Vaginal ring vs Patch

I was recommended the ring after suffering with irregular and heavy periods. I would describe myself as suffering PMDD before and now my moods are so much better. It's easy to insert, I never feel it, and easy to keep in (or briefly take out) when having sex. The ring is great and I recommend to everyone I meet.

The first few months weren’t awful, had regular side effects like nausea, anxiety & tiredness. The main function of the ring for me was to skip my periods & for the first 3 months it worked great. On my 4th ring a few days later I started to feel incredibly nauseous (I didn’t vomit) & the day after I started bleeding, I spotted every day for over a month & still spot every other day, I also had had a large sack of my uterus wall come out which is apparently a side effect when your hormones are unstable. My hips, pelvis, back and legs were aching to the point I struggled to walk. I removed the ring & had instant relief. The nuvaring has made it so I physically can’t have sex as it feels like my vagina is on fire as soon as anything’s inserted, when I took the ring out for a few days this went away & came back the second I reinserted it (it’s also irritated my partners penis). I don’t know if I’m just very sensitive down there or my body doesn’t agree with having a foreign body inside but this just simply hasn’t worked for me. It’s also difficult to get in the right position. My boobs have gotten bigger tho atleast but so has my tummy from the awful bloating!! Swapping to the patch today & hoping it works.

I have had the Nuva-ring for years. It's brilliant, no side effects, it gives the hormone dose at the point in my body I need it so I know less hormone is swirling around my body and going through my liver. Surely that's a good thing. I don't think GPs prescribe it here in the UK nearly enough as possibly more expensive than the pill? I was living in Europe after the birth of my second child, initially I was put on the mini-pill and immediately fell into a very low mood which I hadn't felt the weeks after the birth so knew it was the mini-pill that had effected me. I was taken off it straight away and it was suggested I avoid progesterone-only contraceptive as I am probably progesterone-intolerant (beware anyone on the Merina-coil - so many don't realise progesterone can give you depression). I was then given the Nuvaring which I have been on ever since. Oestrogen and me are happy bed fellows. I am also now on HRT which I can take with the ring. When my oestrogen levels dipped as I hit 50 yo the oestorgen in HRT once again lifted my mood. It's all trial and error but only we know what works and what doesn't.

I would highly recommend using the patch if you want a form of contraception that can easily fit around your life. Doctors will be very quick to try and prescribe the pill or the coil and will rarely mention the patch. The patch makes it easier to absorb hormones instead of digesting them like you do with the pill. It’s great not having a luteal phase which makes me feel really low anymore. My mood is stable and my skin has improved a lot. The only negative side effects I would say I’ve experienced is more difficulty in my vagina lubricating itself and water retention making me feel like I’m more bloated/ added on weight. However the latter could be due to other factors and I’ve found that I can manage it with exercising more.

Been using the patch for 1 month now. The first 2 weeks weren’t great, I was having intense mood swings and irritability which was not like myself. I also experienced headaches during the first 2 weeks which now seem to be a lot better. By the third week things started to settle and my moods became better and less intense. On the patch free week I experienced bleeding and stomach pain (similar to a normal period) I’ve also noticed my skin has gotten worse as I very rarely get spots but have had quite a few breakouts since beginning the patch. I haven’t noticed any weight gain but slight breast enlargement. Overall, I would recommend the patch due to quite a lot of the side effects being temporary and as someone who struggles with contraception this has been the best one so far.

I went back on the patch a few months ago as it's probably my most preferred form of contraception (I'm often not on any and am reluctant to use anything but needs must). I actually have fallen pregnant on the patch in the past and have a 5 year old son to show for it but so far this time round it seems to be doing the job. Pros: It's so easy to use, changing once a week is so much easier than trying to remember a pill each day. I usually use the whole pack back to back so appreciate less frequent periods. It stays put with no issue at all. Cons: My moods have been awful, to the point I feel quite depressed some of the time, I'm crying a lot and not coping with challenges very well as I normally would. My periods are generally heavier, I have a couple of days of constantly leaking through tampons in a very short space of time. I'm getting headaches quite regularly which won't shift with painkillers. Also feel nauseous quite often. This month have started breakthrough bleeding after just a couple of weeks since last patch free week. Overall, not loving it at the moment. However I've had such bad experiences with other forms of contraception that I still think this is the best of a bad bunch. Really rate the convenience of it. No noticeable difference to weight or skin thankfully.

I don't like it. It makes me feel sad, like full-time pms. I've cried most days on it. I get headaches and I never used to. My friends say I don't seem like myself. My sex drive is lower. I was spotting for the first 6 weeks. Pluses are decreased risk of pregnancy, being able to skip a break and less heavy period/breakthrough bleeding so iron levels are easier to control. It's easy to use and so far has stayed on well (we'll see if this is still the case in summer). I like that if I wanted to stop using it I can remove it myself.

Breast tenderness and headaches

First few months were GREAT- my skin and hair looked amazing, breasts looked the best they'd ever looked, periods were regular and only negative side effects I had were nausea and breast tenderness. Did not have big issues with the adhesive, even though I have sensitive skin, and was not bothered by the lint that stuck to the edges of the patch (I stuck it to my tummy or my bum so it was hidden by clothes anyway). Thought it was a blessing for the first 4 months on it. Started having issues further in, due to the high levels of oestrogen, where I began having extremely heavy and longer periods and went on to have daily pelvic pain after about 8 months on the patch... now on the waiting list to see if I have endometriosis. The patch itself did not negatively impact my sex drive and it did not worsen my anxiety (I did cry more and have some brain fog though). I only gained a small amount of weight and my body looked the best it ever has. Overall, it didn't work for me and has potentially worsened endometriosis (high oestrogen can feed endo), but it has prevented pregnancy and it is so convenient and harder to mess up than taking a pill every day.

Having tried 12 birth control pills previously that nearly all had intolerable side effects for me, mostly making my IBS worse, I decided to try a non-digested birth control method and settled on the Patch. It took me a few tries to get used to applying it correctly and for the first 2 weeks I had very light daily spotting. Now having been on it for 4 months, I am so happy I tried it. I have gained weight and I have definitely noticed an increased appetite but for me the lack of other side effects is 100% worth it. It has had no impact on my IBS, my skin is the clearest it's ever been and I love the convenience of using it weekly. I currently use it continuously because I've always had heavy and painful periods. Every 2 months or so I do have a few days of spotting/ bleeding but it's not heavy or painful and then I have no bleeding for another few months. I did notice a little increase in my Anxiety but I take antidepressants so I can't say how much it affected my mental health. My boobs have gone up a cup size but not that noticeable as I was only an A cup before. Overall I couldn't be happier with my experience so far, it's definitely the best I've tried yet. definitely recommend if you're sensitive to the pill/ digested birth control.

Overall positive experience. The longer Ive been on it, the more irregular the periods have become. I often use the whole cycle before having a break rather than the 3 doses

I think I’ve nearly tried every possible contraceptive pill there is out there. I really had high hopes when first started the patch. It was really convenient not having to take a pill every morning and the patch would stay on really well even in the shower/pool when on holiday. Easy enough to hide too! After a couple weeks I noticed lots of little bumps under my skin particularly in my jaw area. This would then quickly turn into really painful acne and take a long time to heal. I seen a massive difference in my skin when having patch free days compared to when I was on it. Unfortunately had to stop it due to how badly my skin reacted to it whilst on it.

I mean, it did its job and I'm not pregnant. However, after 6 months of use, my periods started being irregular, I was starting them on the patch and stopping midway through patch free week, which was very annoying. The biggest issue was when I bled for a month constantly. They run all the tests, nothing was wrong with my body - it was the patch causing it and I was told to change the method. Now I'm on a Ring, let's see how it goes...