Progestogen-only / Mini pill vs Hormonal coil (IUS)

All in all the desogestrel pill is easy to remember to take and really simple. It helps to give myself some peace of mind and hasn't given me too many bad side effects. I had no change to my mental health at all but did have irregular periods. For example I bled for 7 days then stopped for two days then bled again but then the next time I had a 5 day no bleed and then continued again. The periods don't really come with cramps which is good I did have some pain in my upper stomach but not sure if this was due to the mini pill or not. The only thing is the day before my period when I try to sleep my stomach feels uncomfortable but it's a good indicator to tell me if it's going to start. At first I did feel an increase in hunger but that decreases over time. Overall I like this pill apart from the irregular periods and will continue to use this pill for a while

I had always suffered with very minor anxiety, however once I went on this pill I was a wreck. It was like I became a whole different person, I was irritable, mean, and I was constantly upset. In the space of a month I went from a D to and E, and I gained weight like I never have before around my lower stomach. I had always been rather skinny around there, but even after 2 years of not taking it, I have never been able to return to how my body was beforehand. The first 2 and a half weeks were normal, but after that I bled consecutively for 9 weeks, with a few 16 days staggered in between where I only briefly spotted.

Cerazette has been great for me! Used to get very heavy and debilitatingly painful periods (though not diagnosed with anything), and now occasionally get a day or 2 of light bleeding with very very mild cramps. My mood is not effected by my cycle anymore and I feel much more stable and happy. Has also worked well as contraception, which is what I am taking it for!

I had the Mirena Coil put in for endometriosis. The actual insertion went well because I spoke to my gyno and asked for it to be done in the hospital, meaning that i had the option for general anaesthetic, local anaesthetic or gas and air. I went for the local and gas and air as I had had such a terrible experience having a copper coil put in 5 years prior. The gas and air distracted me and the previous coil removal and new coil insertion wasn’t much bother (i deliriously thanked the team in the room for not giving me as much trauma as the clinic i went to for my copper). The pain after insertion was significant but if you just prepare to have a day or two sat on the sofa taking regular painkillers it’s ok. After the insertion i almost instantly noticed a massive surge of hormones which my gynae had warned me about (she said i might feel ‘weepy’ for up to 6 months as if that isn’t a significant side effect lol). In the end I had major mood swings for around 4 months and was very irritable and all over the place. It did really damage my relationship as it was like i was having PMS every day. I wasn’t depressed or anxious, I just felt like i wasn’t in control of my emotions and i honestly felt like a hormonal teenager who is happy one minute and then angry and upset at something the next. (i also got a bit spotty in the first month or two after insertion - but this cleared up) Eventually after 4 months the mood swings stopped and I can honestly say Mirena is SO WORTH IT if you suffer from endometriosis. It’s completely stopped my endo pain to the point where i don’t even notice my periods anymore. Honestly Mirena gave me my life back within weeks of insertion. After suffering from daily pain for 5 years I now have so much more energy, my chronic fatigue is gone because the pain is completely gone and feel like i’m finally living again. I can make plans, hang out with friends and go into the office regularly - it’s helped me thrive again. It makes me sad that i wasted so many years in pain when this was an option and i would 100% recommend it!! I was initially hesitant to get Mirena because i was worried about the hormones affecting my mood and skin etc as im so susceptible and felt like a different person on the pill. But the important thing is that after the initial hormone “surge” you feel normal again - you just have to wait it out and hope that people around you will be patient with the crazy mood swings for a a few months. If you suffer from endo you will hopefully (everyone’s different) have the silver lining that you’re not in pain anymore so you gain a lot of energy that counters the mood swings. If you have endometriosis or even suspect you might have endometriosis I would really encourage you to get Mirena put in as a first port of call to try and treat it. In terms of my periods they’re SO light - literally just like brown spotting which i barely need a panty liner for which is amazing. sometimes they’re a bit irregular and can last a long time but honestly they’re so light i forget my period exists and Ill confidently wear white trousers whilst menstruating (it’s THAT light) The only reason i’m not giving 5 stars is because several months of feeling absolutely mental is not ideal BUT the level of freedom, energy gained instantly, lightness of period and now lightness of mood now i’m out of the surge period made it all worth it

I generally had an okay time with it but i kept getting spotting/or a light period every couple of weeks. much lighter than a normal period would be and without the usual pain i would get but definitely more frequently - which i found frustrating, and was often very bloated because i was so regularly getting a short period, it was quite annoying, so i stopped. I also thought it was making my hair shed. it was always pretty uncomfortable putting it in

This coil gave me really dreadful mood swings from ovulation time through to the start of my period. I felt really low and anxious, irritable with family, almost irrational about certain things, constantly crying, and passively suicidal. This persisted for around 8 months including months where I didn't have anything difficult/stressful going on personally. It clearly correlated with my cycle, and within a week of having it removed I felt like myself again. I know the hormonal coils work really well for some people - I have lots of friends who use them with no issues. But for whatever reason I am generally quite sensitive to medications and really noticed an effect from this coil. I've gone back to the copper coil which does make periods heavier, but I will take that over the mood destabilisation

for me it works great, but i have a feeling my sex drive changed plus also the intensity of my orgasm. But you know I cannot tell for sure that the coil is the causing this..

Positive - first one for 5 years, protected against pregnancy, stopped periods after about 18 months so saved money on tampons. No significant side effects initially. Set and forget method was great. Negatives - I found the fitting incredibly painful. When I had it changed after 5 years the reinsertion was traumatic and I won't have it again. I suffered with mouth ulcers every month that got progressively worse over time. My mood wasn't bad but it was overall flattened. The new one never settled and I had problems with the threads travelling upwards, I found medical staff across the board (GP, clinic, hospital for ultrasound) very uninterested when I had issues after fitting which was difficult because I was frightened of possible consequences if it moved or they couldn't get the threads to remove it. I have honestly never had thrush so much in my life as I did when I was on kyleena. Noticed more and darker body hair over time.

Works well for me, was hoping would take away periods altogether but definitely made them lighter. Found fitting comfortable as just had some cramping. But I have quite a low cervix, so I could feel the strings and needed them trimmed.

Not pleasant to put in but completely stopped by periods after few months. Reassuring that no pregnancy, however absolutely 0 sex drive and this effects relationships.

Initial 3 month settling in period is intense, lots of bleeding and emotional side effects plus insertion pain. After 3 months it settled and I thought I had found the holy grail, emotionally stable and no side effects. At 6 months I developed a large ovarian cyst which put me in agony and A&E, doctors said this was caused by the coil and had to remove it. Unfortunately I cant recommend, the search continues.

No periods but developed acne. I also get cysts now regularly (never had before) that burst and hurt so bad that the first time it happened I went to the ER.

only had mirena coil fitted 3 weeks ago but so far it’s been good, i have had quite a lot of lower back pain but other than that i don’t feel any different