Yasmin pill vs Gedarel 20/150 pill

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.

Having been on this pill for a year, I noticed that I hadn't felt like myself for a while. I found myself with persistently lower moods. Even during times of joy, the feeling felt dampened. This is the primary reason I decided to stop taking this pill; no contraception is worth losing yourself to! I am still in the early stages of being off this pill, but I feel relieved to have made the choice. It did make my withdrawal bleeds ("periods") very light. However, I do also think it completely suppressed my libido. I (being naive) thought that being on a low dosage pill, I might have fewer symptoms, but it just hasn't worked for me. I just wish there were more non-hormonal options out there.

I had terrible experiences (bouts of acne) around age 17/18 with higher dose pills like Yasmin. Eventually settled on Marvelon and was put onto Gedarel (higher dosage) when there were stock issues. After 2 years I moved to the lower dose of Gedarel, and had a relatively positive experience with it for around 5 years but things have worsened recently. Side effects have been; spots around chin around end of pill pack, some spotting when taking back-to-back, lower sex-drive. More significant side-effects have been water-retention/weight gain and boob size increase. I am now thinking about coming off Gedarel as I have noticed the side effects have become more dramatic and all other things are equal - my boobs change massively in size throughout the course of a pack of pills, they are tender, and my weight is also massively fluctuating (I assume from water retention - between 55 - 60kg within the month). I am very active and generally healthy, if anything I am less stressed and have a healthier lifestyle now than I did a few years ago, yet the frequent changes to my body are making me feel uncomfortable in my own skin.

I have now taken this for a year and the side effects of this pill are more prominent than my previous pill. I bleed and spot after having a break, my sex drive has decreased and I encounter random strong period cramps randomly throughout the month

Positives: 1. in my last year on this my acne was almost none existent, which was a massive an improvement from when I started it. 2. My periods were also shorter (4-5 days), and my last day bleeding was very light. 3. Not 1 pregnancy scare the whole 3 years, completely protected!! Negatives: 1. no sex drive, I was told this wasn’t a result of the pill but of my mood & life. I can vouch this was incorrect because I’m now 3 months off the pill & my sex drive is through the roof. 2. My mood was always flat, I had happy moments but generally life felt pretty grey 3. My heavy period days were just as heavy & crampy as pre-pill. 4. Exhaustion & lower back pain pre-period. 5. Weight gain & obsession with food, always felt hungry. Overall this pill wasn’t bad as I just got used to the symptoms, but since being off it I genuinely cant believe that I was that shell of a person for the 3 years on it, and the 6 years before that that I was on other contraception.

The pill is overall effective in preventing pregnancy, however, in the two years I have been using it, I have been experiencing spotting and unexplained bleeding intermittently. It doesn't happen every single month but is very unpredictable and inconvenient. I would not recommend this if you are after something which gives you regular, consistent periods.

It took a couple of months for initial symptoms to improve after beginning this pill, and I have taken it continuously for all except the first cycle. The first cycle was a disaster, I cried for 48 hours of the pill break, and haven't taken one since! No spotting since then, and I've noticed some weight gain and hair loss but nothing drastic.

I changed to this pill because I was feeling sick on pills with higher oestrogen levels. However, I have been taking this for 2 years now and have noticed severe weight gain. I have gained 14kg in 2 years which is around 2 stone, (28lbs). This has severely impacted my mood and overall quality of life. I have also developed IBS style symptoms over this period of time which have gone unexplained by GPs. I have seen other's post that their pill was responsible so I am beginning to think that this might be the case with me too. Trying to find an alternative at the minute as I want to see if coming off this makes a difference or whether the weight gain and IBS are just my own doing.

Horrendous. Really did not work for me with the anxiety it induced. Made me feel very sick and nauseous. Do not recommend for a first-timer on contraception. Switched to the Evra Patch and that has been a dream compared to this method.

I’ve been on this pill for 5 months now. I took my pill free week for the first 3 months and my withdrawal bleed came on day 4 of the pill free week. It was slightly lighter and less painful than a regular period. I noticed more headaches on the pill free weeks. This month I decided to skip the pill free week and continue taking the pill, as I did not want to have a withdrawal bleed and I did not have any side effects from this. Throughout my time taking this pill, I have had some hair loss and daily abdominal cramps which last a few seconds multiple times a day. I haven’t had any spotting. I have just had slightly more clear/white vaginal discharge. My mood has been low for years, so I can’t really comment on the impact of this pill on it. Overall, Im quite pleased with it and I will continue taking it. Everyone’s body is different and it’s just about trying to find what works for you.

After trying multiple other contraceptions like the implant and other combined pills I’ve found this one gives me the best results with the least side effects. The only side effects I have really noticed is period like cramps and occasional mood swings before my period. I take the pill for 3 months at a time then stop for 7 days as advised by my doctor and this works fine for me. The bleeding does normally break its way through eventually. This pill hasn’t made me feel as abnormally anxious or have as many mood swings as other combined pills.