Important Safety Information
* The Pill does not protect against HIV or other sexually transmitted diseases.
* Unscheduled bleeding or spotting is likely to occur while you are taking LYBREL. The convenience of having no regular menstrual periods should be weighed against the inconvenience of unscheduled or unplanned breakthrough bleeding and spotting.
* Some women should not use the Pill, including women who have blood clots breast, uterine, or liver cancers a history of heart attack, stroke, or breast cancer as well as those who are or may be pregnant.
* Serious risks associated with the Pill which can be life threatening, include blood clots, stroke, and heart attacks and are increased if you smoke cigarettes.
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Cigarette smoking increases the risk of serious adverse effects on the heart and blood vessels from oral contraceptive use, especially if you are over 35. Women who use the Pill are strongly advised not to smoke.
* LYBREL provides women with more hormonal exposure on a yearly basis (13 additional weeks of hormone intake per year) than conventional cyclic oral contraceptives containing the same strength of synthetic estrogens and similar strength of progestins.
* Because regular monthly bleeding does not occur on LYBREL, it may be difficult to recognize if you get pregnant. If you suspect that you may be pregnant, or if you have symptoms of pregnancy such as nausea/vomiting or unusual breast tenderness, you should have a pregnancy test and you should contact your health care professional.
* The most common side effects reported with LYBREL in a clinical trial were headache, menstrual cramps, upper respiratory infection, vaginal bleeding, and nausea.
LYBREL is the first FDA-approved, daily low dose combination birth control pill where you won't have your regular monthly period for as long as you take it. Just like traditional low dose pills, LYBREL is also highly effective in preventing pregnancy when taken properly.
Breakthrough bleeding or spotting is likely to occur while taking LYBREL, most often during the first six months of use. For most women, this usually decreases over time.
How does LYBREL work?
Most traditional birth control pills provide hormones for 21 out of 28 days, preventing ovulation and decreasing the build-up of your uterine lining. During the 7 days you take placebo (nonhormonal) pills or stop taking pills, you experience your pill period.
LYBREL delivers the same low dose of hormones every day, without placebos. The lining of your uterus does not go through the changes needed for menstruation, so you do not have regular menstrual periods or pill periods. LYBREL provides women with more hormonal exposure on a yearly basis (13 additional weeks of hormone intake per year) than conventional cyclic oral contraceptives containing the same strength of synthetic estrogens and similar strength of progestins.
Learn more about how LYBREL works.
What are other health benefits of birth control pills, including LYBREL?
In addition to preventing pregnancy, some information suggests that the use of oral contraceptives like LYBREL may provide certain other benefits, such as:
* Decreased blood loss, and less iron may be lost. Therefore, anemia due to a loss of iron may be less likely to occur.
* Cramps may occur less often.
* Ovarian cysts may occur less often.
* Ectopic (tubal) pregnancy may occur less often.
* Noncancerous cysts or lumps in the breast may occur less often.
* Acute pelvic inflammatory disease may occur less often.
* Oral contraceptive use may provide some protection against developing cancer of the ovaries and cancer of the lining of the uterus.
