Hi everyone, so I’m currently on the mini pill and have been for nearly a year now; it’s been so good so far! On top of stopping me getting pregnant It’s completely stopped my periods which is a massive bonus and cleared up my skin. Because it’s been so great I’m thinking about going for the implant which I believe is the same hormones.
I just wanted to know people’s experiences with it before fully going for it. I know it can be different for each person, and obviously I’ll discuss this with my doctor as well, but some personal insight would be really good!
I’d also like to know if anyone’s been on the desogestrel pill long term and how it’s effected you?
Heyyyy @WaveyAlien
I’ve been on Cerelle (desogestrol) for 15 years. I had the most horrific first month on it. I was angry, suicidal and just absolutely awful. I also had a period for a full month. Eventually it calmed down and I haven’t had a full period since. If I follow a low carb diet, it does trigger slight bleeding but nothing major.
My skin was never bad so I didn’t notice an improvement. However, after 30 (I’m 35 now) my skin has been poor. Maybe it’s the pill, maybe it’s hormones I don’t know.
The thing that bothered me most with this pill is the weight gain. It’s insane. I’ve gained around 2.5-3 stone with it and it’s impossible to shift. The other weight I gained after covid/injury I have lost a chunk of, but the pill weight will not shift no matter what I do.
For me, I had no option but to go on a progesterone based pill. I have oestrogen triggered migraines combined with ridiculously heavy periods, made me so unfunctional as a young adult, this was my only option. I’ve had no pregnancy scares and having no periods is an absolute godsend.
I guess it depends on how long you want to be on it for. As I don’t want children, I can basically stay on it until I hit menopause.
For me, I’m glad I stuck with it. One of my other friends tried it and quit after a few weeks, they had bad side effects and couldn’t handle them.
Good to hear you’ve had a positive experience with this - I’m moving onto this in the next few weeks. I would suggest you talk to your doctor about the pros and cons of switching. To be honest, if you’ve found something that works for you, I’d stick with it because you could respond differently (or the same) to the implant than the pill because of the different absorption method. See what the GP thinks and make your choice with as much information as possible.
Hiii @ChloJakes sorry for the super late reply!
I’m sorry you had such an awful first month on it, I’ve had a friend who went through something similar and it sounds truly awful. Massive well done to you for being able to get through that. My first week on it was probably the worst but no where near as bad as what you went through, it completely killed my sex drive- I didn’t want to have sex or masturbate at all, but after a week it all became normal. In terms of spotting I haven’t had really anything, I’ll have a tiny bit of blood if I don’t eat for a day or two but other than that I have nothing.
Whenabouts did you find that you started gaining weight with the pill? I’ve been on it for just under a year now and I haven’t had any noticeable changes yet, I’m hoping it will stay that way but who knows- might just creep up on me 
I’m pretty young so for now and the foreseeable future I definitely don’t want any children, so I’m not too bothered if it completely ruins my fertility.
Thanks for the honest advice and experience, I think I’m going to stick with the pill for a bit longer and maybe in the future think about getting be implant x
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Yeah that’s my biggest fear, last time I spoke to my sexual health doctor they said that the hormones in the mini pill and the hormones in the implant are the exact same so in theory it shouldn’t make a difference. That being said I know some ladies who have had horrible experiences with the implant so I’m a bit on the edge about getting it. On one side it would be great because I wouldn’t have to set reminders to take a pill everyday, but on the other if I do have a bad reaction to the implant I can’t just stop; it’s something I’d have to go and get removed by my doctors 
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