Female condom vs Progestogen-only / Mini pill

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Female condom

Add your Female condom review

Progestogen-only / Mini pill

£From £0.22/day

Overview

Rated 3.5

4 reviews

During or before sex

Frequency

79% - 95%

Effectiveness

None

Blood clot risk

None

Effect on fertility

Rated 2.7

1425 reviews

Daily

Frequency

91% - 99+%

Effectiveness

None

Blood clot risk

None

Effect on fertility

Female condom ingredients

Female condoms (sometimes referred to as a Femidom) are soft thin pouches that are made of a thin
strong plastic called polyurethane
a substance called nitrile
or latex.

Progestogen-only / Mini pill ingredients

Main hormones in Progestogen-only / Mini pill

progestogen

What Lowdown reviewers say

100% no impact on mood

100% no change

100% no impact

100% no impact

100% no impact on skin

Cycle return

100% don’t know impact

32% somewhat negative

44% stopped periods

49% lost sex drive

44% no impact

46% no impact on skin

Cycle return

38% don’t know impact

Benefits: What this contraceptive can help with

Protects against STIs

Period pain

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Add your Female condom review

Try it now

£From £0.22/day

Check out our latest reviews

Real life reviews from people like you

Female condom reviews

4 reviews

Female condom  
Used for 1 - 3 mo
Lowdown user
🇬🇧 UK
  •  8th Feb 24

Female condom  

Same as the male condom, has no side effects and will protect from STIs and pregnancy! The only thing its a little fiddly to get on and if you don't react well to latex then not ideal!

Read more

Top side effects not reported

0 helpful

0 comments

Female condom  
Used for 6 - 12 mo
Lowdown user
🇬🇧 UK
  •  19th Jan 22

Female condom  

These condoms prevent me from getting UTIs, I can't have sex without them! I think it's because the part of the condom that sticks out covers my urethra and prevents bacteria from spreading. They're a little hard to use at first, and some brands are better than others, but I highly recommend them to everyone.


Top side effects not reported

3 helpful

0 comments

Female condom  
Used for 1 - 3 mo
Lowdown user
🇬🇧 UK
  •  26th Apr 21

Female condom  

Tried it a couple times with different partners. Mixed reactions. I practiced inserting prior to anything, so it was easy, especially after a couple of tries. Sex felt no different for me and one of the partners. One didn't like the appearance and the other the feel. One thing I love is that it doesn't have that nasty latex smell! You can also use any lube. Overall, I think it is a great option for many people, but (like everything) you should try it a few times for yourself. Also great if you run into situations where the guy is resisting wearing a condom himself.


Top side effects not reported

2 helpful

0 comments

Female condom  
Used for 1 - 3 mo
Lowdown user
🇬🇧 UK
  •  8th Feb 24

Female condom  

Same as the male condom, has no side effects and will protect from STIs and pregnancy! The only thing its a little fiddly to get on and if you don't react well to latex then not ideal!


Top side effects not reported

0 helpful

0 comments

Female condom  
Used for 6 - 12 mo
Lowdown user
🇬🇧 UK
  •  19th Jan 22

Female condom  

These condoms prevent me from getting UTIs, I can't have sex without them! I think it's because the part of the condom that sticks out covers my urethra and prevents bacteria from spreading. They're a little hard to use at first, and some brands are better than others, but I highly recommend them to everyone.


Top side effects not reported

3 helpful

0 comments

Female condom  
Used for 1 - 3 mo
Lowdown user
🇬🇧 UK
  •  26th Apr 21

Female condom  

Tried it a couple times with different partners. Mixed reactions. I practiced inserting prior to anything, so it was easy, especially after a couple of tries. Sex felt no different for me and one of the partners. One didn't like the appearance and the other the feel. One thing I love is that it doesn't have that nasty latex smell! You can also use any lube. Overall, I think it is a great option for many people, but (like everything) you should try it a few times for yourself. Also great if you run into situations where the guy is resisting wearing a condom himself.


Top side effects not reported

2 helpful

0 comments


Progestogen-only / Mini pill reviews

1425 reviews

Progestogen-only / Mini pill  
Used for 3 - 6 mo
25 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  1 week ago

Cerelle pill  

I have been using the pill for around 6 months and I keep getting irregular bleeding whilst taking the pill. I take my pill everyday but somehow seem to bleed anyway it’s not spotting as people say it’s heavier like a normal period. It changed my mood within seconds and keeps giving me my Period every 2-3 weeks.


Somewhat negative mood

1 more effect

0 helpful

0 comments

Progestogen-only / Mini pill  
Used for 1 - 3 mo
29 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  2 weeks ago

Lovima pill  

After years of being on no contraception I decided to give the Mini Pill another go. It worked for me several years ago but began impacting my mental health so I stopped. This time round I have been more in tune with my body. The first 3-5 days I had itchy nipples. I’ve gained 4kg in a month and my diet hasn’t changed. I have had a headache and neck pain since day one, if I didn’t keep on top of pain relief it would come back. I already have acne prone skin which has took years to get under control and within the first week I developed cystic acne. I’ve felt myself snapping at others in my house over silly things and also felt unable to make decisions. They say to give it 3 months to settle into your system but it’s a no go for me. I cannot deal with the daily head and neck pain, acne and mood issues - so back to condoms we go.


Somewhat negative mood

3 more effects

0 helpful

0 comments

Progestogen-only / Mini pill  
Used for 12 - 18 mo
30 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  2 weeks ago

Cerazette pill  

Everything seems ok only issue is that period has fully stopped. Unsure if i should be concerned.


Improved skin

0 helpful

0 comments

Progestogen-only / Mini pill  
Used for 3 - 6 mo
25 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  1 week ago

Cerelle pill  

I have been using the pill for around 6 months and I keep getting irregular bleeding whilst taking the pill. I take my pill everyday but somehow seem to bleed anyway it’s not spotting as people say it’s heavier like a normal period. It changed my mood within seconds and keeps giving me my Period every 2-3 weeks.


Somewhat negative mood

1 more effect

0 helpful

0 comments

Progestogen-only / Mini pill  
Used for 1 - 3 mo
29 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  2 weeks ago

Lovima pill  

After years of being on no contraception I decided to give the Mini Pill another go. It worked for me several years ago but began impacting my mental health so I stopped. This time round I have been more in tune with my body. The first 3-5 days I had itchy nipples. I’ve gained 4kg in a month and my diet hasn’t changed. I have had a headache and neck pain since day one, if I didn’t keep on top of pain relief it would come back. I already have acne prone skin which has took years to get under control and within the first week I developed cystic acne. I’ve felt myself snapping at others in my house over silly things and also felt unable to make decisions. They say to give it 3 months to settle into your system but it’s a no go for me. I cannot deal with the daily head and neck pain, acne and mood issues - so back to condoms we go.


Somewhat negative mood

3 more effects

0 helpful

0 comments

Progestogen-only / Mini pill  
Used for 12 - 18 mo
30 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  2 weeks ago

Cerazette pill  

Everything seems ok only issue is that period has fully stopped. Unsure if i should be concerned.


Improved skin

0 helpful

0 comments

Progestogen-only / Mini pill  
Used for 3 - 5 yr
28 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  2 weeks ago

Zelleta pill  

It's great to stop your period but after being on it for a long time losing weight is almost impossible.


Somewhat negative mood

3 more effects

0 helpful

0 comments

Progestogen-only / Mini pill  
Used for 1 - 3 mo
39 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  2 weeks ago

Slynd pill  

Started taking Slynd to help with heavy periods and cramping. First month was fine, felt a little extra emotional. Second month I got my period two weeks before I was supposed to and I am still bleeding after two weeks. Crazy cramping, clotting, heavy bleeding. Had a day or two in there that was light or medium. Poking around on Reddit this seems quite common. Most people stop, not a lot of folks talking about continuing and it levelling out. Waiting to see.


Somewhat negative mood

0 helpful

0 comments

Progestogen-only / Mini pill  
Used for 3 - 6 mo
34 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  2 weeks ago

Slynd pill  

Constant low mood, lack of energy and motivation, brain fog, bloating, cramping most of the month, breakthrough bleeding data 10 - 22 of pills for 3 months.


Somewhat negative mood

2 more effects

0 helpful

0 comments

Progestogen-only / Mini pill  
Used for 3 - 6 mo
28 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  3 weeks ago

Desogestrel pill  

I was put on this pill to manage endometriosis. I had clear skin for years, and after around a month of desogetrel I experienced a massive flare up in cystic acne on chin and cheeks. I also gained 6 kilos in 3 months. I would not recommend.


Worse skin

1 more effect

0 helpful

0 comments

Progestogen-only / Mini pill  
Used for 12 - 18 mo
30 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  1 month ago

Cerelle pill  

I had break through bleeding most weeks for my first 6 months of this pill, then everything was great, however for my final 5 months of the pill I bled again every single day. I decided to come off as it was negatively effecting my mood from the bleeding and also felt zero emotions towards sex or excitement - just felt generally 'meh'.


Decreased sex drive

1 more effect

2 helpful

0 comments

Progestogen-only / Mini pill  
Used for 6 - 12 mo
26 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  1 month ago

Cerazette pill  

I´m having a great experience but im loosing too much hair.


Somewhat negative mood

2 more effects

1 helpful

0 comments

Progestogen-only / Mini pill  
Used for 6 - 12 mo
23 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  1 month ago

Desogestrel pill  

I went on desogestrel twice. The first time I noticed it made me cry extremely easily, and I bled pretty much constantly for 9 months. Then I came off it. When I tried it again for a few months, I had a similar experience, with the added side effect of being so hungry that if I wasn't constantly snacking I was insanely nauseous. Ultimately, it was the bleeding that made me stop it.


Very negative mood

3 more effects

1 helpful

0 comments

Contraceptive alternatives and comparisons

Compare the Female condom with other contraceptives

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