Microgynon 30

To prevent pregnancy, always take Microgynon as instructed:

• Take Microgynon tablets every day for 21 days.
• The Microgynon contraceptive pill comes in strips of 21 pills, each marked with a day of the week.
• Take your pill at the same time every day. Start by taking a pill marked with the correct day of the week.
• Follow the direction of the arrows on the strip. Take one pill each day, until you have finished all 21 pills.
• Do not chew the pill and ensure that each tablet is swallowed whole.
• After you have taken all 21 pills in the strip, you have seven days when you take no pills. So if you take the last pill of one pack on a Friday, you will take the first pill of your next pack on the Saturday of the following week. Within a few days of taking the last pill from the strip, you should have a withdrawal bleed like a period. This bleed may not have finished when it is time to start your next strip of pills.
• You don’t need to use extra contraception during these seven pill-free days, as long as you have taken your pills correctly and start the next strip of pills on time.
• Start taking your next strip of Microgynon pills after the seven pill-free days, even if you are still bleeding.

As long as you take Microgynon correctly, you will always start each new strip on the same day of the week.

Before starting Microgynon 30, it is particularly important to read the symptoms of a blood clot section in the Patient Information Leaflet.  It’s important that you understand both the benefits and risks of taking Microgynon before taking it or when deciding whether to carry on taking it. Although the Microgynon contraceptive pill is suitable for most healthy women, it is not suitable for all.

We advise that you do not buy Microgynon 30 online and take the contraceptive if:

• You have (or have ever had) a blood clot in a blood vessel of your legs (deep vein thrombosis, DVT), your lungs (pulmonary embolus, PE) or other organs
• If you know you have a disorder affecting your blood clotting, for instance, protein C deficiency, protein S deficiency, antithrombin-III deficiency, Factor V Leiden or antiphospholipid antibodies
• If you need an operation or if you are off your feet for a long time
• If you have ever had a heart attack or stroke
• If you have (or have ever had) angina pectoris (a condition that causes severe chest pain and may be a first sign of a heart attack) or transient ischaemic attack (TIA – temporary stroke symptoms)
• If you have any of the following diseases that may increase your risk of a clot in the arteries:
• severe diabetes with blood vessel damage
• very high blood pressure
• a very high level of fat in the blood (cholesterol or triglycerides) a condition known as hyperhomocysteinaemia
• If you have (or have ever had) migraines or a type of a migraine called ‘a migraine with aura’
• If you have or have ever had breast cancer
• If you have ever had a severe liver disease, and you have been told by your doctor that your liver function test results are not yet back to normal
• If you have ever had liver tumours
• If you are allergic (hypersensitive) to any of the ingredients in Microgynon
• If you have Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis (chronic inflammatory bowel disease)
• If you have systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE – a disease affecting your natural defence system)
• If you have haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS – a disorder of blood clotting causing failure of the kidneys)
• If you have sickle cell anaemia (an inherited disease of the red blood cells)
• If you have inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis)
• If you have just given birth you are at an increased risk of blood clots
• If you have an inflammation in the veins under the skin (superficial thrombophlebitis)
• If you have varicose veins
• If you have diabetes
• If you or your close family have ever had problems with your heart, or circulation such as high blood pressure
• If you or your close family have ever had problems with blood clotting
• If you have the inherited disease called porphyria
• If you are overweight (obese)
• If you have any illness that worsened during pregnancy or previous use of the Pill

We advise that you always tell your doctor, pharmacist or dentist that you’re taking the Microgynon contraceptive pill if you ever need to take another medicine at the same time. Some medicines can have an influence on the blood levels of Microgynon and can stop it from working properly, for example:

• Some medicines used to treat epilepsy
• Some medicines used to treat HIV and Hepatitis C virus infections (so-called protease inhibitors and non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors)
• Griseofulvin (an antifungal medicine)
• Certain antibiotics
• Certain sedatives (called ‘barbiturates’)
• St. John’s Wort (a herbal remedy).

Microgynon 30 contains lactose and sucrose - if you have been told by your doctor that you have an intolerance to some sugars, contact your GP before you buy Microgynon 30 online.

Do not use Microgynon if you are pregnant. In addition, if you are breastfeeding, your doctor or family planning nurse may advise you not to take Microgynon 30. They will be able to suggest alternative contraception.