IUB Ballerine vs Combined pill

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IUB Ballerine

Add your IUB Ballerine review

Combined pill

£From £0.16/day

Overview

Rated 3.6

10 reviews

Every 5 years

Frequency

Over 99%

Effectiveness

None

Blood clot risk

None

Effect on fertility

Rated 2.8

2664 reviews

Daily

Frequency

91% - 99+%

Effectiveness

Increased

Blood clot risk

None

Effect on fertility

IUB Ballerine ingredients

The Ballerine IUB consists of 17 copper pearls which form a spherical shape. The frame is made from nitinol
is a metal alloy of nickel and titanium
and coated with polyethylene terephthalate.

Combined pill ingredients

Main hormones in Combined pill

progestogen

oestrogen

What Lowdown reviewers say

40% no impact on mood

90% heavier periods

60% no impact

50% no impact

44% no impact on skin

Cycle return

50% in 2 months

31% somewhat negative

47% lighter periods

46% lost sex drive

48% no impact

43% improved skin

Cycle return

36% don’t know impact

Benefits: What this contraceptive can help with

There are no benefits that are recognised in scientific research or guidelines for this contraceptive

Acne or bad skin

Heavy periods

PMS and PMDD

PCOS symptoms

Period pain

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Add your IUB Ballerine review

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£From £0.16/day

Check out our latest reviews

Real life reviews from people like you

IUB Ballerine reviews

10 reviews

IUB Ballerine  
Used for 6 - 12 mo
19 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  20th Apr 25

IUB Ballerine  

Have had the ballerine iud for 7 months and it’s a great change from my last contraception (bar implant). Wanted something that wasn’t hormonal and this was the best choice. Insertion was painful but cramps were gone after an hour or two. Periods have been very irregular still (late, heavy bleeds & spotting for days after), hoping/expecting for them to go back to normal around now since i’m 6months+ on. Other than that no issues & i recommend this over anything else ive tried.

Read more

Worse skin

0 helpful

0 comments

IUB Ballerine  
Used for 3 - 5 yr
Lowdown user
🇬🇧 UK
  •  18th Sep 24

IUB Ballerine  

Had very heavy periods. Ended up requiring blood transfusion.


Somewhat negative mood

2 more effects

0 helpful

0 comments

IUB Ballerine  
Used for 5 - 8 yr
Lowdown user
🇬🇧 UK
  •  16th Jul 24

IUB Ballerine  

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.


Top side effects not reported

1 helpful

0 comments

IUB Ballerine  
Used for 6 - 12 mo
19 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  20th Apr 25

IUB Ballerine  

Have had the ballerine iud for 7 months and it’s a great change from my last contraception (bar implant). Wanted something that wasn’t hormonal and this was the best choice. Insertion was painful but cramps were gone after an hour or two. Periods have been very irregular still (late, heavy bleeds & spotting for days after), hoping/expecting for them to go back to normal around now since i’m 6months+ on. Other than that no issues & i recommend this over anything else ive tried.


Worse skin

0 helpful

0 comments

IUB Ballerine  
Used for 3 - 5 yr
Lowdown user
🇬🇧 UK
  •  18th Sep 24

IUB Ballerine  

Had very heavy periods. Ended up requiring blood transfusion.


Somewhat negative mood

2 more effects

0 helpful

0 comments

IUB Ballerine  
Used for 5 - 8 yr
Lowdown user
🇬🇧 UK
  •  16th Jul 24

IUB Ballerine  

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.


Top side effects not reported

1 helpful

0 comments


Combined pill reviews

2664 reviews

Combined pill  
Used for 6 - 12 mo
30 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  2 days ago

Millinette 30/75 pill  

Hormonally numbed me. Kept me very flat with no fluctuations in moods at all. Improved my skin but led to continuous cystitis that often spiralled into kidney infections


Somewhat negative mood

2 more effects

0 helpful

0 comments

Combined pill  
Used for 3 - 5 yr
18 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  4 days ago

Yasmin pill  

VERY mixed emotions about Yasmin. I've been on it for ages, and I'm still on it. yes the boobs grow a lot. at the beginning my mood changes were crazy I thought I was losing my mind. Anxiety and depression symptoms surfaced (mostly anxiety - intense panic attacks), when I didn't have issues with it prior. They're still there but after years of dealing with it I don't notice as much as I used to. I have noticed that water retention is a big issue, as well as increased appetite - it's much harder to lose weight on the pill compared to off it. I also have an extremely lower libido, like crazy low. My skin cleared so fast and i had really bad dermatitis around my mouth and nose, not to mention hormonal acne on the rest of my face - now i get pimples almost never. Also please please be careful when drinking if you've newly started the pill, it made me a lightweight overnight i swear. Also I skip the sugar pills most of the time, only having my period about 3 times a year which is FANTASTIC


Somewhat negative mood

3 more effects

0 helpful

0 comments

Combined pill  
Used for 3 - 5 yr
20 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  5 days ago

Microgynon 30 pill  

.


Very negative mood

2 more effects

0 helpful

0 comments

Combined pill  
Used for 6 - 12 mo
30 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  2 days ago

Millinette 30/75 pill  

Hormonally numbed me. Kept me very flat with no fluctuations in moods at all. Improved my skin but led to continuous cystitis that often spiralled into kidney infections


Somewhat negative mood

2 more effects

0 helpful

0 comments

Combined pill  
Used for 3 - 5 yr
18 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  4 days ago

Yasmin pill  

VERY mixed emotions about Yasmin. I've been on it for ages, and I'm still on it. yes the boobs grow a lot. at the beginning my mood changes were crazy I thought I was losing my mind. Anxiety and depression symptoms surfaced (mostly anxiety - intense panic attacks), when I didn't have issues with it prior. They're still there but after years of dealing with it I don't notice as much as I used to. I have noticed that water retention is a big issue, as well as increased appetite - it's much harder to lose weight on the pill compared to off it. I also have an extremely lower libido, like crazy low. My skin cleared so fast and i had really bad dermatitis around my mouth and nose, not to mention hormonal acne on the rest of my face - now i get pimples almost never. Also please please be careful when drinking if you've newly started the pill, it made me a lightweight overnight i swear. Also I skip the sugar pills most of the time, only having my period about 3 times a year which is FANTASTIC


Somewhat negative mood

3 more effects

0 helpful

0 comments

Combined pill  
Used for 3 - 5 yr
20 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  5 days ago

Microgynon 30 pill  

.


Very negative mood

2 more effects

0 helpful

0 comments

Combined pill  
Used for 1 - 3 mo
41 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  6 days ago

Levest pill  

I am one of the happiest people you will ever meet, I’ve always been positive and upbeat and although of course I have down times like anyone I never stay down for long. Within 3 weeks of taking Levest contraceptive tablets I was like a completely different person and I didn’t know what was happening to me, I cried uncontrollable every day, I didn’t want to be here anymore and was actually thinking of ways I could end my life, I was waking up in the middle of the night with a dark pit feeling in my stomach and felt unbelievably low I didn’t know what was happening to me, then it clicked, the only thing I was doing differently to usual was taking the levest pill. I called the GP the next day and they told me to stop taking it immediately, within 4 days I was back to my usual self mentally then I came on the worst period of my life, like a slaughtered animal and so many blood clots. I’ll never take this pill ever again and would definitely warn others about taking it, who’d have thought a simple contraceptive pill could cause so much harm


Very negative mood

0 helpful

0 comments

Combined pill  
Used for 6 - 12 mo
30 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  2 weeks ago

Drovelis pill  

I guess like any pill it took my body a while to get used to the new hormones, and then after about three months I felt like I’d found the best pill ever! No side effects - or so I thought. I didn’t break out, no major mood swings, periods slowly disappeared, cramps weren’t as bad. Then eventually I realised I have absolutely no sexual desire. This pill has completely obliterated my libido. Ironic since I decided to come on the pill to enjoy my honeymoon without worry of pregnancy. Such a shame as well but I’ll have to come off it.


Decreased sex drive

0 helpful

0 comments

Combined pill  
Used for 6 - 12 mo
33 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  2 weeks ago

Yasmin pill  

This pill does what it claims, I noticed some improvement in my skin, I’m prone to mild acne on my chest, back, and face, and those areas have cleared up, which I’m pleased about. However, after 21 days of taking it, there’s a seven-day break, and within two days of that break I experience severe headaches and migraines. They’re often debilitating and leave me bedridden for one to three days. Because of this, I’ve decided to stop taking Yazmin altogether. Everyone reacts differently, but due to the recurring migraines and headaches, this pill just isn’t the right fit for me.


Somewhat negative mood

1 more effect

0 helpful

0 comments

Combined pill  
Used for 3 - 6 mo
24 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  2 weeks ago

Gedarel 20/150 pill  

I’ve always struggled with my mental health, and believe I have PMDD. but before starting this pill I’d been in a really good place for quite while, the first few months where okay but then I started to become more emotional, progressing to depression and severe anxiety. I also experienced a lot of UTIs that led to me being on long term antibiotics, this only started when I started the pill. I did eventually learn to manage the utis and didn’t get any in the last couple of months. But in the week leading up to the break I became very dry and itchy down there. All together just a really bad experience with this one


Very negative mood

2 more effects

0 helpful

0 comments

Combined pill  
Used for 1 - 3 mo
40 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  2 weeks ago

Millinette 20/75 pill  

I'd take microgynon over this pill any day. I'm surprised that a lower dose pill has more unpleasant side effects. Bloating, fluid retention, extreme sickness the first couple of days followed by an insatiable appetite on day 3 plus mood swings and just feeling horrendous.


Somewhat negative mood

1 more effect

0 helpful

0 comments

Combined pill  
Used for 6 - 12 mo
25 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  3 weeks ago

Lucette pill  

Helped treat my painful cystic acne, good contraceptive. I take continuously and have a break every 3 months if I dont get a period in between. Cramps are worse but lighter periods. Increased sweating (like, drenched), night and day (after minimal activity)


Improved skin

1 more effect

0 helpful

0 comments

Combined pill  
Used for 3 - 6 mo
28 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  3 weeks ago

Dianette pill  

I have been put on Dianette to assist with hirsutism, endometriosis and acne. It has helped with acne. I unfortunately have seen no change in endometriosis symptoms or hirsutism. I have experienced a massive increase in weight, particularly face, arms, stomach which has really impacted my confidence.


Somewhat negative mood

3 more effects

0 helpful

0 comments

Contraceptive alternatives and comparisons

Compare the IUB Ballerine with other contraceptives

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