Yasmin pill

So I was prescribed the yasmin pill for my PCOS after being on desogestrel since I was about 14 for my periods. I’ve always had really really irregular periods, and bled very heavily. They would last for 2 weeks roughly and sometimes id have two in one month. In my particular case, I was told to take yasmin continuously, so all 3 packets in a row and then stop for a 7 day break, and start a new box. This has worked well for me i think (baring in mind i’ve only just started my 2nd box). At the beginning I had severe nausea, not to the point of throwing up but it was there constantly all day. I started taking the pill just before bed, so 11pm- midnight roughly and that seemed to help with the nausea. That was the side effect that has affected me the most, and since restarting after my 7 day break I am still experiencing nausea. I’m just praying it goes away after 1-2 weeks like it did before. Aside from that, my sex drive historically has been really high. I was down to do it whenever, and no issues whatsoever. Since being on yasmin, i literally could not think of ANYTHING worse than having sex with my partner. (it is nothing to do with him!!) I just have absolutely 0 sex drive, I can’t even get horny unless i really stick with it- so that’s been another big issue for me. I have also had quite bad acne since I was in school, and i’ve always struggled with it especially on my chin, forehead and back. I haven’t noticed a change in my acne yet but praying yasmin is able to clear some of it up! In terms of my PCOS management aswell, yasmin has made my first period during my 7 day break incredibly light, I hardly needed to wear a pad at all. I had cramps but nowhere near as bad as they used to be and it also seemed to completely stop around the 4 day mark out of 7. So if i’m being completely honest, my experience on yasmin so far has been okay- i’m struggling with the nausea and low sex drive but hoping as the weeks/ months go on my body will adapt to the hormones and i’ll be back to normal. If anyone out there is struggling with severe irregular periods and pcos symptoms I would recommend giving it a try and sticking it out for atleast 6 months to 1 year. for me personally my periods are so much easier to deal with, and i will do an update in a few months time to see if my skin and other side effects have cleared!

Yasmin pill-review-id-5b940541-1b22-42ce-9752-10060f5bb23a

This is an update as I have now been taking Yasmin for over 10 months. I changed to this pill specifically because another pill gave me terrible acne that did not go away after stopping it and trying an old pill I had been on, nor when I came off hormonal birth control all together to test if that would fix things. I know a lot of people wonder how long it will take for Yasmin to totally clear up acne and for me it was between 5-6 months. I remember I had one terrible, cystic spot for a birthday gathering I was attending in July this year (hence this being seared in my mind lol) and after that my skin cleared up, practically nothing since. Truly the only downside has been the quite considerable hit it’s taken on my libido — my husband is not the most pleased about that aspect but saw how down I was with the bad skin so appreciates that this was the right decision, haha. Unfortunately I moved back to Scotland late summer and Yasmin is not provided here, so I will be changing to another pill. Now begins the test to see if my clear skin remains after I finish this final pack and go back on an old reliable pill I was on from years before that had no side-effects. 🤞🏻

Yasmin pill-review-id-cc19e7c2-7bd7-4c1c-a339-bbd1cad4aaa9

Love this pill, I've been on it for nearly 10 years now and have noticed few changes and side effects. If anything, my skin is more clear and my periods are light (3-4 days instead of my usual 6-7). I feel more emotional than baseline but it does not bother my day-to-day activities.

Yasmin pill-review-id-17ba056a-f385-4cb5-ba3d-dcb02d158219

Rigevidon

After I came off the pill, the side affects still affected me. It’s taken me around a month to get back to my old self, and I am still not fully there. My period came back shortly after I stopped taking it and it was lighter than usual. I lost a significantly noticeable amount of weight, to the point my family and friends were becoming worried about me. I completely lost my appetite, perhaps due to the anxiety. However, I have noticed a slight improvement in my mood.

This pill severely increased my anxiety levels, I constantly felt like I was in a haze and I couldn’t regulate my emotions- I was constantly crying and overthinking every little thing. I lost my sex drive and was scared to socialise. I had intrusive thoughts that made me worry even more and I just wanted to stay at home all of the time, I was on the border of spiralling into depression. The first month was okay, I didn’t notice any symptoms and it did the job fine, but soon after the symptoms started to kick in. I gained weight which made me feel increasingly insecure and I had a larger than normal appetite.

Rigevidon-review-id-71308240-0ecc-4a20-90c2-f3ce73f7f353

I’ve tried a few pills in my time now, to be honest I think they’re all as bad as each other. I was put on this one after accidentally getting pregnant as I stopped using hormonal contraceptives due to the side effects. I found Rigevidon to be virtually useless at controlling my hormones- maybe I’m a very hormonal person or something but this did virtually nothing. I was as spotty as I was when I was a teen, my chin hair growth was horrific and my hair was SO greasy. I just don’t know why but this genuinely seemed to not even touch the sides. Also the back pain was bad. 

Rigevidon-review-id-4d3114ba-fe25-42de-9171-592a189fcbde

My legs randomly ache, I have. 0 sex drive, the thought of being touched is making me sick. I have severe anxiety and I’m borderline suicidal. This is not the right pill for me but going back to my gp and getting another one seems exhausting.

Rigevidon-review-id-59bb2b05-bfea-4465-9f77-2f0ec8eab6bb

Eloine pill

Eloine completely cleared up the acne I had for 6 years! I would definitely reccomend it, although I will say that when I first started using it I had very intense mood swings but I think that’s normal due to the hormone change. 

Eloine pill-review-id-3ec03a07-f2da-49bd-9be5-32edbf11f071

I decided to try Eloine due to negative experiences with other combined pills and the low-dose appealed to me. Unfortunately this turned out to be the worst decision I've ever made.

In the first month I felt fine but soon after I began experiencing cramps, headaches and significant mood swings. After 4 months, I was suffering from daily severe headaches and migraines with aura. These migraines were consistent, occurring at the same time each week and lasting nearly two hours (something I had never dealt with before). I often had to take afternoons off work and isolated myself in a dark, quiet room until my vision returned and the dizziness subsided. The only times these migraines didn’t occur was the week I had off for my period. I also started experiencing regular spotting. 

Alongside the physical symptoms, my mood deteriorated. I became easily irritable, leading to frequent arguments with my partner… something that was rare for us before. This change in my behavior left me feeling down and my anxiety gradually worsened. My sex drive plummeted and eventually vanished altogether. 

The only positives from this pill was my heavy periods and awful period pain decreased and I lost weight.

After discussing my symptoms with a doctor, I was advised to stop taking Eloine immediately. Since stopping, my headaches and migraines have ceased (I haven't had a migraine since) and I began feeling like my old self again within 6 months. The impact of this pill extended beyond my health; it affected my relationship as well. This experience has left me wary of contraceptive pills, making me hesitant to try another option.

Eloine pill-review-id-c27d2300-b154-4ec1-89ad-a22b8a8b9aa9

I had several fortnight long periods on this pill. My regular periods are horrific so I was initially willing to take any side effects the pill had, and even though my regular level of pain/vomiting/fainting went away, I barely had rests from bleeding, my mood swings and hormonal breakdowns were uncontrollable, I gained a lot of weight, and I still had nausea and cramping. After over 18 months the side effects still had not dialled down so I had to quit. 

Eloine pill-review-id-f5522eed-9987-49ec-b77c-b6bf08d3fdb3

Microgynon 30 pill

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

Microgynon 30 pill-review-id-3a72b75b-70bb-41f5-a250-4262f7b9733e

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 

Slynd pill and pelvic infection

How our community feel they have been impacted by pelvic infection on slynd pill

Data is taken from self reported Lowdown user reviews

Reviewers that reported pelvic infection as a side effect

Slynd pill common side effects

Headaches

Tender breasts

Period like cramps

Vaginal dryness

Breast enlargement

Possible slynd pill side effects

Best selling Progestogen-only / Mini 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