The mini pill
The mini pill only contains the hormone progesterone (desogestrel). The advantage of the mini pill is that you can use it while breastfeeding and that it doesn’t cause an increased risk of thrombosis (or in the case that you’re not allowed to use estrogen).
How reliable is this method?
The mini pill is a trustworthy contraceptive method. Of course, this is dependent on how well you keep up with this method. If you forget to take the pill on time, for example, it is much less reliable.
How does the mini pill work?
The mini pill prevents pregnancy in two ways: it makes the mucus in your cervix thicker (which makes it harder for sperm to get to the uterus) and makes the endometrium an unsuitable place for an embryo to nestle. Estrogen-free pills with desogestrel also prevent the ovulation from happening.
What types are there?
Your doctor or GP will ask a number of questions and will also use your medical file and some basic tests, such as measuring your blood pressure, to determine whether you can safely take the mini pill and which one is most suitable for you. In the Netherlands and Belgium, Cerazette (with desogestrel) is the brand that is prescribed most often. If you live elsewhere you might be prescribed a different brand.
Usually, you’ll make an appointment to return to your doctor or GP after a few months to discuss whether or not the selected pill works well for you.
How do you use the mini pill?
The mini pill is a small pill that you take every day (so without a pill-free week) and that only contains one hormone; progestogen. Usually the mini pill prevents you from having a period.
You can start taking the mini pill at any point during your cycle. Unless you start on the first day of your cycle (the first day of your period) , you won’t immediately be protected from getting pregnant. Read the package leaflet well to find out from what point on you’ll be protected. Use condoms or a different form of contraceptive until you’re fully protected against pregnancy.
There are usually 28 pills in a strip. This means that you won’t have a pill-free week.
It’s important that you take the mini pill at a set time (that’s more important for this pill than for combination pills).
You can stop taking the pill whenever you’d like. As soon as you stop taking it, you won’t be protected against pregnancy anymore and will generally get your period again soon.