Contraception Reviews

Hormonal IUD vs Mini pill

Hormonal IUD

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Mini pill

Want to switch birth control?

Overview

Rated 3.7

53 reviews

3 - 8 years

Frequency

Over 99%

Effectiveness

None

Blood clot risk

None

Effect on fertility

Rated 3.5

27 reviews

Daily

Frequency

91% - 99+%

Effectiveness

None

Blood clot risk

None

Effect on fertility

Hormonal IUD ingredients

Main hormones in Hormonal IUD

progestin


Mini pill ingredients

Main hormones in Mini pill

progestin

What Lowdown reviewers say

Mood

42% no impact on mood

Bleeds

47% stopped periods

Sex drive

45% no impact

Weight

49% no impact

Skin

40% no impact on skin

Cycle return

50% in 1 month

Mood

30% no impact on mood

Bleeds

37% stopped periods

Sex drive

44% no impact

Weight

52% no impact

Skin

41% no impact on skin

Cycle return

50% don’t know impact

Benefits: What this birth control can help with

Adenomyosis

Endometriosis

Heavy periods

Menopause

Period pain

Period pain

Heavy menstrual bleeding

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Check out our latest reviews

Real life reviews from people like you

Hormonal IUD reviews

53 reviews

Hormonal IUD  
Used for 6 - 12 mo
31 years old
🇺🇸 US
  •  2 weeks ago

Mirena IUD  

Best decision ever made!

Read more

Top side effects not reported

10 helpful

0 comments

Hormonal IUD  
Used for 18 mo - 3 yr
21 years old
🇺🇸 US
  •  2 weeks ago

Kyleena IUD  

I got the Kyleena prescribed off-label to me after suffering from ridiculously heavy periods in my teens. I used to bleed 200mls+ on some periods and even Tranexamic acid didn’t help. This IUD has been an absolute life-saver and my periods are so much lighter. I will admit I have experienced some side effects - I used to have clear skin 95% of the time, however since the IUD I permanently have 1 or 2 pimples around my jawline which can be quite annoying. My periods are often very long now (7-11 days) despite being light which also gets frustrating. Those are the two main side effects I’ve experienced, but overall it’s been a positive experience.


Worse skin

10 helpful

0 comments

Hormonal IUD  
Used for 18 mo - 3 yr
21 years old
🇺🇸 US
  •  2 weeks ago

Kyleena IUD  

I got the Kyleena prescribed off-label for my heavy menstrual bleeding. I used to bleed sometimes over 200ml per period, even Tranexamic acid didn’t help. This IUD has been a life saver - my periods are so much lighter. Overall it’s been a positive experience. I won’t pretend it doesn’t have other side effects though. My periods are now way longer than they used to be (7-11 days) although not heavy at all. I also had clear skin 95% of the time prior to the IUD but now I permanently have one or two pimples around my jawline which can be pretty annoying.


Worse skin

11 helpful

0 comments

Hormonal IUD  
Used for 6 - 12 mo
31 years old
🇺🇸 US
  •  2 weeks ago

Mirena IUD  

Best decision ever made!


Top side effects not reported

10 helpful

0 comments

Hormonal IUD  
Used for 18 mo - 3 yr
21 years old
🇺🇸 US
  •  2 weeks ago

Kyleena IUD  

I got the Kyleena prescribed off-label to me after suffering from ridiculously heavy periods in my teens. I used to bleed 200mls+ on some periods and even Tranexamic acid didn’t help. This IUD has been an absolute life-saver and my periods are so much lighter. I will admit I have experienced some side effects - I used to have clear skin 95% of the time, however since the IUD I permanently have 1 or 2 pimples around my jawline which can be quite annoying. My periods are often very long now (7-11 days) despite being light which also gets frustrating. Those are the two main side effects I’ve experienced, but overall it’s been a positive experience.


Worse skin

10 helpful

0 comments

Hormonal IUD  
Used for 18 mo - 3 yr
21 years old
🇺🇸 US
  •  2 weeks ago

Kyleena IUD  

I got the Kyleena prescribed off-label for my heavy menstrual bleeding. I used to bleed sometimes over 200ml per period, even Tranexamic acid didn’t help. This IUD has been a life saver - my periods are so much lighter. Overall it’s been a positive experience. I won’t pretend it doesn’t have other side effects though. My periods are now way longer than they used to be (7-11 days) although not heavy at all. I also had clear skin 95% of the time prior to the IUD but now I permanently have one or two pimples around my jawline which can be pretty annoying.


Worse skin

11 helpful

0 comments


Mini pill reviews

27 reviews

Mini pill  
Used for 18 mo - 3 yr
Lowdown user
🇺🇸 US
  •  3 weeks ago

Mini pill  

Best bc pill experience I've had


Worse skin

1 helpful

0 comments

Mini pill  
Used for 1 - 3 mo
Lowdown user
🇺🇸 US
  •  1 month ago

Slynd birth control pill  

Really love it! I can skip my periods, don't experience migraines and my acne cleared up!


Improved skin

1 more effect

0 helpful

0 comments

Mini pill  
Used for 12 - 18 mo
22 years old
🇺🇸 US
  •  31st Mar 25

Slynd birth control pill  

I gained 30 pounds after starting this birth control. Could not figure out what was going on with my body until I found a reddit thread where other people were experiencing the same.


Worse skin

2 more effects

0 helpful

0 comments

Mini pill  
Used for 18 mo - 3 yr
Lowdown user
🇺🇸 US
  •  3 weeks ago

Mini pill  

Best bc pill experience I've had


Worse skin

1 helpful

0 comments

Mini pill  
Used for 1 - 3 mo
Lowdown user
🇺🇸 US
  •  1 month ago

Slynd birth control pill  

Really love it! I can skip my periods, don't experience migraines and my acne cleared up!


Improved skin

1 more effect

0 helpful

0 comments

Mini pill  
Used for 12 - 18 mo
22 years old
🇺🇸 US
  •  31st Mar 25

Slynd birth control pill  

I gained 30 pounds after starting this birth control. Could not figure out what was going on with my body until I found a reddit thread where other people were experiencing the same.


Worse skin

2 more effects

0 helpful

0 comments

Mini pill  
Used for 6 - 12 mo
27 years old
🇺🇸 US
  •  21st Feb 25

Slynd birth control pill  

I’m hoping it gets better. Switched from Errin to Slynd 6 months ago. Hair loss stopped. Acne got better. Those were an immediate win. Month 1 - bled for 1 week. Month 2 - bled for 3 weeks. Month 3 - bled for 2.5 weeks. Month 4 - bled for 2 weeks. Month 5 - bled for 1.5 weeks. Month 6 - bled for 1 week. I naturally have a short cycle, and in the process of trying to force my cycle into a 30 day cadence, I’ve gotten 1-2 days per month of severe headaches before my period (thought my head would blow off without Tylenol) and minor dull headaches for ~1 week before each period. The headaches didn’t happen with Errin - but they are happening with Slynd (and also happened a few year back when I took the combo pill).


Top side effects not reported

0 helpful

0 comments

Mini pill  
Used for 1 - 3 mo
21 years old
🇺🇸 US
  •  15th Feb 25

Slynd birth control pill  

It does what it needs to do, pregnancy prevention. Intense emotional fluctuations following the “usual” postpartum journey is definitely a downside


Very negative mood

3 more effects

0 helpful

0 comments

Mini pill  
Used for 1 - 3 mo
Lowdown user
🇺🇸 US
  •  31st Dec 24

Slynd birth control pill  

N/A


Top side effects not reported

0 helpful

0 comments

Mini pill  
Used for 3 - 6 mo
33 years old
🇺🇸 US
  •  29th Dec 24

Slynd birth control pill  

My experience thus far has been great with minor concerns for acne.


Worse skin

0 helpful

0 comments

Mini pill  
Used for 1 - 3 mo
Lowdown user
🇺🇸 US
  •  19th Nov 24

Norethindrone 0.35 birth control pill  

started taking it about a week and a half ago. i missed a day on sunday, so i took two on monday. today is tuesday and im having terrible cramps. other than that, emotionally its better than the combination pill.


Worse skin

1 more effect

0 helpful

0 comments

Mini pill  
Used for 12 - 18 mo
Lowdown user
🇺🇸 US
  •  2nd Nov 24

Norethindrone 0.35 birth control pill  

This pill improved my sex drive which had been very reduced by the combination pill. It allowed me to put on more muscle too! The weight gain was mostly muscle, which I was so happy about. It was just hard to take the same exact time everyday.


Somewhat positive mood

3 more effects

0 helpful

0 comments

Mini pill  
Used for 3 - 6 mo
Lowdown user
🇺🇸 US
  •  31st Oct 24

Slynd birth control pill  

Much better than other mini pills


Very positive mood

2 more effects

0 helpful

0 comments

Birth control alternatives and comparisons

Compare the Hormonal IUD with other birth control

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