Combined pill vs Vaginal ring

My overall experience on Yasmin has been awful from the very first day I started taking it, made me lose my personality within one week, my sex drive is usually medium-high but it’s decreased and I’ve lost my appetite along with other side effects which weren’t pleasant. I would not recommend Yasmin if you have a history of mental health like myself too!!

When I first started taking Regividon I had a good experience, minimal side effects and had no changes to my skin, sex drive or weight. However, 3 months into taking Regividon my moods changed, I was snappy and frustrated even over little things 24/7 which affected my relationship so I came off it and went onto a different pill.

pros - clear skin, less oily, went up a cup size, lighter periods and option to skip them entirely cons - after a few years it just got rid of my sparkle. I’ve noticed whenever i stopped using it i was more outgoing, more horny, enjoyed sex more. One of the main reasons was just how dry it was down there making sex feel like a chore.

Have used the ring for a year. In terms of admin it’s an absolute dream. Put it in and set a reminder on my phone to replace in a few weeks. Been absolutely fine for my moods and body and skin, no obvious changes. I take it back to back and have a breakthrough bleed every 3 months. However after about a year on it I’ve developed hormonal post nasal drip, which is driving me absolutely nuts because it’s constant. It’s like I’ve got hayfever. So I’m going to try stopping and see if this resolves. I’m gutted as it was such an easy contraception otherwise.

This has been one of the worst experiences of my life. It killed my mood completely, I never felt worse about myself and had worse mood swings. Low libido, feeling ugly, body pain... overall, never again.

I had a terrible reaction to this unfortunately, despite my optimism. Main symptoms were intense nausea that caused me to not eat for several days, insane anxiety with some panic attacks (especially as I slept) and some depressive thoughts. I took sick days from work believing it was the flu. I thought there is no way birth control could cause these side effects. After a call with my GP, we suspected it could be the ring. I tried to stick with it but on only day 14, awake at 5am due to recurrent panic attacks, I took it out. The next days were perfect. I ate all the food I could and was so grateful for a restful night's sleep. The difference in how I feel is night and day. I understand that this reaction is probably rare but this is what happened to me.

I suffer with PMDD, making my periods a very awful time for me due to how depressed I feel. I was on the combined pill before, but found this was worsening my emotions and making me feel horrendous. The ring was an idea my GP suggested, thinking that because the ring is a gradual release, that stays in your body for the duration you don’t wish to bleed, it would affect me less. This is absolutely what’s happened and I’m much happier on the ring. I’ve never had any problems with feeling it, I’ve noticed a few reviews stating they bleed through when taking it back to back and from my experience this is the case with most contraception. I wouldn’t recommend if you want to take back to back as you do bleed through.

I was recommended the ring after suffering with irregular and heavy periods. I would describe myself as suffering PMDD before and now my moods are so much better. It's easy to insert, I never feel it, and easy to keep in (or briefly take out) when having sex. The ring is great and I recommend to everyone I meet.

The first few months weren’t awful, had regular side effects like nausea, anxiety & tiredness. The main function of the ring for me was to skip my periods & for the first 3 months it worked great. On my 4th ring a few days later I started to feel incredibly nauseous (I didn’t vomit) & the day after I started bleeding, I spotted every day for over a month & still spot every other day, I also had had a large sack of my uterus wall come out which is apparently a side effect when your hormones are unstable. My hips, pelvis, back and legs were aching to the point I struggled to walk. I removed the ring & had instant relief. The nuvaring has made it so I physically can’t have sex as it feels like my vagina is on fire as soon as anything’s inserted, when I took the ring out for a few days this went away & came back the second I reinserted it (it’s also irritated my partners penis). I don’t know if I’m just very sensitive down there or my body doesn’t agree with having a foreign body inside but this just simply hasn’t worked for me. It’s also difficult to get in the right position. My boobs have gotten bigger tho atleast but so has my tummy from the awful bloating!! Swapping to the patch today & hoping it works.

I have had the Nuva-ring for years. It's brilliant, no side effects, it gives the hormone dose at the point in my body I need it so I know less hormone is swirling around my body and going through my liver. Surely that's a good thing. I don't think GPs prescribe it here in the UK nearly enough as possibly more expensive than the pill? I was living in Europe after the birth of my second child, initially I was put on the mini-pill and immediately fell into a very low mood which I hadn't felt the weeks after the birth so knew it was the mini-pill that had effected me. I was taken off it straight away and it was suggested I avoid progesterone-only contraceptive as I am probably progesterone-intolerant (beware anyone on the Merina-coil - so many don't realise progesterone can give you depression). I was then given the Nuvaring which I have been on ever since. Oestrogen and me are happy bed fellows. I am also now on HRT which I can take with the ring. When my oestrogen levels dipped as I hit 50 yo the oestorgen in HRT once again lifted my mood. It's all trial and error but only we know what works and what doesn't.

NuvaRing greatly affected my mood, at one point I thought I had depression and got prescribed antidepressants by incompetent doctors. The second I stopped using NuvaRing (based on INTERNET RECOMMENDATIONS), all my mental problems went away

I used the NuvaRing/Syreni ring for over a year without any apparent issues until I began experiencing severe stomach cramps. The pain was so intense that it often woke me up at night, leaving me unable to move or sleep for hours. Despite multiple doctor appointments, my concerns were repeatedly dismissed, and I was left feeling anxious and on edge, uncertain about the cause of my pain. Frustrated with the lack of answers, I decided to take matters into my own hands and removed the ring myself. Remarkably, after five months of excruciating cramps, they stopped immediately upon removal of the ring. It's been five weeks now, and I remain cramp-free. While I cannot say with absolute certainty that the vaginal ring was the cause, the timing feels far too coincidental to ignore.

No side effects at all but the ring kept falling out so i always felt it while standing up