What is Drospirenone/Ethinyl Estradiol?
It’s a combined hormonal birth control pill. This means it contains two different hormones that work together to prevent you from becoming pregnant. The first is drospirenone, which is a synthetic (man-made) version of the natural hormone progesterone (sometimes called a progestin). The second is ethinyl estradiol, a synthetic estrogen preparation.
Drospirenone/Ethinyl Estradiol is a generic birth control pill. Generic pills tend to be cheaper than branded versions, but contain the same active ingredients in the same doses, and have an equal (or close to equal) rate of effectiveness.
You’ll take it in 28-day cycles, where you’ll spend 24 days taking ‘active’ pills that contain hormones, and four days taking ‘inactive’ pills to keep you in the habit. You’ll usually have a period-like withdrawal bleed when you’re not taking hormones – this is completely normal.
Who can use Drospirenone/Ethinyl estradiol?
Drospirenone/Ethinyl estradiol can be used by most premenopausal women looking to prevent pregnancy. Because you’ll have a monthly bleed during the four days you’re not taking hormones, it can be especially helpful if you’re struggling with heavy or irregular periods. And if you get hormonal acne around your period, Drospirenone/Ethinyl estradiol could help with that, too.
Because it contains an estrogen preparation, Drospirenone/Ethinyl estradiol isn’t suitable for anyone who is:
- breastfeeding
- sensitive to estrogenic side effects
- over 35 and also smokes.
What are the benefits of Drospirenone/Ethinyl estradiol?
One benefit of Drospirenone/Ethinyl estradiol over other birth control options is that it’s a generic medication. This means that you aren’t paying for the brand name associated with other birth control pills, which means it can sometimes work out a little cheaper.
Drospirenone/Ethinyl estradiol can help with hormonal acne, too. High levels of androgen hormones can cause glands in your skin to produce more oil (called sebum), which, alongside dead skin cells, can clog up your pores and cause acne. Drospirenone/Ethinyl estradiol can reduce androgen levels, which can reduce sebum production and help with hormonal acne.[1]
How do Drospirenone/Ethinyl estradiol doses work?
Drospirenone/Ethinyl estradiol pills come in one dosage, which contains 3 mg of drospirenone and 0.02 mg of ethinyl estradiol. A pack of Drospirenone/Ethinyl estradiol contains 24 reddish-brown ‘active’ tablets that contain hormones, and off-white ‘inactive’ tablets that contain no hormones.
What is the active ingredient in Drospirenone/Ethinyl estradiol?
Drospirenone/Ethinyl estradiol tablets are named after their two active ingredients. Drospirenone is a synthetic version of progesterone (also known as a progestin). Ethinyl estradiol is a synthetic estrogen preparation.
How does Drospirenone/Ethinyl estradiol work?
Drospirenone and ethinyl estradiol protect you from pregnancy in three ways. The first line of defense is preventing ovulation. If an egg isn’t released, it can’t get fertilised, and you won’t become pregnant. The second line of defense is thickening your cervical mucus. This stops semen from passing through to the egg, so it won’t get fertilised. And lastly, it stops the uterine lining building up, so in the unlikely event an egg is released, it won’t be able to implant and develop.
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