Desogestrel mini pill

[AlexT221]

Hi ladies,any advice welcome.

Been off combined pill for 2 years. Change in life circumstances means Im now back on contraception. Dr had put me on desogestrel mini pill- never had this before. I was on Yasmin for 15 years previously but apparantly my blood pressure was bit high (as I rushed to appt and it was 30 degrees)

started mini pill on Thursday- period was due around then but started the pill straight away- got period today… is that normal? As I was due on anyway? Will it just eventually stop.

I’ve heard horror stories of continuous bleeding… anyone with success stories.

any advice welcome and thank you :)

I had such an awful experience with desogestrel, but it was all the worse because it took me ages to figure out. I was on it for 9 years in total...

Basically, desogestrel works by suppressing your estrogen levels to very low levels. After I was on it for about a year, I got migraines. My GP didn't even consider desogestrel as a cause and just gave me sumatryptan. I struggled along, sometimes having a migraine every day for some weeks.

Then I started to get dry skin, a runny nose and weepy eyes - I didn't put these things together, as of course they don't seem related. I just struggled on, wiping my eyes, always having to carry tissues.

Then I started to get joint pain in all my finger joints, hips and knees. I was a bit alarmed by this, and went back to my GP. Who again didn't consider hormones at all. Then I got vaginal dryness - and finally with my own googling realised that I had low estrogen.

However, my FSH was still low (age 43). I started HRT and came off desogestrel. My estrogen levels then went up pretty fast and I started to get high estrogen symptoms(!) on the HRT. I reduced my dose down to just a 25mcg patch but still had a healthy amount of estrogen.

Conclusion: I probably don't need HRT right now, because my own ovaries have started making estrogen again now I have come off desogestrel.

IMO, desogestrel is an AWFUL DRUG. With side effects that are insidious and hard to figure out and, by the time you do, can have caused a lot of damage to your health. Yet they give it out like smarties.

If you need contraception, consider the Mirena coil. Or there are other mini pills - Norgeston (levonorgestrel) - which I used for about 10 years earlier in my life - and they were fine. I did some research and found that they don't suppress estrogen levels as much as the desogestrel does... Take care with desogestrel.

I am 8 weeks postpartum and at my 6 week check up I was given Desogestrel. About 3/4 days of taking this I began heavy bleeding I have been bleeding now for about 2 weeks? It is getting lighter but it’s mainly when I go to the toilet blood comes out and is on tissue when wiping?
what are other peoples reviews on this pill? Has anyone had the same symptoms?

It takes quite a while for the bleeding to stop. They tell you to persevere for six months.

I had continuous bleeding for about 3 weeks. Then 2 or 3 more periods before they stopped entirely.

I've been period free for 5 years now. No PMT, no bleeding - just perfect stability. It's honestly been life changing for me so I'd definitely recommend giving it 6 months before you give up on it.

It's a shame not everyone gets the same benefit - but there are plenty who do. Best of luck.

Did you have same symptoms? Heavy bleeding and blood loss on toilet? Did you stay continuously heavy bleeding for whole 3 weeks? It’s scary as doctors don’t tell you this is a side effect!

That’s really interesting about it suppressing oestrogen.

I’ve been on HRT for nearly a year and started on Desogestrel a few weeks ago. I’ve recently been plagued with insomnia and dry skin again, even had a slight return of old hip pain. It felt like my HRT had stopped working, so I upped my Oestrogel dose. Now it’s all starting to make sense.

I’m binning the Desogestrel!

That’s interesting! Desogestrel shouldn’t interfere with the estrogen you get from HRT (it doesn’t reduce that) but it will shut down any estrogen you’re getting from your own ovaries. So if you are peri and still getting some estrogen from your ovaries, it could well reduce that enough to cause those symptoms. You could just increase the dosage from HRT to compensate- or stop the desogestrel. I’m doing great now… I actually think I’ve been shut down and depressed and non-creative with zero sex drive for about 10 years thanks to being on desogestrel - I wish I’d never gone on it. I feel like I lost ten years of my life.

@everythingyouneedtoknow did you bleed on Desogestrel

I am on this and love it. No periods, no PMT. 😀No other side effects.

Planning to stay on it until my periods stop (though unsure how I will tell: may experiment when I reach 50). I always had heavy periods then got put on aspirin GUCH made them flood etc - so to be rid of all that is just brilliant!

It worked for me in terms of stopping heavy periods and endo symptoms but it reduced my estrogen too much. I wish I’d stuck with levonorgestrel which I don’t think reduced it so much. I just felt very flat and dead on deso

Worked brilliant for me ,been on it 15 years ,,no PMT ,no bleeding.
just take it every day .
I swim every day ,so can’t be faffing with periods ,works for me .
forget I take it ,it causes no problems

This is the same for me.
I started this pill the end of January and have yet to go 24 hours without a bleed!
I sometimes think today's the day it ends but then go to the toilet, pee out blood and then from then on I'm bleeding again.

I am due to have a procedure called uterine artery embolization (UAE) in a few weeks so holding on till then and also want to be able to say I gave the pill a good go, cause if stop now after 5 months and have to start again then I'm back at square one!!

I stopped using as after giving birth I was anemic and was on iron tablets so when I started bleeding constantly with the pill it was making me feel worse especially because I was bleeding out big clots. After stopping taking the pill I stopped bleeding about 2 days later.
was the best decision I made I can cope with having a period once a month and me and partner just use protection instead.

So happy I'm not alone with this - I've only been on this pill for just over 5 weeks and the constant bleeding is doing my head in. Same as others - bleeding when wiping but also needing to wear a pad daily. It's costing me a fortune and to be honest I'm sick and tired of it now. Been told to persevere for 12 weeks but I honestly don't think I can handle any longer. I've also been diagnosed with low iron levels and no one has connected the two!! Feel exhausted all the time with bad headaches - again they say no link!! Am I missing something here or are they all linked??

I was on it for a number of years but unfortunately it didn't work for me as a contraceptive as fell pregnant on it twice with perfect use. Spoke to a consultant (who I thought wouldn't believe me re the perfect use) but he did and explained I was classed as hyper-fertile. Husband has since had a vasectomy.

I've been taking it for 2 months. First month started it the day of my period, as Dr advised. Had period, little lighter than normal, but for longer. Haven't had another period. I usually am very regular. I'm happy with it as things stand.

Ps. I was advised to go on it as I have really heavy periods normally. And I have continually low iron even though I've been on tablets. They asked me to consider taking this pill to see if the iron levels were in fact linked to my periods or if something else was going on.

I WISH I had come here months ago!! I have been bleeding constantly for coming up to a year now!! It has gotten me so down and irritated and angry!! Doctors in the beginning would fob me off by saying "just give it time to settle" DO NOT FALL FOR IT!! I knew full well there was something wrong! I'd been on co traception before and not had ANY problems!! As soon as I get put on desogestrel BAM!! Bleeding ALL the time!! Sometimes very heavy, sometimes light, sometimes dark brown, sometimes very clotty!! I could actually feel the clots passing they were that big! I had NO IDEA it was the pill!! I had swabs done to check for sti's, blood tests done to check for deficiencies and hormonal imbalances and cancerous cells, had an ultrasound and a pelvic scan to check for fibroids and pcos! Ultimately I got a letter referring me to gynaecology saying urgent suspected cancer!! I didn't hold out much hope after everything else coming back negative!! But it's now the day after my appointment, the woman said I have a perfect cervix and I should absolutely look into changing my contraception! I've only ever been on the depo and the pill so other contraception is a last resort for me. I'm thinking of having the marina coil fitted. Has anyone else had the coil fitted after being on desogestrel and found it stopped the bleeding?? At my wits end and thinking of not being on anything at all just to give my body a break!! It's not fair what us women have to go through!!

I've had nothing but a good experience with the desogestrel mini pill.

I've been taking it for about 8 years, just had a break to have my baby, but going back on it shortly.

Irregular bleeding is really common with this type of pill. It stops you ovulating so you are not having true periods (like being on the combined pill). But you are less likely to have a scheduled bleed like you do on a pill free week.

Having said that, a lot of women on desogestrel end up having no bleeding at all which can be an advantageous side effect for some.

For me, I had annoying light bleeding and spotting which happened whenever it wanted to for about the first 3 months. That then dramatically reduced and for the rest of the 8 years I took it I had no bleeding at all. Nothing. I just took the occasional pregnancy test to put my mind at ease.

I also liked not having 'combined pill' side effects that I used to get like headache, sore boobs.

Don't let stories of prolonged bleeding put you off. There is a trend for about 30% of women on the desogestrel pill to end up with no bleeding and medically it is a safer pill for e.g DVT risk.

I hope you get on with it okay ☺️

I fell pregnant on it twice with perfect use. Do not recommend!

I've been experiencing mood swings heavy bleeding unlike my normal period different colour and lack of sleep

@Rosandgrace That doesn't sound good. How long have you been taking it?

Is this a coldsore ?