Loestrin 30 pill vs Rigevidon

Although taking it on time was a bit of a chore. It was the best method I ever used. After a couple of years it stopped my periods entirely which was great and any bleeding I did have whilst on this pill was very minimal and over in 3 days or less. It cleared up my skin beautifully and I never had any issues with it which was a relief as I had to try many different pills to find this one. I stopped taking it for a bit because although it had no negative impact on my mood I did feel like it dulled the highs and lows of my emotions a bit and I wanted to see what I would feel like off it. Sadly, while I was on that break they discontinued this pill. I am so sad about it. Currently back on the hunt for an alternative and it's not going well. Really wish they'd bring it back!

Context: I was put on Loestrin in 2014 as an attempt at controlling my endometriosis. I'd had a tubal ligation a few months prior so wasn't using it for birth control. Within a month of starting it I wound up in the ER with severe abdominal pain. When I say severe I mean it felt like a cross between gallstone attack and labor pain. A CT scan showed that my small intestine was severely inflamed and the docs said it looked like Crohn's disease. I was given antibiotics, steroids, potassium, and pain meds and it started to get better. Two weeks later I was back in the ER again with the same symptoms and was asked if I had recently made any changes to my diet or taken anything new that could have caused it. I never even suspected it could be the pill until I realized that was the only change I'd recently made. I stopped taking it and started researching and found that there is a link between hormonal birth control pills and intestinal issues and Crohn's. My gyno said it was a very rare side effect and agreed I shouldn't take it anymore. Lo and behold, I don't have Crohn's and haven't had any issues since, nor have I bothered with trying to control my endometriosis with any kind of hormonal birth control after such a miserable experience. It's just not worth it.

Overall I thought this pill worked really well for me however for years didn’t realise that my dwindling sex drive was due to it. This actually caused ongoing difficulty between myself and my partner as we slowly mis-matched in drives which could be upsetting and confusing for both of us. I’ve been with my partner over 8 years and knew it wasn’t because I wasn’t attracted to him. Coming off the pill has confirmed that as I’m nearly a year off and am very nearly back to what I was like pre-pill which is amazing. I had to stop taking it because of supply issue and moved to Yasmin as after researching a lot it seemed most similar. I reacted so badly to that one though it finally gave me to push to stop using contraceptives (apart from condoms) and I’m so glad!

I used this pill continuously but my body rejected it. I had 2 breakthrough spotting bleeds every 6 months but after 1 and a ½ years I had a full blown period while on the pill. So I had to come off it. Had no issues on it other than that because I have endometriosis, the pain built up and during self pleasure I'd get debilitating cramps. This stopped after coming off the pill. However no one talks about how hard it is to come off the pill. Your hormones are bring shifted and changed and the emotional toll is so harsh. I've had the worst anxiety and paranoia and it's really hard.

I was weary to go on Rigevidon after switching from a mini pill which caused non stop bleeding and decreased sex drive however, I was positively surprised. For me I found the side effects minimal if not positive: clearer skin and slightly bigger boobs. I take it without a break which means I only bleed every few months and find it a convenient method of contraception.

I was put on Rigevidon to help my pms and OCD symptoms which worsened the week before and during my period. I was on this pill for a month only and had to stop because of the side effects; the first day I took it i vomited in the middle of the night and every time I took this pill i would feel some sort of nausea. It made my mood much worse, I was uncontrollably sobbing almost every day and would frequently get very annoyed and shout at my family. It also worsened my OCD a lot which was triggered by my mood. I felt a lot better coming off of it.

I took it for 3 months. It gave me a lot brain fog initially which either cleared or I just got used to it. I also had very sore breasts and period like cramps for the first few weeks. I had quite a bit of breakthrough bleeding, and couldn’t take it pack to pack. I don’t think it affected my mood too much. The main thing that made me stop was I was getting recurrent UTIs. They only started when i began this pill and have stopped since I started taking a different pill (fingers crossed).

This pill helped me so much mentally , it helped me regulate my mood better and focus on tasks so mentally it was great, physically however not so much. On this pill I was much hairier, oilier, sweatier and spottier than I naturally am and when I stopped taking it all of the above cleared up.It did however give me regular and much lighter manageable periods.

I was moved onto Rigevidon from Yasmin about 14 years ago as my GP said the risk of blood clots was lower (now evidence looks like they are both pretty high risk). I started the pill as a teenager for PCOS symptoms (rarely having periods, excess body hair and acne). I have been very happy on this pill - my mood has been stable and good, my libido is very good, my skin is free of spots although it is oily and my periods are very predictable and light. I do still have a lot of body hair but I think this may just be normal for my genetics unfortunately, and not related to contraception.

Made me really irritable which I hated! I came off it as soon as I realised. Also made my boobs a bit sore.

Honestly the worst pill! I have been on this pill for 6 months and have decided to come off it. I experienced weight gain, loss of sex drive, bad mood swings, vaginal dryness. I do not recommend this pill to nobody. I spoke to my doctor and he said yes because of the estrogen I expereinced weight gain. So if your doctor or nurse tells you that it does not make you gain weight it sure does!

Not many changes noticed until my withdrawal bleed I experienced a decidual cast.

When starting the pill, i got intense cramps that lasted a good few months and then went away. Ruined my mental health & my sex drive. Improved my skin massively Since coming off: my cycle STILL hasn’t regulated and its been about 1.5 years.