Patch vs Combined pill

I mean, it did its job and I'm not pregnant. However, after 6 months of use, my periods started being irregular, I was starting them on the patch and stopping midway through patch free week, which was very annoying. The biggest issue was when I bled for a month constantly. They run all the tests, nothing was wrong with my body - it was the patch causing it and I was told to change the method. Now I'm on a Ring, let's see how it goes...

After switching from the combined pill due to depression, I was interested in the patch as I could change it weekly instead of remembering to take a pill everyday. I started the patch and my periods became regular and my mood increased greatly, I do experience bad PMS but It is much better compared to when I was on the pill. I do get cramps sometimes between periods but nothing too bad. You can also use the patch to skip periods but I enjoy having a regular “cycle” and when I did use it to skip a period for a holiday I ended up spotting for a month! Overall the patch is great for me and I don’t plan on changing as it has helped my mental health so much.

I had near constant breakthrough bleeding the entire time

It’s okay. The positive is that my cramps are less. I experienced thrush for the first time in my life. I am more weepy but not depressed. I have acne on my lower face after a few weeks that is starting to clear now and I can see my hair is thinning. I also feel very sleepy on this so I am planning to change.

Millinette gave me full blown acne and made me a lot more teary which is so unlike me. Initially, I was on Rigevidon for 2.5 years, stopped as I experienced breakthrough bleeding/didn’t need it. Discovered I had major brain fog on it, and my thoughts / perception on dating became a lot better once off it. Decided to try Millinette based on that as I got into a new relationship, tried it for 3 months as advised. I’ve not always been spotty, I get hormonal breakouts but that’s it. I’m happy and healthy otherwise! Millinette made me start to break out in hormonal spots - on my forehead, chin (especially) and cheeks (which I’ve never experienced before). It was making me miserable! I also noticed how much more teary I’ve been lately - as if anything slightly upsetting can make me cry. I’ve been using differin (a retinol acne gel treatment) and it’s helped slightly but not much. I’ve also gone up an entire cup size, and my breasts are slightly achy all the time. I also have experienced headaches when I came off the pill for a bleed - I now take it consecutively because my body seems to react badly to the drop in hormones. I’ve stopped Millinette now, and based on a nurse’s advice I’m going to try Yaecella. I think my body/skin reacts badly to the progesterone in Millinette/with pills that have less oestrogen in them. Hopefully Yaecella works (it’s a new generation version of the famous Yasmin pill). I’m 21, 5’10 and 57kg if that helps too!

I had been taking this pill for 25 years, since I was 15. Now I’m 40 my GP won’t supply me with the combined pill anymore and wants to switch me to the mini pill. I had periods, when I was 13-15, where I would bleed heavily for 2 weeks, with regular flooding, plus extreme abdominal pain, followed by 2 weeks no bleeding then I’d go back round again. Brevinor changed my life! I could not recommend this pill more. You will more likely hear the negatives than the positive from these reviews but honestly this was amazing for me and would still be taking it if I could.

I changed to marvelon from cilique/ levest because neither were helping my skin. this one did!! however my sex drive has gone down massively. but periods are all regular no issues there just low libido :(

Overall good but feel like unable to lose weight and slight dizziness.

Initially, I had little to complain about with the pill. My skin became clear after a few months and my breasts increased a cup size. HOWEVER, I had always felt more ill and generally tired on this pill, emotionally I also felt very static. Not depressed or unhappy but I could not feel my emotions as normal. My doctor advised me to switch from a 7 day break every month to a 4 day break as the guidelines had changed. This increase in the pill caused my breasts to get even bigger and very very sore. My doctor found multiple cysts in both breasts, I explained that I thought this was due to the increase in the pill I was taking but they said they would drain the cysts rather than me coming off the pill. I decided to come off the pill to see if it would decrease the cysts and they went completely of their own accord within a month of coming off the pill. I lost a lot of hair and my skin got worse but I have never felt better in myself, more healthy and happy since coming off. I will not go on any form of hormonal contraception again.

I started using contraception again to help manage my PMS, particularly the mood swings a week before my period. At the time, I was also struggling with severe anxiety, which made PMS even harder to cope with each month. I hoped contraception would help regulate my hormones and provide some relief. Initially, I was prescribed Rigividon, but it didn’t work for me. A week before my period, I had intense emotional spikes, irritability, increased appetite, cramps, and breast tenderness. While I could just about manage it most of the time, I worried about how difficult it might get during stressful periods. My nurse suggested switching to Gederal. Since switching to Gederal, my experience has been much better. My periods are lighter, and my PMS symptoms have improved significantly. I feel much more emotionally stable in the week before my period. However, I tried skipping the 7-pill free days to avoid the break, but by the third packet, I felt PMS symptoms building up again, including mood swings. I have had a small amount of reoccurring dermatitis on my nose and chin since starting the pill. Overall, Gederal has been a much better fit for me compared to both Rigividon and my experience without contraception. It’s made a noticeable difference in managing my PMS and emotional well-being.

I’ve been on a couple of pills in the past which have been fine other than the odd side effect. But I’ve changed over due to those small side effects getting worse such as the main one being water retention in the arms. Brevinor, this is by far the worst pill I’ve tried. The first 3 days were terrible. I felt faint, tired & dizzy. My boobs were so sore for the first 21 days when I was taking this pill. Swollen and sore, even putting my bra on. I have gone back to my GP and they have prescribed rigevidon….judging by the reviews on here I will not be taking it or any other pills. I will be starting to track my cycle naturally in the new year whilst using barrier methods such as condoms.

My experience of this pill was very positive, only reason I do not use it joe is because my pharmacist switched to a different brand (same hormones)

I wish that I never stopped taking this pill! It was brilliant. Cleared up my skin very quickly. Doctor took me off it because I had some headaches. I don’t know whether these headaches were connected but the rest of my experience with this pill was positive !