Progestogen-only / Mini pill vs Combined pill

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Progestogen-only / Mini pill

£From £0.22/day

Combined pill

£From £0.16/day

Overview

Rated 2.7

1372 reviews

Daily

Frequency

91% - 99+%

Effectiveness

None

Blood clot risk

None

Effect on fertility

Rated 2.8

2577 reviews

Daily

Frequency

91% - 99+%

Effectiveness

Increased

Blood clot risk

None

Effect on fertility

Progestogen-only / Mini pill ingredients

Main hormones in Progestogen-only / Mini pill

progestogen


Combined pill ingredients

Main hormones in Combined pill

progestogen

oestrogen

What Lowdown reviewers say

32% somewhat negative

44% stopped periods

50% lost sex drive

43% no impact

45% no impact on skin

Cycle return

38% don’t know impact

31% somewhat negative

47% lighter periods

46% lost sex drive

48% no impact

44% improved skin

Cycle return

36% don’t know impact

Benefits: What this contraceptive can help with

Period pain

Acne or bad skin

Heavy periods

PMS and PMDD

PCOS symptoms

Period pain

Try it now

£From £0.22/day

Try it now

£From £0.16/day

Check out our latest reviews

Real life reviews from people like you

Progestogen-only / Mini pill reviews

1372 reviews

Progestogen-only / Mini pill  
Used for 8+ yr
33 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  6 days ago

Cerazette pill  

I would HIGHLY recommend this contraception. In my opinion it is one of the best, if not the best and has worked for me 100%

Read more

Somewhat positive mood

2 more effects

1 helpful

0 comments

Progestogen-only / Mini pill  
Used for 1 - 3 mo
20 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  1 week ago

Desogestrel pill  

This is the WORST. My mental health plummeted on this pill, crying nearlt everyday. Not to mention i was bleeding medium heavy for 30+ days every single day. Really terrible effect i would not recommend. My doctor said to wait another week but after bleeding for a month straight i couldnt.


Top side effects not reported

1 helpful

0 comments

Progestogen-only / Mini pill  
Used for 6 - 12 mo
19 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  1 week ago

Desogestrel pill  

this was my first contraceptive pill i tried. in the first three months, i did struggle with lower mood and had consistent light bleeding that would last for over a week. later on, i adjusted better and eventually stopped having a period, with the occasional light bleeding from time to time. i experienced decreased sex drive and mentally has not been great but it has been manageable. i decided to stop this after 10 months due to suddenly getting worsened acne, which is not something i have struggled with since i was a young teenager


Somewhat negative mood

2 more effects

1 helpful

0 comments

Progestogen-only / Mini pill  
Used for 8+ yr
33 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  6 days ago

Cerazette pill  

I would HIGHLY recommend this contraception. In my opinion it is one of the best, if not the best and has worked for me 100%


Somewhat positive mood

2 more effects

1 helpful

0 comments

Progestogen-only / Mini pill  
Used for 1 - 3 mo
20 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  1 week ago

Desogestrel pill  

This is the WORST. My mental health plummeted on this pill, crying nearlt everyday. Not to mention i was bleeding medium heavy for 30+ days every single day. Really terrible effect i would not recommend. My doctor said to wait another week but after bleeding for a month straight i couldnt.


Top side effects not reported

1 helpful

0 comments

Progestogen-only / Mini pill  
Used for 6 - 12 mo
19 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  1 week ago

Desogestrel pill  

this was my first contraceptive pill i tried. in the first three months, i did struggle with lower mood and had consistent light bleeding that would last for over a week. later on, i adjusted better and eventually stopped having a period, with the occasional light bleeding from time to time. i experienced decreased sex drive and mentally has not been great but it has been manageable. i decided to stop this after 10 months due to suddenly getting worsened acne, which is not something i have struggled with since i was a young teenager


Somewhat negative mood

2 more effects

1 helpful

0 comments


Combined pill reviews

2577 reviews

Combined pill  
Used for 3 - 5 yr
Lowdown user
🇬🇧 UK
  •  today

Rigevidon  

It was good in the sense that my “cycle” felt really regular and I had very consistent moods which felt good as it avoided the PMS I used to get. The peace of mind as a contraceptive method was also good. Whilst I was on it I didnt realise anything significantly different about myself. However, when I came off it i didnt realise how much of my self it had suppressed - in terms of feeling alive to the word and sexually charged. I now use condoms/ may consider the localised hormonal coil as I am no longer interested in experiencing such significant changes in myself for contraception.


Somewhat negative mood

2 more effects

0 helpful

0 comments

Combined pill  
Used for 1 - 3 mo
20 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  1 day ago

Millinette 20/75 pill  

Within 48 hours of swallowing the first tablet I started to have Brown discharge which has grown into what would be described as a full on period with horrendous stomach ache, it will be 2 weeks on Sunday since I swallowed the first tablet. I'm assuming this is the breakthrough bleeding and my body needs to adjust but anyone else experienced this?


Top side effects not reported

0 helpful

0 comments

Combined pill  
Used for 3 - 6 mo
16 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  1 day ago

Rigevidon  

It was working perfectly fine at first, was helping me with unbearable cramps and nausea, but after about four months of use, I wasn't feeling like myself at all. It made my anxiety so much worse that is was making me nauseous and kept giving me heart palpitations and trembling limbs. I've had a major loss of appetite which is really bad for someone who is already considered underweight for her age. I couldn't tell the difference between feeling hungry or feeling sick, but whenever I did eat, I continued to feel this way. I became so emotionally unstable that I was in a near constant state of dread for no apparent reason and would be crying without even being upset, every day. I struggled to sleep with the increased negative mood, the only think to help me sleep was to listen to educational videos in the background to distract me from the anxiety and nausea. I took travel pills to alleviate both of these which is working well and helping me sleep, and two days after stopping with the pill, my mood has been gradually improving. I'm still getting heart palpitations and tearing up a little at times, butI'm starting to feel like myself again. I wouldn't recommend rigevidon if you have a history with anxiety or depression. Made my hormones go haywire, lost my already small appetite, and messed around a whole lot with my sleep schedule.


Very negative mood

1 more effect

0 helpful

0 comments

Combined pill  
Used for 3 - 5 yr
Lowdown user
🇬🇧 UK
  •  today

Rigevidon  

It was good in the sense that my “cycle” felt really regular and I had very consistent moods which felt good as it avoided the PMS I used to get. The peace of mind as a contraceptive method was also good. Whilst I was on it I didnt realise anything significantly different about myself. However, when I came off it i didnt realise how much of my self it had suppressed - in terms of feeling alive to the word and sexually charged. I now use condoms/ may consider the localised hormonal coil as I am no longer interested in experiencing such significant changes in myself for contraception.


Somewhat negative mood

2 more effects

0 helpful

0 comments

Combined pill  
Used for 1 - 3 mo
20 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  1 day ago

Millinette 20/75 pill  

Within 48 hours of swallowing the first tablet I started to have Brown discharge which has grown into what would be described as a full on period with horrendous stomach ache, it will be 2 weeks on Sunday since I swallowed the first tablet. I'm assuming this is the breakthrough bleeding and my body needs to adjust but anyone else experienced this?


Top side effects not reported

0 helpful

0 comments

Combined pill  
Used for 3 - 6 mo
16 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  1 day ago

Rigevidon  

It was working perfectly fine at first, was helping me with unbearable cramps and nausea, but after about four months of use, I wasn't feeling like myself at all. It made my anxiety so much worse that is was making me nauseous and kept giving me heart palpitations and trembling limbs. I've had a major loss of appetite which is really bad for someone who is already considered underweight for her age. I couldn't tell the difference between feeling hungry or feeling sick, but whenever I did eat, I continued to feel this way. I became so emotionally unstable that I was in a near constant state of dread for no apparent reason and would be crying without even being upset, every day. I struggled to sleep with the increased negative mood, the only think to help me sleep was to listen to educational videos in the background to distract me from the anxiety and nausea. I took travel pills to alleviate both of these which is working well and helping me sleep, and two days after stopping with the pill, my mood has been gradually improving. I'm still getting heart palpitations and tearing up a little at times, butI'm starting to feel like myself again. I wouldn't recommend rigevidon if you have a history with anxiety or depression. Made my hormones go haywire, lost my already small appetite, and messed around a whole lot with my sleep schedule.


Very negative mood

1 more effect

0 helpful

0 comments

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

Lucette pill  

Really helpful for my moods, only 10 months in did i randomly experience breast secretion and so swapped to the sister pill eloine with less oestrogen


Very positive mood

2 more effects

0 helpful

0 comments

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

Drovelis pill  

I've been on it for a year and a half, it made me gain 10 kgs (even though I work out more than usual and eat a healthy diet), especially weight in my lower stomach, I have a pooch now and am always bloated, which is very uncomfortable. It also made me go up two cup sizes, I was a B cup before starting this contraception and now am a D cup. I also lost all my sex drive and it makes me really moody. I was hoping to be a fan since it's supposed to be less hormones than other pills but unfortunately my body did not react well to it.


Very negative mood

2 more effects

1 helpful

0 comments

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

Drovelis pill  

Experiences severe pms before taking this pill, first tried deso 30 again as I used it in the past, but I definitely gained weight with that one and still experienced feelings of depression every now and then. With this pill, I still have my normal weight and I feel like any dark feelings are almost gone, sometimes I still have an off day ofcourse. Overall I am very happy; clear skin, I am feeling great, and my weight is normal.


Somewhat positive mood

1 more effect

0 helpful

0 comments

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

Eloine pill  

So I might just be allergic to the pill. I was given this as it's low dose and I've had strong reactions to everything else. I had an anxiety attack on the first day, then couldn't stop crying on the second so I stopped it quickly. I had started it because I was feeling really good so thought I could cope with the mood changes but they were so severe it scared me. I've then had a horrible period in the month after and back at square 1.


Very negative mood

0 helpful

0 comments

Combined pill  
Used for 18 mo - 3 yr
20 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  1 week ago

Levest pill  

Ive been on 3 different pills and Levest was my long term. My skin got clearer and my periods have been much more managable (I used to be prescribed meds for pain control). However the main effect is decreased sex drive dramatically and just feeling 'meh' all the time very dampened emotions over everything. Not many highs not many lows just an overall feeling of meh.


Somewhat negative mood

2 more effects

0 helpful

0 comments

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

Zoely pill  

My psychiatrist put me on Zoely in August of 2024, I had recently been diagnosed with PMDD (pre menstrual dysphoric disorder) and was at a point in my life where if I didn’t find a way to manage the symptoms I was at breaking point. I’d been misdiagnosed with bipolar, major depression, borderline personality disorder and had been on a rollercoaster of treatments from ages 13-30. So I was hesitant to trust this psychiatrist and go on another potentially damaging rollercoaster of meds. Alas, after 3 weeks I noticed dramatic changes to my moods, I was balanced! I felt in control, grounded and sane! Obviously my period stopped and my cycle was no longer existent but this medication saved my life, my relationship, my mental health and gave me back my life! The only negative side is my low to zero sex drive, that’s been tough but I’m navigating it now, my partner doesn’t feel desirable because I don’t want sex.. like ever but we are both just happy to have a peaceful life without the ups and down. It seems like a fair trade to me. So very grateful for this medication.


Very positive mood

2 more effects

0 helpful

0 comments

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

Rigevidon  

This pill ruined my mental health, doctor told me it was the best option despite me telling her i was worried about the mental effects. I lost all confidence- felt disgusting all the time. Made my anxiety and overthinking 10 times worse, i was crying multiple times every day. It felt like i had no control over my emotions, i could go from happy to crying within seconds and this could be set off by anything at all. Would not recommend this to anyone, have an appointment to come off it this week.


Very negative mood

0 helpful

0 comments

Contraceptive alternatives and comparisons

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