It’s pretty common to get side effects when taking the pill. Most of the time, these will only last for a few weeks or a couple of months, and pass once your body has gotten used to the hormones in the pill you’re taking.

If you find that these persist, or you get any side effects that are a nuisance or cause discomfort, let your prescriber know. They may be able to suggest an alternative pill that doesn’t cause these effects. If you’re subscribed to a contraceptive treatment with EveAdam, you can do this by signing in to your account and sending the prescriber a message.

If you get any side effects that are serious or cause you concern, go to hospital right away or call 999. 

This includes any of the following:

• • Any signs of a blood clot in a leg (deep vein thrombosis or DVT): pain, redness or discolouration, tenderness, or feeling of heat or swelling in one or both legs. 

• Any signs of a blood clot in a lung (pulmonary embolism or PE): shortness of breath; increased breathing rate; fast onset of a severe cough, with or without blood; pain the chest that gets worse with deeper breathing; dizziness or feeling faint; irregular or fast heartbeat; feeling weak or anxious.

• Any signs of a blood clot in the eye (retinal thrombosis): loss of vision that occurs suddenly, reduced vision or blurred vision.

• • Any signs of a serious liver problem: yellowing of the skin or eyes (jaundice); darker urine; or itchy skin.
  • A lump in the breast or changes in breast tissue.
  • Drastic mood changes or depression.  

• Sudden or severe abdominal pain.

• Unusual or heavy bleeding from the vagina.
• Any signs of an allergic reaction: swelling around the eyes, lips, face, mouth or throat; hives; change in heartbeat.

Some of the following side effects may not be as serious, but you should still let your doctor or prescriber know if you notice them.

Side effects that tend to be common (affecting up to 1 in 10) among women using the mini pill include: 

• altered mood or depressed mood; 
• loss of libido; 
• headache; 
• nausea; 
• acne; 
• pain in the breasts; 
• loss of periods, irregular periods or spotting between periods; 
• or a rise in body weight.

Uncommon side effects reported with mini pill use (affecting up to 1 in 100 users) include: 

• vaginal infection; 
• intolerance of contact lenses; 
• vomiting; 
• hair loss; 
• painful periods; 
• ovarian cysts; 
• feeling tired.

Side effects that are reported to occur rarely (up to 1 in 1,000 users) with the mini pill include: 

• rash; 
• hives; 
• red bumps on the skin; 
• allergic reaction; 
• leakage or discharge from the breasts.

The risk of a blood clot when using the mini pill is thought to be slightly higher than in women who don’t use hormonal contraceptives at all. But this risk is lower than in women who use combined hormonal contraceptives.