Morning after pill vs Combined pill

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Morning after pill

£From £0.10/day

Combined pill

£From £0.16/day

Overview

Rated 3.4

32 reviews

Once after sex

Frequency

97 - 98%

Effectiveness

None

Blood clot risk

None

Effect on fertility

Rated 2.8

2667 reviews

Daily

Frequency

91% - 99+%

Effectiveness

Increased

Blood clot risk

None

Effect on fertility

Morning after pill ingredients

Main hormones in Morning after pill

progestogen


Combined pill ingredients

Main hormones in Combined pill

progestogen

oestrogen

What Lowdown reviewers say

38% somewhat negative

28% no change

63% no impact

69% no impact

59% no impact on skin

Cycle return

67% in 1 month

31% somewhat negative

47% lighter periods

46% lost sex drive

48% no impact

43% improved skin

Cycle return

36% don’t know impact

Benefits: What this contraceptive can help with

There are no benefits that are recognised in scientific research or guidelines for this contraceptive

Acne or bad skin

Heavy periods

PMS and PMDD

PCOS symptoms

Period pain

Try it now

£From £0.10/day

Try it now

£From £0.16/day

Check out our latest reviews

Real life reviews from people like you

Morning after pill reviews

32 reviews

Morning after pill  
Used for 1 - 3 mo
35 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  17th Sep 25

ellaOne pill  

I was reluctant to take the morning after pill. I was advised to take it by the nurse after using the withdrawal method. My cycle following taking the pill was 42 day long (my average cycle is about 35 days).

Read more

Top side effects not reported

0 helpful

0 comments

Morning after pill  
Used for 1 - 3 mo
19 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  9th May 25

Levonorgestrel pill  

I had some cramps here and there, nausea started around 4-5 hours after but no vomiting but I was quite dizzy and fatigued. I got my period 5 days earlier than predicted and I had a heavy flow for 4 days instead of my usual 2 but other than that worked alright.


Somewhat negative mood

1 more effect

0 helpful

0 comments

Morning after pill  
Used for 1 - 3 mo
38 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  19th Apr 25

Levonelle One Step pill  

Complete loss of sex drive for over a week. Accompanied by low mood.


Somewhat negative mood

1 more effect

0 helpful

0 comments

Morning after pill  
Used for 1 - 3 mo
35 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  17th Sep 25

ellaOne pill  

I was reluctant to take the morning after pill. I was advised to take it by the nurse after using the withdrawal method. My cycle following taking the pill was 42 day long (my average cycle is about 35 days).


Top side effects not reported

0 helpful

0 comments

Morning after pill  
Used for 1 - 3 mo
19 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  9th May 25

Levonorgestrel pill  

I had some cramps here and there, nausea started around 4-5 hours after but no vomiting but I was quite dizzy and fatigued. I got my period 5 days earlier than predicted and I had a heavy flow for 4 days instead of my usual 2 but other than that worked alright.


Somewhat negative mood

1 more effect

0 helpful

0 comments

Morning after pill  
Used for 1 - 3 mo
38 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  19th Apr 25

Levonelle One Step pill  

Complete loss of sex drive for over a week. Accompanied by low mood.


Somewhat negative mood

1 more effect

0 helpful

0 comments


Combined pill reviews

2667 reviews

Combined pill  
Used for 5 - 8 yr
27 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  today

Microgynon 30 pill  

I’ve been on this pill for many years. As a positive side effect, it helped with my acne, which makes sense as I used to have high testosterone levels. However, over the past few years I’ve started getting night sweats during the break week and noticed an increase in my blood pressure.


Improved skin

0 helpful

0 comments

Combined pill  
Used for 3 - 6 mo
18 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  2 days ago

Gedarel 20/150 pill  

Took this pill for around 4 months and it was really good, only issue I had with it was that I was getting pretty bad headaches around my period which I'd only started having since going on this pill. I switched to a different pill to try and stop this issue but had a very negative experience with mood swings and it made me realise that Gederel is actually a very good pill and helped with my mood and anxiety - makes the headaches worth it😂


Somewhat positive mood

0 helpful

0 comments

Combined pill  
Used for 1 - 3 mo
18 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  2 days ago

Millinette 20/75 pill  

This is the 3rd pill I've tried and unfortunately since being on this one I've had horrible mood swings and been more emotionally down - I'm normally quite a happy bubbly person but this pill has made me quite miserable and leaves me feeling as though I'm not in control of my emotions.


Very negative mood

1 more effect

0 helpful

0 comments

Combined pill  
Used for 5 - 8 yr
27 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  today

Microgynon 30 pill  

I’ve been on this pill for many years. As a positive side effect, it helped with my acne, which makes sense as I used to have high testosterone levels. However, over the past few years I’ve started getting night sweats during the break week and noticed an increase in my blood pressure.


Improved skin

0 helpful

0 comments

Combined pill  
Used for 3 - 6 mo
18 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  2 days ago

Gedarel 20/150 pill  

Took this pill for around 4 months and it was really good, only issue I had with it was that I was getting pretty bad headaches around my period which I'd only started having since going on this pill. I switched to a different pill to try and stop this issue but had a very negative experience with mood swings and it made me realise that Gederel is actually a very good pill and helped with my mood and anxiety - makes the headaches worth it😂


Somewhat positive mood

0 helpful

0 comments

Combined pill  
Used for 1 - 3 mo
18 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  2 days ago

Millinette 20/75 pill  

This is the 3rd pill I've tried and unfortunately since being on this one I've had horrible mood swings and been more emotionally down - I'm normally quite a happy bubbly person but this pill has made me quite miserable and leaves me feeling as though I'm not in control of my emotions.


Very negative mood

1 more effect

0 helpful

0 comments

Combined pill  
Used for 6 - 12 mo
30 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  4 days ago

Millinette 30/75 pill  

Hormonally numbed me. Kept me very flat with no fluctuations in moods at all. Improved my skin but led to continuous cystitis that often spiralled into kidney infections


Somewhat negative mood

2 more effects

0 helpful

0 comments

Combined pill  
Used for 3 - 5 yr
18 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  5 days ago

Yasmin pill  

VERY mixed emotions about Yasmin. I've been on it for ages, and I'm still on it. yes the boobs grow a lot. at the beginning my mood changes were crazy I thought I was losing my mind. Anxiety and depression symptoms surfaced (mostly anxiety - intense panic attacks), when I didn't have issues with it prior. They're still there but after years of dealing with it I don't notice as much as I used to. I have noticed that water retention is a big issue, as well as increased appetite - it's much harder to lose weight on the pill compared to off it. I also have an extremely lower libido, like crazy low. My skin cleared so fast and i had really bad dermatitis around my mouth and nose, not to mention hormonal acne on the rest of my face - now i get pimples almost never. Also please please be careful when drinking if you've newly started the pill, it made me a lightweight overnight i swear. Also I skip the sugar pills most of the time, only having my period about 3 times a year which is FANTASTIC


Somewhat negative mood

3 more effects

0 helpful

0 comments

Combined pill  
Used for 3 - 5 yr
20 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  1 week ago

Microgynon 30 pill  

.


Very negative mood

2 more effects

0 helpful

0 comments

Combined pill  
Used for 1 - 3 mo
41 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  2 weeks ago

Levest pill  

I am one of the happiest people you will ever meet, I’ve always been positive and upbeat and although of course I have down times like anyone I never stay down for long. Within 3 weeks of taking Levest contraceptive tablets I was like a completely different person and I didn’t know what was happening to me, I cried uncontrollable every day, I didn’t want to be here anymore and was actually thinking of ways I could end my life, I was waking up in the middle of the night with a dark pit feeling in my stomach and felt unbelievably low I didn’t know what was happening to me, then it clicked, the only thing I was doing differently to usual was taking the levest pill. I called the GP the next day and they told me to stop taking it immediately, within 4 days I was back to my usual self mentally then I came on the worst period of my life, like a slaughtered animal and so many blood clots. I’ll never take this pill ever again and would definitely warn others about taking it, who’d have thought a simple contraceptive pill could cause so much harm


Very negative mood

0 helpful

0 comments

Combined pill  
Used for 6 - 12 mo
30 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  2 weeks ago

Drovelis pill  

I guess like any pill it took my body a while to get used to the new hormones, and then after about three months I felt like I’d found the best pill ever! No side effects - or so I thought. I didn’t break out, no major mood swings, periods slowly disappeared, cramps weren’t as bad. Then eventually I realised I have absolutely no sexual desire. This pill has completely obliterated my libido. Ironic since I decided to come on the pill to enjoy my honeymoon without worry of pregnancy. Such a shame as well but I’ll have to come off it.


Decreased sex drive

0 helpful

0 comments

Combined pill  
Used for 6 - 12 mo
33 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  2 weeks ago

Yasmin pill  

This pill does what it claims, I noticed some improvement in my skin, I’m prone to mild acne on my chest, back, and face, and those areas have cleared up, which I’m pleased about. However, after 21 days of taking it, there’s a seven-day break, and within two days of that break I experience severe headaches and migraines. They’re often debilitating and leave me bedridden for one to three days. Because of this, I’ve decided to stop taking Yazmin altogether. Everyone reacts differently, but due to the recurring migraines and headaches, this pill just isn’t the right fit for me.


Somewhat negative mood

1 more effect

0 helpful

0 comments

Combined pill  
Used for 3 - 6 mo
24 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  2 weeks ago

Gedarel 20/150 pill  

I’ve always struggled with my mental health, and believe I have PMDD. but before starting this pill I’d been in a really good place for quite while, the first few months where okay but then I started to become more emotional, progressing to depression and severe anxiety. I also experienced a lot of UTIs that led to me being on long term antibiotics, this only started when I started the pill. I did eventually learn to manage the utis and didn’t get any in the last couple of months. But in the week leading up to the break I became very dry and itchy down there. All together just a really bad experience with this one


Very negative mood

2 more effects

0 helpful

0 comments

Contraceptive alternatives and comparisons

Compare the Morning after pill with other contraceptives

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