Description
Femodette is a combined oral contraceptive pill (‘the Pill’). You take it to stop you getting pregnant.
This contraceptive contains two types of female sex hormones, oestrogen and progestogen. These hormones stop you getting pregnant by working in three ways: by preventing an egg being released from your ovaries; by making the fluid (mucus) in your cervix thicker, which makes it more difficult for sperm to enter the womb; and by preventing the lining of your womb thickening enough for an egg to grow in it.
Femodette is a 21-day Pill – you take one each day for 21 days, followed by 7 days when you take no pills.
The benefits of taking the Pill include:
- it is one of the most reliable reversible methods of contraception if used correctly
- it doesn’t interrupt sex
- it usually makes your periods regular, lighter and less painful
- it may help with pre-menstrual symptoms.
Uses / Instructions
Take Femodette every day for 21 days
Then have seven pill-free days
Then start your next strip
See patient information leaflet for full details.
Warnings
Your doctor will ask about you and your family’s medical problems, check your blood pressure and exclude the likelihood of you being pregnant. You may also need other checks, such as a breast examination, but only if these examinations are necessary for you, or if you have any special concerns.
While you’re on the Pill
- You will need regular check-ups with your doctor or family planning nurse,
usually when you need another prescription of the Pill.
- You should go for regular cervical smear tests.
- Check your breasts and nipples every month for changes – tell your doctor if
you can see or feel anything odd, such as lumps or dimpling of the skin.
- If you need a blood test tell your doctor that you are taking the Pill, because the
Pill can affect the results of some tests.
- If you’re going to have an operation, make sure your doctor knows about it.
You may need to stop taking the Pill at least 4 weeks before the operation. This
is to reduce the risk of a blood clot (see section 2.3). Your doctor will tell you
when you can start taking the Pill again.
Side Effects
An increased risk of blood clots in the veins (venous thromboembolism (VTE)) or blood
clots in the arteries (arterial thromboembolism (ATE)) is present for all women using
combined hormonal contraceptives.
Rare side effects (between 1 and 10 in every 10,000 users may be affected)
harmful blood clots in a vein or artery for example:
- in a leg or foot (i.e. DVT)
- in a lung (i.e. PE)
- heart attack
- stroke
- mini-stroke or temporary stroke-like symptoms, known as a transient
ischaemic attack (TIA)
- blood clots in the liver, stomach/intestine, kidneys or eye.
Ingredients
Each box of Femodette contains 21 white sugar-coated tablets containing 75 micrograms of the progestogen gestodene, and 20 micrograms of the oestrogen ethinylestradiol.
Femodette also contains the inactive ingredients:
lactose, maize starch, povidone, magnesium stearate (E572), sucrose, macrogol 6000, calcium carbonate (E170), talc, montan glycol wax.
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