Yasmin pill

overall this pill is pretty great. on the website there is a lot of negative reviews and i have not shared many. i began this pill in year 10 to clear my acne. i didn’t have terrible acne but i was pretty self conscious about it especially when most of my friends didn’t get acne like mine and i covered it up with concealer and foundation which isn’t good for my skin. my experience with my doctor was extremely positive, he told me that i could either continue a stronger acne cream (which didnt work for me and only dried my skin) begin the pill or take accutane. unlike many of my other friends who were forced to take the pill or some kind of contraceptive, i chose to take the pill and he even let me research which one i would take and we then discussed together which would be suitable for me. in the first couple of months, i stopped breaking out when i had periods and my acne began clearing up very quickly which boosted my confidence a lot. in month three, i began to have stomach cramps when i wasnt on my period so i told my doctor and he said i should try taking it at night and after food which seemed to help. i also began skipping my periods which obviously stopped cramping on and before periods. he also told me it could just be my body reacting the the changes so im not saying this is the solution for everyone. about halfway through year 11, i no longer had any visible pimple and it was mainly just my skin texture that needed improving, but i felt much more confident especially as i moved to a new school in year 11 and was surrounded by new people and a new environment. my skin was so good that by the end of year 11, we went on a school trip to heron island and i didn’t cover my acne at all. while my main issues were fixed, i experienced much more discharge, not in amount but every day i had discharge which made me feel a bit unhygienic down there but i didnt want to stop or switch the pill as it had improved my skin so much. now i have been on it for almost three years i find that this issue has been improved which is a plus for me but it was uncomfortable around the halfway mark where it peaked. i do reccomend this pill besides the low reviews, but i do think that the first couple of months i experienced changes (the cramping) that only reduced by letting my body get used to the medication. this is just my experience and not medical advice :)) thanks yazmin :b 

Yasmin pill-review-id-36b42fb4-4ffe-450a-85f7-ae61932956fc

This pill made me feel terrible. Severe weakness, lightheaded, buzzy inside, made me feel like I was having low blood sugar episodes on occasions where I thought I was going to faint pass out. Gave it a good three months and had to come off it. Felt so much better. It did start to clear up cystic acne though but I just wasn’t functioning well on it! 

Yasmin pill-review-id-282c0c7c-0501-4698-9edb-7f5f1041c325

This pill was the first of three that I have used, and is without a doubt the worst. It made me cry about everything. The cleaners had moved my soap dish from one side of the sink to the other and I cried about it. My mood became so low that I distanced myself from my friends and started attending therapy. When I stopped taking the pill, my mood improved dramatically and I experienced far less anxiety. Was not a great time in my life. Thanks a lot Yasmin. 

Yasmin pill-review-id-026310d0-81c5-47be-a270-2682096de7b1

Rigevidon

I was on this pill for my periods as they were very irregular and acne and in the beginning it worked very well but after a few months I had intense break through bleeding and I was basically on my period for months. My acne cleared then got worse, I gained alot of weight and I started having horrible migraines 

Rigevidon-review-id-1de9e3ea-3bc4-400f-be90-1f3b279bab3f

Rigevidon-review-id-19d25a7a-c501-45e3-8664-68a1e60fcb0f

Within the 1st month, I had terrible mood swings; I become angry and irritable towards my parent. I seemed to calm down but then pick back up again in the next week. From withdrawal from this, everything was ok, apart from having a few pains and it also made my periods light. I didn’t have any symptoms of nausea or vomiting but I did gain a bit of weight and had breast tenderness (i dont know if my breast got bigger). By the 2nd month, I ended up feeling really low and had quite dark thoughts; my headache got worse and I was crying a lot during the day/night.  Because of this I’m no longer taking this pill.

Rigevidon-review-id-8549c52a-4c70-43a1-91e2-a1337d19b8f2

Eloine pill

I enjoyed taking Eloine, I had a few side effects when starting but they eased apart from excessive sweating which is one of the reasons why I’ve stopped taking it. I would definitely recommend to someone looking for a combined pill that’s low oestrogen and anti-androgenic. 

Eloine pill-review-id-08a1add1-1c79-4528-bcf6-2981bb6c04ff

I dont even feel as though I'm on the pill I havnt had 1 single mood swing or negative side affect. Deffinately the best pill I've tried so far. 

Eloine pill-review-id-5bbe0508-52b4-4f87-bfe4-51b4ad29cc6b

I feel so much better coming off the pill, body slowly returning to normal and no negative side effects coming off it. It was my fourth attempt at hormonal contraception, i won't try anymore now and will look at alternatives

Started off well on this pill, good for PMS management. Had bleeding for weeks and breasts got bigger and were painful. Some of these effects subsided after a few weeks. On my 3rd pack i noticed i wasnt full after meals and was constantly feeling hungry and thinking about food. This continued through the fourth month. I have definitely gained weight and clothes not fitting properly, which is an unacceptable side effect for me personally.

Eloine pill-review-id-fd5cef05-3f99-44ff-9c8a-152b52faa02d

Microgynon 30 pill

I first started using microgynon aged 19 (it was the first pill offered to me when I wanted to go on the pill) and aside from weight gain, I didn’t really have that many side effects and got on well with it. I stopped using I when I was 22 after a break up. I then went back on it aged 25 and had a totally different experience. I didn’t gain as much weight the second time round but my breasts did go up a cup size which was annoying as none of my nice bras fitted me anymore!! I experienced period like cramps constantly, enough to need to take painkillers sometimes. At first I ignored it but after a few months of being in constant low level pain I couldn’t take it anymore. I have now switched to Yasmin after the pharmacist suggested it may be due to the type of progesterone in microgynon causing the cramps. 

Microgynon 30 pill-review-id-1e603e45-7ffa-408b-a4e0-41b5716f5f63

I continue to have recurrent UTIs, having stopped taking the pill 5 months ago. I also have a frequent burning sensation even without having a UTI. This impacts my day-to-day life.

A week after starting to take this pill, I started having recurring UTIs triggered by sexual activity. I stopped taking the pill 6 months in for this reason, but still have constant issues. Aside from the recurrent UTIs, which have impacted both uni and work lives (I have to miss days due to the pain), I also get a frequent burning sensation with no trigger, which causes general discomfort in my day-to-day life. Due to the massive negative impact this pill has had, I am now extremely wary of any form of contraception and wish I had never started taking microgynon in the first place.

Microgynon 30 pill-review-id-fe5ba85d-e286-4a06-82e5-49ceeefb44b3

I’ve been on this pill for many years. As a positive side effect, it helped with my acne, which makes sense as I used to have high testosterone levels. However, over the past few years I’ve started getting night sweats during the break week and noticed an increase in my blood pressure.

Microgynon 30 pill-review-id-99bccc63-151c-479b-b34d-a6f06c0d3924

Cilique pill

I gained weight and felt more irritable when taking this contraception 

Cilique pill-review-id-52817f46-9490-4a71-8486-2b90b2f2825c

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 

Cilique pill-review-id-84f46914-6941-4572-b1f8-84b7f05589aa

I have stayed on the pill for so long as it has helped get my acne under control as well as my period, I regularly took it bsck to bsck for 2 months at a time if I needed o and had no issues 

Qlaira pill and body hair getting darker

How our community feel they have been impacted by body hair getting darker on qlaira pill

Data is taken from self reported Lowdown user reviews

Reviewers that reported body hair getting darker as a side effect

Qlaira pill common side effects

Breast enlargement

Vaginal discharge

Period like cramps

Tender breasts

Lower back pain

Possible qlaira pill side effects

Best selling Combined pill in the UK

Top contraceptives for sale in the UK

Top 5 types of contraception for women

Order online now

Not sure yet? Speak to a doctor

Women's health, reviewed.

Get the best women’s health info in your inbox

Explore reviews

The legal stuff

Get involved

Get help

Built by doctors and experts