Take one Levest tablet each day, for the first 21 days of your cycle (there’s a little set of arrows on the strip to help you keep track of the days). Then, have seven pill-free days, before starting on your next pack, and repeat.

It’s best to take it at the same time each day, so it can be helpful to set yourself a reminder or include taking your Levest pill in your bedtime or morning routine.

If you’re not already using hormonal birth control, you can start it anytime. You’ll be covered against pregnancy straight away if you take it on the first day of your period. If you start on another day, you should use condoms for the first week of taking it while the pill takes effect.

Switching from another pill to Levest? You can start taking Levest the day after the last pill in your previous pill pack.

When starting Levest pills after pregnancy and giving birth, it’s best to check with the doctor or prescriber first. Levest isn’t suitable for use during breastfeeding.

You should take the pill at the same time each day. If you’re more than 12 hours late taking Levest, it’s a missed pill.

Your protection might be reduced if you miss one or more pills, so you should use a barrier contraceptive (like a condom) for a week if this happens, and refer to the leaflet for more info on what to do next. If your missed pill happens when there's fewer than 7 pills in the pack, you should skip the 7-day break and start the next strip after finishing your current strip.

You can, but you should check with your prescriber or doctor before doing this. This is called ‘pill-stacking’ or continuous pill use, and some women prefer it because it means they don’t have a withdrawal bleed. It’s also thought that it offers a slightly higher level of protection than regular or ‘typical’ use.

But it’s an off-label use not licensed by the manufacturer, so it’s better to get advice before doing this.

If you want to stop Levest to try for a baby, you can do this any time. But it’s advised that you wait until you’ve had at least one normal menstrual cycle after stopping before trying to conceive.

When switching to another pill, it’s advisable to finish the pack you’re using before starting your new one.

Sort of, yes. It’s normal to get some bleeding during your pill-free week, but technically (if we’re being clinically accurate) it’s not a period. This is called a ‘withdrawal bleed’. It’s usually much lighter than a period.

Stacking the combined pill (taking it without a break) can help you skip periods. But you should check with a doctor before taking the pill in this way.

More common side effects of combined pills include nausea, stomach ache, weight gain, headaches, mood changes or tender breasts.

Levest is in the safest category of combined pills. It’s less likely than some other pills to cause headaches, heavy bleeding, fluid retention, tiredness, nausea and irritability. But it’s more likely with Levest than with other pills to get low sex drive and vaginal dryness.

Most women find that milder side effects pass after a few weeks of taking a new pill. A lot of the time side effects are just a sign of your body adjusting to the hormones.

If you’re having milder side effects that are a bit of a nuisance, or find that they persist after several months of use, let your doctor or prescriber know. You can do this by signing in to your EveAdam account and sending them a message. They may be able to recommend another pill that is less likely to cause these side effects.

Serious side effects are rare. But it’s important to know what these look like. If you get any serious side effects, you should get medical advice right away. Go to hospital if you notice any signs of a blood clot, an allergic reaction, heart or circulation problems, or prolonged or heavy vaginal bleeding.

You can read more on our combined contraception side effect guide.

Some women who use the combined pill find their weight fluctuates. For some this might be losing a bit of weight, for others it might be gaining weight.

There’s no proven link between pills like Levest and weight gain or weight loss. It’s a difficult connection for scientists to confirm though, because there are so many different factors that can contribute towards a change in weight.^[2]

If you notice that your weight is changing and you think it may be due to Levest, let your doctor or prescriber know.

It’s possible that you might develop acne or find that your acne gets worse when you take the combined pill. If this concerns you, ask your doctor or prescriber for help. They can advise on what you can do to try and reduce acne, or it may be that a different pill is better at getting your acne under control.

Sign in your EveAdam account and let the prescriber know. You can get advice from them on other pills that might be better for you (or less likely to cause side effects if you’re getting them).

There are plenty of other combined pills that are just as effective but have a different derivation of hormones in them. Logynon is very similar to Levest only with a phased, lower dose.

If you’re having more noticeable side effects on the combined pill, there’s also the progestogen-only (mini) pill. This doesn’t contain any oestrogen, so doesn’t have the same risk of side effects caused by this hormone.

Pretty much. The main differences are the name (obvs), the manufacturer and the non-active ingredients. But the level of hormones in them is exactly the same, so they should work the same.

The company that packages them. Morningside markets Levest, while Bayer markets Microgynon. Otherwise, they’re very similar. They have the same hormones in the same amounts in them, so they should do the exact same job.