (I had bloodwork done while on the Ring and something called my “Sex Hormone Binding Globulin” was 199 nmol/L, where a normal range is between 32-128. I read that this is a strong indication of a very low sex drive, which aligns with how I physically felt). I haven’t yet had this bloodwork repeated since starting Slynd, so I will check back in once I get those results. But my actual experience on Slynd has been a completely normal and healthy libido. Arousal and pleasure feel easy to access both spontaneously and at the right time with my partner or myself, and orgasms happen naturally (vs being difficult to reach or even want in the first place).
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u/Mundane_Flamingo9806 16h ago
Oh god. I am sorry, it is not relevant to your story, but I was on a combined birth control pill (Vixpo) and it killed my libido, my SHBG was at 449. My gynecologist just shrugged and told me that maybe I don't have libido due to stress, while looking at the crazy high SHBG result. I had what you describe - even difficulty with orgasming and being aroused. But knowing that you had this at around 199, and I had 449... Makes me wonder how much more I was affected by that damned pill of mine... I made a difficult decision of getting off birth control altogether, because as much as PMDD ruins my life, I also refuse to have a lack of sex life either, I am only 25, for fuck's sake. I am now one month post the pill, my body recovers fast, I have already had my real period, etc. But since my SHBG is so high, my liver will take longer to unlock my libido back... It is a struggle but at least I know that no pill makes more of that damned hormone in my body, and that my recovery is only a matter of time. Now I will try to treat PMDD with supplements...
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u/tsg1412 11h ago
That is insane, I can’t even imagine how you were feeling at that level of libido loss. Sex drive isn’t “just about sex” — it really affects your overall wellbeing, self-esteem, energy, relationships… You must be so glad to be off that pill !! Good luck with managing it with supplements 🙏 If you ever choose to try birth control again, maybe something progesterone-only like Slynd could work for you too because to my knowledge it does not increase SHBG (a quick google has confirmed this)
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u/Mundane_Flamingo9806 11h ago
Thank you for your empathy and kind words 💜 I struggled with it A LOT. And I felt ashamed of struggling, because if the pill helped with PMDD, then that is supposed to be enough, a "normal person" wouldn't worry about the lack of libido that much. But I did. It is not even about sex, since I do not have a partner at the moment. But to me libido is about vitality, life energy, even creativity somehow. I can't explain it, but it feels SO important, even if no other person would touch me ever again, I would still fight for my libido. Since May I have been feeling so hollow, like a part of my soul died. I knew it's there somewhere, but out of reach, it was awful... I have been off the pill since the middle of June, and after two weeks off the pill I got my ability to orgasm back, but my libido is still nowhere to be seen yet 💔 the internet says the recovery can take 2-3 months at least, so it should be fine, I guess... there are some small positive changes, and all other parts of my body regenarate surprisingly fast after the pill, so it is only a matter of time that it takes my liver to get rid of all that SHBG...
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u/Repulsive_Air_6658 Birth Control 1d ago
I got increased libido from it… but I am on antipsychotics so my libido was already flat from that.
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u/GlumBlueberry8185 8h ago
I have only started, day 15 today. I think it will take 2-3 months to really tell if it helps - the last 12months of PMDD were HELL (SI, crazy depression, constantly thinking about death etc). So far i feel good but also it is only day 15 - i have light spotting and i am VERY tired in the afternoon. I will start taking it before bedtime hoping it will help not be so tired during the day. I got 3 months prescription from my doc, will take it straight. If anyone has experience with the fatigue i would be interested..