Hi ,

It's probably the oestrogen component in the mercilon that has caused the increase in breast size. Mercilon is a 20mcg oestrogen pill, and that is as low as you can go oestrogen-wise in the UK with a combined pill. So I think if you are not happy with the increase in size you might be right to consider a progesterone only method.

That gives you several options all of which have their pros and cons. The injection is a very secure contraceptive, more than 99% effective. It's an injection in your buttock every 12 weeks. For many women it can cause your periods to stop, which some women alo see as a plus point, others dont like this. At 12 months of use 70% will have no periods. The main problems with the injection are weight gain; it's the only method which has been proven to cause weight gain. It doesn't happen to everybody but it is fairly common. Secondly, once you stop using the injection it can cause a delayed return in fertility, up to 18 months. It can also cause persistent irregular bleeding particularly at the start of treatment. Lastly, with long term use, over 2 years, it can cause thinning of the bones or osteoporosis, which is thought to slowly reverse on stopping.

If that puts you off(!) then you could consider the mini pill otherwise known as the progesterone only pill. It is up to 98-99% effective if taken correctly. It is taken every day and you never have a week off like you do with mercilon. Similarly to the injection it can cause irregular bleeding and less commonly headaches mood changes or skin problems, it easy to start and stop though, with no proven weight gain issues and no effect on long term fertility or bones.

The implant is a single rod fitted on the inside of your upper arm, just below the skin. It is progesterone only, and lasts for 3 years. It's very effective more than 99%. It has NO effect on long term fertility or bones, and weight problems have never been proven. It requires a simple procedure to be fitted using local anaesthetic. The commonest problem with it is irregular bleeding. only 1 in 5 women have no periods with it, and one in 5 will have problematic bleeding, such as frequent or prolonged bleeding.

Lastly you could use an IUD or IUS ( intra uterine device or system ) commonly known as a coil. An IUS has hormone ( progesterone) in it and can cause irregular bleeding too, but has no effect on long term fertility bones or weight. In a lot of women , periods stop altogether.

An IUD is hormone free. There is therfore no chance of hormonal side effects such as weight gain or breast enlargement. It can make periods slightly heavier than normal though. Both are very secure methods. IUD/IUS is easier to fit in women who have had children. If you were thinking about this seriously then email me back and I can go into more detail about these methods.

See this link for more information, good luck!

www.fpa.org.uk/helpandadvice/contraception/guidetocontraceptionmethods

Hi, It's about the same for cerazette, so roughly 70% of women at 1 year of use will have no periods. It can be troublesome at the start though but very often settles down. I wouldn't say any other mini-pill would necessarily be better in terms of bleeding, its variable from person to person. It's very often a case of try it and see and if it doesn't work out try another.

I try really hard not to personally recommend anything! I think it's up to the individual to decide on the method that is best for them. I would be nervous about the injection if you were considering pregnancy in the short to medium term. If you think irregular bleeding would be a nightmare then the implant may not be worth the gamble, so perhaps a mini pill is the way to go. Of these, if you pushed me I would say cerazette, although that is a personal choice as there is no evidence that it is more effective than others.

hope that helps!