Combined pill and body hair getting darker
How our community feel they have been impacted by body hair getting darker on the combined pill
Data is taken from self reported Lowdown user reviews
None or not sure
92%
A bit
4%
Quite a bit
2%
A lot
1%
A great deal
1%
Out of the 2681 reviews for the combined pill, 214 people (8%) reported body hair getting darker.
Reviewers that reported body hair getting darker as a side effect
Data is taken from self reported Lowdown user reviews
Used for 3 - 5 yr
25 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 1 day ago
My worst side effects have been the mood swings, I am crying a lot more for no reason than I ever did before, it definitely has made me more emotional. My period has gone from being 3 to 4 days to being 1.5 / 2. My breasts become really sore and hard before and after my period. I don’t feel as sexually active as before and I experience dryness more regularly than normal. My skin is completely clear with the pill. Everything bad is / has been fairly manageable, not ideal but haven’t had any pregnancy scares.
Somewhat negative mood
3 more effects
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 6 - 12 mo
24 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 3 weeks ago
I used this quite a while ago, I do not notably recall any mood-altering changes (hence why I rated "poor" instead of "terrible" to be fair, since every individual is different). But I will list below effects from when I was actively taking it and afterwards: - Heavier and more painful periods. I already struggle with painful periods, but while using Levest, they became unbearably painful (OTC barely helped, sweating, dizziness & nausea due to the pain). - I subtly started gaining more weight, despite no lifestyle or dietary changes. - I believe I had increased bodily hair growth. - After a period of heavy and painful periods, I eventually stopped having my period altogether, despite the 7 day break each month. When I stopped using it altogether, my cycle didn't resume. At one point, I didn't get my period for half a year until eventually being diagnosed with PCOS. However, Levest did not mask my symptoms during use either, it felt like it induced them (weight gain, hair growth, cycle dysregulation). I read another comment on here on hyperandrogenism concerns - and this symptom also relates to PCOS. While the issue of "pill-induced PCOS" is controversial and unconfirmed, it's still relatively acknowledged that those predisposed to the condition may find that using certain birth controls can induce it when otherwise dormant (especially progestin dominant ones, such as Levest). Synthetic progestin is often structured very similarly to androgens, hence why the body may register it as such. I heard that more recent brands have improved upon its configuration, so it's less similar - but from experience, I would say Levest hasn't quite got it yet.
Gained weight
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 1 - 3 mo
29 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 16th Sep 25
My skin has got worse with this pill and I will be changing, however my mood has been a lot better.
Somewhat positive mood
1 more effect
0 helpful
0 comments
Combined pill common side effects
Data is taken from self reported Lowdown user reviews
52% of the combined pill reviewers reported tender breasts
48% of the combined pill reviewers reported breast enlargement
46% of the combined pill reviewers reported vaginal discharge
43% of the combined pill reviewers reported period like cramps
38% of the combined pill reviewers reported vaginal dryness
