This is the only birth control I have ever used so I cant compare it to anything else but I loved it. I was on it for about 2 years and have had no side effects from it at all. I had no issues when i went off of it and when I went back on it again. Great birth control to start if you havent yet !

A few months ago, I made the switch to Alesse and I am so happy that I did! Here's a breakdown of my trial period (3 months) and the symptoms that occurred:

First Month: Frequent mood swings, low sex drive, and acne. Breast tenderness. These symptoms are normal when you are switching to a new BC, and particularly for the beginning of Alesse. Disliked it.

Second Month: Slight weight gain (5 lbs), little to no acne, normal sex drive, no tenderness. Happy! Enjoying this pill

Third Month: Little to no acne, normal sex drive, no mood swings & emotions are in check. Less oily.

Obviously, I hated this birth control when I first started it due to some strong symptoms. However, they only lasted for the first month, and now any bad symptoms aren't present anymore. My fave part of this birth control, hands down, is NO SPOTTING!! ABSOLUTELY NO SPOTTING!! Yay! That was a very prominent symptom with my previous birth control, and now I'm so glad that is resolved and the only time I bleed is when I menstruate (sugar pills). The packaging is a bit big and more obvious than my previous one, but luckily I'm not shy about taking pills in public. I highly recommend this birth control, but make sure to stick it out for the three months. DOn't buy the generic brand, Alesse has a card that you can use in addition to insurance, or in lieu of: https://www.alesse.ca/en/choose-alesse

Expensive...around 28.00/unit without insurance. But thankfully I have insurance so it's worth it to me.