Withdrawal or pull out method vs Progestogen-only / Mini pill
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Overview
Rated 3.6
14 reviews
During or before sex
Frequency
80% - 96%
Effectiveness
None
Blood clot risk
None
Effect on fertility
Rated 2.7
1452 reviews
Daily
Frequency
91% - 99+%
Effectiveness
None
Blood clot risk
None
Effect on fertility
Withdrawal or pull out method ingredients
Progestogen-only / Mini pill ingredients
Main hormones in Progestogen-only / Mini pill
progestogen
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
Period pain
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Real life reviews from people like you
Withdrawal or pull out method reviews
14 reviews
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 18 mo - 3 yr
Lowdown user
🇬🇧 UK
• 15th Feb 24
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.
Top side effects not reported
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 18 mo - 3 yr
Lowdown user
🇬🇧 UK
• 15th Feb 24
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.
Top side effects not reported
0 helpful
0 comments
Progestogen-only / Mini pill reviews
1452 reviews
Used for 6 - 12 mo
18 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 4 days ago
I started the pill 12 months ago and it was fine for the first 2 months,no pain or anything but then i started bleeding and i havnt stopped bleeding for 10 months straight,it ranges in how heavy it is but it is constant everyday
Very negative mood
1 more effect
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 12 - 18 mo
42 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 6 days ago
My overall experience on this pill was a very negative one. I was on this pill for 12 months. I'm hoping to switch to the coil in January, still deciding which one, the copper or Mirena. I am 42 years old. On the mini pill I was emotional, very irritable and anxiety was through the roof. I could be okay one minute then the next I could flip a switch and be kicking off over minor things. I had racing thoughts most of the time which led me to be crying and causing my anxiety to be out of control. The spotting and breakthrough bleeding were horrendous which led to heavy clotting and sometimes it would happen unexpectingly. Sex most of the time wasn't happening due to this. The stomach cramps are so painful and because of this I felt unmotivated to do any hobbies and lost interest. I describe my hair as fine but I noticed it started to really thin and fall out which has led me to have low self-esteem and not wanting to engage in social events.
Very negative mood
1 more effect
1 helpful
0 comments
Used for 1 - 3 mo
29 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 2 weeks ago
This pill made me feel emotionally empty and depressed. I know it wasn't placebo because I'm a pretty anxious person, and have tried everything to get rid of anxiety, without much success! A week on this pill and I had absolutely no anxiety because I had absolutely no emotions. I'm also a very motivated person normally, but I found it really hard to just get out of bed and function. It was wild. Took it for 2 weeks and then stopped, couldn't find any hard evidence that side effects improve after 3 months, and I genuinely didn't have time to be that unproductive and miserable for more than a couple of weeks.
Very negative mood
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 6 - 12 mo
18 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 4 days ago
I started the pill 12 months ago and it was fine for the first 2 months,no pain or anything but then i started bleeding and i havnt stopped bleeding for 10 months straight,it ranges in how heavy it is but it is constant everyday
Very negative mood
1 more effect
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 12 - 18 mo
42 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 6 days ago
My overall experience on this pill was a very negative one. I was on this pill for 12 months. I'm hoping to switch to the coil in January, still deciding which one, the copper or Mirena. I am 42 years old. On the mini pill I was emotional, very irritable and anxiety was through the roof. I could be okay one minute then the next I could flip a switch and be kicking off over minor things. I had racing thoughts most of the time which led me to be crying and causing my anxiety to be out of control. The spotting and breakthrough bleeding were horrendous which led to heavy clotting and sometimes it would happen unexpectingly. Sex most of the time wasn't happening due to this. The stomach cramps are so painful and because of this I felt unmotivated to do any hobbies and lost interest. I describe my hair as fine but I noticed it started to really thin and fall out which has led me to have low self-esteem and not wanting to engage in social events.
Very negative mood
1 more effect
1 helpful
0 comments
Used for 1 - 3 mo
29 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 2 weeks ago
This pill made me feel emotionally empty and depressed. I know it wasn't placebo because I'm a pretty anxious person, and have tried everything to get rid of anxiety, without much success! A week on this pill and I had absolutely no anxiety because I had absolutely no emotions. I'm also a very motivated person normally, but I found it really hard to just get out of bed and function. It was wild. Took it for 2 weeks and then stopped, couldn't find any hard evidence that side effects improve after 3 months, and I genuinely didn't have time to be that unproductive and miserable for more than a couple of weeks.
Very negative mood
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 3 - 6 mo
28 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 2 weeks ago
Ive been on cerelle for 2 months so far but that is long enough. My hair and skin are extremely greasy all the time, i’m so moody and I keep getting bursts of anger. I have food cravings too so I have gained some weight! Sex drive did increase slightly
Very negative mood
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 1 - 3 mo
Lowdown user
🇬🇧 UK
• 3 weeks ago
I went on norgeston because although i didnt get many side effects on desogestrel, i did suffer from hairloss. I think it has given me less regulation over my anxiety and notnreally done anything to reduce pain from adenomyosis but other contraceptives disagree with me (to the point I have painfully expelled 2 mirena coils).
Somewhat negative mood
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 3 - 6 mo
20 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 3 weeks ago
I’ve been on 3 different mini pills over the last 6 months and I have bled every single day since. 3 months ago I was recommended to double dose and take 2 mini pills a day to try and stop the bleeding. (I was previously on the combined pill and loved it but not allowed now as history of migraines with aura) It made no difference and actually made them heavier by the last month. Doctors just kept trying me on a different mini pill hoping it would stop the bleeding, so obviously my hormones have been all over the shop, when I would change to a new pill I couldn’t stop crying. It felt like no one really cared until today I sat in the doctors and just cried saying I just want someone to listen to me. I am now considering the hormonal coil.
Somewhat negative mood
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 3 - 5 yr
25 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 3 weeks ago
The mini-pill has been a life saver for me. I’ve always struggled with combined pills, trying so many to control horrible periods and always having awful side effects. Since first trying the mini pill, I had spotting for about a week, and I haven’t had anything since, it’s been three years! The only side effect I have is that my skin is very sensitive and breaks out easily like it did before I started taking oral contraceptives, which started again about two months in, but it’s worth it for the benefits for me. No mood swings, no migraines, no bleeding, no hair loss, no weight gain, just a bit of manageable acne!
Very positive mood
2 more effects
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 1 - 3 mo
64 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 1 month ago
Improved skin
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 1 - 3 mo
64 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 1 month ago
Im a trans for estrogen therapy to help with my breast
Improved skin
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 3 - 5 yr
28 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 1 month ago
Somewhat positive mood
0 helpful
0 comments
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