Ovranette 150mcg/30mcg - 63 Tablets (3-month course)

Contraception Doctor Service

Ovranette 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 help to stop you from getting pregnant, just as your natural hormones would stop you conceiving again when you are already pregnant. The COC pill protects you against getting pregnant in three ways: 

• Alters the lining of the womb to make it less likely to accept a fertilised egg
• Stops the ovary from releasing an egg each month (ovulation)
• Thickens the fluid (at the neck of the womb making it more difficult for the sperm to reach the egg

Your doctor may also prescribe Ovranette for some other conditions such as:

• painful menstruation (dysmenorrhea) or premenstrual tension
• endometriosis
• heavy or irregular bleeding from the womb (uterus).

Ovranette is a 21-day pill – you take one each day for 21 days, followed by 7 days when you take no pills.

You can order Ovranette tablets from our UK registered online pharmacy and doctor service. To see if you are suitable for this treatment, complete the online assessment and checkout. Our UK registered doctors will review the order and after approval pass the prescription to the Pharmacy team. We will then dispense and dispatch your order to your chosen address.

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 premenstrual symptoms.

A good self care guide and information for contraceptives is available on the NHS website.

NHS - Contraception

Ovranette tablets, like other hormonal contraceptives, do not protect against HIV infection (AIDS) or any other sexually transmitted disease.

What is Ovranette?

Ovranette is a combined oral contraceptive pill, used by millions of women all over the world.

What is in Ovranette?

Ovranette contains two synthetic hormones, oestrogen and progesterone.

How does Ovranette work?

Ovranette works by tricking the body into thinking an egg has been released, by keeping hormone levels high. This prevents an egg being released into the ovaries each month. The hormones also work by thickening the mucus lining of the womb, making it more difficult for sperm to pass through.

Does the pill Ovranette cause acne?

The Ovranette pill contains hormones which may cause some women to develop side effects of acne. Although, the pill has also been shown to improve acne in other women.

Can Ovranette cause weight gain?

One of the uncommon/rare side effects of taking the Ovranette pill is your body may retain more fluid than normal, which may appear as weight gain. If you have any concerns about an unexplained change in your weight, speak to your doctor for advice.

Can Ovranette cause infertility?
The Ovranette pill is designed to regulate your body’s hormones to prevent you from getting pregnant. This is a reversible method of contraception, meaning that it does not cause infertility and would not have any impact on you getting pregnant once you stop the pill.

Some women who experience fertility problems after stopping the pill could have had these problems before starting the pill. Speak to your doctor for further advice if you have any concerns about fertility after stopping the pill.

Can I drink while taking Ovranette?

There is no known interaction between drinking alcohol and taking Ovranette. However, it is advisable to stay within the UK recommended weekly drinking amount.

What are the side effects of the Contraceptive Pill? 

While side effects are usually uncommon and mild in nature, it is best to be aware of any that may occur. Some of the most common side effects include mood swings, headaches nausea, breast tenderness. For a full list of side effects and more information, you can read the Patient Information Leaflet of the medication.

What are the Advantages of the Combined Oral Contraceptive?

• Can reduce the risk of some cancers
• Can improve acne symptoms 
• Can reduce menopausal symptoms

What are the disadvantages of the Combined Oral Contraceptive?

• Can cause headaches, breast tenderness and mood changes
• Can increase blood pressure
• Can experience breakthrough bleeding

What are the advantages of Progesterone only contraceptives?

• Reduced likelihood of side effects associated with combined pill
• Can be used during breastfeeding
• Can help with premenstrual symptoms

What are the disadvantages of Progesterone only contraceptives?

• Can cause irregular periods
• Can cause periods to be more frequent, or stop altogether
• Must be taken at the same time each day

Which pill is right for me?

Prescribers will take a thorough medical history before choosing the right contraceptive pill for you. For most people, the combined contraceptive pill works best. For those who are over 35, smoke, suffer from migraine or have other risk factors your doctor will look into, the Progesterone-only pill may be more suitable.

Am I protected straight away?

Some pills, if taken correctly, will provide protection immediately, while others take time to provide contraceptive cover. Refer to your patient information leaflet to find out when you are protected on your pill.

Do I still need to use a condom?

Although you will be covered against pregnancy with the pill, it is always advised to use a condom. This is to reduce the risk of sexually transmitted diseases such as chlamydia and gonorrhoea.

Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them. If any of the side effects gets serious, talk to your doctor, pharmacist or family planning nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet.

Serious side effects – see a doctor straight away
Signs of a blood clot in a vein include:

• painful swelling in your leg
• sudden chest pain
• difficulty breathing.

Signs of heart attack or stroke include:

• a migraine for the first time, or a migraine that is worse than normal
• any sudden changes to your eyesight (such as loss of vision or blurred vision)
• problems with speech (such as slurred speech or difficulty talking)
• sudden weakness or numbness in one side or part of your body
• sudden sharp pains in your chest which may reach your left arm
• dizziness, fainting or seizures
• sharp pains in your stomach.

Signs of a severe allergic reaction to Ovranette:

• swelling of the face, lips, mouth, tongue or throat.

Signs and symptoms of angioedema include: Swollen face, tongue and/or throat and/or difficulty swallowing or hives potentially with difficulty breathing (see also section “Warnings and precautions”).

Signs of breast cancer include:

• dimpling of the skin
• changes in the nipple
• any lumps you can see or feel.

Signs of cancer of the cervix include:

• vaginal discharge that smells and contains blood
• unusual vaginal bleeding
• pelvic pain
• painful sex.

Signs of severe liver problems include:

• severe pain in your upper abdomen
• yellow skin or eyes (jaundice).

If you think you may have any of these, see a doctor straight away. You may need to stop taking Ovranette.

Other possible side effects
Very common: may affect more than 1 in 10 women

• Headaches including migraines (but if it is severe, or the headache is unusual or long lasting, see a doctor as soon as possible)
• Breakthrough bleeding or spotting.

Common: may affect up to 1 in 10 women

• Infections of the vagina including thrush
• Feeling sick (nausea) or being sick (vomiting)
• Stomach pain or cramps
• Changes in weight
• Change in mood including depression or low mood
• Dizziness
• Nervousness
• Change in sex drive
• Acne
• Sore, painful or tender breasts
• Changes in the secretion from the breast, enlargement of breasts.

Uncommon: may affect up to 1 in 100 women

• Diarrhoea
• Changes in appetite
• Change in menstrual flow
• Rash
• Brown patches on your face or body (chloasma)
• Hives (urticaria)
• Fluid retention resulting in swollen ankles, hands or feet
• Increase in blood pressure
• Changes in the fat levels in your blood (e.g. high triglyceride levels).

Rare: may affect up to 1 in 1000 women

• Change in glucose tolerance
• Contact lenses may feel uncomfortable
• Painful red lumps on skin (erythema nodosum)
• Pink-red blotches on skin (erythema multiforme)
• Period pain (dysmenorrhea), lack/absence of periods (amenorrhea)
• Vaginal discharge.

For a full list of side effects, read the Patient Information Leaflet.

If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor, our Rightdose pharmacists or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet.

You can help to make medicines safer by reporting any side-effects to the Yellow Card Scheme at www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard.

Before taking any medication, it is important to read the Patient Information Leaflet. You can find information leaflets for your medicines by typing them into the search bar at medicines.org, or by contacting us.

Patient Information Leaflet Ovranette 150mcg/30mcg Coated Tablets

Before you start taking the Pill

• Your doctor will check/confirm that you are not pregnant then ask about you and your family’s medical problems and check your blood pressure. You may also need other checks, such as a breast, abdomen or pelvic 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 about 4–6 weeks before the operation. This is to reduce the risk of a blood clot. Your doctor will tell you when you can start taking the Pill again.

Psychiatric disorders
Some women using hormonal contraceptives including Ovranette have reported depression or depressed mood. Depression can be serious and may sometimes lead to suicidal thoughts. If you experience mood changes and depressive symptoms contact your doctor for further medical advice as soon as possible.

Other medicines and Ovranette
Tell your doctor, pharmacist or family planning nurse if you are taking, have recently taken or might take any other medicines, including medicines obtained without a prescription. 

Do not use Ovranette if you have Hepatitis C and are taking medicinal products containing ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir, dasabuvir, glecaprevir/pibrentasvir and sofosbuvir/velpatasvir/voxilaprevir, as these products may cause increases in liver function blood test results (increase in ALT liver enzyme). Your doctor will prescribe another type of contraceptive prior to the start of the treatment with these medicinal products.

Some medicines can stop Ovranette from working properly and may cause unexpected bleeding and irregular periods, for example:

• some medicines used to treat epilepsy
• some medicines used to treat tuberculosis
• some medicines used to treat HIV or AIDS
• some medicines used to treat fungal infections
• some medicines used to treat sleep disorders
• some medicines used to treat inflammatory conditions such as gout
• some antibiotics used to treat bacterial infections
• St John’s wort (a herbal remedy).

If you do need to take one of these medicines, Ovranette may not be suitable for you or you may need to use extra contraception during and for 7 to 28 days after treatment with the other medicines. Your doctor, pharmacist or family planning nurse can tell you if this is necessary and for how long.

Ovranette can also affect how well other medicines work:

• certain medicines used to prevent rejection after an organ transplant
• certain drugs for asthma
• certain medicines used to treat epilepsy.

Laboratory tests
If you are scheduled for any laboratory tests, tell your doctor you are taking the Pill. Certain blood tests may be affected by the Pill.

Pregnancy, breastfeeding and fertility
Do not use Ovranette if you are pregnant. If you think you might be pregnant, do a pregnancy test to confirm that you are before you stop taking Ovranette. If you are breastfeeding, your doctor or family planning nurse may advise you not to take Ovranette. Talk to them about alternative contraception. Breastfeeding will not stop you getting pregnant.

Driving and using machines
Ovranette has no known effect on the ability to drive or use machines.

Ovranette contains lactose and sucrose
Ovranette contains the sugars, lactose and sucrose. If you have been told by your doctor that you have an intolerance to some sugars, contact your doctor before using Ovranette.

Before using any medication, it is important to read the Patient Information Leaflet. You can find information leaflets for your medicines by typing them into the search bar at medicines.org, or by contacting us.

Ovranette tablet is for oral use only.

How to take Ovranette

Always take this medicine exactly as your doctor, pharmacist or family planning nurse has told you. Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure.

Directions:

• Take Ovranette every day for 21 days. Ovranette 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.
• Swallow each pill whole, with water if necessary. Do not chew the pill.
• Then have seven pill-free days. 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.

Then start your next strip
Start taking your next strip of Ovranette after the seven pill-free days – even if you are still bleeding. Always start the new strip on time.

Starting Ovranette - As a new user or starting the Pill again after a break

Either take your first Ovranette pill on the first day of your next period. By starting in this way, you will have contraceptive protection with your first pill.
Or start taking Ovranette on any other day of your period. You must also use extra contraception, such as condoms, until you have taken the first seven pills correctly.

Changing to Ovranette from another contraceptive Pill

• If you are currently on a 21-day Pill: start Ovranette the next day after the end of the previous strip. You will have contraceptive protection with your first pill. You will not have a bleed until
  after your first strip of Ovranette.
• If you are currently on a 28-day Pill: start taking Ovranette the day after your last active pill. You will have contraceptive protection with your first pill. You will not have a bleed until after your first strip of Ovranette.
• If you are taking a progestogen-only Pill (POP or “mini Pill”): start Ovranette on the first day of bleeding, even if you have already taken the progestogen-only Pill for that day. You will have contraceptive cover straight away.

Starting Ovranette after a miscarriage or abortion
If you have had a miscarriage or an abortion during the first three months of pregnancy, your doctor may tell you to start taking Ovranette straight away. This means that you will have contraceptive protection with your first pill.

If you have had a miscarriage or an abortion after the third month of pregnancy, ask your doctor for advice. You may need to use extra contraception, such as condoms, for a short time.

Contraception after having a baby
You can start using Ovranette after 21 days if you are not breast-feeding and have a vaginal delivery with no complications and you are fully mobile. If the pill is started later than 21 days after delivery, then alternative contraception, such as condoms, should be used until oral contraception is started and for the first 7 days of pill taking. Your doctor or family planning clinic can provide further advice about contraception.

If you take more Ovranette than you should
It is unlikely that taking more than one pill will do you any harm, but you may feel sick or vomit; have breast tenderness or abdominal pain; feel dizzy, drowsy or tired; or you may have some vaginal bleeding. You should talk to your doctor as soon as possible if you have any of these symptoms.

If you forget to take Ovranette
If you miss a pill, follow these instructions in the Patient Information Leaflet.

If you have missed any of the pills in a strip, and you do not bleed in the first pill-free break, you may be pregnant. Contact your doctor or family planning clinic, or do a pregnancy test yourself. If you start a new strip of pills late, or make your ‘week off’ longer than seven days, you may not be protected from pregnancy. If you had sex in the last seven days, ask your doctor, family planning nurse or pharmacist for advice. You may need to consider emergency contraception. You should also use extra contraception, such as a condom, for seven days.

Taking Ovranette for something other than contraception
Your doctor may have prescribed Ovranette for something other than contraception and at a different daily dose. The usual doses are:

• Painful menstruation (dysmenorrhea) or premenstrual tension: The same dose is used as for oral contraception (see 3.1, How to take it). You take a pill every day for 21 days, then have a seven day break (when you take no pills) before starting your next pack.
• Endometriosis: You take two pills every day continuously without any breaks.
• Bleeding of the womb (uterus): You take two pills every day for 21 days, then have a 7 day break. For the first month or two, your doctor may ask you to take 4 or 5 pills a day. However, if the bleeding from your womb is more serious, your doctor may ask you to take 4 pills immediately, then 4-8 pills daily until the bleeding is controlled.

If you have any further questions on the use of this medicine, ask your doctor, family planning nurse or pharmacist.

When you should not use Ovranette

You should not use Ovranette if you have any of the conditions listed below. If you do have any of the conditions listed below, you must tell your doctor. Your doctor will discuss with you what other form of birth control would be more appropriate.

Tell your doctor or family planning nurse if you have any medical problems or illnesses.

Do not take Ovranette:

• If you are pregnant, think you might be pregnant or breast-feeding
• If you or anyone in your close family has ever had a problem with their blood circulation. This includes a blood clot (thrombosis) in the legs (deep vein thrombosis), lungs (pulmonary embolism), heart (heart attack), brain (stroke) or any other parts of the body
• If you have any condition which makes you more at risk of a blood clot 
• If you are 35 years old or over and smoke 15 or more cigarettes per day
• If you have very high or uncontrolled blood pressure
• If you have an irregular heartbeat (atrial fibrillation) or a heart valve disorder
• If you have migraine with visual disturbances
• If you have diabetes which has affected your circulation
• If you have the disease systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)
• If you have ever had liver tumours or severe liver disease and been told by your doctor that your liver function tests are not yet back to normal
• If you have cancer affected by sex hormones – such as some cancers of the breast or ovary
• If you have vaginal bleeding that has not been explained by your doctor
• If you are allergic to levonorgestrel or ethinylestradiol or any of the other ingredients of this medicine.
• If you have hepatitis C and are taking medicinal products containing ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir, dasabuvir, glecaprevir/pibrentasvir and sofosbuvir/velpatasvir/voxilaprevir.

Warnings and precautions
Talk to your doctor, pharmacist or family planning nurse before taking Ovranette. It’s important that you understand the benefits and risks of taking the Pill before you start taking it, or when deciding whether to carry on taking it. Although the Pill is suitable for most healthy women, it isn’t suitable for everyone.

When should you contact your doctor? - Seek urgent medical attention

• If you notice possible signs of a blood clot that may mean you are suffering from a blood clot in the leg (i.e. deep vein thrombosis), a blood clot in the lung (i.e. pulmonary embolism), a heart attack or a stroke.
• For a description of the symptoms of these serious side effects please read the Patient Information Leaflet.

Blood clots

Using a combined hormonal contraceptive such as Ovranette increases your risk of developing a blood clot compared with not using one. In rare cases a blood clot can block vessels and cause serious problems.

What Ovranette contains

Each tablet contains 150 micrograms of the progestogen levonorgestrel, and 30 micrograms of the oestrogen ethinylestradiol.

The other ingredients are: lactose monohydrate, maize starch, povidone 25, magnesium stearate, talc,
purified water, sucrose, polyethylene glycol 6000, calcium carbonate, white wax and wax carnauba.

What Ovranette looks like and contents of the pack

Each carton of Ovranette contains three blister strips of 21 white tablets. Ovranette tablets are packed in aluminium foil/pvc blister strips.
Each blister strip is packed inside an aluminium foil pouch together with a silica gel desiccant sachet. The silica gel desiccant should be thrown away on opening the pouch.

Ovranette is available in pack sizes of 1, 3 and 50 blister strips.

Not all pack sizes may be marketed. 

How to store Ovranette

• Do not use this medicine after the expiry date which is stated after EXP on the blister strip and the carton. The expiry date refers to the last day of the month.
• Do not store above 25°C.
• Do not throw away any medicines via wastewater or household waste. Ask your pharmacist how to throw away medicines you no longer use. These measures will help protect the environment.

Keep this medicine out of the sight and reach of children.