Implant vs Progestogen-only / Mini pill

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!

All the great wetness I was feeling down there is all gone. I have painful sexual intercourse and I'm sad.

I´m having a great experience but im loosing too much hair.

I went on desogestrel twice. The first time I noticed it made me cry extremely easily, and I bled pretty much constantly for 9 months. Then I came off it. When I tried it again for a few months, I had a similar experience, with the added side effect of being so hungry that if I wasn't constantly snacking I was insanely nauseous. Ultimately, it was the bleeding that made me stop it.

I have never been this overweight in my lifetime... Always been a size 10-12, I'm 50yrs old and started taking these at 48 yrs old due to falling pregnant unexpectantly... however this was the worst option I took as I gained over 20kgs in weight. I went from 80kgs to 106kgs

I went on Slynd to help with endometriosis, but unfortunately I developed a wide range of side effects that made me stop. The most unusual one was nerve-like stinging pain after sex and orgasms. Even though I stayed lubricated, I would get a burning/nerve pain that lasted for days afterwards. Alongside that, I also experienced dry mouth, chest pain, insomnia, low mood, low energy, acne, dry skin, anxiety, and frequent headaches. The combination left me feeling really unwell, physically and emotionally. I wanted to share because painful orgasms and these systemic symptoms weren’t something I’d ever read about with Slynd, and if anyone else is going through the same thing, you’re not imagining it

I stopped taking the pill yesterday. I used desogestrel for four months for my endometriosis. I tried really hard to stay positive, to remind myself that it takes time for the side effects to go away and for my endo pain to lessen. Well, unfortunately desogestrel hasn't helped at all, but has made everything worse for me. I've gained 5 kgs in these four months. I've always been naturally skinny and never gained (or lost) weight, so gaining this much in such a short amount of time is a lot for my body and self-esteem. Most of my pants don't fit anymore. Sure, some of it is just endo bloating, but the weight gain does play a part in it. And then there's the hot flashes. One minute I'm sweating like crazy, the next I'm feeling cold. I've also had constant breakthrough bleeding, so I'm using pantyliners daily. For the last two months of using the pills, I've had my periods every other week, which means I'm in terrible pain more often than I was without the pills. That's why I finally decided I've had enough and stopped taking desogestrel. I can't stand all the side effects and the pain. But this is just my experience, the pills might work for someone else! :)

I used this for a month hoping it would help with period cramps. Do not recommend. I used it perfectly and felt nauseous everyday after taking it. I got a 9 day period (with cramps) during what was supposed to be my "ovulation" week.It had me feeling very anrgy, caused me period like pains and headaches daily.

In general I had a good experience with Slynd. It helped my underlying endometriosis significantly and for the 4 months I was on it I had no period cramps or pain for the first time ever. Unfortunately I had to stop taking it because I was spotting everyday. I thought my body needed time to adjust but after 4 months I was still wearing a pantyliner every day. It was very minimal and I had no pain but I just didn't want to wear liners every day. Once I stopped Slynd I went back to 'normal' after about 3 days but sadly my periods are back to being painful. As an aside, I noticed a reduction in sweating whilst on Slynd and several days I would go without antiperspirant or deodorant.

Great pill been on and off twice for a few years, no side effects bar really really really tender and sore and sensitive breasts. I have such bad health anxiety and honestly this had my questioning if I needed to go to the doctors because of the scary big C that’s how sore and tender my breasts have been, can’t even lie on them.

Went on this for fibroid heavy bleeding and period pain. Have daily bleeding and spotting since starting, and periods are now more irregular and as heavy as before. It didn't help with pain at all. Im going to finish out this month's pack and go off them. However, I got some acupuncture two weeks ago and the pain during my period this month has been greatly reduced. Would reccommend trying it!

Since i was 18 i tried 7 different contraception methods (pills and nuvaring). However i had diagnosed migraines, but none of the OBGYNs i was seeing though this was a concern. Now i am 24 and i finally found a competent OBGYN thanks to my friend. She was the only one who really looked through and studied my medical history and suggested taking desogestrel for my ovarian cysts and corpus luteum cyst, which were more rare occasion. I started my second pack today and i’m scared to jinx but the last two weeks were amazing. The first two weeks were a hell, i had bleeding for quite some time and then spotting for a week or more. Now i don’t have any spotting, my sex drive is the same, i am happy and i feel like i even started to lose weight. I am planning to update my story next month to see how my body would feel on these pills.