Copper coil (IUD) vs Progestogen-only / Mini pill

Amazing option for non-hormonal contraception. Yes it does hurt a lot to insert & my period is heavier but i think it outweighs any mental/physical changes other options have. My biggest & only issue is thrush! I get it every single month and no one warned me. Looking to get this sorted because it’s become a challenge and so frustrating.

I wanted to get a contraception that was hormone free as I’d been on the implant since I was 18 and by the end of it my mental health had definitely taken a toll (my anxiety was unpredictable and awful!), as well as experiencing regular spotting. I went for the copper coil and the experience was pretty straight forward - I didn’t take painkillers beforehand because it was 9am (would not recommend getting the coil fitted at this time haha) but the lady gave me a numbing cream of some sort without me even asking which I appreciated. The pain was pretty bad but in an achey way - when she inserted it I could feel my uterus cramp up. I could barely walk home because it felt like the worst period cramp in the world and I got home and took some painkillers and cried it out for a few hours. I wouldn’t say this deterred me though and honestly I would recommend what the GP told me which is a mix of ibuprofen and paracetamol the day you’re getting it inserted. After this day, it was fine and an amazing decision. My hormones go up and down when they’re supposed to and I follow my cycle pretty accurately which is fun for a change! My periods are heavy on one day out of four or five that I’m bleeding, but nothing I can’t handle!

As I was reading these reviews before getting mine inserted I thought I’d give back by sharing my own experience also. I am writing this while very fresh in mind and I have only had it for a few days, so I cannot comment on long term effect yet. As I was mentally preparing to have it inserted, I was quite scared due to the many comments on how painful it would be to have inserted. What was not clear to me was the difference in terms of whether you have previously given birth or not. I could truely barely feel it at all and had no pain relief. I have given birth 2 times, and as late as 9 weeks ago. Wanted to share this as my physician also informed me that (here, Denmark) we only give pain relief to those who have not yet given birth. Other than that I experienced a little bit of slight bleeding for 1,5 days. Another thing worth commenting on is that you can feel the copper strings after insertion, so you can self-check that it is sitting right and in place. Hope my experiences also gives some comfort to someone else 😊

Did not enjoy this pill! Tried for around 5 months, mood was poor and crying very easily or completely numb! Skin got bad at first but then was okay! Gained weight around increase by a dress size or two, felt bloated constantly and breast size increased but sore! Vaginal dryness was extreme was even sore to walk and have thrush twice in this 5 month period! Was spotting pretty much constantly and obviously unable to track periods with it being a continuous pill and they were irregular.

there will always be side effects to any contraceptive pill, but if it wotks, it works

Was on this pill for about 4/5 months. Positives were that it got rid of any cramps/ period symptoms - great as I was previously prescribed meds for dysmenorrhea. However, it gave me constant spotting and light bleeding - I bled for about 75% of the time while on this pill and it didn’t get any better. Doctor recommended that I doubled dose (from 75 to 150mg) - this killed my sex drive and didn’t fix the bleeding issue, so I eventually came off.

I had an unpleasant experience using Cerelle. It was the first birth control I tried and wasn't given any other options or choice by the GP at the time. I had a 2month long heavy and painful period, worsened skin, hair loss, severe backne to name a few side effects. Really bad experience for me sadly. Having now tried over 10 other birth control pills- mini and combined, I learned that I am very sensitive to progesterone so the mini pill just isn't for me sadly. I'm now on the Patch and loving it.

I got put on this pill when i had a miscarriage, i get worried from time to time about my period. I have the flo app and i’m on my period about every 2 weeks, but it’s not exactly a period it’s just very very light and lasts for longer then a period should last this only started happening when i missed a pill for a day and the next day took 2 of them so it didn’t screw the pill up in my body and it has so it worries me. I’ve also put on so much weight using the pill.

I was 30 when I started this for anyone wanting reference and have had three children. I suffered from horrific period and ovulation pain coupled with ovarian cysts. I had tried many different forms of contraception but I cannot take estrogen as it gives me Hyperemesis Gravidarum, not uncommon in those who have also experienced it in pregnancy, which I did. The first three months weren’t great, mood was all over the place and libido plummeted but after that it levelled out and I’m glad I waited it out. My periods stopped almost immediately and so did my ovulation pain. As I usually got ovarian cysts that burst at the time of ovulation, that’s pretty much stopped too and I’ve gone from having cysts burst monthly, to maybe once or twice a year. It’s dramatically improved my quality of life and I’m so happy on it. What with it being desogestrel, it has a 12 hour time window, so if you forget to take it at your usual time, as long as you take it in the 12 hours following, you’ll still be protected. I’m usually fine as I take it first thing, but it’s always good to know.

Having never tried the mini-pill before, for the couple of months I finally thought I'd found the right contraception for me. Unfortunately, after about three months of taking it my periods became irregular, and I ended up having a really long period followed by two months of having no period. The issue was every time I had a period, the period itself would last longer and longer each time. After one period that lasted over two weeks and made me feel exhausted and anxious, I decided to stop taking it. They weren't light periods either, they were heavy with clots. Such a shame as I felt pretty good for the first couple of months, much better than I had done on any combined pill I had taken.

Switched to Zelleta (Desogestrel) from the combined pill because of side effects. Had one unusually long period (9 days) one month after starting Zelleta, after that my periods stopped completely and I only had minor spotting every now and then which almost completely disappeared over time. I gradually noticed a complete loss of sex drive which bothered me a lot and I ended up switching to non-hormonal contraception instead because of this.

I was on Rigevidon for about 8 years and got on really well with it. After starting with migraines with aura, I had to change to a mini pill. I can’t believe the difference in my mental health, weight, spots. Everything has just taken a down hill. I’ve been bleeding nearly constantly for the last month, so I’m going to have to find something new. On top of that, my sex drive is low, mood is low, always tired, spots all over my back and shoulders and weight gain.

I took this for endometriosis, but not worth it because of facial hair growth. I had breakthrough bleeding every 4-6 months for about 4-5 days, fairly light and not too painful. My sex drive and weight were unaffected, however I got thick dark hair on my stomach, inner thighs, chest and face. This destroyed my self esteem so my mood was obviously low. After stopping the hair did not revert back which is common so I had electrolysis which took care of it. Then 2 years later I went back on this pill stupidly to try and help the endometriosis, the hair came back within 2 months. I have since stopped this pill, spent even more money on electrolysis and have had no issues after regarding that. It took about 3-5 months for my cycle to regulate after coming off birth control. I’m thinking about trying slynd as it is supposed to be anti androgenise, we’ll see.