Vasectomy vs Progestogen-only / Mini pill
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Overview
Rated 3.8
8 reviews
Permanent
Frequency
Over 99%
Effectiveness
None
Blood clot risk
Permanent
Effect on fertility
Rated 2.7
1484 reviews
Daily
Frequency
91% - 99+%
Effectiveness
None
Blood clot risk
None
Effect on fertility
Vasectomy ingredients
Progestogen-only / Mini pill ingredients
Main hormones in Progestogen-only / Mini pill
progestogen
What Lowdown reviewers say
Benefits: What this contraceptive can help with
There are no benefits that are recognised in scientific research or guidelines for this contraceptive
Period pain
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£From £0.22/day
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Real life reviews from people like you
Vasectomy reviews
8 reviews
Used for 8+ yr
58 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 1st Jun 25
vasectomy is a good form of contraception. There is a lot of good information here: https://vasectomy.co.uk/vasectomy
Very positive mood
0 helpful
1 comments
Used for 8+ yr
Lowdown user
🇬🇧 UK
• 5th Jul 24
As a woman the vasectomy is the best contraception I feel we have ever had. I have no pain, weight gain, mood swings, plastic packaging or costs. I highly recommend.
Top side effects not reported
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 6 - 12 mo
Lowdown user
🇬🇧 UK
• 5th Sep 20
Sept 1998. Had a vasectomy. Easy and quick. Done in the hospital operating room on a Friday morning. Went home And took it easy. Took it easy at work Monday no problems. By Wednesday started feeling pain in testicles. Called doctors office. Doctors gone on holiday. Anyway from this point the pain only gets worse and all the doctors have to say is that they have never seen anyone in such pain. Within the first six months I had met with a variety of doctors and tried a wide variety of drugs, therapies and nerve blocks. Nothing worked for more than a few hours (nerve blocks did!). I had the vasectomy reversed June 1999 at my own cost of $2000. It was about three months before i felt better from that. Sadly only my left testicle had resolved. The right side still had the same pain. I had a semen test done. First ever in my life. I had sperm count of 125 million / ml. Surgeon thought that was great but still pain persisted in my right testicle. Followup turned into another vas reversal but just for the right side. This one I didn’t have to pay for because it was for chronic pain. Sadly it didn’t help. Now it’s 2020! I have endured this for 22 years. I wish I had never done it. That’s my absolute last word.
Somewhat negative mood
1 more effect
1 helpful
0 comments
Used for 8+ yr
58 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 1st Jun 25
vasectomy is a good form of contraception. There is a lot of good information here: https://vasectomy.co.uk/vasectomy
Very positive mood
0 helpful
1 comments
Used for 8+ yr
Lowdown user
🇬🇧 UK
• 5th Jul 24
As a woman the vasectomy is the best contraception I feel we have ever had. I have no pain, weight gain, mood swings, plastic packaging or costs. I highly recommend.
Top side effects not reported
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 6 - 12 mo
Lowdown user
🇬🇧 UK
• 5th Sep 20
Sept 1998. Had a vasectomy. Easy and quick. Done in the hospital operating room on a Friday morning. Went home And took it easy. Took it easy at work Monday no problems. By Wednesday started feeling pain in testicles. Called doctors office. Doctors gone on holiday. Anyway from this point the pain only gets worse and all the doctors have to say is that they have never seen anyone in such pain. Within the first six months I had met with a variety of doctors and tried a wide variety of drugs, therapies and nerve blocks. Nothing worked for more than a few hours (nerve blocks did!). I had the vasectomy reversed June 1999 at my own cost of $2000. It was about three months before i felt better from that. Sadly only my left testicle had resolved. The right side still had the same pain. I had a semen test done. First ever in my life. I had sperm count of 125 million / ml. Surgeon thought that was great but still pain persisted in my right testicle. Followup turned into another vas reversal but just for the right side. This one I didn’t have to pay for because it was for chronic pain. Sadly it didn’t help. Now it’s 2020! I have endured this for 22 years. I wish I had never done it. That’s my absolute last word.
Somewhat negative mood
1 more effect
1 helpful
0 comments
Progestogen-only / Mini pill reviews
1484 reviews
Used for 3 - 6 mo
29 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 1 day ago
I’d been off contraception for years and I wanted to go back on it as in a relationship and not TTC just yet. So far it seems to be okay th first 2 months was where i experienced most my symptoms mainly have settled sort from sex drive, headaches, no periods they still exist on month 5.
Somewhat negative mood
2 more effects
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 12 - 18 mo
21 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 2 weeks ago
I started taking the mini pill as the combined was making me cry every single day, it was great for the first year but now I am experiencing absolutely no sex drive and I feel awful! It’s made me hate myself as I know my partner can notice but I don’t know what to do. It seems like every conception has massive negatives so I don’t even know if I want to try another one and go through this again. In the same through I don’t want to come off the pill as my anxiety will go mental if I’m not on anything !!! It’s such a shame because I’ve experienced no other side effects but I can’t go on like thi
Somewhat negative mood
1 more effect
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 18 mo - 3 yr
36 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 3 weeks ago
My GP suggested I switch from Desogesterel to Noriday as I was consistently getting break through bleeding after many years of being period free. The first 6 months of taking Noriday were great, with a few days of very light spotting over many months. Then I started to get more regular, painful periods. I persisted with taking it, and after a few months of no period, it's been months of heavy, painful bleeds that last anywhere from 4 to 9 days at a time every 2-4 weeks. For the last few months I've been getting the type of period pain I haven't had since I was a teenager (I'm not in my mid-30s) - the kind that wakes you up in the middle of the night and stops you from sleeping. I'm coming off this pill today.
Decreased sex drive
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 3 - 6 mo
29 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 1 day ago
I’d been off contraception for years and I wanted to go back on it as in a relationship and not TTC just yet. So far it seems to be okay th first 2 months was where i experienced most my symptoms mainly have settled sort from sex drive, headaches, no periods they still exist on month 5.
Somewhat negative mood
2 more effects
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 12 - 18 mo
21 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 2 weeks ago
I started taking the mini pill as the combined was making me cry every single day, it was great for the first year but now I am experiencing absolutely no sex drive and I feel awful! It’s made me hate myself as I know my partner can notice but I don’t know what to do. It seems like every conception has massive negatives so I don’t even know if I want to try another one and go through this again. In the same through I don’t want to come off the pill as my anxiety will go mental if I’m not on anything !!! It’s such a shame because I’ve experienced no other side effects but I can’t go on like thi
Somewhat negative mood
1 more effect
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 18 mo - 3 yr
36 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 3 weeks ago
My GP suggested I switch from Desogesterel to Noriday as I was consistently getting break through bleeding after many years of being period free. The first 6 months of taking Noriday were great, with a few days of very light spotting over many months. Then I started to get more regular, painful periods. I persisted with taking it, and after a few months of no period, it's been months of heavy, painful bleeds that last anywhere from 4 to 9 days at a time every 2-4 weeks. For the last few months I've been getting the type of period pain I haven't had since I was a teenager (I'm not in my mid-30s) - the kind that wakes you up in the middle of the night and stops you from sleeping. I'm coming off this pill today.
Decreased sex drive
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 1 - 3 mo
26 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 3 weeks ago
I had my first postpartum period without any birth control and it was a bit heavier than normal (pre-pregnancy comparison) but not too bad honestly, the cramps weren’t horrible either. Then my second period I had been on Slynd for about a month and it was HORRIBLE, I’m a medical nurse and I have an relatively high pain tolerance but I considered going to the hospital. The first night I was having multiple medium sized clots that my coworker said looked like it was uterine lining, heavy heavy bright red bleeding and horrendous cramps that made me want to vomit. Plus my uterus was contracting so much I think I went #2 like 5x that day alone. Day 2 was slightly better with slightly less horrible cramps but still relatively heavy bleeding and some small clots every hour or so. Now day 3 and I’m heavy bleeding still and now have some sharp lower abdomen pain especially when in the motion of going to sit down or stand up. I’m hoping this stops soon because this has been the worst period I think I’ve ever had and pre-pregnancy I thought I had some pretty bad ones. I don’t think I will be continuing this birth control
Very negative mood
1 more effect
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 1 - 3 mo
25 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 30th Mar 26
I’ve had nothing but cystic acne, heavy bleeding for 2+ weeks at a time, hair growth is still the same rate if not even worse.
Very negative mood
3 more effects
0 helpful
1 comments
Used for 6 - 12 mo
31 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 18th Mar 26
I’m generally happy but I was looking for a contraceptive that did not reduce my sex drive and that mission was failed. I tried the coil for 5 years and found that at the end, as it wore off, I started to get my sex drive back and was hoping to keep it. I was recommended the mini pill as a good option by my GP but it still doesn’t work for me. No interest in sex at all.
Decreased sex drive
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 18 mo - 3 yr
31 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 13th Mar 26
I feel like the mini-pill has changed my life. I used to get so many painful spots on my chin, but now they are cleared up. I have noticed my boobs getting bigger and a bit more sore, and I don't if it is linked, but I am getting cystitis more, but honestly, the impact it has had on my moods has been positive. My periods are non-existence and I just feel like a whole different person (in a good way). I have looked at photos of me when I was off hormonal contraception and I just don't even recognise her. I kind of feel like the mini pill has balanced my hormones (even though the intention of using it was to not get pregnant)
Very positive mood
1 more effect
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 1 - 3 mo
18 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 12th Mar 26
Started to take them again and noticed that I've been having breast pain for weeks now, alongside this I'm much more tearful. Period cramps were somewhat unbearable.
Somewhat negative mood
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 3 - 6 mo
31 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 10th Mar 26
I’ve tried pretty much every form of contraception within 15 years. Implant x3, injection, mini pills, copper coil. The hormonal ones gave me irregular periods and vaginal dryness and the copper coil gave me chronic BV. Since taking Slynd I’ve had none of this. Skin is fine, weight is fine, periods are regular, lighter, shorter. They do not align with the sugar pills but that’s fine. Initially they were a bit irregular but they settled down. Easy to use and remember due to the little packs and stickers they give you. Overall very happy, and can’t say I’ve noticed any side effects. I do already have some symptoms for other health concerns I’m looking into but it’s not made anything worse, and this was pre existing stuff anyway. Might not work for everyone but if you’ve had issues with other contraceptives like me and you don’t want to rely on condoms then I’d give it a go.
Very positive mood
1 more effect
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 3 - 6 mo
Lowdown user
🇬🇧 UK
• 6th Mar 26
I was constantly bleeding and around the third month I started seeing a pattern emerging that essentially flipped my natural cycle: three weeks of bleeding, 4–5 days off, three weeks of bleeding, a couple of days off. It had a bad impact on my mental health, made me feel exhausted most of the time and killed my sex drive, ultimately leading to a breakup.
Very negative mood
1 more effect
0 helpful
0 comments
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