Patch vs Progestogen-only / Mini pill

First few months were GREAT- my skin and hair looked amazing, breasts looked the best they'd ever looked, periods were regular and only negative side effects I had were nausea and breast tenderness. Did not have big issues with the adhesive, even though I have sensitive skin, and was not bothered by the lint that stuck to the edges of the patch (I stuck it to my tummy or my bum so it was hidden by clothes anyway). Thought it was a blessing for the first 4 months on it. Started having issues further in, due to the high levels of oestrogen, where I began having extremely heavy and longer periods and went on to have daily pelvic pain after about 8 months on the patch... now on the waiting list to see if I have endometriosis. The patch itself did not negatively impact my sex drive and it did not worsen my anxiety (I did cry more and have some brain fog though). I only gained a small amount of weight and my body looked the best it ever has. Overall, it didn't work for me and has potentially worsened endometriosis (high oestrogen can feed endo), but it has prevented pregnancy and it is so convenient and harder to mess up than taking a pill every day.

Having tried 12 birth control pills previously that nearly all had intolerable side effects for me, mostly making my IBS worse, I decided to try a non-digested birth control method and settled on the Patch. It took me a few tries to get used to applying it correctly and for the first 2 weeks I had very light daily spotting. Now having been on it for 4 months, I am so happy I tried it. I have gained weight and I have definitely noticed an increased appetite but for me the lack of other side effects is 100% worth it. It has had no impact on my IBS, my skin is the clearest it's ever been and I love the convenience of using it weekly. I currently use it continuously because I've always had heavy and painful periods. Every 2 months or so I do have a few days of spotting/ bleeding but it's not heavy or painful and then I have no bleeding for another few months. I did notice a little increase in my Anxiety but I take antidepressants so I can't say how much it affected my mental health. My boobs have gone up a cup size but not that noticeable as I was only an A cup before. Overall I couldn't be happier with my experience so far, it's definitely the best I've tried yet. definitely recommend if you're sensitive to the pill/ digested birth control.

Overall positive experience. The longer Ive been on it, the more irregular the periods have become. I often use the whole cycle before having a break rather than the 3 doses

Did not enjoy this pill! Tried for around 5 months, mood was poor and crying very easily or completely numb! Skin got bad at first but then was okay! Gained weight around increase by a dress size or two, felt bloated constantly and breast size increased but sore! Vaginal dryness was extreme was even sore to walk and have thrush twice in this 5 month period! Was spotting pretty much constantly and obviously unable to track periods with it being a continuous pill and they were irregular.

there will always be side effects to any contraceptive pill, but if it wotks, it works

Was on this pill for about 4/5 months. Positives were that it got rid of any cramps/ period symptoms - great as I was previously prescribed meds for dysmenorrhea. However, it gave me constant spotting and light bleeding - I bled for about 75% of the time while on this pill and it didn’t get any better. Doctor recommended that I doubled dose (from 75 to 150mg) - this killed my sex drive and didn’t fix the bleeding issue, so I eventually came off.

I had an unpleasant experience using Cerelle. It was the first birth control I tried and wasn't given any other options or choice by the GP at the time. I had a 2month long heavy and painful period, worsened skin, hair loss, severe backne to name a few side effects. Really bad experience for me sadly. Having now tried over 10 other birth control pills- mini and combined, I learned that I am very sensitive to progesterone so the mini pill just isn't for me sadly. I'm now on the Patch and loving it.

I got put on this pill when i had a miscarriage, i get worried from time to time about my period. I have the flo app and i’m on my period about every 2 weeks, but it’s not exactly a period it’s just very very light and lasts for longer then a period should last this only started happening when i missed a pill for a day and the next day took 2 of them so it didn’t screw the pill up in my body and it has so it worries me. I’ve also put on so much weight using the pill.

I was 30 when I started this for anyone wanting reference and have had three children. I suffered from horrific period and ovulation pain coupled with ovarian cysts. I had tried many different forms of contraception but I cannot take estrogen as it gives me Hyperemesis Gravidarum, not uncommon in those who have also experienced it in pregnancy, which I did. The first three months weren’t great, mood was all over the place and libido plummeted but after that it levelled out and I’m glad I waited it out. My periods stopped almost immediately and so did my ovulation pain. As I usually got ovarian cysts that burst at the time of ovulation, that’s pretty much stopped too and I’ve gone from having cysts burst monthly, to maybe once or twice a year. It’s dramatically improved my quality of life and I’m so happy on it. What with it being desogestrel, it has a 12 hour time window, so if you forget to take it at your usual time, as long as you take it in the 12 hours following, you’ll still be protected. I’m usually fine as I take it first thing, but it’s always good to know.

Having never tried the mini-pill before, for the couple of months I finally thought I'd found the right contraception for me. Unfortunately, after about three months of taking it my periods became irregular, and I ended up having a really long period followed by two months of having no period. The issue was every time I had a period, the period itself would last longer and longer each time. After one period that lasted over two weeks and made me feel exhausted and anxious, I decided to stop taking it. They weren't light periods either, they were heavy with clots. Such a shame as I felt pretty good for the first couple of months, much better than I had done on any combined pill I had taken.

Switched to Zelleta (Desogestrel) from the combined pill because of side effects. Had one unusually long period (9 days) one month after starting Zelleta, after that my periods stopped completely and I only had minor spotting every now and then which almost completely disappeared over time. I gradually noticed a complete loss of sex drive which bothered me a lot and I ended up switching to non-hormonal contraception instead because of this.

I was on Rigevidon for about 8 years and got on really well with it. After starting with migraines with aura, I had to change to a mini pill. I can’t believe the difference in my mental health, weight, spots. Everything has just taken a down hill. I’ve been bleeding nearly constantly for the last month, so I’m going to have to find something new. On top of that, my sex drive is low, mood is low, always tired, spots all over my back and shoulders and weight gain.

I took this for endometriosis, but not worth it because of facial hair growth. I had breakthrough bleeding every 4-6 months for about 4-5 days, fairly light and not too painful. My sex drive and weight were unaffected, however I got thick dark hair on my stomach, inner thighs, chest and face. This destroyed my self esteem so my mood was obviously low. After stopping the hair did not revert back which is common so I had electrolysis which took care of it. Then 2 years later I went back on this pill stupidly to try and help the endometriosis, the hair came back within 2 months. I have since stopped this pill, spent even more money on electrolysis and have had no issues after regarding that. It took about 3-5 months for my cycle to regulate after coming off birth control. I’m thinking about trying slynd as it is supposed to be anti androgenise, we’ll see.