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I've been using NuvaRing in the past and I was most content, so when getting a new long term partner now it was my first choice. I'm currently on my 4th ring. 1st month was messy due to prolonged bleeding, but now I'm not having any side effects except vaginal dryness, which became pretty prominent and has very negative impact on my sex life. Aside of that, I'm very happy with this method (cumulative 5 years of experience)

NuvaRing-review-id-342530a2-ad27-4f10-b44d-c07eb6b7375d

Great not having to remember each day. Has made my periods regular even though they are still heavy

NuvaRing-review-id-0e3cb9df-4192-4fd4-a7e2-36225471eb90

I have been using the Nuvaring for just over a month now and so far have been very happy with it. It's really hard to tell if it has effected my mood at all but I haven't experienced any noticeable or extreme mood swings so far. I felt a little rough in the break week where I had my period (but I usually feel down around then) and have found it's eased my anxiety around unplanned pregnancy so in that way has effected my mood positively. I actually found it super easy to put in and I can't feel it at all once it's in there. I used the 4 day method, taking it out after 3 weeks. It took a couple days for my period to come and then it was lighter than usual, lasting a couple days and then with quite a bit of spotting the rest of the week. I have experience no noticeable physical symptoms at all such as headaches or nausea. My favourite thing about it is that it doesn't feel very medical. I was very anxious about taking a pill so having a totally different experience and using something that you can take out at any point gives me a feeling of control and autonomy. I would recommend giving it a go and seeing if it's right for you!

NuvaRing-review-id-d0f9973e-706f-4865-a338-e90bcf5be148

This is by far the best option for me, I don't have to remember to change it often, I can skip periods if I want to and I have no major side effexts. I will say that I went from someone who never cries to crying over the silliest things, but it isn't an overall mood change, more that I'm just a bit tearier when I am sad. I also find that I am more 'wet' with it than without, I did have really dry skin for the first couple months but then everything evened itself out. 

NuvaRing-review-id-bfb8f713-c059-458c-be36-09d3a62097da

i started the combined pill so unsure if side effects coming off the ring were due to that or due to the pill

a bit fiddly to insert and get in a comfortable position, didn't affect sex, stopped using it as it became inconvenient due to storing it

NuvaRing-review-id-b5a157a8-32ef-4330-881c-ef36ec18f8b3

So far the ring has been the absolute best option for me - so easy, few to no side effects, you can skip periods, - overall it just feels like it works more local than the pill... 

NuvaRing-review-id-08a5489f-118c-489d-bc07-db81ec6010a3

I have been on the NuvaRing for over 3 years now and have definitely found it to be the most effective and positive contraceptive I've tried. My favourite thing being the convenience of it, as its in place for three weeks at a time. I've not had any significant side effects using this method, unlike with contraceptive pills, the nausea is much less for example. The only potential negative I've had from this, is lowered sex drive but this came about after prolonged use. 

If you're comfortable with inserting tampons etc. then I don't think you'd have any issues with inserting and using this method of contraception.  

NuvaRing-review-id-70bf6b2a-609d-4e3b-a406-2005b2fd5340

Periods took a while to stop swinging between short and long cycles. Vaginal pangs went away. Body temp decreased so I felt warm enough for the first time in years. Discharge returned to normal

Easier to remember and lower hormone levels than the pill. But, like most hormonal contraceptives, has side effects that get tiresome over time. Not very sexy to pull it out for sex - you don't have to but I preferred to. Can be (used to be?) harder to get hold of it, especially abroad. I had fairly heavy and smellier discharge that required use of panty-liners to avoid wet knickers.

NuvaRing-review-id-b6f964ee-d4b4-401d-8715-258a32dd96e5

I like the ring because is very easy to use, you just have to insert it inside the vagina and that’s it, you forget about it until you have to take it out.
 I’ve experienced changes in my mood the week before my period is supposed to come, it’s very annoying. Also my periods are heavier and more painful than before. Other than that is very comfy and my partner doesn’t feel it when we have sex.  I feel like my sex drive is normal and has not change (I’ve been using the ring for about 8 months)

Vaginal ring-review-id-d8a870fa-4aa2-41c9-8b94-fcb290f58f5d

My period went back to normal pretty much right away.. heavier and more painful. But didn't notice any other changes

I loved this mostly, me period was light and regular and I didn't get the awful cramps I usually do. Also you don't need to think about it often which is great. I didn't notice any side effects at all. I had a few issues with it slipping out of place but mostly that was practice makes perfect. Had to stop using this because it completely killed my sex drive.

Vaginal ring-review-id-1d8c30f4-7144-44a4-9917-330f2ca71a71

I’m having a really good experience with Yaz. I started using it because of PCOS and it helped a LOT! I had lots of hair loss, bloating, acne, dark hair, mood swings… and all problems were gone in months. First 2 weeks I was a bit moody from the hormonal change but then it settled. In just 9 months I went from having 25 cysts on my ovaries to 0. I have clear skin, I’m in much better mood, I have more energy, I have beautiful shiny thick hair and no body hair, I lost weight (almost 10kg), and my boobs grew a size up. Only negative thing I experienced were headaches when I took the 4 placebo pills but after consulting my gynecologist we solved the problem by not taking the white pills and starting the pink ones right away in 3 month intervals. Another change I noticed was a slight loss of appetite or more like loss of cravings. It didn’t effect my sex drive at all and in general definitely improved my quality of life. Thanks to Yaz I can “save” my ovaries from the harm my condition was causing and have much better chances of conceiving naturally one day. 9.5/10

Yaz pill 🇺🇸-review-id-342d84eb-71f8-4ca6-8a59-774472c5eeb9

Sex drive came back, so now I'm getting horny for no reason again. 

Took Blisovi 1/20 (not listed here) for ~13 months with a 2 month break. Since starting it again, I have had no period for 5 months nor withdrawal bleeding whatsoever, and have completely lost my period (secondary ammenorhea) without any real concerns from the doctor. Completely protected me from pregnancy while I took it. I am now off of the pill waiting for my period to return.

Combined pill-review-id-df131ddb-42bd-469c-b938-596427839e0f

I have been searching for this pill for my whole life! I’ve tried rigevedon, microgynon, marvelon which all gave me a decreased sex drive, contestant thrush, painful periods ect. 

This pill within a week my skin was crystal clear. I recommend this pill for anyone with acne, pair it with cera ve cleanser! Game changer. 

I noticed with this pill I had no dryness down there, it was the complete opposite. My sex drive was incredible. 

No mood swings no pains, no weight changes. 

I like this pill, it gives you different mg doses of estrogen where it slowly feeds back into your body at a regulated level. 

With other pills you go straight back onto the same high dose of estrogen which is the reason why these side effects are worse. This eases you back into the pill which in turn reduces your side effects. I have had no negative side effects whatsoever. 

It can be difficult to have the prescription for this on the NHS, I have had 4/5 years being prescribed the cheap medication pills. 

I was very emotional when I went to my appointment because of the way the implant I had made me feel, I think the nurse was genuinely concerned for me and wanted to help. 

By no means am I saying this is what you should do! Qlaria is a modern type of pill which costs around £40/£60 per 3 months (pack). 

The only bad thing I would say about this pill is you can’t take it back to back because of the placebo pills in it. But I do prefer this you can track your cycle to the very end without thinking back on when you finished the last pack. 

Qlaira pill-review-id-5f7be7cd-5977-4a43-b6d6-cf1acc02c796

It took about two months for my period to return, and my moods were quite up and down during that time. It also took that long for my discharge to return to its normal cycle, and for my natural lubrication during sex to return. After my first period, it all seemed to resettle 

This pill leveled out my mood so I didn't get as much pms. I took back to back for 3-6 months at a time, after about 6 months I would start to feel stressed/anxious and would need a break. On my break I would bleed heavily for several days on day 4, even though I started the pill again

I still had the desire to have sex, though it wasn't as intense and it did not vary across the month. My main issue was vaginal dryness which was so bad that lube didn't help and sex became painful particularly when I was stressed. The effect increased over the course of being on the pill and was not consistent, but went away once I stopped it

Millinette 30/75 pill-review-id-cdaa8d49-b1bc-48ee-bc4a-99b7b8bc933e

I was using Rigevidon in the last 6-7 years, and I had no problem with that, except that I had random headaches sometimes and I lost all my sex drive - so badly, that my husband started to complain, so I reached out for my GP to look for an other one.
This is when I went onto Lizinna pill.
Well, where to start.. Not only my sex drive didn't improve, but I started to gain weight very quick, even though I am doing strict diet and I cut down on alcohol a lot.
I have only used 1,5 leaf of the pill, I am now going back to Rigevidon straight away! 

Lizinna pill-review-id-f45bb2a0-b704-487a-b827-ba71d6718e96

I came off the coil as I didn’t like not having periods and was put on this pill. 
I had the worst 3 weeks I have had in years on this pill, I cried every day and my usual happy personality was destroyed. My doctor thankfully swapped me over very quickly to a new pill (marvelon) and my mood is back to normal. 
Im sure it works for some, just 100% did not for me!

Rigevidon pill-review-id-71667fa7-a7c7-440a-a35a-4f5221ba5ad6

I first started using Yasmin when i was almost 17, and mainly did it to improve my skin a bit. Initially my skin got so so much worse and it took about 3-4 months to fully clear up. On it my skin was the main improvement ; it really worked wonders for my skin. My body hair decreased and maybe got a bit lighter, my skin wasn’t as oily and my boobs grew a tiny bit. However after about 4 months of using it i started getting horrible anxiety. I was constantly stressing and crying to the point where people around me thought I was delusional. I also started getting horrible panic attacks, that sometimes would happen every day. I really felt like i was at my lowest point on this pill. Normal things like getting on a train would stress me out to the point where i fully avoided taking trains. I really felt like i was going psycho and all my friends and family couldn’t recognise me anymore!! I really felt like id lost my personality. I know it works for others but the psychological side effects i got from this pill whilst on it were not worth the skin benefits that came with it. 

Yasmin pill-review-id-28efb46e-0421-4471-ab53-b22d20c459b6

I went on Yasmin to try and control my prolonged periods. I committed to giving it 3 months but could not tolerate it any longer. Although the prolonged periods stopped, I got breakthrough bleeding / spotting every month. I also had extremely bad head aches for weeks at a time and felt really low. I had a few major dizzy spells where I’d completely lose my balance too which I can’t say for sure was the pill, but the other side effects definitely were. I even at times had intense increased urination where I would need to go for a wee every ten minutes (no exaggeration). I really wanted this pill to work after hearing good things about it and if I could’ve given it longer to settle I would’ve but I couldn’t tolerate the side effects any more. 

Yasmin pill-review-id-bf163de5-bc26-4cf7-87d7-14232b2241cf

Personally I love Zoely. I changed from Rigevidon/Levest, which made my already severe PMS much worse, like scarily so. I was recommended Zoely by one of the doctors at the Lowdown.
Zoely has kind of changed my life. I no longer have any notable PMS. I also had very heavy, debilitating, painful periods that exhausted me and lasted 10 days. Now I hardly bleed at all.
My periods were literally controlling my life - I would spend a week so depressed in bed with PMS, then a week in bed or stuck on the toilet in agony, dealing with constant flooding and massive clots. Now I don’t even think about my period anymore. I have a few days of super light bleeding, nothing else. 
I get some very light cramping throughout the month. Nothing notable tbh, I hardly feel it. I do also get headaches on and off (I used to get these just before my period), but they aren’t too debilitating. I can still do whatever I need to. I use a yoga with Adrienne video to help with those.  
I have had quite severe dizziness whilst I have been on it, but I don’t think it’s related to the pill but to an issue I have with low blood pressure (this is what my GP has said). As far as I know it’s unlikely the pill could be causing low blood pressure, and I have also had this issue in the past when not on any contraception.
It took me a long time to agree to use the pill again, as I so desperately wanted to be “natural” and had bad experiences with the implant in the past. But I had to accept my periods were kind of ruining my life. I think being natural is great but if your periods were like mine, I’d highly recommend this pill, as it’s given me back control of my life that I hadn’t had for several years. I had to try a few pills before I found this one and it wasn’t pleasant when I was on a pill my body disagreed with, but it’s been worth it overall. Highly recommend.

Zoely pill-review-id-69a01983-51ef-4a74-af7e-0d49addfffd5

It didn't make me suicidal like Rigevidon did, but it did give me smelly pink discharge! and i mean SMELLY. Only lasted 6 days and stopping today because i simply canot stand the fishy/copper smell. 

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