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Noriday is a prescription-only mini pill you can get sent to you regularly, on an EveAdam birth control plan. Take our consultation to get contraception recommendations from a licensed prescriber. After selecting your pill and setting up your schedule, a prescription will be created for you and sent to our UK pharmacy to be dispensed. You’ll then receive your first package in one working day, and every 3, 6, 9 or 12 months after that.
Noriday is a type of oral contraceptive pill (OCP) that only contains one type of hormone. This is a progestogen called norethisterone, and helps to prevent pregnancy by making the cervical fluid in the womb thicker. By doing this, sperm can’t swim through to an egg quite as easily to fertilise it.
Progestogen-only pills, or POPs, like Noriday also stop ovulation in some women. This means that the ovary doesn’t release an egg. So even if a sperm did make it through the cervix, there would be no egg to fertilise.
Combined oral contraceptive pills (COCPs) tend to be more widely taken than progestogen-only pills. But POPs like Noriday are recommended for women who can’t take combined birth control because they have a health factor that makes them sensitive to oestrogen (such as migraines).
Every month, your body goes through a checklist of things to prepare for pregnancy. During ovulation, the ovary releases an egg which travels through the fallopian tubes towards the uterus. If the egg is fertilised as it travels, it attaches to the uterine wall and starts growing. If it isn’t fertilised, you get your period and it’s better luck next time.
All of this happens because of rising and falling levels of hormones. Hormones trigger ovulation as well as smaller changes, like telling the wall of the uterus to become thicker so that it’s easier for a fertilised egg to attach itself there.
The hormone in Noriday, norethisterone, is a type of progestogen. Adding it to the hormones already in your body alters what happens every month. Norethisterone increases the density of cervical fluid, so sperm cannot swim through and reach an egg as easily. Some of the time, the progestogen in mini pills totally overrides the normal hormonal cycle, preventing ovulation, so fertilisation can’t happen.
The hormones in Noriday change what happens in your body every month when it would normally get ready for pregnancy.
Noriday makes fluid in the cervix more dense, which acts as a barrier to sperm and means that fertilisation is much less likely. In some women, Noriday also prevents ovulation. Without ovulation, no egg is released into the uterus.
Noriday pills come in a blister pack, marked with arrows and days of the week. Take one pill at the same time each day, with water, following the arrows. Take Noriday continuously, with no break between strips.
You can start taking Noriday any time if you’re not already using hormonal birth control. If you’re switching from something else, take your first pill on the day after the last pill in your previous pack.
Irregular periods are the most frequently reported side effect of Noriday. Most women will find that this settles after taking Noriday for a short time, but if you become concerned or if this type of bleeding continues, you should speak to a prescriber.[2]
In the US, Noriday is also known as Nor-Qd, Nora-BE, Deblitane, Errin, Heather, Incassia, Jencycla, Jolivette, Lyza, Norlyda, Norlyroc, Norethindrone, Ortho Micronor, Sharobel and Tulana.
But there aren’t any other names for the Noriday pill in the UK. You can get pills that have the same hormone in higher doses for things like period delay and treating period pain, but these can’t be used for contraception.
Make sure you read the package insert for Noriday before you start taking it. You can read further safety information about the progestin-only pill at the link below.
The information here isn't exhaustive. You can find more info in our mini pills side effects guide.
Most common: change in menstrual bleeding, periods starting early or late, spotting between periods.
Less common: headaches, tender breasts, nausea and dizziness, weight gain, acne and excess hair on the face and body.
If you notice anything unusual, speak to a doctor or go to your nearest emergency room as soon as possible.
References
[1] Korver, T. 2009. A double-blind study comparing the contraceptive efficacy, acceptability and safety of two progestogen-only pills containing desogestrel 75 μg/day or levonorgestrel 30 μg/day: Collaborative Study Group on the Desogestrel-containing Progestogen-only Pill. Taylor and Francis Online. Volume 3, 1998. Issue 4. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/13625189809167250 [Accessed 6 May 2021].
[2] Cooper, D.B. and Mahdy, H. 2020. Oral Contraceptive Pills. Stat Pearls. U.S.A. NCBI. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430882/ [Accessed 6 May 2021].
