Most women take one pill per day for 21 days, then take a four or seven-day break before starting the next pack. You’re likely to experience a withdrawal bleed during this time. This looks like a period, but it isn’t.

Lucette can also be taken as follows:

Tricycling: Take one pill every day for nine weeks without stopping. Take a 4 or 7-day break after 9 weeks (3 packs of pills) and then restart the cycle.

Take 1 pill every day without missing a dose.

Take 1 pill every day for at least 21 days for a flexible extended use. Take a four-day break if you experience excessive bleeding. Start taking the pill every day on the fifth day, and don’t take another break for at least 21 days.

Lucette contains hormones that prevent your ovaries from releasing an egg (ethinylestradiol and drospirenone) (ovulation). They also make it more difficult for sperm to reach an egg or for an egg to implant in the womb lining.

Lucette is 99 percent effective in preventing pregnancy when taken correctly. Approximately 9 out of 100 women will become pregnant if it is not always taken correctly.

You may not be protected against pregnancy if you are vomiting or have severe diarrhoea. Continue to take the pill as usual if this happens, but use a condom while you’re sick. If this lasts longer than 24 hours, you should take the same steps as if you missed a pill.

Please keep in mind that you should only begin Lucette if you are certain you are not pregnant.

If you start taking Lucette on days 1-5 of your period, you should be safe from pregnancy right away, assuming you don’t have a short or irregular period.

If you have sex after day 1 and have a short/irregular menstrual cycle, you must use condoms for 7 days. If you have sex in the first 7 days, your clinician will be able to tell you if you need to use additional contraception.

Many women do not have any negative side effects, but some do. Mood swings, vaginal discharge, rashes or yeast infections, headaches, breast discomfort, or feeling sick are all possible symptoms. Blood clots occur in a small percentage of women. The risk of blood clots is slightly higher with this pill than with others. Send us a message through your Patient Record if you have any concerns.

See the patient information leaflet for a complete list of side effects and how to use it correctly. If you have any concerns about side effects, please contact us through your Patient Record.