Withdrawal or pull out method vs Progestogen-only / Mini pill

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

Only used it on occasion and normally alongside another form of contraception. I don't really recommend it as it feel risky

The withdrawal method is really not for everyone. But me and my partner prefer to not use male condoms and I use my Flo app to track my ovulation and period which helps me gauge when is the best time to use this method. As I’m not trying to fall pregnant again right now, and I don’t really want to use any hormonal contraceptives, this method has definitely worked for me but can only work if your willing to take control with family planning.

Started taking in April 2024 finished the last pack September 2024. Had spotting for the first couple months in the place of period which was frustrating (spotting for 14days instead of normal 5-7day period flow). Once settled, periods just completely stopped which made me feel slightly uneasy as there’s no indicator of “missed period” for pregnancy sirens to ring. Mood was a strange one, felt slightly mentally exhausted but difficult to tell whether that was life or the pill, but I do remember having PMS type symptoms (emotional, cramps) once a month, almost mimicking a period without the bleeds.

Lloyds Pharmacy gave me no warning when they changed my Crescent generic version of Desogestrel for Lovima. My fatigue is awful, acne (it's like reexperiencing puberty), very tender breasts prior to my period, and suddenly anxiety that has gone through the roof for no real reason. My sex drive had already suffered on Desogestrel, I need the mini pill due to migraines so not sure will I necessarily be able to tackle this, but so far I have just as low libido on Lovima. For the first time in a long time I've had period cramps, but minus any spotting or bleeding. On the plus side, perhaps no signs of weight change. Desperately trying to get a new prescription.

I have only been taking this pill for just over a month, but so far I am really happy with it. No change in moods, sex drive or skin. My boobs have grown lot - which I'm not mad about! Although I do feel slightly frumpy, as though I have put on a bit of weight - but it isn't hugely noticeable I don't think. I did have spotting for the first 2.5 weeks of using the pill which has now stopped completely.

I’ve taken it for 6 years now. Not really any side effects. However, it might have affected my mood negatively, but i am not certain as I went through big life changes when i started taking it so my mood may have been a result of that. Also lost a bit of weight at that time and it stayed off. Didn’t get my period anymore for a couple of years but now i have irregular bleeding sometimes (Some months more, some less).

I started the POP because I had a few migraines with auras on the combined pill and had to stop this. When I started the mini-pill my periods became very irregular. However, I went on the combined pill in the first place because of my irregular cycle so this may just be me. I have noticed my periods are lighter but I never had heavy periods anyway. I have had a few cases of spotting for 2-3weeks after getting my period but this hopefully seems to have settled now after 5/6 months and I get a 3-5 day light period. My skin flared up with bad hormonal acne about 3/4months after I started taking the POP and hasn’t gotten any better. Another reason why I went on the combined pill initially was to help with acne so I feel this has regressed since starting the mini-pill. Also, I have had some horrific cramping at random times. A couple of times has been a whole week of painful cramps but again this hopefully seems to have settled down a bit after about 7/8 months of taking the POP. Overall, I’m not happy with the side effects I’m experiencing, especially my skin, and am considering trying the hormonal coil, but will give it a full year on the POP to see if my body starts to settle.

I really wanted to like Desogestrel. Initially, my skin was the worst - so oily and immediately broke out in painful acne. This quickly subsided after about 2 weeks. For 3 months, my breasts were so enlarged and sore all the time. I noticed around the 3 month mark that I was experiencing vaginal dryness too. My periods have been totally irregular - since starting Desogestrel in May I've had 10 periods. Many of these were trigged by intercourse. The volume of blood and the level of pain was variable for every period, making it hard to predict. The final straw for me was I started losing my hair around the 5-6 month mark. My hair is noticeably thinner on top and the ends are ruined / look awful. The only positive for me has been that it made me more energetic and have a better / more even mood. It did has not affected my sex drive and I gained a negligible amount of weight.

My periods are much lighter now, I probably bleed for about 3 days in 3-4 months - it is irregular though unfortunately so I can't predict when it may occur. My mood is much more stable than it was before and whilst using other hormonal contraception. I have been getting much more increased sweating recently though and had not made the link that it may be connected to the pill before seeing it on the Lowdown website. I have had a really positive experience with the mini-pill, especially after having used the implant before.

I was prescribed generic Desogestrel mini pill to treat my adenomyosis. I was only on it for a couple of weeks, but I couldn't cope with the symptoms. Daily bleeding and bloating but more worryingly, horrendous nausea, dizziness and migraines. Also had swollen tender enlarged breasts.

I’ve never have had a pain free period over the years my periods of gotten drastically worse which it gotten to a point that i was physically sick during my periods and was house bound for the whole entire wake up period I have PCOS and i was scared using the pill as I read up online that the pill is bad for it I had gotten to point that I was tired and fed up in having painful periods so I as recommended by my nurse to try the Cerazette pill I’m shocked in how quick that this pill stopped my periods however I am over moon that this is the case I don’t wish become a mother so I will be taken this pill till menopause positive effects periods stopped acne on my face and back is starting go Low moods have gone no longer feel bloated Negative effects Little bit of breast pain Little bit of period like cramps only a week coming to what would be my period due this doesn’t last long and I just take paracetamol which helps

This desogestrol progesterone only pill was recommended to me during a specialist appointment for severe Menorrhagia, I also have endometriosis. On the first day of taking I did not notice any symptoms, on the second day my whole abdomen from side to side became painful, tender and swollen, same on day three and four progressively becoming worse. On day three and four I was getting pins and needles in both my hands intermittently. I felt nauseous on day two, three and four (this became constant from day three to four) and had some dizzy spells on both days too. I also experienced tender breasts from day 1 to 4. I exercise well everyday and noticed I was sweating more than usual and breathless after exertion, a lot more than usual. My sex drive changed because of the side effects I think. I stopped taking this medication after the fourth tablet because the side effects were so bad.