Desogestrel

If you start taking Desogestrel on days 1-5 of your period, this should give you immediate protection against pregnancy. Start at another time of your cycle and you won’t be protected straight away. You’ll need to use extra contraception like condoms until you’ve taken Desogestrel for 2 days.

Many women stop getting a period when taking the Desogestrel pill, as it stops you releasing an egg (ovulating) in 97 out of 100 menstrual cycles. If you keep getting periods you may find them more or less frequent, with irregular bleeding. This tends to settle down over time.

The mini pill is the right option for many women. It’s often prescribed as an alternative to the combined pill, for example if you’re a smoker over 35 or you get migraines that also affect your vision (migraine with aura).

You shouldn’t take Desogestrel if there’s a chance you might already be pregnant, or:

• You have or have had heart disease, a stroke, liver disease or breast cancer.
• You’re taking certain medications (for example, some treatments for epilepsy and HIV).

Yes, you can take Desogestrel while you’re breastfeeding. While small amounts of progestogen may pass into the baby’s bloodstream through your breast milk, it won't affect them. It also won’t impact the way breast milk is produced.

If you forget to take Desogestrel, there’s a window of 12 hours in which you can take it and remain protected against pregnancy. You should take the missed pill as soon as you remember. Then take your next pill at the normal time, even if it means taking two pills in one day.

If you don’t take a missed pill within 12 hours of the usual time, you lose your protection against pregnancy. If this happens, continue to take your pills as usual but use condoms for the next 2 days. You may need emergency contraception if you have unprotected sex during those 2 days. We can prescribe this online for you too.

For full details of correct use and what to do if you miss a pill, please see the Desogestrel patient information leaflet. If you need more advice you can contact us in your Patient Record.

Desogestrel is a prescription-only medication, but you can buy it online if prescribed by a clinician. We can approve and prescribe birth control after a confidential online consultation that only takes a few minutes. Then we’ll send your medication discreetly to your door, or you can pick it up from your nearest Well Pharmacy.

There’s little evidence to suggest that birth control pills cause you to put on weight. This includes progestogen-only pills like Desogestrel. Changes in weight during your cycle could be due to fluid retention, or other reasons that aren’t related to the pill.

Don’t take Desogestrel if:

• You’re allergic to desogestrel, soya, peanut or any of the other ingredients in this medicine.
• You have a thrombosis.
• You have or have had jaundice (yellowing of the skin) or severe liver disease, and your liver function still isn’t considered normal.
• You have, or are suspected of having, a cancer that grows under the influence of sex steroids (includes certain types of breast cancer).
• You have any unexplained vaginal bleeding.

You should be able to take Desogestrel alongside other medications. So that our clinicians can prescribe it safely, you’ll need to let us know which prescription, over-the-counter medicines and recreational drugs you’re taking regularly.

A mini pill like Desogestrel is just one of a wide range of contraceptives we can advise you on and prescribe. These include NuvaRing, Evra Patch, the contraceptive injection, combined pills and progestogen only pills.

See our full contraception range here.

You can also get long-acting contraceptives through your GP or family planning clinic. These include the coil, implants, and contraceptive injections.