Portia

What is Portia?

Portia is what’s called a combined birth control pill. It combines two hormones, an estrogen and a progestin, whereas mini pills only contain progestin. Both of these hormones already exist in your body, but it’s possible to be sensitive to one or to both. That’s why there are so many different types of birth control pills. They all do the same thing but have different versions and different amounts of estrogen and progestin. It can be a bit intimidating — we’ll help you figure out what birth control is right for you during your consultation.

The specific versions of estrogen and progestin in Portia are ethinyl estradiol and levonorgestrel.

How does Portia work?

Like other combined birth control pills, Portia works by changing the hormone levels in your body. Hormonal birth control can stop ovulation, which is when the ovary releases an egg every month. If there’s no egg, there’s no pregnancy. However, ovulation doesn’t stop for everyone who takes the pill, so there are other things Portia does as well.

Normally, the lining of your uterus will grow every month so that it’s easier for a fertilized egg to implant itself there. On hormonal birth control, the lining stays thin. This is also why you’re likely to experience a shorter and lighter period on Portia. Lastly, the hormones change the consistency of your cervical mucus. The thicker mucus acts as a shield against sperm. All of these things together make it very, very unlikely that you will become pregnant while taking Portia.

Is there more than one dosage of Portia pill?

Portia birth control has .15mg of levonorgestrel and .03mg of ethinyl estradiol. You might also see the ethinyl estradiol written as 30mcg — that’s micrograms. Other birth control pills which have the same amount of levonorgestrel and ethinyl estradiol are Seasonale, Jolessa, Quasense, Introvale, Chateal EQ, Marlissa, Altavera, Levora, Lillow, Kurvelo, Levlen, Nordette, Setlakin and Ayuna.

Portia only comes in one dosage, which means there’s no Portia Lo if you like how you feel on Portia but want to adjust the amounts of estrogen or progestin. There are however other combined pills which have the same active ingredients in a lower dose. Lutera and Aviane both have .1mg of levonorgestrel and .02mg of ethinyl estradiol.

How to take Portia

Take Portia at the same time every day so it can be as effective as possible. Pick a time that’ll be easy to remember and that works for every day of the week. For example, early in the morning might not be a good idea if you’re an early bird on weekdays but sleep in on weekends. Lunch time, afternoon or evening might be a better idea — but it’s up to you.

Portia comes in a pack of 28 pills. The first 21 pills are active pills, which means they contain hormones. The last week of pills doesn’t contain any hormones, and will be when you get your period.

What to do with Portia missed pills

Each Portia missed pill means your protection will be less effective, so it’s important to try and never miss a dose.

If you miss one active pill, just take it as soon as you remember and take the next pill at the normal time. It’s OK if this means taking two pills within a 24-hour period. If you miss two active pills in a row in Week One or Week Two, take two pills on the day you remember and two pills the next day. You should use an extra contraceptive, a non-hormonal method like condoms, for seven days after you miss the pills.

If you miss two active pills in a row in Week Three, keep taking Portia as you normally would until Sunday. On Sunday you should throw the rest of the pack away and start a new one, and then use condoms for seven days. If you miss your period two months in a row you should take a pregnancy test. If you miss three or more active pills in a row during any week, keep taking one pill a day until Sunday and then throw the pack away and start a new one. Use condoms for the next week.

How long does Portia take to work?

You can start taking Portia on any day. If you start it the day your period begins, you’ll be protected against pregnancy straight away. If you start it on another day, you’ll need to use condoms for a week to stay protected while Portia takes effect.

Once it reaches its full effects you’ll be 99% protected from pregnancy if you’ve managed to take it perfectly. The average protection for the typical user is 91%, which takes into account the odd missed pill.

Medically reviewed by

Ms Laurenmarie Cormier

Nurse Practitioner

on August 02, 2022.

Meet Laurenmarie