Implant vs Combined pill

At first stopped my periods for 1 year but after periods came back much lighter but at random times. Now periods are more regular and still light rather than random spotting. Recently the doctor found a cyst in my ovary they think was caused by the implant.

I really didn’t like this. I felt I was always bleeding and the first 3 months are brutal emotionally.

To me, the implant feels like a very fair tradeoff, where inconsistent spotting and occasional sore boobs is a price I am willing to pay to ensure I have the best protection from pregnancy. That is why I have rated it 5 stars, despite mild side effects. I have had the implant for six months now, and I can honestly say that it has been immense. My copper IUD gave me heavy periods and back pain which would ruin my day, and caused me lots of stress when it randomly decided to dislodge itself after 3 months. The implant cannot dislodge, so this was a welcome improvement. My partner and I used condoms but were worried about the risk of "human error". I was hesitant to start hormonal birth control because I heard stories about people losing their libido or experiencing emotional/personality changes, but these changes have thankfully not occured for me! I may cry slightly more (at films and such) since getting the implant, but I don't actually feel any sadder if that makes sense. Prior to contraception I always had easy, regular periods. Since getting the implant, I have only experienced two physical side effects. One of these is irregular spotting for ~7 days at a time, once or twice a month. This spotting sometimes becomes period-like in terms of the bleeding, and occasionally comes with period-like cramps. I have found this to be easily manageable, but some people find it very frustrating and everyone will have a different experience. It's up to you which side effects you are and aren't willing to put up with. The second side effect for me is sore boobs, although I haven't experienced this for a while. I am hoping that this side effect has run its course now that I have had the implant for 6 months. In terms of the insertion process, it was a ridiculously easy procedure (although I only have an IUD insertion to compare it to). If you're scared of needles I would recommend taking a friend with you because they inject your arm to numb it (mild pain for under 10 seconds, then it's numb). As someone who isn't bothered by needles and had such a friendly doctor, getting the implant was nothing more than an excuse to be taken out for a celebratory dinner. Please don't let the insertion process put you off! Whilst the insertion may sound more inconvenient than picking up a box of condoms or a prescription, it is very straightforward and will only require a 10-minute doctors oppointment every 3 years. I had the implant in my dominant arm and I was able to do normal everyday things, although I had to be cautious about lifting things or raising my arm for the first few days. The bruise took about a month to fully fade, but the mild-moderate aching was gone within a week and a half. In summary, it is so easy to read these reviews and make asssumptions about the implant based on peoples stories of irregular bleeding, painful insertions and hormonal side effects. BUT it is not a negative experience for everyone, and I am so glad to have the implant!

The first month WILL be hard, I had intense mood swings and nausea, but by month 3 I promise you it will settle down. Personally, I wanted to switch to yasmin due to the fact the cramps and the bad mood coming on/off after a break etc were too intense for me. No weight gain, only loss. My sex drive has not been affected whatsoever. There is a lot of fear-mongering surrounding the pill, but I think some of it comes from placebo, so don't over worry yourself.

My completely lost my sex drive and was always upset and in a really bad mood.I was on this pill consistently for 1 year and about 6 months and I had to stop for awhile and when I went back on it for 1 month and the side effects were horrible my skin was breaking out I was constantly bloated I started having 2 /3 periods A MONTH iam currently trying to change the pill iam on but iam nervous in it’s worse .

When I first started levest It gave me bad acne around my chin and enlarged breasts and a slight change in mood but after three months I have literally no side effects and my skin is starting to clear, in fact I’ve actually lost weight on it. This pill suits me more than others I have been on.

I have PCOS and had been told this would be my best option after having tried between 6-8 other pills and patches over the last 5 years. The main concern was facial acne, body acne and lack of periods all of which this pill is incredible for. My skin has completely cleared despite taking around 2-3 months to do so, particularly stubborn back acne and periods are as they should be. However in the short time I’ve been taking this I’ve gained 4-5kg. My job is physical and I work out often so there’s not much I can put it to but the pill. Additionally I have had extreme hair loss, zero sex drive and very flatlined emotions. All in all a great pill for clearing skin though when it comes to other side effects I do think I will be stopping this once I run out.

I went on it for PMDD symptoms, and they completely went away! Also made me gain a cup size which I liked. First year I loved it, but after taking it long term with no breaks it kinda tanked my libido :/ overall though, pretty positive experience for birth control

I’ve had a pretty good experience with this pill. I went on my first pill at age 19 (Rigevidon) and I experienced quite a lot of nausea with it so got given Millinette 30/75. The nausea persisted and I felt sick almost every time I ate with no particular pattern, so they put me on Millinette 20/75 which has slightly less oestrogen. I have had a pretty good experience but at almost the 2 year mark of taking it, I have started to experience a lot of brain fog and almost feeling like a shell of myself! Sex drive is very low too as well as vaginal dryness and my first ever case of thrush. These however are the only side effects I’ve experienced now apart from some headaches when I have a pill break. I’m open to trying something new but don’t want to rock the boat as I haven’t had the worst experience. But that being said I do feel like it is affecting mine and my partner’s sex life. Could anyone advise me of another option that may help get my libido back on track?

Ever since I started using Ovreena I started feeling this thrush-like sensation down there. It was unbearable itchiness that came usually after showers/sexual intercourse and no I didn't have any visible changes to my skin other than mild swelling weirdly only the left side of my labia and clitoral area. I've taken all sorts of tests from STD's, vaginal infections to going to multiple gynaecologists and dermatologists. Nothing they diagnosed me with was adding up until I stopped the pill. One dermatologist that thought I might have Lichen Sclerosis (Though I had no visible changes to my skin or any of those symptoms other than the itching), she recommended to use Aqueous cream as a form of vaginal wash and a steroid topical cream on top of a thin layer of vaseline to the affected area with a higher dose of antihistamines for prescription. This helped me get rid of the symptoms to help me sleep and function during the night and throughout the day but when it wore off it came back. After I stopped taking Ovreena it took about a month for the itching to stop completely so long story short it started when I started taking the pill I had this issue and then after I stopped it went away. I hope this helps for anyone with similar symptoms.

Been taking for around 4 years, almost flawless except totally ruined any sex drive/libido and that sucks so bad. Great for skin though and regulating periods/lighter periods, which is why I went on it in the first place👍🏼

Thrush all the time due to microlite

This is my second month with this pill. In the first 2 weeks, I was constantly bloated and had small cramps in my stomach a few hours after taking it, also I was ALWAYS hungry, so I ended up gaining more than 5 pounds in that time. I changed to this pill in hopes of getting back some of my sex drive, which went nonexistent on Yasmin and Eloine, also I hoped it would improve my mood a bit, as I felt moody, anxious and depressed while taking the previous pills. It may have stabilised my mood a bit as I experience less intense PMS symptoms, but my overall mood is still low all the time, and it did not help with my libido either. Another downside for me is the heavy bleeding I get on the break, on the other pills I had very light periods, but now it is like a normal period with cramps and blood knots. I also get headaches in the pill break, which is unusual for me. I did not experience too much change regarding my skin, maybe a couple more spots but nothing crazy.