Withdrawal or pull out method vs Combined pill
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Overview
Rated 3.5
15 reviews
During or before sex
Frequency
80% - 96%
Effectiveness
None
Blood clot risk
None
Effect on fertility
Rated 2.8
2770 reviews
Daily
Frequency
91% - 99+%
Effectiveness
Increased
Blood clot risk
None
Effect on fertility
Withdrawal or pull out method ingredients
Combined pill ingredients
Main hormones in Combined pill
progestogen
oestrogen
What Lowdown reviewers say
Benefits: What this contraceptive can help with
There are no benefits that are recognised in scientific research or guidelines for this contraceptive
Acne or bad skin
Heavy periods
PMS and PMDD
PCOS symptoms
Period pain
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£From £0.16/day
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Real life reviews from people like you
Withdrawal or pull out method reviews
15 reviews
Used for 8+ yr
29 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 1 day ago
I had the implant for 8 years and it worked well. Took it out for 18 months and when I got it again I only tolerated it for two months due to severe mood impacts
Very negative mood
2 more effects
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 3 - 5 yr
Lowdown user
🇬🇧 UK
• 26th Mar 24
I came off the combined pill around 4 years ago after trying many different pills and never quite feeling myself/having terrible clots in my periods on breaks. I'd been told by drs it was the only way to have safe sex from pregnancy and felt i had no choice. The good old fashioned pull out method has been my best friend ever since! Once i spoke to a very wise nurse who told me that i could try the natural cycle way or rely on pull out cleverly. Now i want to say that this isn't for everyone. I have been in a healthy long term relationship with someone i trust and with whom we communicate during all aspects of sex. Because of this we have been able to have all kinds of sex (including penetrative) without any pregnancy scares. My partner is a cis man and i a cis women, and the secret is FULL COMMUNICATION. If he is close to cuming he stops (NEVER ACTUALLY RELY ON PULLING OUT AS YOU CUM NO NO). It's about calming things down on his end when he thinks he'll climax. that means pulling out and moving to oral etc for a while before going again. Normlly this means i get a whole lotta love while he calms down so BONUS!! POSITIVES - I often cum first as it means i always get to cum as he can keep going and we are not relying on one way to have sex. I feel myself! We are more experimental and go on for longer. Its about trust so things feel more intimate, it has led to better communication and much better forplay. This means i cum more often. Knowing my own cycle and getting to know how my body and hormones work. Having sex slowly and sensually, with my pleasure and his both being taken into account due to the fact you can't just have full penetrative sex without thinking. NEGATIVES- he obvs can't cum in me. he doesnt personally feel sad about that. When finally he can't be in me anymore he has to cum using other ways to finish. It means it can be a bit stop and start (personally i think this is fun). You do have to be more careful. THIS IS DEFINITELY FOR PEOPLE WHO KNOW THEIR SEXUAL PARTNER WELL. ITS ABOUT TRUST. You can't just bang it out like in the movies haha! I do pregnancy tetss every 3 months just in case pre cum has snuck in (it's very unlikely this gets you pregnant especially if your partner is aware of this. but worth thinking about) Overall, Chefs Kiss - but i do sometimes miss he cumming inside me ! BUT WON'T GO BACK
Very positive mood
3 helpful
0 comments
Used for 8+ yr
Lowdown user
🇬🇧 UK
• 22nd Feb 24
Only used it on occasion and normally alongside another form of contraception. I don't really recommend it as it feel risky
Top side effects not reported
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 8+ yr
29 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 1 day ago
I had the implant for 8 years and it worked well. Took it out for 18 months and when I got it again I only tolerated it for two months due to severe mood impacts
Very negative mood
2 more effects
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 3 - 5 yr
Lowdown user
🇬🇧 UK
• 26th Mar 24
I came off the combined pill around 4 years ago after trying many different pills and never quite feeling myself/having terrible clots in my periods on breaks. I'd been told by drs it was the only way to have safe sex from pregnancy and felt i had no choice. The good old fashioned pull out method has been my best friend ever since! Once i spoke to a very wise nurse who told me that i could try the natural cycle way or rely on pull out cleverly. Now i want to say that this isn't for everyone. I have been in a healthy long term relationship with someone i trust and with whom we communicate during all aspects of sex. Because of this we have been able to have all kinds of sex (including penetrative) without any pregnancy scares. My partner is a cis man and i a cis women, and the secret is FULL COMMUNICATION. If he is close to cuming he stops (NEVER ACTUALLY RELY ON PULLING OUT AS YOU CUM NO NO). It's about calming things down on his end when he thinks he'll climax. that means pulling out and moving to oral etc for a while before going again. Normlly this means i get a whole lotta love while he calms down so BONUS!! POSITIVES - I often cum first as it means i always get to cum as he can keep going and we are not relying on one way to have sex. I feel myself! We are more experimental and go on for longer. Its about trust so things feel more intimate, it has led to better communication and much better forplay. This means i cum more often. Knowing my own cycle and getting to know how my body and hormones work. Having sex slowly and sensually, with my pleasure and his both being taken into account due to the fact you can't just have full penetrative sex without thinking. NEGATIVES- he obvs can't cum in me. he doesnt personally feel sad about that. When finally he can't be in me anymore he has to cum using other ways to finish. It means it can be a bit stop and start (personally i think this is fun). You do have to be more careful. THIS IS DEFINITELY FOR PEOPLE WHO KNOW THEIR SEXUAL PARTNER WELL. ITS ABOUT TRUST. You can't just bang it out like in the movies haha! I do pregnancy tetss every 3 months just in case pre cum has snuck in (it's very unlikely this gets you pregnant especially if your partner is aware of this. but worth thinking about) Overall, Chefs Kiss - but i do sometimes miss he cumming inside me ! BUT WON'T GO BACK
Very positive mood
3 helpful
0 comments
Used for 8+ yr
Lowdown user
🇬🇧 UK
• 22nd Feb 24
Only used it on occasion and normally alongside another form of contraception. I don't really recommend it as it feel risky
Top side effects not reported
0 helpful
0 comments
Combined pill reviews
2770 reviews
Used for 12 - 18 mo
27 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 4 days ago
I requested Zoelly after attending a talk at spire about endometriosis as it was recommenced. For the first 3 months I loved it! Minimal cramps and much lighter periods lasting 2 and a half days (always been 6-7 days and heavy for me). After about 9 months - 1 year. Periods went back to 6 days but lighter. However, my endo symptoms have worsened. I can’t say if that’s is due to the pill though. I was taken off this due to developing migraines (I think developed due to stress rather than the pill) and endo symptoms worsening so to try another option.
Top side effects not reported
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 12 - 18 mo
17 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 6 days ago
Went in it for my acne which it massively improved, however experienced a lot of mental health issues (but obviously can’t be certain that’s from the pill) and a loss of libido.
Somewhat negative mood
2 more effects
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 12 - 18 mo
27 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 4 days ago
I requested Zoelly after attending a talk at spire about endometriosis as it was recommenced. For the first 3 months I loved it! Minimal cramps and much lighter periods lasting 2 and a half days (always been 6-7 days and heavy for me). After about 9 months - 1 year. Periods went back to 6 days but lighter. However, my endo symptoms have worsened. I can’t say if that’s is due to the pill though. I was taken off this due to developing migraines (I think developed due to stress rather than the pill) and endo symptoms worsening so to try another option.
Top side effects not reported
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 12 - 18 mo
17 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 6 days ago
Went in it for my acne which it massively improved, however experienced a lot of mental health issues (but obviously can’t be certain that’s from the pill) and a loss of libido.
Somewhat negative mood
2 more effects
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 12 - 18 mo
31 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 2 weeks ago
Honestly the best of all of the pills I’ve taken. However, after 18m on this I’m going to come off it and go back to natural cycles due to the following - loss of sex drive, constant and I mean constant headaches, generally feeling a bit ‘flat’ and tired all the time. I also have heavy limbs which is a weird side effect. That said, Zoely did not have any negative implications on my skin, weight, appetite and I don’t get mood swings- in fact I just feel a bit too flat overall so perhaps If mood swings are an issue it might suit you! But I’ve gone the other way
Somewhat negative mood
1 more effect
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 8+ yr
32 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 2 weeks ago
Regular and shorter period (4 days) and light flow. It made my skin perfect and my hair a bit thinner. I gained a lot of weight while on it and it was impossible for me to lose it, no matter how much I worked out or what diet I was doing. If I could go back I wouldn’t start using it, as in my case I only needed it for contraception.
Somewhat negative mood
3 more effects
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 1 - 3 mo
21 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 2 weeks ago
Within the 1st month, I had terrible mood swings; I become angry and irritable towards my parent. I seemed to calm down but then pick back up again in the next week. From withdrawal from this, everything was ok, apart from having a few pains and it also made my periods light. I didn’t have any symptoms of nausea or vomiting but I did gain a bit of weight and had breast tenderness (i dont know if my breast got bigger). By the 2nd month, I ended up feeling really low and had quite dark thoughts; my headache got worse and I was crying a lot during the day/night. Because of this I’m no longer taking this pill.
Somewhat negative mood
2 more effects
0 helpful
1 comments
Used for 6 - 12 mo
35 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 2 weeks ago
I was extremely anxious. I would be extremely jittery and uncomfortable in my own body each day I took it. I was very emotional by the evenings and tired from being so anxious..
Very negative mood
1 more effect
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 5 - 8 yr
35 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 2 weeks ago
I felt my best on Yaz. I had lots of energy, my mood was always good. But I got over 10 UTIs a year. I was on so many antibiotics. I couldn't get to the bottom of it. We looked at everything with my Dr. Only when I went to treat my reoccurring dry eyes it clicked. The week after I switched pills from Yaz, I havnt had a UTI since. I spent years suffering and countless antibiotics
Very positive mood
1 more effect
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 1 - 3 mo
29 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 3 weeks ago
I have PCOS and PMDD. It did help with mood swings and cleared up my face acne, however it made me put on weight quite a lot so I decided to stop it in the end as it was becoming really hard to move around
Somewhat negative mood
3 more effects
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 18 mo - 3 yr
27 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 3 weeks ago
If you gave up looking for any birth control because of the side effects, give Drovelis your last chance. I could not believe that such a pill exists anymore, given that every other pill made my face go full baboon's behinds. I have to take some contraception because of endometriosis. I'm taking it continuously without withdrawal days to stop my period completely. My symptoms are non-existent and my ovarian cysts have even shrinked so much they're not visible on the ultrasound anymore. From time to time, spotting occurs, sometimes not stopping for weeks. In that case, it's time to take a withdrawal period and let the uterus clean itself. I do this 2-3 times a year. The period cramps are noticeable but manageable. The biggest downside I am struggling is often reocurrence of candidiasis which is extremely uncomfortable, but given the circumstances it's the best thing I could ask for. I'm trying to manage with probiotics and autovaccines but to no avail.
Very positive mood
2 more effects
0 helpful
0 comments
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