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I am so pleased to find this after years of side effects from other contraceptives. Doing this method takes work- ovulation testing and I use an oura ring to accurately measure temperature. I wouldn’t recommend this for someone who doesn’t understand how it works, doesn’t understand their body or does not have restraint to use barrier contraception or abstain during red periods. It really works for me and I’ll be using it for the foreseeable.

I've been using this method for about 15 years. I don't have children and have never been pregnant. The only downside is it's supposed low reliability, but it's been working for me. I tried the combined pill at the beginning of my relationship, for a year or two, but it didn't agree with me. By that time our relationship felt pretty stable, so we switched to withdrawal method. Although I never wanted children, for many years I just accepted the possibility of a surprise baby. I thought if it happened then it was meant to be. There are no side effects, and my partner is happy with this method also. Now that I'm in my mid 40s I'm less accepting of the possibility of an accidental pregnancy, and I do sometimes get a bit anxious over this. So I also started tracking my cycle on an app, so I can avoid the fertile days. But my cycle has gotten shorter, so I don't even know if I have any fertile days anymore. For years we've used the method without tracking the cycle, and it still worked though. Recently for a short time I tried the POP desogestrel, that I got for heavy periods. I was kind of looking forward to using this reliable contraception, but unfortunately I got really bad mood swings, so I'm back to this method again.

One of the best things I ever did. Insertion was a breeze, I barely even felt it. Had very mild cramps that evening but nothing that caused any real bother. I was nervous about my period as they have always been in the heavier/longer side but they are now shorter and lighter! Gone from 7 days to 4 with a day or so of spotting before. Felt a bit more cramping pain than normal the first period but none since then. I was on the mini pill before which turned me into an anxious, angry wreck with no sex drive. Now I feel like myself again. Only one minor downside is slightly more discharge for a couple of days a month just before ovulation. Love, love, love it

Have been taking cerzette for 6 months and my anxiety is creeping up again. I had this last time I took this and hoped it was not the pill. Sex drive is zero. No periods at all but the side effects are not worth it.

I went on this pill as a contraception and so far it has done a great job at that. It has not stopped my periods sadly as they have got heavier but cramps have decreased - although I feel generally more ill on them. I have been on this pill twice, the first time it made me incredibly depressed. The second I have noticed no other side effects. It is good for me :)

I bled for 18 months straight and was incredibly depressed

good for me except it gave me painful cystic acne but didn’t experience any irregular bleeding or mood swings until the last month of using it (which is why i stopped)

I didn’t experience any major side effects on this pill. My mood was better when compared to other pills

This pill was pretty seamless for me. It did not affect my moods or skin. My periods were very light, lasted a few days with little to no cramps. My libido suffered significantly and this symptom worsened as time went on which is the reason I switched to a non-hormonal method. Other than this, it was a great option for me.

I have endometriosis and adenomyosis and was put on microgynon by my gynaecologist. I was happy at first because my severe and constant pain disappeared (and only reappeared during my period, and even then it was only 10% of the pain I used to experience. However, the negative side effects unfortunately didn’t make the lack of pain worth it. My mental health (which was already quite terrible as I suffer from OCD and anxiety) crumbled. I was depressed and had CONSTANT mood swings. I was irritable, always in a bad mood and snapping at my husband. I also felt like a zombie, unable to focus on anything and feeling so disconnected and dissociated. I also put on water weight. I’m a small woman who runs a lot, so it was definitely linked to the pill. After doing some research, I asked my doctor to switch me to Eloine, and so far it’s been AMAZING. My mood has stabilised and I honestly feel the happiest and most connected to the world I have in a long time. I think Eloine has balanced out my endometriosis-induced hormonal imbalances and I feel amazing. For context, I’ve tried 4 types of combined pill: microgynon (androgenic), cimiszt (less androgenic), millinette and femodene (also less androgenic). I’ve also tried the mini pill cerazette and I was on the implant for 1 year. All of these made my mental health crumble and I spent 8 years of my life (18-25) battling with deciding between having bad mental health or having endo pain. Don’t try microgynon!!!!! And do research into the different types of combined pill. I never researched and just took what the dr gave me. The Lowdown really helped me research!