Implant vs Combined pill

Safest and easiest contraception in my opinion. However does come with lots of side effects as any medication does, it is manageable but irritating at times (headaches, irregular bleeding every month and lower back pain). I also get rashes at the implant site quite frequently and heard this is very common- gets itchy but normal apparently

Of all the contraceptives I tried I was most satisfied with the implant. I had mostly no side effects and it stopped my period completely after 1 year (had some spotting irregularly in the first year). It was a very effective method, with painless insertion and changes (had 3 implants in 7 years). I removed it because I wanted to give my body a break before potentially trying for a baby. The main side effect and reason I took off one star is the loss of libido and vaginal dryness. My libido was very low and when I did get into sex, the dryness made things painful. Overall the sensation and pleasure of sex took a hit, but it was manageable. Now that I am off the implant I notice a resurgence in libido and feel more connected to my body and sexual self.

I had the implant for 19 months and got it taken out today after being a little fed up of the side effects. For the first couple of months, I had my period as normal and pretty much no other symptoms except being a bit more emotional. Then over the next year or so i had completely stopped bleeding and had no issues. Then I started to get migraines maybe 2 a week for a couple weeks (I had 5 in the space of a month?) and they were so unbearable. And then I started bleeding again but it was so irregular. I could have a period twice in 2 weeks but not have one for like 6-8 weeks and then get spotting for a few days. It was so frustrating. That and having incredibly sore nipples and tender breasts that I couldn’t wear anything without it hurting. Ever since getting it inserted I have gained around 30kg which is very noticeable on someone who is barely 5ft tall. So because of that my self confidence has completely dropped. It felt like I was buying a bigger bra every 2 months. And none of my clothes that I had a year and a half ago fit me anymore. Overall the beginning was pretty great but about a year in I didn’t like it anymore.

This contraception is highly effective, but for me the main side-effect is major hair loss and irregular periods.

My legs randomly ache, I have. 0 sex drive, the thought of being touched is making me sick. I have severe anxiety and I’m borderline suicidal. This is not the right pill for me but going back to my gp and getting another one seems exhausting.

I am 26. Have been on yasmin pill 7 months, I take in the evening just after food. I have PCOS and PMDD. I have found it to be good- it has really stabilised my mood as im not getting hormone fluctuations and has helped with insomnia and mood swings. The side effects: Breasts getting bigger [they might be slightly tender but also have large breasts to begin] and potentially more anxious/irritable but I also have more stress in my life so I think this is due to that. I have not noticed changes to skin [pimple every so often like before]. I also do 3 pill packs back to back without a break week and this caused some intermittent bleeding so now I do 2 pills back to back and this has gone away. I would recommend, once you get into the rhythm of taking a pill is easier.

I was on marvelon for 5 years and it really worked for me. Unfortunately I developed severe migraines in my pill free week so I had to stop taking it. But it was the best pill I ever tried.

This pill gave me severe emotional dysregulation (notably anger) to the point it almost felt like a fever dream. Granted, I only used it for a month, but that's because I genuinely couldn't tolerate it and had never experienced anything similar on other pills. I was angry to the point of having rage-inducing nightmares and feeling provoked by most harmless interactions. It also made me stress and ruminate a lot more. Frankly, I think it is appalling that such medication is deemed fit for use - which generally circles back to the issue of dismissal in women's healthcare. It was an absolute nightmare, and no one should have to tolerate going through that even if it does "get better eventually." To provide some perspective, the contraceptive pill in men's trials was shut down simply because it caused headaches. So why should we put up with symptoms that are a million times worse? Echoing other reviewers, I'd rather switch to a brand that doesn't come with the hassle (though ideally, the whole industry needs to fix up). Why this is the most commonly prescribed brand in the UK is beyond me.

I used this quite a while ago, I do not notably recall any mood-altering changes (hence why I rated "poor" instead of "terrible" to be fair, since every individual is different). But I will list below effects from when I was actively taking it and afterwards: - Heavier and more painful periods. I already struggle with painful periods, but while using Levest, they became unbearably painful (OTC barely helped, sweating, dizziness & nausea due to the pain). - I subtly started gaining more weight, despite no lifestyle or dietary changes. - I believe I had increased bodily hair growth. - After a period of heavy and painful periods, I eventually stopped having my period altogether, despite the 7 day break each month. When I stopped using it altogether, my cycle didn't resume. At one point, I didn't get my period for half a year until eventually being diagnosed with PCOS. However, Levest did not mask my symptoms during use either, it felt like it induced them (weight gain, hair growth, cycle dysregulation). I read another comment on here on hyperandrogenism concerns - and this symptom also relates to PCOS. While the issue of "pill-induced PCOS" is controversial and unconfirmed, it's still relatively acknowledged that those predisposed to the condition may find that using certain birth controls can induce it when otherwise dormant (especially progestin dominant ones, such as Levest). Synthetic progestin is often structured very similarly to androgens, hence why the body may register it as such. I heard that more recent brands have improved upon its configuration, so it's less similar - but from experience, I would say Levest hasn't quite got it yet.

Before I started contraception, I used to feel horribly sad around four days before I started my period. I knew it was my hormones making me feel this way, and I felt powerless. Since starting Levest, that has gone! My skin feels clearer too, I still get the occasional spot but they don’t seem to get as bad as they did before. I get tender breasts and light crawling around a week before going on my break week, which is similar to before, but now my breasts don’t get as painful. My periods now are more painful than they used to be on the first day, but the cramps are sorted quickly with a big breakfast and paracetamol, with no pain after the first day. They also come on the same day each cycle, are shorter than before, and tail off quicker. I also get a headache for a day or two during my break week - in the first couple of months of taking Levest, the headaches were almost unbearable, lasting a up to three days, but have got less painful and last a shorter amount of time as each month passed. On month seven, the headache was only mild and only lasted a day, which I’m counting as a win. My breasts seem to have got bigger, and I’ve put on about half a stone in six months - which is neither here nor there really, but I do feel like I’ve changed shape more than putting on weight? Some of my jeans no longer fit, but they did when I was a similar weight previously… I may try a tablet with a lower dose of oestrogen after this box of pills, to try to eliminate the headaches completely if they don’t go themselves, but they are nowhere near as bad as they were at the start.

Reduced my period pains massively. I used to get really really bad period pains before I got put on this pill, once I was put on it, I still got pains but nowhere near as bad as they were.

I have been on this pill for about 2 months and already have had a far better experience then I had on my pervious on.How ever the only think I have really noticed a difference is my appetite has increased quite a bit .surprisingly I was preparing myself for my sex drive to completely change and lose it all but it has actually been somewhat the same

Overall a good experience. Main side effects were becoming more irritable and increased body odour