Gynefix vs Combined pill
Need help choosing? Speak to a doctor
Gynefix ingredients
Combined pill ingredients
Main hormones in Combined pill
progestogen
oestrogen
What Lowdown reviewers say
Check out our latest reviews
Real life reviews from people like you
Gynefix reviews
8 reviews
Used for 18 mo - 3 yr
28 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 25th Feb 24
I really enjoy using this type of contraceptive method as it doesn’t involve me using medications and as my body has gone through and still going through a lot of physical changes with endo/pcos, I felt it was best to use this method (correctly) and use my Flo app to track my cycle which has been a easy and effective method for me personally. It can become scary at times as my period has changed a lot after birth and isn’t like clockwork anymore so sometimes I have been in positions where my period is late but this is due to hormonal levels changing. Really happy with this FAM as it’s natural and effective when used correctly.
Top side effects not reported
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 1 - 3 mo
25 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 10th Dec 23
Mortimer Market centre in London offer this service. You are required to undergo an internal ultrasound to check that your uterus is suitable for the Gynefix. When they did this they said that I was unable to have it inserted, which came as a massive surprise. Just thought that anyone who is thinking of having it should know that they may not be suitable for it!
Top side effects not reported
1 helpful
1 comments
Used for 6 - 12 mo
28 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 21st Jun 23
Overall the IUD is good, but periods are longer, sometimes up until eight days. Also fatigue before period has increased a lot.
Top side effects not reported
1 helpful
1 comments
Used for 18 mo - 3 yr
28 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 25th Feb 24
I really enjoy using this type of contraceptive method as it doesn’t involve me using medications and as my body has gone through and still going through a lot of physical changes with endo/pcos, I felt it was best to use this method (correctly) and use my Flo app to track my cycle which has been a easy and effective method for me personally. It can become scary at times as my period has changed a lot after birth and isn’t like clockwork anymore so sometimes I have been in positions where my period is late but this is due to hormonal levels changing. Really happy with this FAM as it’s natural and effective when used correctly.
Top side effects not reported
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 1 - 3 mo
25 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 10th Dec 23
Mortimer Market centre in London offer this service. You are required to undergo an internal ultrasound to check that your uterus is suitable for the Gynefix. When they did this they said that I was unable to have it inserted, which came as a massive surprise. Just thought that anyone who is thinking of having it should know that they may not be suitable for it!
Top side effects not reported
1 helpful
1 comments
Used for 6 - 12 mo
28 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 21st Jun 23
Overall the IUD is good, but periods are longer, sometimes up until eight days. Also fatigue before period has increased a lot.
Top side effects not reported
1 helpful
1 comments
Combined pill reviews
2355 reviews
Used for 3 - 5 yr
20 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 3 days ago
started this pill when i was 16 for heavy irregular periods. really helped regulate them + shortened them from 7 days to 5! tbh i think it made them a little more painful though came off it after 3 years because my skin randomly got a lot worse after being clear for the duration of using it - got really painful hormonal spots on my chin but all in all a great starter pill for me! i’m pretty sure it sorted out my mood swings too lol but not sure cos it was aaaaaages ago
Top side effects not reported
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 3 - 6 mo
20 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 3 days ago
switched from levest because of my skin, i think it’s cleared up my skin a bit (i have a better skincare routine now tho so could be that too), but ive been spotting quite a bit in the last few months. periods have gotten less painful which is good! boobs also got bigger ;) sex drive went down a bit, moods have always been all over the place tbh LOL
Top side effects not reported
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 8+ yr
35 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 3 days ago
I've been happy with this pill for 17 years. It regulates my periods, and gives me much less period pain. I have adenomyosis (similar to Endo) and it has kept symptoms at bay. I have never got pregnant on it. The only negative side effect I feel, is that I'd say the top 3% of my happiness is shaved off, but I don't notice it day to day.
Top side effects not reported
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 3 - 5 yr
20 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 3 days ago
started this pill when i was 16 for heavy irregular periods. really helped regulate them + shortened them from 7 days to 5! tbh i think it made them a little more painful though came off it after 3 years because my skin randomly got a lot worse after being clear for the duration of using it - got really painful hormonal spots on my chin but all in all a great starter pill for me! i’m pretty sure it sorted out my mood swings too lol but not sure cos it was aaaaaages ago
Top side effects not reported
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 3 - 6 mo
20 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 3 days ago
switched from levest because of my skin, i think it’s cleared up my skin a bit (i have a better skincare routine now tho so could be that too), but ive been spotting quite a bit in the last few months. periods have gotten less painful which is good! boobs also got bigger ;) sex drive went down a bit, moods have always been all over the place tbh LOL
Top side effects not reported
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 8+ yr
35 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 3 days ago
I've been happy with this pill for 17 years. It regulates my periods, and gives me much less period pain. I have adenomyosis (similar to Endo) and it has kept symptoms at bay. I have never got pregnant on it. The only negative side effect I feel, is that I'd say the top 3% of my happiness is shaved off, but I don't notice it day to day.
Top side effects not reported
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 1 - 3 mo
18 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 4 days ago
I started this birth control as my very first form of contraception. I was put off by the thought of breakthrough bleeding on the mini pill, so my doctor put me on microgynon without much thought. The first month was fine, although very quickly I started to get terrible headaches which continued until I stopped taking the pill altogether. After around the first month I vaguely noticed i’d be in a bad mood all the time - I was either very snappy and grumpy, or my emotions were very ‘muffled’ and I didn’t feel much of anything. It’s very hard to describe, but I wouldn’t feel happy or excited - i’d just feel low and ‘nothing’ all the time. I didn’t enjoy hobbies I liked before, and I wasn’t interested in anything. I think the craziest side effect I randomly realised was that I felt way less affectionate towards my boyfriend. I wasn’t interested in being cuddly with him, kissing him, ect. Honestly it’s the main reason I wanted to get off microgynon. Along with the headaches and mood, my sex drive disappeared completely (and I naturally have a very high sex drive), i’d experience brain fog all the time, and I felt immense fatigue. I’m diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome so I assumed it was just that, but the tiredness I felt was nothing like i’d ever felt before, and I feel much better now that i’m off the pill. I’d be too exhausted to even get out of bed, and if I did manage to go outside i’d feel faint and dizzy. The positives were that I didn’t get pregnant (we didn’t use any other form of contraception and didn’t use the pull out method, although I did take a pregnancy test every few weeks to be safe), and I was able to control when i’d bleed. I’ve always had extremely painful periods where i’d throw up and almost pass out from the pain, but the bleeds were very light during my breaks and the cramps were tolerable. I would take the packs continuously for 3 months and then have a 4 day bleed, and didn’t have any cramping or breakthrough bleeding at all. Altogether I found microgynon to be a good form of contraception, the side effects were enough for me to come off it.
Top side effects not reported
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 6 - 12 mo
23 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 5 days ago
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.
Top side effects not reported
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 3 - 6 mo
20 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 2 weeks ago
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.
Top side effects not reported
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 6 - 12 mo
16 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 3 weeks ago
Used for 9 months and at the start I really liked it kept my periods regular but I did notice they became longer. They lasted around 8 days long and became more heavy. Went on this pill to help with the heaviness and the pain but it didn’t help either. In the last 3 months of taking it I began getting random sharp pains that weren’t like cramps they were right at the enterence of the vagina and they became more and more regular to the point it was multiple times a day.
Top side effects not reported
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 1 - 3 mo
16 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 3 weeks ago
Within a week of taking cilique I became extremely bloated way more then normal, all of my jeans felt way tighter then usual and everyone knows their own body so when your body changes you can notice it easily. My appetite severely decreased and my boobs got tender and swollen it became uncomfortable. I normally take my pill at 4pm and when I was on my old pill if I took it a few hours later nothing would happen but I forgot and took it at 8pm and got breakthrough bleeding, even after taking my pill at 8pm and the next day on time I still had the bleeding. Also noticed I felt very faint around 6pm on the day I was late to taking it and also got cramps. I know this is a lot of information but it is really helpful to know the symptoms others get for a certain pill. I’ve decided to stop taking this as I really don’t like it and don’t recommend it but other reviews have said they suggest cilique so I’d say try it and see what works for you.
Top side effects not reported
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 8+ yr
35 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 3 weeks ago
I stuck with Brevinor for years as I found the side effects manageable until I started to have migraine with aura, then the doctor moved me to the mini pill. I was put on this form of combination pill to help with acne and it did improve my skin. My periods were light and mood changes were minimal. In the end, it was hard to source this pill as Pfizer turned their attention to the COVID-19 vaccinations, so stopped manufacturing this pill, which at the time, was a shame.
Top side effects not reported
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 3 - 5 yr
36 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 3 weeks ago
I was prescribed this due to PCOS and for the first few years it was great, helped to improve cramps and PCOS related pain. However I started to become very anxious, jealous and low in mood, I went to therapy for support but it didn’t help, went to the GP and they advised coming off the pill which I did however the next 6 months were awful… crippling anxiety, suicidal thoughts etc, GP advised going back on the pill to sort it out which seemed odd. Finally after 6 months I felt like a fog lifted, no anxiety etc and I’ve never had these problems since (it’s now been about 5/6 years).
Top side effects not reported
0 helpful
0 comments
Women's health, reviewed.
Get the best women’s health info in your inbox
You are signing up to receive The Lowdown's latest findings and news in women's health. Your data will be used in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie policy
Slide into our DMs
Built by doctors and experts
Our tools are made by medical professionals for your peace of mind
Pharmacy services provided by Phlo Technologies Ltd. GPhC reg number: 9011171
When you click on some links on this site, we may get a small affiliate commission