IUB Ballerine vs Combined pill

Had very heavy periods. Ended up requiring blood transfusion.

I had my IUB inserted in March 2019. I didn't have any pregnancies before. The insertion of the device was the most painful experience of my life, almost passed out and threw up at the doctor's office, it was a really intense sharp pain. I also had very intense cramps for 2 days after insertion, no pain killers helped. I suppose that's what being in labor feels like, I constantly had an urge to push. After this, everything was fine, the device is reliable and comfortable; and I am using it for more than 5 years now (obgyn said I can use it up to 6 years if it works well). During these five years I had increased bloodflow and sometimes mid-cycle spotting because of the device, but nothing too bad. Overall, I would recommend.

The IUB has had a positive effect on me and I would recommend if anyone is looking for a non-hormonal contraception. Bleeding has been heavier but after 6 months it is mainly heavy on days 1,2,3 and gone by day 5. Overall, I would recommend as it hasn’t affected my body majorly.

Drovelis was my first ever contraceptive pill. While I experienced very slight dizziness during the first month of taking it, this no longer persists and the only major side effect I got was breast enlargement and tenderness which started during 2nd month of taking this pill (which - enlargement - I actually absolutely loved).

Start of it was great, made my periods less painful and lighter. After a while periods came back to lasting a long time, got extreme period pains, discharge in my nipple, blood clot in my leg and they said it was dangerous to continue it’s use since I’m a smoker.

At the start all was going great but in the last 2/3 months things have started going really downhill, I have started shedding hair at an alarming rate, I have gained weight, I have developed thrush on my boob, my eczema is awful, the skin on my face is so oily, I constantly feel down and sad which I used to only experience when I was in the week before my period. It’s definitely not a long term solution.

unfortunately caused severe negative effects on my mental health and quality of life. increased anxiety & depression (both were constant) and drastically reduced my confidence and body image. all symptoms intensified the week before a period was due - body image was so poor i wouldn't leave the house or wear anything other than baggy clothes, felt suicidal, cried over nothing, lost all motivation/drive, couldn't concentrate + poor short term memory, felt worthless, anhedonic, insomnia that was worst the few days before a bleed, and persistent fatigue & lethargy. i did try to stick it out as i assumed it was pre-existing conditions causing my symptoms, but they got progressively worse the longer i was on it. after i came off the pill i noticed pretty rapid improvement in my self confidence and overall mental health.

This was my first contraception given to me by my GP at age 19. I believe Rigevidon is the cheapest which is why often it is what many are prescribed, that is what I learned from watching a doc by Davina McCall! It took me years to realise my mood swings and emotional outbursts were a side effect, not a true reflection of who I was. I felt like I had too many artificial hormones inside affecting my mental heath and the close relationships around me. I also suffered with acne. Once I moved to the implant (which really wasn’t a scary or painful procedure), mentally I have been in such a better place.

I was prescribed this pill mainly for my moods and it really did help. I was taking the pill for many years and every month when I had my break in tablets I would get a headache. I thought it was a symptom of PMS but after having a pill review with my GP they advised me to stop taking it. Since I stopped I haven’t had one headache which is quite worrying. They always ask about migraines in the questionnaire but never headaches so it didn’t even occur to me that it might be the pill causing this

I was automatically put on the pill as soon as i became sexually active, within 6 months of this I was on put on antidepressants, of course I didn’t realise and wasn’t told the possibility of a connection. I conceived my 2nd child whilst on the pill. As I got older and became single again I came off the pill and saw a huge change in myself, I also came off the antidepressants easily and felt healthier mentally, I also felt an increase in libido….Something I lost completely whilst on the pill. I’m now dating again and looking for an alternative contraceptive as I cannot go back to how I was before. I also recently found out that the pill can contribute to the production of gallstones.

I’ve been taking this for over a month and I’ve had terrible skin, I’ve never had spots in my life and I’ve got so many. I’ve also rarely ever had thrush, which I have now read is a common side effect. Also some hair loss. Not a great pill at all, have stopped taking completely.

Started off on this pill, I'm one of those lucky people who are never sick but while on this pill I would quite regularly feel nauseous a few hours after taking it and on about 5 occasions would vomit aswell, which for me was very unusual but after switching to a different pill these side effects went away.

I got prescribed the combination pill due to recurring endometrial polyps. I'm pretty happy with this pill, it took me 3 months to adapt to taking it with frequent mood swings, irritation and sore breasts in the beginning, but once I got past that I really saw the benefits. My hair had been progressively thinning for 3 years before I started this medication, let me confirm that as soon as I started taking this it went away like magic. My hair is thicker and my hairline is barely visible now, it's so much thicker and I'm thrilled. No pregnancies on this pill either so it does work. I do still have tender breasts from time to time and some light cramping but I still feel it's worth taking. 9/10 recommend.