Femodene

Femodene is a combined oral contraceptive pill. It’s usually used by women who are sexually active and don’t want to get pregnant.

Femodene stops you from getting pregnant in several ways:

• by preventing ovulation (an egg being released)
• by thickening the mucus in your cervix, making it difficult for sperm to enter
• and by stopping the lining of your womb from thickening for an egg to grow in it

You should only take Femodene if a doctor or nurse has prescribed it to you.

You shouldn’t take Femodene 30 if you:

• are pregnant
• are allergic to any of its listed ingredients
• have or have had a blood clot (such as deep vein thrombosis)
• have or have had a heart attack, stroke or mini-stroke
• have severe diabetes, or very high blood pressure
• get migraines ‘with aura’
• have a history of breast cancer
• have a severe liver disease or a liver tumour

Femodene can also interact with certain drugs. It could stop them from working properly, or vice versa. It may be unsuitable for you if you are currently taking:

• certain medicines used to treat epilepsy
• certain medicines used to treat HIV and Hepatitis C
• griseofulvin (antifungal medicine)
• some antibiotics and sedatives
• St. John’s Wort (herbal remedy)

Consult a nurse or doctor if you’re unsure whether Femodene 30 is suitable for you.

Femodene must be prescribed to you by a nurse or doctor. You can get a prescription either in-person, at your local doctor’s surgery or clinic, or online, using a registered health service.

Be careful when buying medicines over the internet, because there are lots of websites selling unlicensed medication. Buying unlicensed medication is illegal and unsafe.

Always follow the directions for taking medicines given to you by your prescribing doctor.

Femodene comes as a pill, which should be swallowed whole, with or without water. Do not chew or crush the tablet.

It doesn’t matter which time of day you take your Femodene pill, as long as you take it at around the same time every day. This is so that your hormone levels remain constant, to protect you effectively against pregnancy.

Femodene is 99% effective in preventing pregnancy when taken correctly.

• Blood clots
• Allergic reaction
• Breast or cervical cancer
• Severe liver problems

Before starting Femodene or any other contraceptive method, you need to get informed of all the options to find which one suits you best.

There are other contraceptive methods that are more than 99% effective and don’t have to be taken every day. The progesterone injection, the contraceptive implant or the coil (hormonal or non-hormonal) are all long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARC) that can be considered when deciding a contraceptive method.

If you decide you want to take Femodene, we would recommend that you take your first tablet on the first day of your period. Doing this will mean that you’re protected from pregnancy with your first pill. If you would prefer to start Femodene on any other day, you can do so, but first make sure you’re not pregnant. And if you do start on another day, you’ll need to use an additional contraceptive method (such as condoms) for 7 days.

Yes, you can switch to Femodene from another pill.

If you’re switching from a 21-day combined pill, take your first Femodene tablet the next day after your current strip. This will protect you from pregnancy with your first pill.

If you’re switching from a 28-day combined pill, take your first Femodene tablet the day after your last active pill (this means that you won’t take the placebo pills). You’ll have contraceptive protection from your first pill.

If you’re switching from a progestogen-only pill (or mini pill) containing Desogestrel (like Cerelle or Cerazette), you can change on any day to Femodene: take the first tablet of Femodene the next day of your last progestogen-only pill. You’ll be protected from pregnancy right away. But if you’re taking a mini pill containing the progestogens norethisterone or levonorgestrel, you’re not protected from pregnancy for the first seven days of taking Femodene, and will need to use extra precautions such as condoms for this first week. If you are unsure check with your doctor.

No, contraceptive pills won’t protect you from getting STIs. The only way to properly protect yourself against STIs is by wearing condoms. Always use condoms with a new sexual partner, or until you’ve both been tested as clear from STIs.

If you’re less than 24 hours late with a pill, take your missed pill straight away and continue the next day as normal. Your contraceptive protection will not be reduced.

If you forget to take the pill for more than 24 hours, or you’ve missed more than one pill, you may be at risk of pregnancy. Take your most recent missed pill as soon as you remember, even if this means taking two pills in one day. Carry on taking your pills as usual after that for the next 7 days, and if you come to the end of a strip during this time, start your next strip without taking the usual 7-day break. You could think about taking emergency contraception if you’ve had unprotected sex.

You should use another type of contraception for the 7 days after missing a pill. If you missed a pill from the first week of your strip (days 1 – 7) and had unprotected sex, you could be pregnant. Take a test, or contact your doctor immediately, because you may need emergency contraception.

If you’re sick (vomiting or bad diarrhoea) within 4 hours of taking Femodene, take another pill from a spare strip, and continue the next day as usual.

If you’re sick more than 12 hours after taking Femodene, follow the instructions for a missed pill, and talk to your doctor if it continues. You will not have had the right amount of hormones to protect you from pregnancy, and they may suggest another form of contraception.

It’s common for your periods to change while you’re taking Femodene. Some women find that their periods become lighter and less painful, but everyone’s experience will be slightly different.

You are at a slightly higher risk of having a blood clot if you take Femodene. However, the risk is still very small.

You should seek urgent medical attention if you notice any of the following signs or symptoms of a blood clot:

• a painful swelling in one leg (deep vein thrombosis)
• sudden breathlessness, dizziness, coughing up blood or chest pain (pulmonary embolism)
• loss or blurring of vision (retinal vein thrombosis)

Don’t take Femodene again until a doctor says that it’s safe for you to do.

No, you can’t use the combined contraceptive pill as a morning-after pill. If you think you need emergency contraception, consult your doctor or pharmacist.

The effect of combined pills on acne is usually favorable, and after a few months of taking the pill, acne tends to get better. Some pills are more effective at making acne disappear than others. Sometimes acne can get slightly worse at the beginning of the pill, but, as with any other side effects, it usually gets better after a few months. For each individual, it’s impossible to say whether Femodene will impact on your acne.

Like most contraceptive pills, Femodene can affect your mood. Nervousness, anxiety and feeling depressed are all fairly common side effects. If you have a history of mental illness, you should consider this before taking the pill.

You can postpone your monthly bleed by taking your pills ‘back-to-back’. This is when you start a new strip of pills straight away, without taking your usual 7-day break.

This is completely safe to do.

You could also take Femodene continuously (taking your pills back to back without ever having a break if you feel this would be a better option for you.

You can also postpone your period if you’re taking Femodene ED. For this, take the 21 active pills, but not the 7 placebo pills. Start taking the active pills of a new pack on the day after your last active pill of the current pack.

Smoking won’t make Femodene any more or less effective as a contraceptive. However, it increases the risk of serious side effects (like having a blood clot) and it is always recommended to quit smoking. Depending on your age, you might not be able to take Femodene if you smoke.

Talk to your nurse or doctor if you are breastfeeding and would like to take Femodene. Depending on when you delivered, they may recommend that you use an alternative form of contraception.

You can usually start taking it 21 days after you’ve had your baby, if you’re not breastfeeding, and providing your doctor is happy for you to do so. If you’re breastfeeding you might need to wait a little longer before starting Femodene. You‘ll need to use condoms until you start taking Femodene 30, and for the first 7 days of taking it.

Femodene is a completely reversible form of contraception. This means that your body will return to your usual level of fertility in the first 30 days after you stop taking the pills.

Femodene might affect the results of a blood test or an operation. Talk to your doctor well in advance of any scheduled tests or surgery, because you may need to stop taking it.