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

The only down fall is low iron this has caused debilitating fatigue, so be prepare to have to maybe take iron supplements

I got the Kyleena coil fitted in Jan 2025 - just for reference I am a 5"3 23yr old without ever given birth - the insertion was very uncomfortable but not the worst ever, I did it with my sexual health clinic as I find they are more patient and kind rather than a quick GP / hosp appointment. My 11 months with the coil were overall great, except extreme contraction like pain and very occasional periods that would either last hours or a day. I didn't bleed every month but would get the odd few days of a period, quite unpredictable. I got a scan in July time just to make sure it was in the right place due to the amount of pain I was getting, and was all fine. In November 2025 I suddenly got excruciating pain and was told the coil has moved (perhaps explains the contraction pain throughout the year, I presume my body was rejecting it). Thankfully I pushed for another scan otherwise I would've kept having unprotected sex lol. Despite all the above, I am getting another one fitted because it is a trusty bit of contraception - just be aware if you experience a lot of pain in the lower tummy, to get it checked out!!

I may have only had mine for 6 weeks but am currently very happy with my decision. Decided to get it to prevent a potential pregnancy as the morning after pill was potentially not going to be effective for where I was in my cycle. The insertion was uncomfortable as expected but the nurses were phenomenal, i was given a lidocaine gel and they talked me through every step. Had 24hrs of quite hefty cramps and light bleeding post insertion and it triggered my period early a few days later which was longer and heavier than my usual, but since then things have got back to normal in terms of my cycle length and symptoms I usually experience throughout and my next period came on time. Yes it’s heavier, a bit longer and the cramps are sometimes tough, but with a good regimen of painkillers, hot water bottles and being kinder to myself, i would take that over the risk of pregnancy any day. My partner doesn’t feel the strings when we have sex either. Will update in a few months 😊

I’m generally happy but I was looking for a contraceptive that did not reduce my sex drive and that mission was failed. I tried the coil for 5 years and found that at the end, as it wore off, I started to get my sex drive back and was hoping to keep it. I was recommended the mini pill as a good option by my GP but it still doesn’t work for me. No interest in sex at all.

I feel like the mini-pill has changed my life. I used to get so many painful spots on my chin, but now they are cleared up. I have noticed my boobs getting bigger and a bit more sore, and I don't if it is linked, but I am getting cystitis more, but honestly, the impact it has had on my moods has been positive. My periods are non-existence and I just feel like a whole different person (in a good way). I have looked at photos of me when I was off hormonal contraception and I just don't even recognise her. I kind of feel like the mini pill has balanced my hormones (even though the intention of using it was to not get pregnant)

Started to take them again and noticed that I've been having breast pain for weeks now, alongside this I'm much more tearful. Period cramps were somewhat unbearable.

I’ve tried pretty much every form of contraception within 15 years. Implant x3, injection, mini pills, copper coil. The hormonal ones gave me irregular periods and vaginal dryness and the copper coil gave me chronic BV. Since taking Slynd I’ve had none of this. Skin is fine, weight is fine, periods are regular, lighter, shorter. They do not align with the sugar pills but that’s fine. Initially they were a bit irregular but they settled down. Easy to use and remember due to the little packs and stickers they give you. Overall very happy, and can’t say I’ve noticed any side effects. I do already have some symptoms for other health concerns I’m looking into but it’s not made anything worse, and this was pre existing stuff anyway. Might not work for everyone but if you’ve had issues with other contraceptives like me and you don’t want to rely on condoms then I’d give it a go.

I was constantly bleeding and around the third month I started seeing a pattern emerging that essentially flipped my natural cycle: three weeks of bleeding, 4–5 days off, three weeks of bleeding, a couple of days off. It had a bad impact on my mental health, made me feel exhausted most of the time and killed my sex drive, ultimately leading to a breakup.

When I was on it I was really pleased with how it was going. I felt balanced due to no periods and lack of mood swings etc. It felt great to not have periods and have that interruption on my life each month. What I didn’t realise until after I came off it after many years of using this pill, the implant and another pill previously was the affect it had had on my arousal/libido, I had always put this down to anxiety, but I feel very confident in saying now that having a true cycle has made a huge difference to this. When on the pill (especially the mini pill) I felt broken as to why I didn’t ever think about sex, but that changed almost instantly when I stopped. I wish I had known how much this would have impacted this. I would use it again, but I would be cautious of this change.

I have suspected endometriosis and this has been life-changing for me because it's completely stopped my periods! However, it's also given me spotting after sex and bouts of stubborn thrush. The thrush almost made me quit, but the benefits (no periods or crippling cramps) outweigh the cons. I'm also happy that it hasn't affected my mood at all because previous pills made me extremely depressed.

I was so scared to go on this pill because of the mounds of negative stuff on it online as well as my own medical anxiety but it’s the best thing I ever did. Went on it at 17 due to heavy painful long periods and for the first like 6 months? I spotted every day. Which no isn’t ideal but it wasn’t painful. After those 6 months I have not bled or had any period since. My general anxiety has decreased so much after being on the pill and my overall mood. No side effects except maybe a small weight gain. Don’t let bad reviews put you off, this pill works for so many people, it changed me and my friends life for the better

I'm not really sure how I feel about this pill. I've been on the combined pill for the last four years, and had to switch suddenly because one of my doctors said that I cannot take it anymore due to chronic migraines (without aura). One of the main reasons I started birth control was for the awful hormonal acne I've had since the age of 9. I've spent almost my entire life attempting to get clear skin, and managed to do so while I was within a few months of taking the combined pill. Now, I've had some of the worst breakouts ever since I was first going through puberty mainly around the cheek and jaw. Deep, blind pimples that stay there for days without coming to a head, and, when they do come to a head they take ages to go away. Even smaller pimples take around a week, maybe two, to heal fully. They'll scar over and stay there indefinitely. I am extremely diligent with my skincare, I stick to the same rotation of products and generally take good care of myself, so this has completely ruined my confidence. Not to mention the horror of viewing my face underneath dim lighting to see all the closed comedones threatening to crawl out of my skin. I say I'm not sure about this pill because the amount of pimples I get are around 3-4 at once, but as aforementioned, they take absolutely forever to heal which has never happened to me before. I have combination skin, so already the pores around my T-zone are slightly larger than most people's due to this and genetic factors, but some days I physically cannot stand to look at them in the mirror. Ever since starting this pill I swear I've had pores that literally look like dents in the size of my nose and it is HORRIFYING. It is so devastating to spend so much time and effort working on skincare for it to not matter because of hormones. I can only pray that as time goes on my body gets used to the pill and my skin doesn't look like this anymore. Another thing is that I definitely feel I'm sweating a lot more, having to re-apply deodorant much more frequently than before.

I have endometriosis and wanted something that would stop my period and ovulation, slynd did this but it also gave me such low blood pressure I was having pins and needles in my extremities, I had crippling anxiety, felt like I was on the edge of a panic attack constantly, intense chest pain to the point I had a full ecg to be sure my heart was ok, I was constipated, I had no sex drive and couldn’t reach orgasm most of the time even alone, I also had irritation and dryness down there and overall it was just awful I wouldn’t wish this pill on anyone. If you have high blood pressure it might help but low is a bad move