Combined pill and cystitis
How our community feel they have been impacted by cystitis on the combined pill
Data is taken from self reported Lowdown user reviews
None or not sure
86%
A bit
6%
Quite a bit
4%
A lot
2%
A great deal
2%
Out of the 2488 reviews for the combined pill, 343 people (14%) reported cystitis.
Reviewers that reported cystitis as a side effect
Data is taken from self reported Lowdown user reviews
Used for 1 - 3 mo
24 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 30th Jun 24
I took it for 3 months. It gave me a lot brain fog initially which either cleared or I just got used to it. I also had very sore breasts and period like cramps for the first few weeks. I had quite a bit of breakthrough bleeding, and couldn’t take it pack to pack. I don’t think it affected my mood too much. The main thing that made me stop was I was getting recurrent UTIs. They only started when i began this pill and have stopped since I started taking a different pill (fingers crossed).
Somewhat negative mood
1 more effect
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 6 - 12 mo
21 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 31st May 24
Been using this after being on Gedarel for years and it completely destroyed my sex drive and made me gain weight so easily, despite being the same hormones as gedarel.
Somewhat negative mood
2 more effects
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 8+ yr
34 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 8th May 24
On this for about 14 years, taking a few short 6 months breaks. Only in hindsight can I connect the dots on some side effects including eczema (many people go on the pill for acne, it has a drying effect so you can imagine for someone with dry skin it makes it worse) and recurrent UTIs. These symptoms became pronounced when going on and off the pill in my 30s. Dryness and loss of libido when trying to go back on it again recently was unmanageable. Sex drive and sensitivity completely disappeared. 6 weeks later I am working it out of my system and sensitivity and libido is slowly coming back. I would also question the role the pill has played in depression and anxiety over the years. I have no evidence for this but can only say that coming off it I have never felt more peaceful or like myself. Since I have fairly light periods and no other menstrual or health issues except eczema I would say going on the pill was the wrong choice for me in hindsight and have since educated myself on my hormones and am using natural cycles.
Somewhat negative mood
1 more effect
0 helpful
0 comments
Combined pill common side effects
Data is taken from self reported Lowdown user reviews
53% of the combined pill reviewers reported tender breasts
48% of the combined pill reviewers reported breast enlargement
47% of the combined pill reviewers reported vaginal discharge
44% of the combined pill reviewers reported period like cramps
39% of the combined pill reviewers reported vaginal dryness