Progestogen-only / Mini pill vs Combined pill

Generally happy with this pill, which I'm now able to get from my GP. It's much better than Desogestrel for me. I haven't had a period since I started it and no breakthrough bleeding either. My skin is great on this pill and my weight hasn't changed - if anything I lost a bit of weight, which unfortunately made my boobs smaller. I read this pill has a diuretic effect but I haven't noticed that at all. Initially I had headaches and some disturbed sleep, but these went away after the first month. My sex drive is lower but not to the point of it being an issue. I love that it has the safety of a 24-hour window, plus it's made my mood really stable and has stopped my periods.

I have been taking Hana for 4-5 months now. Generally I have enjoyed the effects of taking a POP, but the specific effect Desogestrel had has led me to trying Slynd instead. Aside from the contraceptive effect, I mainly started taking this pill to combat low mood, hormonal headaches and to hopefully lighten my period. I did find all of these things improved on Hana, but I found that inconsistent and increasingly frequent bleeding was killing my sex drive, making it a touch redundant and prompting the switch. I would have likely reluctantly kept taking Hana (or tried a different brand) as I do feel my mood has benefited overall, and it is advised that bleeding can settle down over time, but now that Slynd was finally available in the UK, I see no need to compromise. In my first month on the pill, I had no bleeding at all (as you would expect). I also generally didn't notice many other side effects. I did have some mood swings - which took me by surprise, but were easier to handle once I identified what was happening and generally settled down after the first month. I also noticed slight vaginal dryness (not uncommon for me in my luteal phase and nothing a bit of lube can't fix) but have been unable to determine if this has also settled. As I got to the last week of pills in my first pack, I had a withdrawal bleed, which again was not unexpected. I was pleased to note that this was much lighter than my normal period, even if it lasted longer, because I could essentially just wear period underwear instead of my normal underwear and that would last all day. In my second month, I noticed some light but otherwise entirely manageable spotting. This alone would not have dissuaded me from taking this pill. I again had a withdrawal bleed around the start of the last week in the pack and would have been happy with that cadence. This is where the problems started, however. Through the course of the third month, I noticed that the light spotting was turning into more prolonged bleeding, which by the end of the month was almost constant and in some cases led me to leak through my clothes. Having done some research online, I decided to try taking two pills instead of just one - this did seem to make the bleeding lighter but it has continued. While I feel that the hormones have overall had a positive impact on my sex drive, it is very hard to feel attractive or think about sex when you are constantly bleeding.

I have been on this pill for 4 months. My periods are regular which is the ONLY good thing about it. My skin is awful, bloating is insane. The bleeding is heavier than I’ve ever experienced and my sex drive has completely disappeared. Everyone’s experience is different but personally, this is the worst pill I’ve ever tried.

while it's generally alright while I'm on it, the periods are terrible. way more painful than normal and extremely heavy. I've gotta give it credit for the skin though- alot clearer than before

Please consider the effects AFTER you stop taking Yaz or Eloine (same pill different brand). I never had acne or even spots my whole life and 4 months after stopping Yaz I got post-pill acne. My whole face is red and scarred and there isn’t a part of it that isn’t swollen and bumpy with cystic acne. If I could show you photos you would immediately think twice about trying an anti-androgen contraceptive like Yaz/eloine. I have tried everything with my derm to cure the acne but I wish I had known before taking yaz that this might happen when I stopped. I’m honestly devastated. It’s now been two years since I stopped yaz..

Has been really helpful for my moods as i would get bad pms, i feel a lot more stable through the months. i gained a lot of weight at one point but then lost it. my boobs consistently got bigger, at certain times in the month they are very very tender. i had lost my sex drive for a few months when i first started but it then came back, but i was really not eager for anything for ages. It’s helped my back and chest acne, and my face is better but has flare ups. I get a period every 3 months but it lasts like 14 days but not that heavy.

I have been on 3 different pills 10 years ago of which the last one was a pill prescribed for acne, before I decided to switch to a non-hormonal IUD, which resulted into heavy-flow periods that looked like someone had stabbed me everytime I got my period. I never had a heavy flow period but the copper IUD definitely increased this. After 2 years, I switched to the hormonal IUD Mirena and no complaints except that my hormonal acne is still present. I actually lost weight and no more periods. I went to my Gyno to ask for a solution against my acne and she prescribed the Yasmin pill. I took it and stopped after 9 days because I got super lethargic, emotional and cried almost every day, I started getting cystic acne even though I never had any cystic acne before, but a few small pimples on my jawline & chin. My breast were tender and in pain, I felt nauseous and I got 4 headaches in 9 days. Generally I don't get 5 headaches, maybe a maximum of 3-5 per year and that's it and my breasts are tender & in pain only when I am on my period. Needless to say that, I was not willing to go through the 3-month period with these symptoms just to see if my acne can disappear. I feel like there is no miracle solution and that's the most difficult to accept. My dermatologist prescribed spironolactone for my acne, which apparently has similar effects than the pill in terms of acne, without all the side effects.

I started taking Dianette as my first ever contraception pill. It is a combined pill which gives me migraines for a period of time. I was told to stop using it immediately as it put me at an increased risk of having blood clots and stroke. Now I am left not knowing what to do. Overall it did not give me any other side effect and I see a big difference on my skin. It is just me having a reaction to estrogen-related pills.

Worked really great for many years. Still had the ocassionally leg cramp, and my breast started to be really tender. After some years I got panic attacks and anxiety. Quit the pill in june 2023, still strugeling with panic and anxiety at times

It went smoothly in the start. No side effects other than weight gain. Slowly the mood startet to be affected. I startet to swear more and react more angrily towards situations and people around me. Felt almost like I was a child and could not contain myself. My husband told me I had to get of because I was horrible to live with. The anger subsided when I stopped

I essentially started crying almost every day and couldn't fully function like normal because of how low my mood was. I took it for bad period cramps and it definitely helped with this but had to get off it because of the effect on my mood

I had a heavy painfull n long period after usage so i stoped it after 8 days but im still bleeding with pain after 2 weeks

I’ve tried 10+ pills all with various side effects and haven’t found one I’ve been happy with. I was on the Evra patch until recently but found that it had affected my anxiety a lot so i stopped using it. I started on Norimin as I’ve tended to tolerate higher dose pills better historically. I’m not thrilled with having to take the pill everyday as I’m very forgetful but it’s been the best one yet. No affect on anxiety yet, my skin has broken out a bit around my chin but nothing too bad. I have definitely gained weight as my appetite has significantly increased and my boobs are a lot bigger and more tender. Best of all, I’m able to skip periods as i have debilitating painful periods. With Norimin, I take it back to back for about 4 months then have a week break. I can have very light spotting about the 2.5 month mark but i don’t mind it at all and it clears up within a week. I’m only using this pill as a stop gap while I decide between the Nuva Ring or the Mirena coil but i’m happy with it for now!