Reviews

Combined pill reviews

2.8

2409 reviews

The combined pill is very common and the most frequently reviewed method at The Lowdown. It contains two hormones - oestrogen and progestogen, and can help with acne and heavy or painful periods.

Daily

Frequency

91% - 99+%

Effectiveness

Increased

Blood clot risk

None

Effect on fertility

Combined pill

Combined pill benefits

Some of the benefits that are recognised in scientific research or guidelines for this contraceptive

Acne or bad skin

Heavy periods

PMS and PMDD

PCOS symptoms

Period pain

Combined pill ingredients

Main hormones in Combined pill

oestrogen

progestogen

Combined pill alternatives

Contraceptives that work in similar ways, or brands that have close or exactly the same hormonal ingredients


Combined pill FAQs

No FAQs at this moment

Reviews

2.8

2409 reviews

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Community reviews

Used for 1 - 3 mo
32 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  1 day ago

  •  Stopped using

I swapped onto Lucette after I started having spotting on Yasmin. I thought it would be an easy switch as they are the same but it was not. I started having awful low moods and suffering from cystic acne for the first time in my life. I stopped after 6 weeks. I have since found out that they use different binders in yasmin and lucette and that is what likely caused my issues.

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Top side effects not reported

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Used for 3 - 6 mo
20 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  2 days ago

  •  Stopped using

switched from levest bcos of skin, didn’t really help my skin at all i think i experienced more breakouts on it than when i was on levest, made my boobs bigger but also i feel like it made my cellulite worse?? also was bloated a lot. sex drive went down like crazy


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Used for 6 - 12 mo
23 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  2 days ago

  •  Still using

I went on this a few years ago to stop my cycle because I suffer from severe PMS symptoms/PMDD. I remained on it for a year and experienced no side effects. I came off of it because I wanted to attempt to solve my problems naturally and holistically. Unfortunately my mental health became worse and I decided to go back on it. I have now been taking it for a week and am experiencing some mild side effects this time, but hopefully they will settle down.


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Used for 3 - 6 mo
29 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  2 days ago

  •  Still using

This definitely helped me with my PMS symptoms. No significant changes to my weight. I had more sensitive skin / allergic reactions during my time on it but not necessarily due to the pill. My mood was pretty similar to when I was off the pill.


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Used for 1 - 3 mo
26 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  4 days ago

  •  Still using

I had the copper coil inserted 2 months ago and have had a very positive experience since. I was on the combined pill for two years which resulted in mood swings and a very low libido. I put off getting the copper coil as I had heard horror stories about the pain that could come with it, but I wish I'd done it sooner! The insertion pain lasted no more than ten seconds and was very much manageable. After that I had maybe 2-3 days of some cramping which I took painkiller for. Overall, I would recommend other women to not be put off by the bad experiences of others. Mine was a highly positive one and everyone has different experiences.


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Used for 6 - 12 mo
22 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  4 days ago

  •  Stopped using

Initially when I started using microlite i didn't have any side effects and it regulated my previously irregular and long cycle. After about 8 months of use, I started having mental health symptoms and periods which lasted up to 3 weeks. I was v anxious and things which previously made me happy, seeing my friends, hobbies, sport etc didn't make me happy anymore. The doctor told me the dose of hormones was too weak to "override" my natural hormones and that that's why I was bleeding so much. She switched me to ovreena which was much better and all my symptoms subsided.


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Used for 3 - 6 mo
21 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  5 days ago

  •  Still using

Overall, i have had very limited side effects on this pill though i have noticed increased mood swings.


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Used for 18 mo - 3 yr
29 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  6 days ago

  •  Stopped using

I switched to this brand of pill after getting quite bad mood side effects on the previous pills I had tried (microgynon, yasmin) as I'd heard it was better for that sort of thing. It definitely was a lot better than the previous pills I had tried (they made me extremely depressed, constantly crying and not being able to deal with stress) but since making the decision to stop the pill a month and a half ago I have realised it was definitely still affecting my mood a bit. I feel a lot more bubbly, confident and more in tune with my emotions off the pill. I found it dulled my emotions a bit - I rarely cried even when I needed to - whereas now I feel like my emotions are normal. The main reason for coming off the pill though (as my mood was something I was okay with) was my sex drive. The pill almost completely killed it. Since coming off the pill this has changed dramatically and is what I'm most happy about. I would say Eloine is still a good pill to try and it has done me well for the past 2 and a half years. If you've struggled with low mood or other mood symptoms on previous pills and are very keen to be on contraception I would definitely recommend it.


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Used for 3 - 6 mo
21 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  6 days ago

  •  Stopped using

I was put on this pill as I struggled with irregular bleeding on the mini pill. I hadn't had a migraine in over a year. However, after the first month on this contraception I started having migraine with aura, headaches and migranes without the aura. I had a lot of headaches in a month and on my 5th month (last month) I had 5 migraines with aura in the space of 10 days. I had no other negative side effects on this pill so it was very disheartening to have to come off and be put back on the mini pill. When I came off, I had a 10 day migraine without aura!! Interestingly, I was on this pill from the summer of to the end of 2022. I had no negative side effects (only 1 migraine with aura a month but that was the norm at the time) on it until the last 2 months of 2022 where I would experience debilitating cramps mid pack at the same day every day for 4 days and the next month I had the same experiences but started bleeding this time. During my check ups I would confirm with the nurse that I could take this pill continuously and they would say yes. However, after speaking to a doctor you cannot take this pill continuously. You must have a break as it is triphasic (3 different concentrations of hormones).


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Used for 1 - 3 mo
37 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  2 weeks ago

  •  Stopped using

Sadly this pill effected my mood very very badly. During the 17 pills where the progestin used in it was at its highest I suffered extreme suicidal thoughts and couldn't get out of bed for several days. I realised it was the pill and immediately stopped taking it and my mood stabilised pretty quickly once it was out my system. Obviously we are all different and I think I'm quite sensitive to synthetic progesterone, I also already struggle with pms and very low mood before my period. That is actually why I was trying this pill to try and help my pms but it made everything even worse. So it might be fine for you but for me it was a massive no.


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Combined pill side effects

Possible side effects with Combined pill

Combined pill side effects

Possible side effects with Combined pill

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