Morning after pill vs Combined 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).

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.

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

Started off well on this pill, good for PMS management. Had bleeding for weeks and breasts got bigger and were painful. Some of these effects subsided after a few weeks. On my 3rd pack i noticed i wasnt full after meals and was constantly feeling hungry and thinking about food. This continued through the fourth month. I have definitely gained weight and clothes not fitting properly, which is an unacceptable side effect for me personally.

It is a balancing act, but, overall, I am happy with the results. I take the pill back to back as my cramps were so bad that they were effecting my personal and work life terribly and I could no longer stand the pain. Unlike other pills I have tried before, this stops my periods. After 3 or 4 months I get heavy spotting and take a break for 7 days which sorts it out - the breaks are fine with only mild cramping and nothing like my periods before. It has saved my ability to work. I have had negative side effects - weight gain and mood. I have no history of depression, anxiety or struggling to process things until I started taking this pill but I now struggle with these things most days. Compared to the pain, for me, the impact on my mental health is a trade off I've accepted.

Zoely was brilliant for managing my cyclical mood symptoms and essentially stopped my periods which was great in the context of endometriosis. I had no period pain on this pill. However unfortunately I struggled with significant vaginal dryness which honestly felt like perimenopause and made sex intolerable. I also noticed significant hair loss, but I can’t say 100% if this was Zoely or due to life stress.

Feel “out of it” a lot more but not necessarily depressed. However cramping is really bad

I always feel tired, no matter how much I sleep it feels like it's never enough. Most days I don't feels in control of my emotions. And my hair falls in clumps but my gyno tells me not to worry.

Ok

I switched to this pill after being on a mini pill and feeling a lack of emotion, not necessarily depression just nothingness. My doctor advised this pill would help with symptoms of PMS and I couldn’t disagree more, I am a usually very happy positive person. I felt angry, irritated, hopeless and then ultimately depressed in just 6 weeks on this pill. I ended up having a panic attack and it then dawned on me that the only thing that has changed recently is this new pill. I stopped taking it the day this happened and I have felt completely fine and back to my normal self since. Personally I would never recommend this pill, I never suffered from any mental health issues before the pill and it’s made me go off contraception completely. The ONLY thing I would say about this pill that is a positive is that my skin was flawless, but that isn’t worth it for me alone. My skin wasn’t bad before other than an occasional hormonal spot here and there.

I started taking Eloine for contraception but also as a way to mange my PMDD. It has definitely helped with managing the severe depression from PMDD and keep my mood more stable. I have more energy than I used to. I have felt slightly more hungry but also in a new relationship and started taking it just before Christmas so hard to tell if that is caused by the pill, or just general indulgence. The most annoying symptom I’ve had is irregular breakthrough bleeding, which has happened a lot. I bled continually for the first 5 weeks and now it comes and goes.

I've loved Lucette for control over my periods and it largely got rid of my acne. My boobs got bigger which I loved too because I felt better proportioned. I think I gained some weight in my midsection, I didn't mind that for the other benefits it gave me but also could have been due to age. I think I had more discharge and would wear dailies for comfort. I wouldn't have come off it but was told I shouldn't have been on it in the first place due to having a history of migraine with aura that wasn't picked up earlier.

I’ve been on Yasmin consistently for 13 years and have never had issues. I remember the first 1-3 months of taking it I did have a bit of nausea but after that, no side effects. I know I am one of the lucky few, but I really love this pill. I never have any issues and never period pain, I have great skin, no weight gain or libido loss. I haven’t changed brands because of how amazing it has been for me.