Scary vision loss- taken off of NuvaRing

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-30-2006
Scary vision loss- taken off of NuvaRing
3
Wed, 08-23-2006 - 9:52pm

Argg...this is really frustrating. I just started my second month on NuvaRing, and everything was going beautifully (I even lost about 10 lbs, which was great, since I've been trying to lose the baby weight). Then all of the sudden today, I got this weird visual change/loss/blurriness that scared the h*ll out of me. It's hard to describe, but there was this half of a ring-shaped area (sort of flashing at times, but not much) in my field of vision (in both eyes) that was completely blurry, and when I tried to look at something, whatever I was looking directly AT, it was like it wasn't there. It wasn't dark or anything, just not there. I grabbed my NuvaRing instructions that came with the Ring, but I couldn't even read them - my eyes couldn't focus in on the words. I had peripheral vision, but when I tried to look directly at the words to read them, it was like they weren't even there. I had to have my BF read it for me. It was really scary! And so strange. I've never, ever had anything like that happen. It lasted about 10 minutes and then as abruptly as it started, it stopped. While it was happening, I felt just a little off-kilter - not quite dizzy, but a bit of vertigo.

Anyway, I called my midwife and she told me to take the Ring out. She said she wants me off it for at least a month, then in again for a blood pressure check (I just had one 2 wks ago), and then if I really really want to try the Ring again, she's not completely opposed to it at this point, but they'll need to monitor my blood pressure very closely. The other option she brought up is using the Fertility Awareness Method, so I'm going to look into that (I'm breastfeeding, and I don't want to use anything that could work post-conception like the minipill, Depo, or an IUD, so that leaves barriers or Fertility Awareness).

I'm just so bummed. Everything was going so well. I really, really, really like the Ring. I don't even know if I'll try it again in a month. My dad had a brain aneurysm when he was in his late 40's, and his sister had one in her 30's, and it just freaks me out thinking that maybe there's some family tendancy to have bad cardiovascular events like that, and maybe messing around with hormones that up the risk of that is a bad thing (even though I've never had anything like that myself - just elevated blood pressure with pregnancy, but it's "high-normal" now).

So maybe Natural Family Planning/Fertility Awareness is the way to go. I don't know. I just took the Ring out . Thanks for listening. Anybody else ever have anything like this happen with hormonal contraceptives?

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-30-2003
Wed, 08-23-2006 - 10:34pm

Hi sammybabymama, Welcome back and (((HUGS)))


      Jill

    

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-18-2006
Wed, 08-23-2006 - 11:35pm
aww hun I'm sorry, that is really scarey. I hope you can go back on the ring because it is a great b/c :)
iVillage Member
Registered: 08-03-2011
Wed, 08-03-2011 - 7:16pm

The exact same thing happened to me.