"i have been on both kariva and the mini-pill and hated them both.  kariva gave me terrible headaches that put me in the emergency room.  the mini-pill made me moody, gain weight (not water weight--- fat! i gained 20 lbs. and had to buy all new clothes), lose all sex drive, and drained me of all energy. i have been too scared to try birth control again up until recently and i chose to go with nuvaring because of its lower dose of estrogen and novel delivery system that delivers estrogen at a constant rate.  i am almost on week 3 and i am not experiencing any side effects whatsoever. i am so happy i finally found a birth control that fits my body.  my acne has also been clearing up (i had it all over my chest and back)."