Patch vs Hormonal coil (IUS)

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Patch

£From £0.32/day

Hormonal coil (IUS)

Add your Hormonal coil (IUS) review

Overview

Rated 3.5

101 reviews

Weekly

Frequency

91% - 99+%

Effectiveness

Increased

Blood clot risk

None

Effect on fertility

Rated 3.5

783 reviews

Every 3-8 years

Frequency

Over 99%

Effectiveness

None

Blood clot risk

None

Effect on fertility

Patch ingredients

Main hormones in Patch

progestogen

oestrogen


Hormonal coil (IUS) ingredients

Main hormones in Hormonal coil (IUS)

progestogen

What Lowdown reviewers say

36% no impact on mood

32% lighter periods

52% no impact

48% no impact

45% no impact on skin

Cycle return

36% in 1 month

43% no impact on mood

46% stopped periods

47% no impact

59% no impact

53% no impact on skin

Cycle return

30% don’t know impact

Benefits: What this contraceptive can help with

Acne or bad skin

Heavy periods

PMS and PMDD

PCOS symptoms

Period pain

Adenomyosis

Endometriosis

Heavy periods

Menopause

Period pain

Try it now

£From £0.32/day

Try it now

Add your Hormonal coil (IUS) review

Check out our latest reviews

Real life reviews from people like you

Patch reviews

101 reviews

Patch  
Used for 18 mo - 3 yr
22 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  31st Aug 24

Evra patch  

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.

Read more

Somewhat positive mood

1 more effect

0 helpful

0 comments

Patch  
Used for 1 - 3 mo
21 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  24th Aug 24

Patch  

I had near constant breakthrough bleeding the entire time


Somewhat negative mood

1 more effect

0 helpful

0 comments

Patch  
Used for 18 mo - 3 yr
24 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  7th Aug 24

Patch  

It’s convenient to only change once a week. I’ve found when I’ve been on holiday if you are in the water it does loosen and sometimes come off in the water which is not helpful. I have experienced a lot of breakthrough bleeding very randomly but it has helped with my skin. My sex drive has basically gone it’s that low which I have struggled with but my mood and endometriosis pain during periods has helped


Somewhat positive mood

3 more effects

0 helpful

0 comments

Patch  
Used for 18 mo - 3 yr
22 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  31st Aug 24

Evra patch  

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.


Somewhat positive mood

1 more effect

0 helpful

0 comments

Patch  
Used for 1 - 3 mo
21 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  24th Aug 24

Patch  

I had near constant breakthrough bleeding the entire time


Somewhat negative mood

1 more effect

0 helpful

0 comments

Patch  
Used for 18 mo - 3 yr
24 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  7th Aug 24

Patch  

It’s convenient to only change once a week. I’ve found when I’ve been on holiday if you are in the water it does loosen and sometimes come off in the water which is not helpful. I have experienced a lot of breakthrough bleeding very randomly but it has helped with my skin. My sex drive has basically gone it’s that low which I have struggled with but my mood and endometriosis pain during periods has helped


Somewhat positive mood

3 more effects

0 helpful

0 comments


Hormonal coil (IUS) reviews

783 reviews

Hormonal coil (IUS)  
Used for 12 - 18 mo
28 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  1 day ago

Kyleena coil  

Kept me from becoming pregnant but at a very high cost... Extreme cramps throughout the month, even after removing the original coil (it was seen to be in the wrong place via ultrasound) and replaced with new one. Pain actually got worse as time went on, after about 8 months I had to get it out as the cramps were debilitating and extreme. I also had a migraine for the first time in my life, and often experienced dizziness and nausea. I also had a patch of recurring thrush infections which was hard to get over as it was so stubborn. The only positive sides were the reduction in bleeding/periods and lack of pregnancy. I will never use a coil again.


Somewhat negative mood

2 more effects

0 helpful

1 comments

Hormonal coil (IUS)  
Used for 3 - 5 yr
29 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  2 weeks ago

Kyleena coil  

After 4 years of having the Kyleena I got pregnant and so have had the coil removed. The main symptoms I struggled with throughout the 4 years were weight gain and lack of libido.


Somewhat positive mood

3 more effects

0 helpful

0 comments

Hormonal coil (IUS)  
Used for 3 - 5 yr
30 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  1 month ago

Kyleena coil  

I had the coil for 4 and a half years and started getting infections with ever increasung severity. I would swing between thrush and bv pretty much back to back especially in the last year and a half of having it. The doctors kept just giving me treatment for it and didnt say that it could be linked to the pill and it was only when i went on a deep dive of coil side effcts that i found out that it can cause infections. I then asked the doctors and then said they could see a correlation amd suggested removing it. I spent hundreds of pounds on prescription and over the counter medicine and spent such a long time feeling totally disgusting. Before i got the coil i had has thrush a few times and so i wonder whether i am more susceptible to getting it and thar should have been a consideration before choosing to have it.


Very negative mood

0 helpful

0 comments

Hormonal coil (IUS)  
Used for 12 - 18 mo
28 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  1 day ago

Kyleena coil  

Kept me from becoming pregnant but at a very high cost... Extreme cramps throughout the month, even after removing the original coil (it was seen to be in the wrong place via ultrasound) and replaced with new one. Pain actually got worse as time went on, after about 8 months I had to get it out as the cramps were debilitating and extreme. I also had a migraine for the first time in my life, and often experienced dizziness and nausea. I also had a patch of recurring thrush infections which was hard to get over as it was so stubborn. The only positive sides were the reduction in bleeding/periods and lack of pregnancy. I will never use a coil again.


Somewhat negative mood

2 more effects

0 helpful

1 comments

Hormonal coil (IUS)  
Used for 3 - 5 yr
29 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  2 weeks ago

Kyleena coil  

After 4 years of having the Kyleena I got pregnant and so have had the coil removed. The main symptoms I struggled with throughout the 4 years were weight gain and lack of libido.


Somewhat positive mood

3 more effects

0 helpful

0 comments

Hormonal coil (IUS)  
Used for 3 - 5 yr
30 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  1 month ago

Kyleena coil  

I had the coil for 4 and a half years and started getting infections with ever increasung severity. I would swing between thrush and bv pretty much back to back especially in the last year and a half of having it. The doctors kept just giving me treatment for it and didnt say that it could be linked to the pill and it was only when i went on a deep dive of coil side effcts that i found out that it can cause infections. I then asked the doctors and then said they could see a correlation amd suggested removing it. I spent hundreds of pounds on prescription and over the counter medicine and spent such a long time feeling totally disgusting. Before i got the coil i had has thrush a few times and so i wonder whether i am more susceptible to getting it and thar should have been a consideration before choosing to have it.


Very negative mood

0 helpful

0 comments

Hormonal coil (IUS)  
Used for 3 - 6 mo
23 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  1 month ago

Kyleena coil  

I got my kyleena almost 4 months ago. It’s the first birth control I’ve been on and I put off getting any for ages because I was scared of the hormones. I’ve seen too many of my friends get depressed from the pill and so was very anti pill. My mental health is good overall and I didn’t want anything to mess with that. I wasn’t keen on the copper coil either because I didn’t want heavier and more painful periods. I’d never heard of an IUS/hormonal coil before my GP mentioned it and most people I’ve mentioned it to haven’t either but really should! I chose kyleena in the end because I liked the fact that yes there were hormones but because it’s a small dose and localised (directly in your uterus), you’re not supposed to get any mood effects. The most common side effect is irregular and lighter bleeding and for me choosing birth control came down to deciding which side effects were the least bad for me. Insertion I'm generally fine with pain and injections etc, minor operations don't really bother me so it will be different for different people but insertion was really quick and easy for me! I took some painkillers beforehand as advised and there was about 10 seconds of painful cramping where I was wincing but nothing I couldn't handle :) It was a bit uncomfortable because it was my first time with a speculum but my GP was great! I started bleeding lightly pretty immediately after and some mild cramping. The GP showed me how to check my threads on a model and I checked at home by myself relatively easily, it was weird at first but used to it now and easy to find. Side effects So far the only obvious side effects for me have been changes to bleeding and cramping. My periods used to be very regular and not too bad. Every 27ish days and lasted for 6 days with days 5-6 being very light and only days 1-2 being heavy. They’re still changing as my body gets used to the coil but appear to be getting lighter and lighter and maybe going away completely. My first period post insertion was noticeably a lot lighter. I used to use a mooncup and haven't used it at all since, because I'm just not bleeding enough (and the advice on whether you should use a suction cup with an IUD/IUS is slightly confusing). I'm just using light flow period pants (WUKA's period thongs specifically which I love). I bled most days for the first maybe second month but still really light. It's gradually getting less frequent and lighter so I've gone weeks with no bleeding before having an extremely light almost unnoticeable period. My cycle length is varying from 18-30+ days which is a bit annoying for someone who used to be so regular but I'll take it over other side effects. I’m still ‘spotting’ throughout my cycle but it’s almost unnoticeable it’s so light. Not quite safe in white underwear yet but any bleeding I have is more like brown/pink discharge and doesn't stain the way blood would. Cramping Pre coil my cramping ranged from non existent to mostly there for a few days but not too bothersome to occasionally needing to be strapped to a hot water bottle feeling sorry for myself on days 2 and 4. I now get random cramping at any point throughout my cycle and it doesn’t really line up my my period anymore. I do get cramps on my period but not in the pattern I used to. Sometimes it’s the most painful I’ve had, more often and is sometimes more of a stabbing than a dull ache but it’s still manageable and I imagine loads better than copper coil. Sometimes I think the hair on my stomach is ever so slightly darker (common progesterone side effect) but I’m not sure how true that is. I do complain about the irregular bleeding and cramping, it can be irritating but it’s not the end of the world and seems to be levelling out 🤞 I’m ultimately very happy that my coil so far seems to have no effect on my mood which was my main concern. It’ll obviously work differently for different people but I’d recommend looking into it and considering it! I’m still new to it and am curious to see how it goes long term but so far largely good!


Top side effects not reported

0 helpful

0 comments

Hormonal coil (IUS)  
Used for 5 - 8 yr
31 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  3rd Oct 24

Mirena coil  

The mirena coil overall worked very well for me. It took a few months to settle initially, and I’m glad I stuck it out. However, at the 5 year mark I started to experience unpleasant symptoms - hair loss, pelvic pain, recurrent thrush. So I’ve now had it removed and gone for kyleena coil, so will see how that goes!


Gained weight

0 helpful

0 comments

Hormonal coil (IUS)  
Used for 6 - 12 mo
31 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  28th Sep 24

Jaydess coil  

I was nervous to try Jaydess as I have previously struggled with mild hormonal acne. However after 11 months, there have been barely any side effects apart from spotting in between periods. I found the pill had so many more side effects! My mood is unchanged, body unchanged, skin broke out ever so slightly but mainly fine. Sex drive unchanged. The only negative is it is painful having it inserted (and I had cramping for 2-3 months around the time of my period). But now I barely get cramps and my period is very light! Would recommend!


Top side effects not reported

0 helpful

0 comments

Hormonal coil (IUS)  
Used for 3 - 6 mo
27 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  20th Sep 24

Jaydess coil  

Overall it has made my hormonal state worse. I am having it removed after 5 months as the moment I enter my luteal phase I have horrible mood swings, and depression-like symptoms and have become extremely sensitive to sugar, which then affects my mental state to the point of crying for no other reason. I also had a traumatic experience getting it in, please do your reading before getting any IUDs in. Ask for pain relief.


Very negative mood

2 more effects

0 helpful

0 comments

Hormonal coil (IUS)  
Used for 12 - 18 mo
34 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  16th Sep 24

Mirena coil  

The mirena coil was excruiciating to have inserted, I am so shocked that no pain relief was offered and i had to spend the rest of the day in bed with severe cramps which continued for a few days. My skin had a very poor reaction and i developed quite bad cystic acne across my face, chest and back as a result, which I did not have previously.


Worse skin

1 helpful

0 comments

Hormonal coil (IUS)  
Used for 18 mo - 3 yr
27 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  16th Sep 24

Jaydess coil  

The Jaydess coil increased my period pain massively and gave me severe acne, which took years to heal after it was removed. For the first couple months on it I was spotting constantly and developed anemia.


Worse skin

0 helpful

0 comments

Hormonal coil (IUS)  
Used for 3 - 5 yr
Lowdown user
🇬🇧 UK
  •  14th Sep 24

Kyleena coil  

I got this contraception to prevent pregnancy but completely lost libido and gained weight. There was no issue with insertion and removal and got rid of painful periods.


Somewhat negative mood

2 more effects

0 helpful

0 comments

Contraceptive alternatives and comparisons

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