Hormonal coil (IUS) vs Vaginal ring

After having a bad experience with the Nexplanon implant (very low mood) I decided to try the Jaydess coil as recommended by my doctor. Insertion is very painful as expected but the taking out is fine, I am currently coming to the end of my second coil so I'm swapping to the Mirena for a longer lifespan but I have loved this coil - I had some painful cramps for about 3 months at the beginning of the first coil but after about 6 months everything settled down. I've had no periods, no mood changes, no weight gain, my skin hasn't been great but it has improved recently and I wouldn't confidently say this was down to the coil anyway, more likely lifestyle choices.

Kyleena was good within the first 2 years that I had it, but I think that when the hormones start depleting that new side effects occur. Better than any other options I had, and insertion wasn’t painful as the healthcare provider used LA during. Looking at either swapping it out for a new Kyleena or to swap out for the copper coil as I’m now suffering extreme bloating and acne 3.5years after insertion. Hope this helps.

Kept me from becoming pregnant but at a very high cost... Extreme cramps throughout the month, even after removing the original coil (it was seen to be in the wrong place via ultrasound) and replaced with new one. Pain actually got worse as time went on, after about 8 months I had to get it out as the cramps were debilitating and extreme. I also had a migraine for the first time in my life, and often experienced dizziness and nausea. I also had a patch of recurring thrush infections which was hard to get over as it was so stubborn. The only positive sides were the reduction in bleeding/periods and lack of pregnancy. I will never use a coil again.

No side effects at all but the ring kept falling out so i always felt it while standing up

I really loved using the ring, compared to the pill the side effects were minimal and absolutely no bother in remembering it. Unfortunately my doctor just made me come off it as my blood pressure has steadily gone up over 3 years of using it. I did experience loss of sex drive, and vaginal dryness which led to thrush infections. But no changes in mood or skin!

Love the Nuvaring. Hardly have to think about changing it. I can get the odd bit of breakthrough bleeding if I don't take my 7 day break. Overall, I'm a big fan!

Things started out really well. No side effects and I didn't take ring breaks so no periods. My skin got less greasy so I got fewer spots, and I had 3 months blissfully free of painful period diarrhoea. Sadly after 3 months I started to get breakthrough bleeding every day and minor versions of my old period symptoms like back pain, cramps, and digestive upsets started to flare up. I tried removing my ring but that just made it worse and within 4 hours I was having a bad time on the loo and put a new ring in just to make it stop. The new ring helped, but now I feel kind of trapped having a constant mini period all the time with no alternative since the only pill that worked for me in the past has been discontinued, and progesterone only contraceptives have never agreed with me, so nothing else seems as convenient as the ring. All in all, bit of a mixed bag.

Switched to the vaginal ring after using the pill. When first trying it I could feel some pressure in my lower abdomen but this feeling passed after 1 day and havent had it again since using it. The first 2 periods I had were shorter but heavier than usual but after each period (basically the break week) each period got lighter and my 3rd period was lighter than my usual. Apart from that no other side effects - the above ones I experienced I would say linked to my body adjusting to a new contraception (similar to the pill where they tell you the first 3 months you may experience some side effects). I dont feel as moody as when I was on the pill and the great thing is I dont need to remember to take something everyday so the peace of mind is an additional benefit.

I've been using the ring for almost a year now and so far it's been working rlly well for me. I pretty much forget it's there when it's in and its rlly easy to change. It's the first hormonal contraceptive I've used so I was extremely apprehensive about it but slowly I've got used to the idea and now it's just a normal part of my routine. The side effects I've experience are minimal and very manageable. A slight decrease in sex drive particularly a couple of months in, and a very slight increase in weight but both are managable and Ive gotten used to. My periods are really regular and I have very little period pain which is great. I would really recommend giving this method a go, overall I'm very glad I did.

I didn't have any bad experience with the nuvaring while using it but I stopped 6 years ago and i've had problems with my periods ever since... when I stopped, i was having spotting for 9-10 days before my period, my doctor told me everything would be back to normal after about 3 months, but it's been 6 years. It gradually got better, now i only have 1 to 3 days of spotting before my period. I don't know if the ring caused it but it's getting better and better since i stopped using hormones that's why i think it might be linked.

Unfortunately this contraception made me feel very sad! It led to a continuous low mood, of which I have experienced with the pill previously. I basically just cried a lot for two months and so decided to stop using it. I liked that this could be a short term solution (more short term than the coil) and it was easy to insert/remove. It was not uncomfortable.

My mood spiralled quite rapidly - by week three I was in what I would describe as a state of depression and had to remove it a few days early. I felt as though there was a grey cloud over my head constantly and I was randomly crying several times a day. It was actually interesting tracking my mood because it was a stark difference to how I was feeling prior to using the ring. It's a shame it didn't work out for me as it was quite convenient method of protection but I couldn't endure the feelings for more than one cycle.

Best contraceptive I’ve tried so far, and love that I only need to change every 3 weeks!! Unlike the pill, no mood disturbance, weight changes, skin changes! (had previously used the 3rd gen pills, which were much better than the others which made me hungry and depressed. I used gestodene, for 10 years, then switched to yaz for 5 - was better than gestodene - then a GP friend told me about the nuvaring)