Low-Ogestrel

What is Low-Ogestrel?

Low-Ogestrel is a combined birth control pill. The active ingredients in Low-Ogestrel are norgestrel and ethinyl estradiol. These two hormones work together to prevent pregnancy and give you peace of mind.

Norgestrel is a synthetic version of progestin that is less likely to cause side effects than other forms. Ethinyl estradiol is a synthetic form of estrogen that is nearly identical to the estrogen produced in your body. It’s a continuous birth control medication, which means that it has the same level of hormones in the active pills.

When you get a prescription for Low-Ogestrel, it comes in packs that contain 28 days worth of medicine. You’ll receive 21 active pills that contain hormones, and 7 inactive pills that don’t contain any hormones. You can easily tell the difference between active and inactive pills because they are different colors. Active pills are white, while inactive pills are a peach color.

How does Low-Ogestrel work?

Low-Ogestrel prevents pregnancy through three primary mechanisms. When you take Low-Ogestrel, the hormones prevent ovulation, keeps your uterine lining from thickening, and thicken cervical fluid to prevent sperm from reaching an egg in the first place.
Another benefit of Low-Ogestrel is that it can make your periods lighter and shorter. This can be particularly helpful if you have heavy or long periods that are interfering with your daily life.

What doses of Low-Ogestrel are there?

There’s only one available dosage for Low-Ogestrel. Each active Low-Ogestrel tablet contains 0.3 mg of norgestrel and 0.03 mg of ethinyl estradiol. Depending on your medical history, this low dose hormonal birth control may not be appropriate for you. For a higher dose of hormones, you’ll need to talk to your healthcare provider about other birth control options.

How to take Low-Ogestrel

Taking Low-Ogestrel is easy and convenient. Based on your personal health history, you’ll need to start taking Low-Ogestrel at a specific time. Follow these simple instructions to protect yourself from pregnancy while taking Low-Ogestrel:

• If you aren’t currently taking any hormonal birth control medications, these are instructions for how you should start taking Low-Ogestrel:
  • You can either begin taking Low-Ogestrel on the first day of your period or the Sunday following the first day of your period.
  • For the first seven days that you take Low-Ogestrel, make sure you use back up birth control methods (like condoms, diaphragms, etc) to prevent pregnancy. After you take it for seven consecutive days, Low-Ogestrel will reach peak effectiveness to prevent pregnancy.
• If you’re switching from another hormonal birth control, you’ll need to follow the directions that match your circumstances below:
  • If you’re switching from a progestin-only birth control medication, you can switch to Low-Ogestrel at any time. Whenever you take the last pill from your old prescription, take your first Low-Ogestrel dose the next day.
  • If you were taking a birth control medication with a 21 day cycle, you’ll need to wait seven days between your last dose of your old birth control and the first of Low-Ogestrel.
  • If your old birth control was a 28 day cycle, simply finish your old birth control cycle and begin taking Low-Ogestrel the day after your last dose. Don’t skip any days in between your old birth control and Low-Ogestrel.
  • If you’re switching from any other type of birth control, be sure to ask your doctor when you should start taking Low-Ogestrel.

Once you’ve begun taking Low-Ogestrel, it’s easy to take it as directed. Simply take your pill everyday at the same time. Swallow it whole with water, and don’t crush, chew or tamper with it. You’ll notice that the first 21 days of each cycle are white pills that contain hormones, and the remaining 7 days are peach pills without hormones. While you are taking the peach pills, you may experience a period.

How long does it take Low-Ogestrel to work?

It takes about a week until Low-Ogestrel can prevent you from becoming pregnant. Until you’ve taken seven doses, make sure you use other methods of birth control like condoms. After seven days, Low-Ogestrel prevents pregnancy unless you miss a dose or experience another circumstance that decreases its effectiveness.

What should I do if I make a mistake when taking Low-Ogestrel?

You don’t need to panic if you make a mistake while taking Low-Ogestrel. The most common mistake people make with Low-Ogestrel is forgetting to take their dose on time.

If you forget to take an active white pill, take it as soon as you remember. You can take your next pill at your regular time, but you’ll also need to use a birth control method without hormones for the next seven days.

Should you miss two active pills in a row during week one or two of your cycle, take two pills when you remember and the day after. Take the rest of your Low-Ogestrel as normal after that, and use a back up birth control method to prevent pregnancy for seven days.

Missing two pills during the third week of your cycle has a different protocol. You’ll need to take a pill when you remember and every day until Sunday. Then you’ll throw away your current cycle of Low-Ogestrel so you can start a new one. Since you’ll be skipping the week of peach inactive pills, you might skip your period during this cycle. Keep in mind that you’ll need to use another form of birth control for seven days before you’re protected from pregnancy.

If you miss three or more pills during the first three weeks of your Low-Ogestrel cycle, take one pill when you remember and for each day until you reach Sunday. On Sunday, throw away the current cycle of Low-Ogestrel and start a new one. Use another form of birth control like condoms or spermicide for seven days.

Forgetting to take your inactive, peach pills isn’t as big a deal as missing your white, active pills. If you miss any inactive pills during the four week of your Low-Ogestrel cycle, simply throw away the pills you missed and take the remaining pills until they run out. Make sure you start your next Low-Ogestrel pack on time, and you won’t need to use any back up birth control methods.

Taking too much Low-Ogestrel doesn’t pose a risk to your health in most cases. You may experience increased side effects from having a higher dose of hormones. If you’ve taken too much Low-Ogestrel and you’re concerned, reach out to your healthcare provider for guidance.