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.

Day 1 - (14/10/24)- cramping in uterus but not like period cramps, felt more like movement down there. Day 2 - similar cramping to day 1. Day 3 - Similar cramping still (but less frequent/not as bad), increased discharge, slight pressure headache. Day 4 - Similar headache to previous day, increased discharge - no cramping at all. Day 5 - Headache on right side of head near the back (dull ache, like I was trying to fight off a migraine from starting) felt a bit spacey all day. Nausea and some different cramping to what I felt previously (like the warning sign period cramps I get before the big ones kick in) Day 6 - Same headache, nausea and spacey-ness. Found that I felt better after eating more frequently (which might make sense as to why people say they gain weight on the pill because if eating makes me feel better then I’m sure as hell going to do it) In the morning had similar cramps to day 5 but gone by evening. - Did spend the daytime out though so the headache could have been made worse by the fact I wasn’t drinking water as regularly as I usually would. Day 7 - Started the day without a headache but by lunchtime I had one again. This could be because I’d had a busy morning though and ate lunch later than usual. # Day 8 - Ok for most of the day but by the evening I felt so nauseous and headachey Day 9 - Felt down and low all day - boobs seem to hurt and feel bigger almost? Slight cramping. Day 10 - Really really low today - sore boobs Day 11 - Really sore boobs are cramping Day 17 - (30/10/24) - Been fine for most this week except I’ve had sore boobs. Yesterday I had a suspicious cramp and today I’ve had more and some spotting/pre-period blood. This would mean my period is starting on day 27/28 of my cycle not day 31-35 as usual. Day 18 - Period started, has a different consistency than usual. More mucusy? I’m really not sure how to describe it, slippery? I mean it makes sense since desogestrel thickens the mucus lining. Period cramps HURT and some clotting which I haven’t had for a couple of years. Nothing major though. Day 19 - Same as yesterday. Not an extremely heavy period where I’m constantly having to change pads but I can tell this is heavy. Still that new consistency but occasionally the usual consistency. Not as bloody as usual. Day 20 - (2/11/24) - Medium-light flow. Usual consistency like I would be coming towards the endings of my usual period. (which usually lasts about 5 days) 4/12/24 - Not sure what to say the day is. I’ve had a lot of spotting this past month and basically haven’t been a day without wearing a period pad just in case.I had a mini proper period (not spotting) last week and I’m having another proper period now. It’s a lot and I just want to be able to not wear a pad anymore. I’m going to go back to the doctor this week to tell them about what's happening and get another prescription. 21/01/24 - I have no idea what day this would be now. (I’m into my 2nd week of my 4th month) I’ve been pretty much consistently bleeding all of December. Very light with a heavier week but not like my usual period and not the same cramping/minimal cramping. I think I’ve possibly gone 2 days without wearing a pad since I last wrote. However, I did completely stop bleeding for about 3 days last week which was lovely but then I had a proper period with cramps that hurt (well more like my periods pre-pill) It seems to be slowly stopping now though. I’ve gained a bit of weight (but not gone up a dress size) but this could be because I have been less active recently and my eating habits have changed. My skin has cleared up recently but I can’t entirely put that down to the pill as I’ve changed the skincare products I’m using as well. Other than the bleeding I've felt completely fine, the bleeding (not the one just described) is just annoying more than anything.

Since starting this pill after changing from Yasmin my hair has been thinner, I have more hair loss, increased oily skin and acne and I've been noticing palpitations I don't know if this has happened to anyone else but I've been experiencing chest pain all over, and I notice when I stopped taking it for a few weeks that chest went away but I'm back on it again and the chest pain came back. It may not be related but it's something new for me being on this pill. Other than that it's not been horrible I haven't had as much cramping on this pill as I did with Yasmin and I don't get debilitating headaches either.

I have only been using the minipill for a month but I am already feeling pretty strong side effects especially on my mood: crying for no reason, being very angry at times and very sad at others, overall depressed mood. I am probably going to finish the blister and switch to something else.

Please do NOT go on this. Not only did this give me severe Anxiety, Depression and Mood Swings, but I had many Dr and Hospital trips due to Panic Attacks, Migraines, Double Vision & Heart Palpitations. It was so bad, I had to get checked for suspected blood clot. A very scary experience. I hated every moment I was on this.

I’ve been on Slynd just over three months, and as someone who has tried several other mini pills this one seems to agree with me best. On other mini pills I experienced mild to moderate side effects, notably acne, spotting between periods/constantly and low mood. On Slynd I’ve only had very, very minor spotting and it’s infrequent. I haven’t yet had a period on Slynd but that’s not unusual for me on mini pills. Most notable is my skin, which has seen a noticeable and gradual improvement. Acne has been my biggest challenge on mini pills, with painful cystic acne requiring prescription topical creams for years on end. I’ve just started my fourth month on Slynd and seem to have turned a corner to where I have very little acne, if at all, and no cystic spots. My skin hasn’t been this clear in years! The only other side effects i’ve experienced, but cannot be 100% sure are related, are some moderate thirst in month 2/3 and a strange, weeks-long cramp in the bottom of my foot. I started eating more bananas to try and balance my potassium and the cramp has since gone. Rating 4 stars only because I’ve been on combination pills before (no longer can be on them) and I will always prefer the combination ones over mini pills. But I would say Slynd has been the closest to combination pills I’ve found yet.

I got this pill after being 25 years on Yasmin but started to get headaches and turned 40 so was made to switch to Desogestrel. I didn't get headaches but everything else just got bad, was told to stay on it 6 months to get adjusted but after 5 and half months I finish the pack half way as I was getting really frustrated with it all. The side effects have been horrible - oily skin, scalp and nails, acne, hair loss and hair thinning, random spotting and I gained 15kg, I have never been so huge! I just hope all will return to normal soon as it's been very depressing.

I started this pill after being on the implant for years. I was initially scared, but this is not very different from the implant. The first six or so months are MUCH easier than when I was on the implant. I feel much more emotionally stable, with an increased libido compared to my old BC method. I like the flexibility of being able to stop taking it when I want. I take it at night which helps regulate my emotions and I feel more chilled out on this pill (I have severe anxiety). I've had no periods at all on this pill. The only downside is remembering to take it but for me the flexibility is worth it. I've also noticed more sweating and I get quite hot.

The Slynd pill has helped my adenomyosis symptoms! I used to have extremely heavy and painful periods that were so bad that I couldn't walk and leave the house. I had to take high doses of codeine. Apart from a bit of nausea on the first two days (couldve been my period though as I took the pill on the first day of my period) I haven't had any negative side effects.

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.