What is Zamine?

Zamine is a birth control pill that combines two hormones to stop you from getting pregnant. The first is a progestin called drospirenone, and the second is an oestrogen preparation called ethinyl estradiol.

Zamine may also help if you’re struggling with hormonal acne, because it helps regulate your hormone levels. This can reduce the levels of androgen hormones, which play a role in sebum production (the oil produced by your skin). One main cause of acne is sebum and dead skin cells blocking your pores, so reducing sebum production can help relieve acne.^[1]

Who can use Zamine?

Zamine is safe for most women of child-bearing age who want to protect against becoming pregnant. It can also relieve hormonal acne, and help manage heavy or irregular periods.

Because it contains estrogen, Zamine isn’t intended to be used by women who are over 35 and smoke, who are currently breastfeeding, or have other conditions sensitive to estrogen (like frequent migraines).

What are the benefits of Zamine?

Like other combined birth control pills, Zamine should be over 99% effective at protecting you from pregnancy when used ‘perfectly’ (that’s when you take your tablet at the same time every day, and never miss a dose).^[2] Drospirenone can also help counteract any water retention caused by estrogen – so if you’ve experienced bloating and water retention when using birth control before, Zamine could be a good alternative.^[3]

How do Zamine doses work?

Zamine is only available in one dose: a tablet that contains 3mg of drospirenone and 0.03mg of ethinyl estradiol. If you take Zamine 28, the 21 yellow tablets in your Zamine pack will contain these hormones, while the other 7 will be white hormone-free inactive tablets. These are to help you keep a routine during the week you’re not taking any hormones. If you take Zamine (sometimes referred to as Zamine 21) the pack will come without any inactive pills, so you’ll just have a seven day break after your 21 active pills.

What is Zamine’s active ingredient?

Zamine is what we call a combined birth control pill, which means it contains two different hormones to help prevent pregnancy. The first is a synthetic version of the natural hormone progesterone (known as a progestin) called drospirenone, and the second is a synthetic estrogen preparation called ethinyl estradiol.

How do drospirenone and ethinyl estradiol work?

Drospirenone and ethinyl estradiol provide pregnancy protection in three different ways. The main way they’ll stop you from becoming pregnant is by preventing ovulation – if there’s no egg released to get fertilised, you can’t get pregnant. They also thicken cervical mucus, so sperm can’t pass through to fertilise the egg. And last but not least, they’ll stop your uterine wall thickening, so if an egg were to be released and fertilized, it wouldn’t be able to implant and develop.

How to take Zamine

You’ll take one yellow ‘active’ Zamine tablet every day for 21 days, followed by 7 days of taking a white ‘inactive’ tablet (or no tablets at all) before starting your next pack on day 29. You’ll likely have a withdrawal bleed (similar to a period) in the week you’re not taking any hormones – but you should always start your next pack the day after your week off, even if you’re still bleeding.

You have a couple of options when you’re starting to take Zamine:

• Day 1. The fastest way to get protected from pregnancy is by starting Zamine on the first day of your period. You’ll be protected from pregnancy right away, and won’t need to use any back-up barrier contraception.
• Day 5 (or Sunday start). You can also start Zamine on the fifth day of your period, or on the first Sunday after your period starts. If you start Zamine later than the first day of your menstrual cycle, you’ll need to use a back-up contraceptive (like condoms) for the first seven days.

What’s the difference between Zamine 28 and Zamine 21?

A pack of Zamine 28 comes with 21 active tablets and 7 inactive tablets, while a Zamine (also known as Zamine 21) pack just has 21 active tablets. So with Zamine (21) you’ll need to remember to take a seven day break at the end of your pack of pills before starting the next pack.