Copper coil (IUD) vs Combined pill

I know people’s experience differ greatly from insertion, to side effects and even removal, but I guess I was one of the unlucky ones… the insertion was extremely painful and also a very odd experience. I felt extremely faint, and nearly passed out during it. I couldn’t get off the bed for an hour afterwards as I felt like my legs were going to give in. After leaving the room, I had to sit in reception for another 30mins to ensure I won’t pass out on public transport. Also I have never heard of cervical shock/vasovagal syncope, nobody has ever told me about this. I think it should be explained before the procedure. I had very bad cramps for 3 days. On the first night I had another episode of feeling like passing out and shaking violently as if in shock. It was terrifying but I was determined to give it a good go. I had some mild cramping on and off for the rest of the time I had it in and a dull ache at the times I wasn’t cramping. I could also definitely feel it was in there… especially during workouts. My period wasn’t heavier but it lasted 7 days straight and kept spotting until it was taken out (my periods usually last 3 days). 3 weeks after insertion I had another episode of ‘shock’ accompanied by extreme pain, so I had to lie on the floor for an hour and then go to A&E to see if it could have got dislodged as the pain was very severe. They couldn’t do a scan even after a 9hr wait as the registrar wasn’t available so hoping for the best I decided to wait until 3 days later when the clinic had availability for removal. The removal hurt just as much as insertion but for a shorter period of time, and only felt slightly faint for a bit afterwards. There were some cramps for the next 48hrs but more bearable (like a light period) and some spotting. I knew I was feeling unwell while it was in, but only once it was taken out did I realise just how much pain I was in constantly. I wish it worked, and it’s great it does for some people but it was not for me. :(

I used this contraception for 4 years from 2019- 2023. Firstly, it made my periods extremely heavy and painful to the point where i was unable to do usual daily activities . Would also bleed during sex consistently. However, i ignored these side effects because it was doing what it needs to do and preventing pregnancy and i was afraid to use hormonal birth control . When i went to the doctors about bleeding issues they would just tell me its a normal side effect from the copper IUD. However this year i found i was pregnant with the IUD still working not expired and in place so essentially it failed for whatever unknown reason. Now apparently this is very rare to happen, but it happened to me and it has happened to other people. No health care professionals would take the coil out because i was pregnant and as a result of this i ended up miscarrying with the coil still in place, which was very painful and i bled heavily for a month after. It was very difficult to get it taken out, as apparently there was a struggle to find the placement. Eventually it was taken out a month after the miscarriage. Since having it taken out i have been using the combined pill for 3 months which has made my periods less heavy and much less painful. My advice would be to anyone who is afraid of using hormonal contraception like i was to just try it. As it turns out that non hormonal contraception can cause just as many issues if not more issues than hormonal contraception can. However it is important to remember that everyone is different. Ultimately, i would definitely not recommend this contraception especially if you haven’t tried hormonal alternatives.

Getting the coil in was fine, obviously wasn’t the most comfortable thing but my nurse was amazing and I didn’t feel much pain. The next day I had period like cramps then they went away with some ibuprofen. Sex drive was so increased and boobs have grown bigger, only down fall is the periods are quite painful but that was outlined to me in my consultation and it was my choice to receive it. Everything else has been perfect.

I didn’t experience any major side effects on this pill. My mood was better when compared to other pills

This pill was pretty seamless for me. It did not affect my moods or skin. My periods were very light, lasted a few days with little to no cramps. My libido suffered significantly and this symptom worsened as time went on which is the reason I switched to a non-hormonal method. Other than this, it was a great option for me.

I have endometriosis and adenomyosis and was put on microgynon by my gynaecologist. I was happy at first because my severe and constant pain disappeared (and only reappeared during my period, and even then it was only 10% of the pain I used to experience. However, the negative side effects unfortunately didn’t make the lack of pain worth it. My mental health (which was already quite terrible as I suffer from OCD and anxiety) crumbled. I was depressed and had CONSTANT mood swings. I was irritable, always in a bad mood and snapping at my husband. I also felt like a zombie, unable to focus on anything and feeling so disconnected and dissociated. I also put on water weight. I’m a small woman who runs a lot, so it was definitely linked to the pill. After doing some research, I asked my doctor to switch me to Eloine, and so far it’s been AMAZING. My mood has stabilised and I honestly feel the happiest and most connected to the world I have in a long time. I think Eloine has balanced out my endometriosis-induced hormonal imbalances and I feel amazing. For context, I’ve tried 4 types of combined pill: microgynon (androgenic), cimiszt (less androgenic), millinette and femodene (also less androgenic). I’ve also tried the mini pill cerazette and I was on the implant for 1 year. All of these made my mental health crumble and I spent 8 years of my life (18-25) battling with deciding between having bad mental health or having endo pain. Don’t try microgynon!!!!! And do research into the different types of combined pill. I never researched and just took what the dr gave me. The Lowdown really helped me research!

Overall had a very negative experience, especially with my mental health. I had severe anxiety. It works for lots of women, but not for everyone.

So far I don't have a bad word to say about this pill! This is the second combined pill I've tried after being on Microgynon 30 for about 6 months a couple of years ago. The experience I had on Microgynon was very negative and scared me out of trying any other combined pills until I read up about Drovelis. I'm in a long term relationship and only on the pill for contraception reasons, so slightly improved skin is just considered a bonus for me! It's nice to have found a pill that actually positively affects my mood rather than negatively impacts it like Microgynon did for me. I also lost my sex drive completely on Microgynon, but have been pleasantly surprised that I haven't had the same experience with Drovelis. I would even say it's improved my orgasm experience and feel like I get more aroused than I used to before being on pill - which I didn't expect at all! The only negative I've found with Drovelis is the occasional spotting when taking the active pills. This happened around month 3-4 of taking it but it seems to be happening less now. The spotting isn't heavy enough to use a pad or a liner but isn't ideal (hence the 4 stars). I feel like this is a great pill to try if the older generations don't work for you :)

I’ve got prescribed drovelis because I have irregular periods and my acne got extremely worse during the last 3 months. I’m now at the end of my second dose of drovelis and unfortunately my skin hasn’t recovered or got better yet. Actually I think it is quite worse and painful. Although the pill didn’t change my lifestyle and my period are regular now. I hope someone who had really bad acne to come forward with their experience because I’m starting to lose hope.

I've been taking Lucette for 14 months after being contraceptive free for 3 years. I haven't noticed major differences at all, however I do feel a slight mental dullness/brain fog as you usually do with the pill which is annoying but that's just part of the side effects. Overall I'm happy with it and wouldn't change to another pill! It's also helped my acne prone skin a lot

I have endometriosis and I'm mid-gynae referral so we're in the position of trying the pill to reduce my endo symptoms. I tried Millinette and it was awful (really anxious and bad headaches) so we switched to Zoely. It's not prescribed much near me so we had a real struggle getting hold of it. After I started taking it the first thing I noticed was there were no headaches and my mood/anxiety felt fine so that was really good. The downside was being unable to get through 2 packs without spotting, the intention was to take 2 or 3 packs back-to-back to keep my periods at bay, but my body just decided it was going to bleed when it wanted, so I ended up having to break halfway through every second pack. My periods on this were actually MORE painful, and I found that I had sharp cramps most days but just for a minute or so. I've persevered but had to stop because it's completely out of stock on the NHS. So now I'm switching to Lucette and I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Very minimal side effects so far (3 months)

Very helpful for my acne and confidence, but my mood noticeably changed to feeling numb quite often. I’ve felt very physically and mentally tired over the last 13 months, but can’t remember a time before then. Great at stopping my periods for 4 months, before I breakthrough bleed and take a break. When I do bleed, it is extremely heavy, but it is less painful.