Microgynon 30 pill vs Yasmin pill

I started this birth control as my very first form of contraception. I was put off by the thought of breakthrough bleeding on the mini pill, so my doctor put me on microgynon without much thought. The first month was fine, although very quickly I started to get terrible headaches which continued until I stopped taking the pill altogether. After around the first month I vaguely noticed i’d be in a bad mood all the time - I was either very snappy and grumpy, or my emotions were very ‘muffled’ and I didn’t feel much of anything. It’s very hard to describe, but I wouldn’t feel happy or excited - i’d just feel low and ‘nothing’ all the time. I didn’t enjoy hobbies I liked before, and I wasn’t interested in anything. I think the craziest side effect I randomly realised was that I felt way less affectionate towards my boyfriend. I wasn’t interested in being cuddly with him, kissing him, ect. Honestly it’s the main reason I wanted to get off microgynon. Along with the headaches and mood, my sex drive disappeared completely (and I naturally have a very high sex drive), i’d experience brain fog all the time, and I felt immense fatigue. I’m diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome so I assumed it was just that, but the tiredness I felt was nothing like i’d ever felt before, and I feel much better now that i’m off the pill. I’d be too exhausted to even get out of bed, and if I did manage to go outside i’d feel faint and dizzy. The positives were that I didn’t get pregnant (we didn’t use any other form of contraception and didn’t use the pull out method, although I did take a pregnancy test every few weeks to be safe), and I was able to control when i’d bleed. I’ve always had extremely painful periods where i’d throw up and almost pass out from the pain, but the bleeds were very light during my breaks and the cramps were tolerable. I would take the packs continuously for 3 months and then have a 4 day bleed, and didn’t have any cramping or breakthrough bleeding at all. Altogether I found microgynon to be a good form of contraception, the side effects were enough for me to come off it.

After taking the contraceptive pill for the past 15 years and being told it’s perfectly safe, I found out at the beginning of this year that I have 3 tumours on my liver as a result of long term usage of the pill. This week I underwent major surgery and had a liver resection to remove the biggest tumour, which at over 7cm was at risk of haemorrhaging. I’ve got two other smaller tumours which will hopefully shrink now I’ve come off the contraceptive pill. I hope my story highlights that hormonal contraception is NOT SAFE!

I have been able to live my life fuller due to the less horrific and heavy periods - now I only have 4 periods a year and it’s now in my control

Yasmin was the best pill for me. I have PCOS and it completely took care of my symptoms like acne. I also had very stable mood and positive mental state with this pill. My periods were light and I used to skip them 3 packets in a row and have only maybe 4 withdrawal bleeds per year. When I tried to extend it to 4 packs, I would often start to get light spotting so I think 3 packs non-stop was optimal for me.

Terrible terrible pill - started in in March 2023, by May 2023 had developed what I know now is POTS. Went to GP they dismissed me so thought it had nothing to do with the pill so kept taking. Constant dizziness, faintness, low BP, high heart rate - constantly felt fatigued. Passed out several times in public - GP again said it's vasovagal syncope and common in young women. Did some research, the progestin drosperinone in the pill is a diuretic and can cause this - no amount of water with salt could fix this either, water would just go straight through me which I think was affecting my BP so much. Also caused extreme dry skin and vaginal dryness, as well as pain during sex (which I think was directly related to the dryness), and emotional fluctuations - in the last few months of being on the pill I felt constantly sad, anything would set me off sobbing and it was terrible. I came off the pill early March 2024, within 2 weeks the POTS like symptoms had gone, my dry skin is slowly getting better and in general feel a lot better in myself. Have had a copper IUD put in. I am not sure if the pill caused weight gain per se, I thought the above had manifested as hypoglacemia as before starting the pill I would not eat much, and thought maybe it was related to blood sugar - I now know this is not the case, and since coming off I have gone back to eating once a day with none of the above issues. I will say it increased my appetite though and I think it made it harder to lose weight - since coming off I have lost 7kg in two weeks.

This was the first pill I've taken and was on it for about 5 months. When I first started it I had the worst breakthrough bleeding and cramps so bad I was bedbound but thought that may be my body just getting used to the hormones as I'd never been on the pill before. However, I breakthrough bled a 'period' every month for a couple weeks whilst not on my break. I had no weight gain or mood changes which was great. This really helped my acne!!! I've struggled with back acne for years and this has improved it drastically. However, I also developed pretty bad eczema all over my body a month into taking it which I haven't had since I was a toddler. I've been off it for a week and it has actually gone down so much.

Only negative for me is it does make me very emotional and I’m not usually an emotional person!

i’ve been on the yasmin pill for about a year now and it’s been amazing! my boobs grew from an AA to a C and i’m no longer struggling with acne

At first Yasmin was great and really cleared up my skin which I loved. However after 2 and a half years my mood had declined and I struggle with anxiety a lot more. Around the time of my pill break I get terrible headaches and nausea. When I start a new pack my anxiety increases massively and makes it hard to function. The worst side effect is I have no libido at all and I feel very flat.

Much better than previous contraception I was on. Having to change to mini pill for health reasons

I was on rigevidon for a few years which I found made me really emotionless and dull. I switched to this one bc of the different type of progesterone and found it gave me quite severe mood swings. I was annoyed with everyone around me and very self critical but then a day later I’d be absolutely fine. There was definitely a big change in my mood between the two pills.

I’ve been off Yasmin now since end of June 2023 and had the jaydess coil fitted in july. I feel so much better mentally and physically for being off it. The more I read about the combined pill the more I wish I had never been on it in the first place. It’s so wrong that drs just prescribe this method of contraception so quickly and to young girls, which alters your hormonal development. I wouldn’t recommend it

First 3 packs were fine, in the 4th i developed SEVERE anxiety panic attacks daily which is SO unlike me, nothing ever stressed me out before. I also cried every day and felt like a completely different person. The anxiety caused me to not be able to drive or work due to lightheadedness and nausea and even just sitting on the sofa i had constant heart palpitations. It was so severe i had 111 on the phone and went to the hospital and i am not one to panic about my health. If you’re experiencing similar symptoms definitely come off this pill.