Zelleta pill vs Desogestrel pill

Overall, I was happy with this pill. I am not currently on it as I'm in between prescriptions and its been difficult contacting my doctor. However, the last week without it has made me realise how I was benefitting from it. I used to get mood swings quite often which disappeared when on this pill. The first month, my mood swings were still there like before and I found that I was more likely to cry over small things but this went away after the first 4 weeks. Before, I would also get medium pain cramps that lasted nearly the whole day for about 2 weeks on and off every month. This went down to small cramps for an hour maybe one or twice a month which was definitely a positive. I did get one or two more spots on my face which was annoying as I've struggled with my skin for a while and was finally starting to clear it up before starting the pill but this wasn't a significant impact because I was used to my stubborn skin. I also got spots on my back and chest, but these started going away again after about 6-8 weeks. The main impact I had was my period. It went from being pretty regular and heavy for 6-7 days every month to a very light period (ranging from light/medium to basically only spotting) that lasted for 3 weeks. Although without cramps and because it was so light it didn't impact me much (it was more an inconvenience). After this, I wouldn't get my period for over a month (about 5 weeks) and then it started again. I understand that this is what would put most people off getting the pill and it was what I had been dreading the most but I realised that it wasn't as bad as I thought as most days I could get away with just a panty liner rather than an actual pad or tampon (and it reassured me I wasn't pregnant).

I couldn’t be happier with this pill. After having a break from contraception and using FAM and falling pregnant twice, I decided I needed to go back on birth control. I initially tried the copper coil but it expelled after 24 hours and I didn’t want to go through the insertion process again. I went to the doctor and she’s said to give the mini pill a go, and I was prescribed Zelleta. I was really nervous as I have previously been in the combined pill for 7 years and it really impacted my mood so I was hesitant to try a pill again, but the doctor told me my body could react differently to the mini pill and she was right. The first two weeks I had headaches almost everyday, and was feeling extremely tired but I think this was down to my body getting used to the pill. After the three week mark they both disappeared. I had no loss of sex drive, I would actually say it’s increased which took me by surprise. I’ve lost around 8lbs and I feel like I have more energy. The only downside for me is my skin (previously completely clear) has had some breakouts but I will take it. My low mood and anxiety has decreased significantly. I was so hesitant to go back on the pill but when your doctor says they’re not all the same and you just have to find the right one for you, listen to them because it’s so true.

The main side effect I experienced at the beginning of taking this pill was nausea, mainly after I had taken the pill but also throughout the day to the point where I thought I could be pregnant but it has subsided. I have started getting very irregular periods and regular spotting but I don’t really mind it too much, generally they’re a lot lighter and not painful. I have gotten a few more breakouts but they’re quite small, and could be due to other factors - do not let this put you off this pill. In terms of mood I have been crying more but not necessarily because I’m sadder at all? just out of happiness etc haha. No impact at all on sex drive etc yes. Overall a pretty good experience so far (but don’t want to jinx it)

I have only been on this pill for around 2 months however my side effects have been so drastic in this time period. My mood is unstable and I have become more irritable and quick to be upset, as for periods they have been irregular and my cramps have been the same if not worse than before i started contraception.

it’s really good, like that there’s no estrogen and doesn’t make me feel like i’m going crazy. only annoying thing is the loss of sex drive but that’s something i work through with my partner

This was my first time using a hormonal contraception method and was given this by my doctor to start with. I persevered for 3-4 months but experienced continuous medium break through bleeding that didn’t show any sign of stopping. At this point my sex drive had disappeared and I switched over to a combined pill which I now have a much better time with.

This is the first time I’ve tried the mini pill after using the combined pill since I was 15 (until 18), the hormonal coil (18-22) and then experiencing my adult body for around 3 months with no hormones. After this contraceptive break, I fell pregnant and had a really rough abortion. After this experience I was terrified of this happening again and noticed my weight had increased due to pregnancy and my moods were really up and down in the last 6-8 weeks. After speaking to a doctor I got given this pill due to optical migraines and high risk of stroke. It was fine for the first few weeks and got used to it very quick, however, I noticed an insane decrease in sex drive. I never think about sex now and it’s really hard to get in the mood, this had led to me getting too in my head during sex and ruining it for me, a constant cycle!! Recently I’ve also became really irritable and short tempered which is very out of character for me. *Really important note* that I’ve not seen in many reviews!! After a quarterly checkup with the nurse she told me this pill is one of the worst for weight gain!! Saying that basically no matter how much of a calorie deficit you’re in/how active you are, you’re going to gain some weigh. Wasn’t informed about this prior to prescription. For context I was 69kg prior to taking this pill and in 6 months I’ve gained 11kg without changing my diet and increasing my cardio and general exercise. Apart from this the pros are no periods, very minimal cramps. I’m leaving this (very long) review to help anyone else who’s using this or considering it, like other reviews say, it really depends on you and unfortunately you’ll never know how these things affect you until you try. To help some sisters out, I’m now considering the copper coil as I’m missing having periods (sounds crazy I know) and really want a non-hormonal option

I have endometriosis and this is the only pill I’ve tried that has stopped my daily pain. After a couple of failed attempts at a coil fitting my doctor suggested the progesterone only pill and I wish I had started taking it years ago! It’s increased my sex drive, dramatically reduced my endometriosis pain, had a positive impact on my mood and hasn’t caused weight gain or acne. The two main side effects I’ve had are occasional spotting and nausea, I’m still only on my 2nd month of the pill so hoping these settle down soon.

This pill has been amazing for me, I went on it because of very heavy periods and it really helped with that, I would really recommend it. I have heard a lot of bad stories from friends about their (different) pills but for me I don’t think I’ve had any bad side effects or experiences with it and I’ve been on it for nearly 7 years!

I completely lost my appetite for sex and became very irritable

I have tried lots of contraception and this has not been good for me. I was in agony with abdominal pain for a week and had period symptoms with no bleeding, followed by random bleeds.

Spotting, headaches, period type pains. Not for me

Started spotting on day 9 after starting this pill, increased anxiety symptoms and have now started getting daily panic attacks. I normally have increased anxiety during the week up to my period as a PMS symptom. But this pill has increased the intensity of that and I have struggled to keep it under control. I had not had a full on panic attack since 2020. I have only just gone onto the second packet since starting and I am just going to stop taking it. Decreased sex drive, so bad I do even want to be even touched by my partner. My mood is crazy, I'm snappy and irritated. I am just not myself.