Each Synphase strip contains 21 pills, and each pill is marked with a row of bubbles indicating the days of the week. When you take your first pill, you should press the bubble for the day of the week you have started taking the pills on.

Take one pill each day, at the same time, in the correct order. You can take Synphase either with or without food.

If you take your first pill on the first day of your period, you’ll be protected from pregnancy immediately. If you don’t start taking Synphase on the first day of your period, you can start on days 2-5 of your cycle, but you will need to use additional contraception such as a condom for the first 7 days.

Once you’ve used all 21 pills, take a 7-day, pill-free break. It’s likely that you’ll experience bleeding during this time.

Having taken a 7-day break, start the next strip of pills, regardless of whether you’re still bleeding or not. You’ll always start a new strip on the same day of the week. Your protection from pregnancy remains the same during the 7-day pill-free window (provided that you always start a new strip on time).

If you’re less than 12 hours late taking a pill - don’t worry. Take the pill as soon as you remember and any pills that follow at the usual time, even if it means taking two pills in one day. Your protection from pregnancy isn’t compromised in any way.

In the event that you’re more than 12 hours late taking one or more pills, take the pill you missed most recently and take any further pills as normal. You may be at risk of pregnancy though, so you should either avoid having sex for 7 days, or use an extra barrier method of contraception, such as condoms, for the next 7 days.

If you have missed a pill and find that there are less than seven pills left in the strip, you should complete the strip and then start the next strip without taking a 7 day, pill-free break. You might not experience a period until the end of the second strip in these circumstances, but this is normal. You may get some bleeding on the days that you take these pills too.

When you’re taking Synphase, you may find that your periods become more irregular, and that you notice some bleeding between periods. They can also become lighter, and there may be times on the pill-free days where you don’t experience any bleeding at all.

If you have any concerns about your periods whilst you’re taking the combined pill, just let our clinician know via your EveAdam account.

Feeling sick, abdominal pain, tenderness in the breasts, headache, hypertension and changes in sex drive are all side effects that have been reported with Synphase.

These side effects tend to be mild and usually resolve by themselves, but if you find that they persist, or if they cause you greater discomfort, send our prescriber a message.

Although they’re unlikely to happen, Synphase can cause more severe side effects, and it’s important to be aware of them.

If you experience any signs of an allergic reaction, such as sudden wheezing, breathing difficulties, pain in the chest, fever, sudden swellings, rash or itching, you should seek emergency medical attention immediately.

Any indications of a blood clot whilst using Synphase (coughing up blood, sharp chest pain, feeling breathless, painful or inflamed veins in the legs, dizziness, severe headaches) are also a medical emergency, and you should contact a medical professional at once.

It can for some women. Progesterone and oestrogen in the combined pill can help to regulate hormones that trigger acne, but not in all cases.

Depression and mood changes are reported side effects of the combined pill. If you find that your symptoms of depression or low mood persist with Synphase, contact our clinician. They may recommend that you try an alternative pill, and can talk you through your options.

It all depends on you and your body. Women who experience side effects with monophasic pills (pills which contain the same amount of hormones in each strip) or triphasic pills (pills which have three different quantities of hormones in each strip) may find that they’re more suited to a biphasic pill. And vice versa. If you have a certain health condition, this can also determine which type of pill is more suitable for you than others.

Biphasic and triphasic pills mimic the natural menstrual cycle more closely than monophasic pills due to being made up of different doses of hormones, and some women may find that this is beneficial. But monophasic pills are very popular too, and many women find that they’re well suited to them.

Triphasic pills tend to cause less unexpected bleeding between periods than biphasic pills, so if you’re more prone to this, a triphasic pill may suit you more.

In short, then - it’s very much a case of how your body responds to hormones, and doses of those hormones, with your medical background factored into the equation. It’s taking these things into account that determines what type of pill is best for you.

It could be in some cases. In so far as it contains different doses of oestrogen and progesterone hormones, the Logynon combined pill is quite similar to Synphase. Logynon is a triphasic pill though, rather than a biphasic pill, so the pills have three different doses of hormones in each strip, and not two. Logynon also contains a different type of progesterone to Synphase (levonorgestrel, rather than norethisterone), so if your body is better suited to levonorgestrel, Logynon may be a strong alternative.

It’s super easy. With an EveAdam subscription, you can switch whenever you want to.

You just need to log into your account, and send a message to our prescriber. They’ll take any symptoms or side effects you might be experiencing into consideration, and recommend pills which may be more appropriate for you.