There are 35 pills in every strip. Each pill has a day of the week printed next to it, and you should follow the direction of the arrows. Take 1 pill at the same time every day, without taking any breaks between one strip and the next.

If you need to, swallow each pill whole with water, but don’t chew the pills.

Start taking Norgeston on the first day of your period, as this gives you immediate protection from pregnancy. If you’re switching from a progesterone only pill to Norgeston, you can start taking Norgeston at any point without your protection from pregnancy being affected.

If you’re switching from the combined pill to Norgeston, start taking Norgeston the day after your last active pill. You don’t need to use any extra contraception, such as condoms.

If you miss a pill, don’t panic. Follow the instructions in the patient information leaflet that comes with your treatment.

The missed pill window for Norgeston is three hours, so if you’re less than three hours late in taking a pill, your protection from pregnancy shouldn’t be impacted. Just take it as soon as you remember, even if it means taking two pills in one day. Take any pills that follow at the usual time.

If you’re more than three hours late with a pill, or you’ve missed more than one pill, you may be at greater risk of getting pregnant. Take your next pills as you would normally and use additional contraception, such as condoms, for the following 7 days. If you’ve missed any pills in a strip and had sex during the week before missing any pills, it’s possible that you could be pregnant. The more pills you miss consecutively, the more likely it is that your protection from pregnancy is reduced.

If you miss more than one pill, or if you’re more than three hours late in taking a pill and are concerned, drop our clinician a message via your EveAdam account. They can discuss the situation with you and advise you on the next steps.

For some women, yes, it can. Particularly during the first few months of taking it. You may also find that you experience irregular periods, some unexpected bleeding or spotting. But usually, these changes aren’t anything to worry about, and they tend to go away once your body has adjusted to Norgeston.

Unexpected bleeding can also happen if you’re not taking your pill regularly, so all the more reason to take it at the same time every day.

If you get any breakthrough bleeding or spotting that persists after a couple of months, or if you haven’t had a period for 6 weeks, let our prescriber know.

If you experience any breakthrough bleeding having taken Norgeston for a while, or if you’ve stopped taking Norgeston and you still find that you’re bleeding, you should contact our clinician in these circumstances too.

Common side effects with Norgeston are changes in your menstrual bleeding (irregular bleeding or no bleeding at all), nausea, vomiting, feeling dizzy, headaches and migraines, and tender breasts. These side effects usually disappear within a few months of taking Norgeston, but if you find that they continue or if you have any concerns about side effects, let our prescriber know. They may recommend that you try an alternative pill.

Serious side effects with Norgeston are rare, but if you notice signs of a blood clot (a throbbing or cramping sensation in the leg or arm, or feeling suddenly out of breath, for instance), signs of a severe allergic reaction (swelling of the face, lips, mouth, tongue or throat), any lumps in your breasts, or abdominal pain or jaundice, you should go to hospital.

There’s no substantial evidence that any contraceptive pills lead to significant weight gain (or weight loss).

You can put on a small amount of weight when you’re taking the mini pill to begin with, but this can be caused by the body retaining more water than it would normally during certain points of your cycle. You should find that it disappears within a few months of taking the pill.

Yes. Mini pills only contain a type of progesterone, and progesterone increases the skin’s production of an oily substance called sebum. Sebum helps to protect the skin, but excess amounts of it can cause spots, and block pores.

If you’re looking for a pill that can help to treat acne, the combined contraceptive pill, which contains a type of oestrogen as well as a progesterone, has shown to be effective in some cases, and may be a more suitable option for you. Our clinician can discuss both pills with you during your EveAdam consultation.

Cerazette is a progesterone only pill, like Norgeston, but it contains a different hormone (desogestrel). They work in the same way in the body, but some women are more sensitive to certain hormones in pills than others, so you may find that Cerazette is more suitable for you than Norgeston (and vice versa).

The two pills also have different missed pill windows. With Norgeston, the missed pill window is three hours, so if you’re more than three hours late in taking it, it counts as a missed pill. You have a bit more breathing space with Cerazette, as the missed pill window is 12 hours.

They’re both branded pills, but Norgeston is made by Bayer, while Cerazette is made by Merck Sharp and Dohme. So the pills themselves and the packaging may not look the same either.

Yes. There’s just the one dose. But if you get any side effects whilst you’re taking Norgeston, or if you’re looking for a mini pill with a higher hormonal dose, speak to our clinician. They may suggest that you try a different pill.

It’s more a question of which hormones you’re better suited to, and if you’d prefer to have that bit more flexibility with a 12-hour missed pill window should you miss a pill.

So the pills in themselves aren’t ‘better’ or worse than one another. It all depends on how your body responds to them, and whether you’re happy to have a 3-hour missed pill window or if you’d prefer a broader window.