Combined pill vs Progestogen-only / Mini pill

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.

i gained a lot of weight (10kg), i am depressed, no libido

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!

My overall experience on this pill was a very negative one. I was on this pill for 12 months. I'm hoping to switch to the coil in January, still deciding which one, the copper or Mirena. I am 42 years old. On the mini pill I was emotional, very irritable and anxiety was through the roof. I could be okay one minute then the next I could flip a switch and be kicking off over minor things. I had racing thoughts most of the time which led me to be crying and causing my anxiety to be out of control. The spotting and breakthrough bleeding were horrendous which led to heavy clotting and sometimes it would happen unexpectingly. Sex most of the time wasn't happening due to this. The stomach cramps are so painful and because of this I felt unmotivated to do any hobbies and lost interest. I describe my hair as fine but I noticed it started to really thin and fall out which has led me to have low self-esteem and not wanting to engage in social events.

This pill made me feel emotionally empty and depressed. I know it wasn't placebo because I'm a pretty anxious person, and have tried everything to get rid of anxiety, without much success! A week on this pill and I had absolutely no anxiety because I had absolutely no emotions. I'm also a very motivated person normally, but I found it really hard to just get out of bed and function. It was wild. Took it for 2 weeks and then stopped, couldn't find any hard evidence that side effects improve after 3 months, and I genuinely didn't have time to be that unproductive and miserable for more than a couple of weeks.

Ive been on cerelle for 2 months so far but that is long enough. My hair and skin are extremely greasy all the time, i’m so moody and I keep getting bursts of anger. I have food cravings too so I have gained some weight! Sex drive did increase slightly

I went on norgeston because although i didnt get many side effects on desogestrel, i did suffer from hairloss. I think it has given me less regulation over my anxiety and notnreally done anything to reduce pain from adenomyosis but other contraceptives disagree with me (to the point I have painfully expelled 2 mirena coils).

I’ve been on 3 different mini pills over the last 6 months and I have bled every single day since. 3 months ago I was recommended to double dose and take 2 mini pills a day to try and stop the bleeding. (I was previously on the combined pill and loved it but not allowed now as history of migraines with aura) It made no difference and actually made them heavier by the last month. Doctors just kept trying me on a different mini pill hoping it would stop the bleeding, so obviously my hormones have been all over the shop, when I would change to a new pill I couldn’t stop crying. It felt like no one really cared until today I sat in the doctors and just cried saying I just want someone to listen to me. I am now considering the hormonal coil.

The mini-pill has been a life saver for me. I’ve always struggled with combined pills, trying so many to control horrible periods and always having awful side effects. Since first trying the mini pill, I had spotting for about a week, and I haven’t had anything since, it’s been three years! The only side effect I have is that my skin is very sensitive and breaks out easily like it did before I started taking oral contraceptives, which started again about two months in, but it’s worth it for the benefits for me. No mood swings, no migraines, no bleeding, no hair loss, no weight gain, just a bit of manageable acne!

Im a trans needing to help my breast fuller

Im a trans for estrogen therapy to help with my breast

Good experience, not experienced many side effects.

I have suffered with PMDD for years and Slynd has been a game changer for me- my PMDD has vanished completely! I’ve had very few side effects, literally some minor spotting at the start and a very slightly oiler hair. I’d say my sex drive is a little bit lower than before but not a huge difference. My skin is completely normal (other mini pills have given me acne but on Slynd my skin is as nice as always). The biggest positive impact has been on my mental health. I no longer get mood swings (unless I miss a pill) and my periods have completely stopped. I take my pills back to back (I skip the sugar pills) to keep my moods stable across the cycle. It’s such an amazing pill, I hope they will eventually licence this for PMDD so it can help lots of other women (slynd has the same progesterone as the combined pill Yaz which is licenced in the US for PMDD).