Oral contraceptives (bir th control pills) 523
Women who continue to have spotting or miss their monthly bleeding when using a
brand from Group 3, or who became pregnant before while using another type of pill,
can change to a pill that has a little more estrogen. These “high dose” pills are found in
Group 4.
Group 4 - High dose pills
These pills are higher in estrogen (50 micrograms of the estrogen “ethinyl estradiol”)
and most are also higher in progestin.
Brand names:
Denoval
Eugynon
Femenal
Neogynon
Nordiol
Ovral
Primovlar
Women who should not use regular pills because of headaches or mild high blood
pressure, may want to use a pill with only progestin. Progestin only pills are safe for
breastfeeding mothers, including mothers whose milk is not yet coming in well. These pills
in Group 5 are also called “mini-pills.”
Group 5 - Progestin only pills
These pills, also known as “mini-pills,” contain only progestin.
Brand names:
Femulen
Microlut
Micronor
Micronovum
Nor-Q D
Microval
Neogest
Neogeston
Ovrette
these brands can also
be used for Emergency
Family Planning—
see next page
Progestin-only pills should be taken at the same time every day, even during the monthly
bleeding. Menstrual bleeding is often irregular. There is also an increased chance of
pregnancy if even a single pill is forgotten.
Emergency family planning
(ECP, emergency contraceptive pills)
You can use regular birth control pills or special emergency pills to
prevent pregnancy within 5 days after unprotected sex. The number
of pills you need to take depends on the amount of estrogen or
progestin each pill contains. There are many brands of pills, and some
brand names are used for more than one type of pill. This chart
lists only a few common brands for each type of pill. Make sure you
know the amount of hormone in the pills before you use them in
an emergency.
208
estrogen and
progestin
226
emergency
methods of
family planning
Where Women Have No Doctor 2012