Hormonal coil (IUS) vs Combined pill

I had such high hopes for the Mirena to help with my heavy periods but sadly I'm nearing the six month mark and there has been no improvement in the long term, if anything my periods are worse and I can't find any reason online as to why. I couldn't put up with the monthly flooding any longer and the NHS waiting list was at least 12 months, so I paid privately for the Mirena to be fitted. The insertion was uncomfortable but bearable (I haven't had children) and I didn't experience any discomfort immediately afterwards. The cramps during menstruation in the first two months following the fitting were intense, but the period was lighter so it still seemed like a win overall and I remained hopeful the cramps would ease as my body got used to the coil. That has happened and the cramps have eased to next to nothing now, but strangely my periods after the three month mark have been horrendous. I've been losing clots bigger than I have experienced before and I am back in incontinence pads to manage the amount of blood I lose. I can't continue to afford to access private care and I remain on the NHS waiting list, where I guess I will discuss ablation when I finally reach the top of the list. I so wish this had worked for me because it seemed an easy option and importantly it didn't end my fertility, but sadly it wasn't to be. I don't know why I'm surprised it didn't work for me, this is just my luck!! I wish it hadn't cost me hundreds of pounds to find this out, but for those it works for it seems life changing so it very much felt like an avenue worth exploring.

Insertion was fine, just like a deep period cramp but only lasted 3 seconds. I was a little cranky for the rest of the day but no more than a regular period. I did bleed and spot for 4-6 weeks after insertion and then gradually over the last 12 months my periods have become lighter and lighter and have now stopped with only the odd day of spotting . What I will say is it doesn't totally prevent pms symptoms but has massively improved mines. I had to suffer from terrible tender breasts for 14 days leading up to my period and bad bloating ! That's gone now but I do still get a little emotional round about the time I would get my period. My only negative I can say is I have gained approx 1.5 stone but I can't say for certain it's this coil. I am hoping to diet and exs in the new year and lose it. Over all this is a brilliant form of contraception for me after trying so many pills , the implant , the patch you name it. This has been by far the best one with little to no side affects. I strongly recommend it.

Prepare for an immediate & severe drop in mood after insertion, coupled with intense pain for the first few weeks. My mood has stabilised a bit after 5 months, but overall I am much lower in mood and lack energy and motivation. The headaches are persistent and I have gained 1 stone. I bled for 3 months straight and now I bleed for approx half of the month, with painful periods and severe bloating.

It’s okay. The positive is that my cramps are less. I experienced thrush for the first time in my life. I am more weepy but not depressed. I have acne on my lower face after a few weeks that is starting to clear now and I can see my hair is thinning. I also feel very sleepy on this so I am planning to change.

Millinette gave me full blown acne and made me a lot more teary which is so unlike me. Initially, I was on Rigevidon for 2.5 years, stopped as I experienced breakthrough bleeding/didn’t need it. Discovered I had major brain fog on it, and my thoughts / perception on dating became a lot better once off it. Decided to try Millinette based on that as I got into a new relationship, tried it for 3 months as advised. I’ve not always been spotty, I get hormonal breakouts but that’s it. I’m happy and healthy otherwise! Millinette made me start to break out in hormonal spots - on my forehead, chin (especially) and cheeks (which I’ve never experienced before). It was making me miserable! I also noticed how much more teary I’ve been lately - as if anything slightly upsetting can make me cry. I’ve been using differin (a retinol acne gel treatment) and it’s helped slightly but not much. I’ve also gone up an entire cup size, and my breasts are slightly achy all the time. I also have experienced headaches when I came off the pill for a bleed - I now take it consecutively because my body seems to react badly to the drop in hormones. I’ve stopped Millinette now, and based on a nurse’s advice I’m going to try Yaecella. I think my body/skin reacts badly to the progesterone in Millinette/with pills that have less oestrogen in them. Hopefully Yaecella works (it’s a new generation version of the famous Yasmin pill). I’m 21, 5’10 and 57kg if that helps too!

I had been taking this pill for 25 years, since I was 15. Now I’m 40 my GP won’t supply me with the combined pill anymore and wants to switch me to the mini pill. I had periods, when I was 13-15, where I would bleed heavily for 2 weeks, with regular flooding, plus extreme abdominal pain, followed by 2 weeks no bleeding then I’d go back round again. Brevinor changed my life! I could not recommend this pill more. You will more likely hear the negatives than the positive from these reviews but honestly this was amazing for me and would still be taking it if I could.

I changed to marvelon from cilique/ levest because neither were helping my skin. this one did!! however my sex drive has gone down massively. but periods are all regular no issues there just low libido :(

Overall good but feel like unable to lose weight and slight dizziness.

Initially, I had little to complain about with the pill. My skin became clear after a few months and my breasts increased a cup size. HOWEVER, I had always felt more ill and generally tired on this pill, emotionally I also felt very static. Not depressed or unhappy but I could not feel my emotions as normal. My doctor advised me to switch from a 7 day break every month to a 4 day break as the guidelines had changed. This increase in the pill caused my breasts to get even bigger and very very sore. My doctor found multiple cysts in both breasts, I explained that I thought this was due to the increase in the pill I was taking but they said they would drain the cysts rather than me coming off the pill. I decided to come off the pill to see if it would decrease the cysts and they went completely of their own accord within a month of coming off the pill. I lost a lot of hair and my skin got worse but I have never felt better in myself, more healthy and happy since coming off. I will not go on any form of hormonal contraception again.

I started using contraception again to help manage my PMS, particularly the mood swings a week before my period. At the time, I was also struggling with severe anxiety, which made PMS even harder to cope with each month. I hoped contraception would help regulate my hormones and provide some relief. Initially, I was prescribed Rigividon, but it didn’t work for me. A week before my period, I had intense emotional spikes, irritability, increased appetite, cramps, and breast tenderness. While I could just about manage it most of the time, I worried about how difficult it might get during stressful periods. My nurse suggested switching to Gederal. Since switching to Gederal, my experience has been much better. My periods are lighter, and my PMS symptoms have improved significantly. I feel much more emotionally stable in the week before my period. However, I tried skipping the 7-pill free days to avoid the break, but by the third packet, I felt PMS symptoms building up again, including mood swings. I have had a small amount of reoccurring dermatitis on my nose and chin since starting the pill. Overall, Gederal has been a much better fit for me compared to both Rigividon and my experience without contraception. It’s made a noticeable difference in managing my PMS and emotional well-being.

I’ve been on a couple of pills in the past which have been fine other than the odd side effect. But I’ve changed over due to those small side effects getting worse such as the main one being water retention in the arms. Brevinor, this is by far the worst pill I’ve tried. The first 3 days were terrible. I felt faint, tired & dizzy. My boobs were so sore for the first 21 days when I was taking this pill. Swollen and sore, even putting my bra on. I have gone back to my GP and they have prescribed rigevidon….judging by the reviews on here I will not be taking it or any other pills. I will be starting to track my cycle naturally in the new year whilst using barrier methods such as condoms.

My experience of this pill was very positive, only reason I do not use it joe is because my pharmacist switched to a different brand (same hormones)

I wish that I never stopped taking this pill! It was brilliant. Cleared up my skin very quickly. Doctor took me off it because I had some headaches. I don’t know whether these headaches were connected but the rest of my experience with this pill was positive !