Taking the contraceptive pill

Taking your contraceptive pill correctly will improve its effectiveness, so it’s important you know what to do in different situations.

As well as prescribing the contraceptive pill, we have lots of useful guides and support on taking the contraceptive pill correctly. No matter which pill you choose, it’s important to know:

• when and how to take your contraceptive pill, as taking it correctly means it’ll be more effective at preventing pregnancy
• what the different types of contraceptive pills are
• what to do if you miss 1 or more pills
• how to change your contraceptive pill
• what side effects are normal, and how long it takes for them to go away
• how to stop taking the contraceptive pill

You can find information on all of these topics through our website.

There are 2 main types of contraceptive pill:

• the combined contraceptive pill or patch – contains an artificial version of oestrogen and progesterone
• the mini pill – a progesterone-only pill

Oestrogen and progesterone are female hormones that manage your periods and fertility, such as when you release an egg (ovulation).

There are many brands of contraceptive pill that:

• use a slightly different active ingredient (but always a synthetic version of oestrogen and/or progesterone)
• have the same amount of hormones in each pill (monophasic)
• contain different amounts of hormones that are taken on different days (multiphasic)
• are exactly the same and just have a different brand name, as they were produced by a different manufacturer

You might find that one type of pill gives you fewer side effects than another, but all contraceptive pills have been proven to be over 99% effective when taken correctly.

Mini pill

1. Works by thickening the mucus in the womb, so it’s harder for sperm cells to reach an egg, and sometimes prevents ovulation.
2. Contains an artificial progesterone (progestin), such as levonorgestrel, norethisterone, or desogestrel.
3. Over 99% effective if taken correctly.

Popular mini pill brands include:

• Cerazette
• Cerelle
• Hana
• Norgeston
• Noriday

Combined contraceptive pill

1. Works by preventing ovulation and thickening the mucus in the womb, so it’s harder for sperm cells to get through.
2. Contains an artificial progesterone, such as levonorgestrel and an artificial oestrogen, such as ethinylestradiol.
3. Over 99% effective if taken correctly.

Popular combined pill brands include:

• Cilique
• Levest
• Microgynon
• Rigevidon
• Yasmin

21-day pills

Most combined contraceptive pill brands use 21-day pills, which means you can take your pill for 21 days before having a 7-day break, which imitates a period and can cause period-like bleeding called a ‘withdrawal bleed’.

During the 7-day break, you’re likely to bleed, but this may be lighter than your normal period – you’ll still be protected from pregnancy during this break, as long as you take your pill correctly.

If you start taking a 21-day contraceptive pill on days 1 to 5 of your menstrual cycle (the first days of your period), you’ll be protected straight away – anytime after this, you’ll need to use an additional form of protection for 7 days.

You can also take 21-day pills without the break, which is called continuous pill taking, or with fewer breaks, which is called tricycling. Speak to your doctor if you think you’d benefit or would like to try this method of pill taking.

Common 21-day pill brands include:

• Cilique
• Femodene
• Femodette
• Gedarel
• Levest
• Lizinna
• Microgynon
• Rigevidon
• Yasmin

28-day pills

28-day pills usually contain 21 active pills and 7 dummy pills, although some brands are slightly different. 28-day pills work in the same way as 21-day pills, but you’ll take dummy pills during your withdrawal bleed, which do not contain an active ingredient.

28-day pills can make it easier to remember to take your pill every day while still having the 7-day break from hormones. If you start taking a 28-day contraceptive pill on days 1 to 5 of your menstrual cycle (the first 5 days of your period), you’ll be protected straight away – anytime after this, you’ll need to use an additional form of protection for 7 days.

Common 28-day combined pill brands include:

• Eloine – contains 24 active pills and 4 dummy pills
• Microgynon ED – contains 21 active pills and 7 dummy pills
• Qlaira – contains 26 active pills and 2 dummy pills

If you do not know which contraceptive pill to request, you can complete a short online questionnaire, and our doctors can advise which pill is most suitable for you.