Kariva

What is Kariva?

Preventing pregnancy is a priority for many women, for a variety of reasons. No matter your reasoning, Kariva helps to prevent pregnancy in women who take it as directed. It combines desogestrel and ethinyl estradiol in a pill that’s easy and convenient to take each day.

Desogestrel is a synthetic form of progestin, while ethinyl estradiol is a synthetic estrogen. These hormone medications mimic the naturally occurring estrogen and progestin in your body to prevent pregnancy. They may also help regulate your menstrual cycle, prevent ovarian cysts, and reduce your risk of certain cancers of the breast, uterus, and ovaries.

How does Kariva work?

Preventing pregnancy is simple with Kariva. First, it works with your body to prevent ovulation. Without your ovaries releasing eggs through the process of ovulation, there’s no way for you to get pregnant. In the rare case that your body ovulates anyway, there are two other ways that Kariva prevents pregnancy: it changes your cervical mucus to keep spermicide from entering your uterus in the first place, and it changes your uterine lining to prevent a fertilized egg from implanting.

What doses of Kariva are there?

There’s only one dose of Kariva available. Each cycle contains 28 pills, which you must take in order. The first 21 pills of each cycle of Kariva are white, and they each contain 0.15 mg of desogestrel combined with 0.02 mg of ethinyl estradiol. The next two pills are green, but they don’t contain any hormones. The last five pills of each cycle are blue, and they only contain 0.01 mg of ethinyl estradiol.

How to take Kariva

It’s easy to take Kariva as directed. However, you may need to start your first cycle of Kariva differently depending on your personal circumstances. Here’s how you can safely begin your first cycle of Kariva:

• If you’re switching from a 21 day hormonal birth control, finish the last pack of your old birth control. Then, take a 7 day break before you start taking Kariva.
• If your old birth control is a 28 day cycle, finish your last pack and start Kariva the very next day.
• If you’re starting Kariva and you weren’t previously taking hormonal birth control, simply decide how you want to start. You can begin taking Kariva on the first day of your period, or on the Sunday following the first day of your period. If you begin on the first day of your period, you’re protected from pregnancy immediately. If you sm choose to wait until the following Sunday, you’ll need to use a nonhormonal backup birth control for 7 days before Kariva can prevent you from getting pregnant.

Once you’ve started taking Kariva, it’s really simple to take it appropriately. Take your pill with water at the same time every single day. Don’t chew, crush, or tamper with Kariva in any way. Don’t skip any days between cycles of Kariva. Once you’ve completed a pack, start the next cycle the following day.

How long does it take Kariva to work?

If you start Kariva on the first day of your period, it will prevent pregnancy immediately. However, you'll need to use backup to birth control if you wait to start the Sunday after your period.

What should I do if I make a mistake when taking Kariva?

People who take Kariva sometimes forget to take their pills. It’s not a big deal if you do, but it can reduce how effective it is for preventing pregnancy. Here’s what you should do if you miss one or more doses:

• If you miss a white pill, take it as soon as you remember. Then, take your next pill at your regularly scheduled time. This might mean you take two pills in the same day, but that’s okay. You’ll still be protected from getting pregnant.
• If you miss two white pills in a row during the first or second week of your cycle, take two pills as soon as you remember. You’ll also need to take two pills the following day. Under these circumstances, you’ll need to use a backup birth control method, like condoms, for 7 days.
• If you miss two white pills back to back during the third week of your cycle, you’ll need to proceed depending on when you start each cycle of Kariva. If you start new packs on Sunday, you’ll take one pill when you remember, and everyday until you reach Sunday. On Sunday, you’ll throw out your old Kariva and start a new cycle of Kariva. If you began Kariva on the first day of your period, you’ll immediately throw out your current cycle of Kariva and begin a new one. You might skip your period this month, but that’s normal. Make sure you use backup birth control for 7 days before relying on Kariva to prevent pregnancy again.
• Should you miss three white pills consecutively in any week, follow the same directions as missing two pills in a row.

If you take more Kariva than you’re supposed to, there shouldn’t be any serious consequences to your health. You may experience more intense side effects from Kariva since the levels of hormones in your body are higher than usual. If you feel I’ll or are concerned for any reason while you’re taking Kariva, seek guidance from your healthcare provider.