Cerazette

Cerazette is a type of mini pill. It contains a hormone called desogestrel, a lab-made version of progesterone. Progesterone is a hormone which is made naturally in the body and plays a key role in a woman’s periods and in pregnancy.

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1. Fill out our short questionnaire about your general health, your lifestyle, and your contraception needs. This should only take a few minutes to complete.
2. A doctor will review your questionnaire to see if Cerazette is suitable and safe for you to take.
3. If Cerazette is right for you, your order will be delivered to your preferred address by post in discreet packaging. Or, you can choose to collect it from any Superdrug store, or your nearest post office.

You can also get Cerazette for free on the NHS. You can do this by seeing your usual GP, or by going to a sexual-health clinic.

You cannot buy Cerazette from a pharmacy. You need a prescription from a doctor to get it.

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• Stopping your body from releasing eggs from the ovaries (ovulation).
• Increasing the thickness of the fluid at the neck of the womb to make it more difficult for sperm to reach any eggs that are released.
• Making the womb lining thinner, so it’s harder for any fertilised eggs to implant.

If it’s taken exactly as the instructions say, Cerazette is more than 99% effective. But, if it’s taken the way most people in real life take it (less than perfectly), it’s about 91% effective.

• If you have regular periods and take it within 5 days of starting a period, you’ll be protected straight away.
• If you take it at any other time during your cycle, you will not be protected for the first 2 days and would need to use condoms if you have sex.
• If you’ve just had a child, you need to take Cerazette within 21 days of birth to be protected straight away. If you start taking Cerazette after that, you will not be protected against pregnancy for 2 days and would need to use condoms if you have sex.

Stopping Cerazette

Your fertility will return and you will be at risk of pregnancy as soon as you stop taking Cerazette if you do not use another method of contraception.

You can expect your period to come back after 2 to 4 weeks. If your period has not come back within 4 weeks, it would be a good idea to take a pregnancy test.

When you come off Cerazette, you could notice some symptoms as the hormone levels in your body change. For example, if you had heavy periods or period pain before using Cerazette you may notice this returns on stopping.

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You take one Cerazette pill daily. You should do this at around the same time every day. If you miss the right time, you should take the tablet within 12 hours of your usual time.

Swallow the Cerazette pill whole with water. Don’t chew or crush the tablets.

The best time to start Cerazette is on the day your period starts. You’re protected straight away if you start taking it within the first 5 days of your period starting.

If you start taking Cerazette after taking an ellaOne morning after pill, you should start on the 6th day after taking it and use condoms during this time, and for 2 days after starting Cerazette.

The blister pack has the days of the week printed on the back and arrows to show you the order in which to take the pills. You should start the pack on the top row with the correct day of the week and follow the arrows.

There are 28 pills in a pack. Do not take a break when you’ve finished the pack – you just start the next one the next day. You will not get a normal period while you’re taking Cerazette as it stops you from ovulating but you may get some spotting or irregular bleeding.

Otherwise, keep taking your pill at the same time every day, and use an additional form of barrier contraception for the first 2 days when you have managed to take the pill without vomiting or diarrhoea. If you had sex without a condom in the 7 days before you had vomiting or diarrhoea you may need emergency contraception as sperm can live for up to 7 days in your vagina.

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Superdrug Online Doctor customers rated Cerazette as excellent on Trustpilot. See below for our Customer Reviews.

For more reviews on Cerazette, check out The Lowdown.

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If you suffer with painful periods Cerazette can help with these in some cases. Cerazette can also be taken by some women who cannot take a combined pill for medical reasons.

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As with all medicines, there’s a chance that you might get side effects if you’re taking Cerazette. For a full list of potential side effects always read the patient information leaflet before starting the medication.

• Breast pain.
• Low libido (sex drive).
• Changes to your menstrual cycle.
• Feeling sick (nausea).
• Acne.
• Headaches (though studies have not confirmed these side effects are caused by the mini pill).

If you get side effects when you start taking Cerazette, it can be worth continuing for a few weeks to see if things settle down. But if you’re still getting them after 3 months, or if you find that the side effects are troublesome, you should speak to a doctor. They can make sure there are no other causes for your symptoms and offer an alternative method of contraception.

Acne, weight gain and mood changes on Cerazette

Breast cancer and Cerazette

Does Cerazette stop periods?

As Cerazette stops you ovulating, you do stop having proper periods when you’re on it.

For most women, it does change how and when they bleed during the month but it’s difficult to predict how each person’s body will react. Some people bleed a small amount regularly (spotting) whilst others do not bleed at all, and some will have heavier or more frequent bleeding.

If you have problematic bleeding on Cerazette and it’s not improved after 3 months, you should see your doctor to make sure there’s not any other cause for this and to talk about other contraceptive methods.

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• Medicines used to treat epilepsy, such as carbamazepine, lamotrigine and phenytoin.
• Some antibiotics, such as rifampicin.
• Some over-the-counter tablets, such as St John’s Wort.

Tell your doctor if you’re taking any other medication before starting Cerazette and always check the patient information leaflet for a full list of interactions.

• Have or have had breast cancer.
• Have or have had a stroke or heart disease while taking a mini pill.
• Have abnormal vaginal bleeding that your doctor has not found a cause for.
  
• Have liver tumours.
• Are allergic to any of the ingredients.

Cerazette and alcohol

Cerazette and period delay

Some people find that they do not bleed when they’re on Cerazette. But, Cerazette is not a medication that is used to delay your period.

If you’re already taking Cerazette and wish to delay bleeding you may still be able to take period delay medication but should first discuss with your doctor if this is safe for you.

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Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (2019). Combined Hormonal Contraception. [online] Available at: https://www.fsrh.org/standards-and-guidance/documents/combined-hormonal-contraception [accessed 20 December 2019].

Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (2019). Progestogen-only Pills. [online] Available at: https://www.fsrh.org/standards-and-guidance/documents/cec-ceu-guidance-pop-mar-2015 [accessed 20 December 2019].

Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (2019). UK MEC Summary Table Hormonal And Intrauterine Contraception. [online] Available at: https://www.fsrh.org/standards-and-guidance/documents/ukmec-2016-summary-sheets [accessed 20 December 2019].

Merck Sharp & Dohme Limited (2019). Cerazette 75 microgram film-coated tablet. [online] EMC. Available at: https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/product/1698 [accessed 20 December 2019].

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