Brevinor Contraceptive Pill

Brevinor is a combined oral contraceptive pill which contains 2 hormones: oestrogen and progesterone. When used correctly, the Brevinor contraceptive pill is over 99% effective at preventing pregnancy.

Brevinor ingredients include: 500 micrograms of norethisterone (progestogen) and 35 micrograms of ethinylestradiol (oestrogen).

What is Brevinor used for?

The Brevinor combined pill’s primary use is to prevent pregnancy when having unprotected sex. It can also be used for:

• delaying your period, if you usually take a pill-free break
• preventing hormonal acne
• lessening period pain if you have painful, heavy periods, or PMS (premenstrual syndrome)

helping with mood swings associated with the menstrual cycle

Brevinor pills work by mimicking your body’s natural hormones which change during your menstrual cycle. When your oestrogen levels usually drop, you release an egg to be fertilised.

Taking Brevinor and other combined oral contraceptives can prevent an egg from being made or released, so you cannot get pregnant. It also affects the mucus in your cervix, making it thicker and less easy for sperm to get through.

What hormones are in Brevinor?

Brevinor, like all combined contraceptive pills, contains an artificial version of 2 hormones: oestrogen and progesterone. In this case, norethisterone acts as a progesterone and ethinylestradiol acts as oestrogen.

Many studies have been carried out on the uses and effectiveness of combined oral contraceptive (COC) pills such as Brevinor.

This study found that COC pills are nearly 100% effective if taken every day. The pillhas also been proven to:

• decrease the risk of ovarian cancer, with around a 20% reduced risk for every 5 years of use
• improve acne, regardless of which COC pill is used

You can buy Brevinor online, from trusted and regulated online doctor services like ZAVA, if our doctors think Brevinor is safe for you. You may also be able to get Brevinor prescribed by your GP or at a local sexual health clinic.

How to buy Brevinor online?

To buy the Brevinor pill from our online service:

• Fill in a medical questionnaire and answer a few simple questions about your health.
• One of our registered doctors will review your order and check if Brevinor is right for you.
• Choose your delivery option at the checkout, which may vary depending on the pack size and dosage you’ve chosen.
• Your medication is then posted by our pharmacy, either to your preferred address of a local post office for you to collect from.

The Brevinor contraceptive pill can be taken in several ways, with one of the most common being the 21-7 regime. This means taking a Brevinor pill for 21 days in a row, with a 7-day break period afterwards. Ideally, you should take each Brevinor pill at the same time every day andwithin 24 hours of the same time every day. You should continue with this pattern of taking the pill (21 days on the pill followed by a 7-day break) even if you’re still having your period at the end of the 7-day break.

Taking Brevinor on a continuous regime: Brevinor can also be taken without a break, although you should confirm this with your doctor first. Take a Brevinor pill every day, at the same time each day. Don’t take a break between packs, instead you should carry on taking your pill daily. This may be beneficial for women who have heavy or painful periods, or acne. You’ll be protected from pregnancy the whole time, although the effectiveness of the Brevinor pill can decrease with missed doses.

Taking Brevinor on an extended regime: You can also take Brevinor on an extended pill regime, which involves taking Brevinor every day with a break after several pill packets. Your doctor will usually prescribe 3 Brevinor packets to be taken continuously, before taking a break for 4-7 days, where you won’t take any pills. During this time you may have a withdrawal bleed. You’ll be protected from pregnancy throughout your treatment, even during the pill-free break, as long as you don’t take a break longer than 7 days.

Please note: If you’ve had vomiting or diarrhoea while taking Brevinor, it might not be as effective. If either of these continue for more than 24 hours, you should also use another form of contraception such as a condom for 7 days after you recover.

Always contact your online doctor or GP for advice if you’re unsure about how you are meant to be using the Brevinor contraceptive pill.

When do you start taking Brevinor?

You can usually start taking Brevinor at any point, regardless of where you are in your menstrual cycle. The guidance may be slightly different if you have just had a baby, or you have a short or irregular menstrual cycle.

If you start Brevinor on the 1st to the 5th day of your period:

• you’re protected from pregnancy straight away
• you don’t need an additional form of contraception

If you start Brevinor after the 5th day of your period:

• you won’t be protected from pregnancy straight away
• you’ll need to avoid sex or use another form of contraception for 1 week

If you’re switching from a progesterone only (mini pill) contraceptive:

This depends on which mini pill you are taking, so speak to your doctor to make sure you don’t have unprotected sex while you aren’t protected from pregnancy.

If you’re switching from another combined contraceptive:

• take the first day of your Brevinor tablets as soon as you finish your last pill
• you’ll be protected against pregnancy straight away
• you will miss a break, but you may still get breakthrough bleeding

If you’ve just had a baby:

• you can usually start Brevinor 21 days after giving birth and you’ll be protected from pregnancy straight away – if you wait longer than 21 days, you’ll need to use an additional method of contraception for 1 week

If you’re breastfeeding, you shouldn’t use Brevinor until 6 weeks after giving birth.

If you’ve had an abortion or miscarriage:

• you can start the pill up to 5 days after and you’ll be protected from pregnancy straight away
• if you wait longer than 5 days after, you won’t be protected from pregnancy for 1 week

Brevinor missed pill: What if I miss a pill?

If you forget to take the pill and you are less than 24 hours late, take it as soon as you remember and continue with your next pill as usual. You will still be protected against pregnancy. The same applies if it’s between 24 and 48 hours, as long as it’s not been more than 48 hours since your last pill.

If it is more than 48 hours since you last took a pill, you will not be protected against pregnancy. Continue to take your pill as usual and see your doctor for advice as you may need emergency contraception, like the morning after pill. You will need to use condoms for the next 7 days.

If you‘ve missed 2 or more Brevinor pills, or you take it late after your 7-day break, you should start taking the pill again and also use another form of contraception such as condoms, for the next 7 days to prevent pregnancy. You may also need to take emergency contraception if you have had unprotected sex before missing the pills.

While taking Brevinor, you may get the following side effects, especially within the first few weeks:

• breast pain, enlargement, and tenderness
• mood changes
• change in your sex drive (libido)
• headaches
• dizziness
• anxiety
• pelvic pain
• stomach upset
• high blood pressure
• breakthrough bleeding
• skin reactions
• chest pain
• back pain
• vaginal infections with discharge
• contact lens irritation

These usually go away as your body gets used to the pill and within a few months. Talk to your doctor straight away if Brevinor side effects are severe, aren’t going away, or are impacting your day-to-day life.

Most women can use Brevinor, though it is not the right choice for everyone.

The Brevinor contraceptive pill may not be suitable if you:

• need contraception straight after giving birth
• have health conditions or are taking other medications that make Brevinor unsafe
• smoke or are obese
• are breastfeeding or think you may be pregnant

You should let your doctor know if you take any medications or herbal supplements, as these may decrease the effectiveness of Brevinor or your other medications, especially:

• St John's wort, a herbal supplement for depression
• epilepsy medications like carbamazepine, oxcarbazepine, phenytoin, phenobarbital, primidone, and topiramate
• HIV or AIDs medications like nelfinavir, nevirapine, or ritonavir
• medications to treat a bacterial infection, such as rifabutin or rifampicin
• griseofulvin, for treating fungal infections
• modafinil, a medication to treat narcolepsy

You should not take Brevinor if you have Hepatitis C and are taking:

• ombitasvir, paritaprevir, or ritonavir
• dasabuvir
• glecaprevir or pibrentasvir
• sofosbuvir, velpatasvir or voxilaprevir

The Brevinor contraceptive pill also contains lactose. If you have an intolerance to sugars, speak to your doctor first.

There are many alternative contraceptive pill brands if Brevinor is not suitable, or you cannot take a combined contraceptive pill. You can also ask our doctors via your patient account for more information on Brevinor alternatives if you cannot use it.

Brevinor and Microgynon contain the same oestrogen, but in different doses. Microgynon has a slightly lower dose of 30 micrograms compared to Brevinor’s 35. They also contain different progesterones, which can affect how people react to them, although since they’re from the same generation of progesterones they may still have a similar effect.

Brevinor and Yasmin contain the same oestrogen in different doses. Both contain ethinylestradiol but Brevinor has slightly more of it in. They also contain progesterones from different generations. Brevinor contains a 2nd generation progesterone and Yasmin has a 4th generation one. This means Brevinor has a more androgenic (male hormone) effect than Yasmin. Yasmin may also have a slightly higher risk of causing blood clots.

Pills like Yasmin also help with reducing acne and heavy periods. However, Brevinor can also help with acne and is slightly cheaper compared to Yasmin.

There are about 23 different combined oral contraceptive pills available in the UK today, and women can react differently to different types of contraceptive pills.

Brevinor pill reviews are mixed. Some women say they had little or no side effects, and some have reported mood swings, migraines, and feeling sick.

The Lowdown users have rated Brevinor as 2.5 out of 5 stars. The reviews contain accounts of how women felt while taking it, as well as any side effects they may have experienced.

The Brevinor pill might be a good option if you can take oestrogen and want an effective oral contraceptive that may cause fewer side effects. It may also be a good pill if you have heavy or painful periods or acne. The only way to know for sure is to try it yourself, as long as your doctor says it’s suitable.