Patch and period like cramps
How our community feel they have been impacted by period like cramps on patch
Data is taken from self reported Lowdown user reviews
None or not sure
61%
A bit
21%
Quite a bit
10%
A lot
5%
A great deal
4%
Out of the 110 reviews for patch, 43 people (39%) reported period like cramps.
Reviewers that reported period like cramps as a side effect
Data is taken from self reported Lowdown user reviews
Used for 1 - 3 mo
23 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 5 days ago
Been using the patch for 1 month now. The first 2 weeks weren’t great, I was having intense mood swings and irritability which was not like myself. I also experienced headaches during the first 2 weeks which now seem to be a lot better. By the third week things started to settle and my moods became better and less intense. On the patch free week I experienced bleeding and stomach pain (similar to a normal period) I’ve also noticed my skin has gotten worse as I very rarely get spots but have had quite a few breakouts since beginning the patch. I haven’t noticed any weight gain but slight breast enlargement. Overall, I would recommend the patch due to quite a lot of the side effects being temporary and as someone who struggles with contraception this has been the best one so far.
Somewhat negative mood
2 more effects
1 helpful
0 comments
Used for 1 - 3 mo
30 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 2nd Mar 25
I don't like it. It makes me feel sad, like full-time pms. I've cried most days on it. I get headaches and I never used to. My friends say I don't seem like myself. My sex drive is lower. I was spotting for the first 6 weeks. Pluses are decreased risk of pregnancy, being able to skip a break and less heavy period/breakthrough bleeding so iron levels are easier to control. It's easy to use and so far has stayed on well (we'll see if this is still the case in summer). I like that if I wanted to stop using it I can remove it myself.
Very negative mood
2 more effects
2 helpful
1 comments
Used for 6 - 12 mo
27 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 21st Feb 25
First few months were GREAT- my skin and hair looked amazing, breasts looked the best they'd ever looked, periods were regular and only negative side effects I had were nausea and breast tenderness. Did not have big issues with the adhesive, even though I have sensitive skin, and was not bothered by the lint that stuck to the edges of the patch (I stuck it to my tummy or my bum so it was hidden by clothes anyway). Thought it was a blessing for the first 4 months on it. Started having issues further in, due to the high levels of oestrogen, where I began having extremely heavy and longer periods and went on to have daily pelvic pain after about 8 months on the patch... now on the waiting list to see if I have endometriosis. The patch itself did not negatively impact my sex drive and it did not worsen my anxiety (I did cry more and have some brain fog though). I only gained a small amount of weight and my body looked the best it ever has. Overall, it didn't work for me and has potentially worsened endometriosis (high oestrogen can feed endo), but it has prevented pregnancy and it is so convenient and harder to mess up than taking a pill every day.
Improved skin
0 helpful
0 comments
Patch common side effects
Data is taken from self reported Lowdown user reviews
53% of patch reviewers reported breast enlargement
50% of patch reviewers reported tender breasts
39% of patch reviewers reported period like cramps
35% of patch reviewers reported nausea or vomiting
32% of patch reviewers reported vaginal discharge