Yasminelle

Yasminelle is a combined contraceptive pill used to prevent pregnancy in women who are sexually active. Yasminelle contains the active ingredients drospirenone and ethinylestradiol, which are artificial versions of the natural female sex hormones, oestrogen and progestogen.

These hormones prevent pregnancy by preventing your monthly egg from being released, and by making it more difficult for sperm to enter the womb. Yasminelle does not protect from STIs like gonorrhoea or HIV.

Yasminelle is taken once a day for 21 consecutive days, after which there is a 7-day ‘break’ period when you do not take any pills. During this time, your body will experience a ‘withdrawal bleed’ that looks like your usual monthly period.

Yasminelle is a contraceptive pill taken by sexually active women for the prevention of pregnancy. Yasminelle is a prescription medication that must be prescribed by a doctor, who will decide whether it is suitable for you based on your medical history.

You should not take Yasminelle if you:

• are allergic to any of its ingredients
• are breastfeeding
• are pregnant
• have a history of heart attacks or strokes
• have (or have had) blood clots
• have (or have had) liver disease
• have (or have had) breast or genital cancer
• have unexplained vaginal bleeding
• cannot tolerate certain sugars (Yasminelle contains lactose)
• have a history of blood clots in your immediate family
• have a history of migraines with aura
• have high blood pressure

Swallow your Yasminelle pill whole, without chewing or crushing it. The tablets can be taken with or without food or water, as desired.

In your Yasminelle packet, you will find 21 pills in a blister strip, with each pill marked by a different day of the week. Take one pill per day for 21 days in a row, following the corresponding days of the week marked by the arrows along the packet. For example, if you start taking Yasminelle on a Monday, press your first pill through the foil marked ‘MON’.

Try to take your pill at around the same time every day (like just before you go to bed).

After 21 days of taking Yasminelle, you will have a ‘break’ period of 7 days when you take no pills. During this time, you will experience a withdrawal bleed that acts like your usual period but is usually lighter and less unpleasant. Start your next packet of 21 days on the day after this 7-day break period and follow the same pattern.

If you are less than 12 hours late in taking your Yasminelle pill, take the missed pill as soon as you remember and carry on taking it the next day as usual. You will still be protected against pregnancy.

If you are more than 12 hours late or have missed more than one pill, take the missed pill as soon as you remember and carry on the next day as usual. Use an extra method of contraception (like condoms) for the next 7 days as you may not be fully protected against pregnancy. Count the number of pills left in your packet and follow these instructions:

7 or more pills left: take your missed pill as soon as you remember and use condoms when having sex for the next 7 days. If you have had sex in the week before you missed your pill, there is a chance you might be pregnant. Take a pregnancy test or consult your doctor as you may require emergency contraception.

Less than 7 pills left: stop taking pills from your current strip and go directly to your 7-day ‘break’ period, starting a new strip of pills as normal on the 8th day. If you do not have a withdrawal bleed during this period, you may be pregnant. Speak to your doctor to confirm before starting the next pill strip.

There is no real medical evidence to suggest that Yasminelle will make you gain or lose weight. However, everyone will act differently to the contraceptive pill. Most side effects of Yasminelle will only be short term while your body adjusts to the pill.

You cannot take Yasminelle as a morning after pill. Yasminelle will only prevent you from getting pregnant when taken properly. It will not work after you have had unprotected sex and might be pregnant.

Speak to your nurse, doctor, or pharmacist if you have had unprotected sex and think you could get pregnant. They will be able to prescribe you a morning after pill.

There is some evidence to suggest that Yasminelle can help improve bad spots or acne. However, this will not be the case for everyone. Hormonal medication will only change your acne if your acne is hormonal.

If you are worried about acne or spots, speak to your doctor about the best oral contraceptive pill for you.

The active ingredients in Yasminelle pills are 0.02mg ethinylestradiol and 3mg drospirenone.

Yasminelle pills also contain maize starch, magnesium stearate, lactose monohydrate, talc, hypromellose, iron oxide red (E172) and titanium dioxide.

Always discuss your medical history and any medication you are currently taking with your prescribing doctor before taking Yasminelle. Some medicines may interact negatively with Yasminelle or reduce its effectiveness. Some examples include:

• certain medicines for epilepsy
• rifampicin or other medicines for TB (tuberculosis)
• certain medicines for HIV or Hepatitis C
• some fungal infection medication
• some medication used to treat arthritis and high blood pressure
• medicines containing ciclosporin
• theophylline
• tizanidine
• St. John’s Wort herbal remedy

Like all medicines, it is possible that you may experience some side effects as a result of taking Yasminelle. Common Yasminelle side effects include:

• headaches
• changes in your mood (anxiety, depression, irritability)
• stomach ache
• spots or acne (Yasminelle can also improve acne)
• swollen or tender breasts
• spotting between bleeds
• weight gain
• painful periods

Do not take Yasminelle if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. If you think you could be pregnant, take a test or consult your doctor to confirm this immediately.

Taking Yasminelle slightly increases your chances of getting a blood clot. Seek immediate medical attention if you experience any of the following symptoms of a blood clot:

• signs of deep vein thrombosis (swelling in one leg with hot pain and a change in skin colour)
• signs of a pulmonary embolism (sudden breathlessness, coughing or chest pain, dizziness or fainting)
• signs of retinal vein thrombosis (blurred or lost vision)
• signs of a heart attack (chest pain, breathlessness, nausea or dizziness)
• signs of a stroke (sudden numbness and weakness on one side of the body, loss of consciousness)

In very rare cases, Yasminelle is thought to increase your chances of getting certain diseases.