Necon®

What is Necon?

Necon pills are a combined birth control that you can get in a range of different doses. They contain two hormones, progesterone and estradiol, which prevent you from ovulating and getting pregnant.

The different types of Neconall come with 21 “active” tablets, which contain hormones, and seven “inactive” tablets, which don’t contain any active ingredients. You’ll take Necon in 28-day cycles, using active tablets for three weeks, then inactive tablets for a week. The inactive tablets help you stick to your daily schedule of taking a pill every day.

How does Necon work?

Necon stops you getting pregnant by preventing ovulation, thickening your cervical mucus, and making your fallopian tubes more difficult for an egg to pass through.^[1] It also causes the lining of your uterus to thicken less, which should make it more difficult for an egg to implant – though there’s no evidence for this at the moment.^[2]

Necon stops you ovulating by inhibiting the secretion of follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormones. This stops the follicle that releases an egg during ovulation from developing, and means there’s no luteinizing hormone surge. If the follicle isn’t developed, and there’s no luteinizing hormone surge to release it, you won’t ovulate.^[2]

Most of the birth control effects of Necon (and any other combined contraceptive) come from synthetic progesterone. While the estrogen does help prevent ovulation a little by suppressing the production of follicle-stimulating hormone, it’s mainly there to stop any irregular bleeding.^[1]

What doses does Necon come in?
Necon birth control tablets come in lots of different dosage options to suit your needs. Necon 1/35 active tablets are dark yellow, and contain 1 mg norethindrone and 0.035 mg estradiol. Necon 0.5/35 active tablets are light yellow, and contain 0.5 mg of norethindrone and 0.035 mg of estradiol. These might be more suitable if you’re worried about progesterone-related side effects.

There’s also Necon 1/50 tablets, which are light blue and contain 1 mg of norethindrone and 0.05 mg of mestranol. Mestranol itself is inactive, but your body converts it into ethinyl estradiol. 0.05 mg of mestranol is bioequivalent to (the same as) 0.035 mg of ethinyl estradiol.^[3]

Necon 10/11 and Necon 7/7/7 are biphasic and triphasic birth control options respectively. This means the amount of hormones you take will change during your 28-day cycle.

Necon 10/11 packs contain:

• 10 light yellow tablets (0.5 mg norethindrone; 0.035 mg ethinyl estradiol)
• 11 dark yellow tablets (1 mg norethindrone; 0.035 mg ethinyl estradiol).

Necon 7/7/7 contains:

• 7 white tablets (0.5 mg norethindrone; 0.035 mg ethinyl estradiol)
• 7 light peach tablets (0.75 mg norethindrone; 0.035 mg ethinyl estradiol)
• 7 peach tablets (1 mg norethindrone; 0.035 mg ethinyl estradiol).

Each dosage of Necon also comes with seven inactive pills. These are white for Necon 1/35, Necon 0.5/35, Necon 1/50, and Necon 10/11, and green for Necon 7/7/7.

How to take Necon

You’ll take one Necon tablet once a day, regardless of which dose you’re using. Try to take it around the same time each day, and swallow Necon with some liquid. There are two different ways you can start your Necon birth control:

Sunday start:

• Take the first Necon 1/35, Necon 0.5/35, Necon 10/11, Necon 1/50, or Necon 7/7/7 tablet on the first Sunday after your period. If your period starts on a Sunday, take your first pill that day. Then simply take one active tablet a day for 21 days, followed by an inactive tablet a day for the last seven. Then repeat this 28-day cycle for as long as you’re using Necon. For your first cycle after a Sunday start, you’ll need to use a barrier method of birth control (like condoms) for your first week of Necon.

Day one start:

• Take one pill on the first day of your period. Then take an active tablet each day for the first 21 days of your cycle, before taking an inactive pill for the final seven. Repeat this 28-day cycle for as long as you’re using Necon.

How long does it take Necon to work?

If you start taking Necon on the first day of your period, you’ll be protected from pregnancy right away. If you start Necon on a Sunday, or after the first 24 hours of your period, you’ll need back-up birth control for the first seven days of Necon.

What should I do if I make a mistake taking Necon?

You should only take Necon pills as you’ve been instructed to. If you accidentally take too much Necon, you may feel nauseous and experience a withdrawal bleed. No serious effects have been seen in anyone who’s taken large doses of birth control tablets.

What to do if you miss a Necon pill is the same for all the different doses. If you miss one active tablet during week one, two, or three of your cycle, you can just take the missed tablet whenever you remember. If you miss two consecutive active tablets in week one or two, take two tablets on the day you remember, two the following day, and then continue taking one a day until you finish the current pack. You’ll need a barrier method of contraception for seven days after your missed pills.

What to do if you miss two pills in the third week of your cycle, or you miss three tablets in a row, will depend on the type of Necon you’re taking. Day 1 Starters should throw out the rest of the pill pack and start a new pack that same day; additional birth control will be necessary in the 7 days after these missed doses. Sunday Starters should keep taking 1 tablet once a day until Sunday, then throw out the rest of the pill pack and start a new pack of pills that day. Either way, you’ll need to use another birth control method (like condoms) for seven days after your missing pills.