Akizza

What is Akizza?

Akizza is a type of contraceptive pill known as a combined pill. That’s because it has two active ingredients, ethinylestradiol and gestodene. They work together to stop you from getting pregnant. There are two types of Akizza, with a standard and mini dose of oestrogen.

As well as preventing pregnancy, combined pills like Akizza can have other benefits. They often make your periods lighter, shorter and more manageable. They can also reduce hormonal acne and premenstrual symptoms. ^[1]

How does Akizza work?

Akizza works due to its active ingredients, ethinylestradiol, a synthetic oestrogen and gestodene, a synthetic progesterone. Oestrogen and progesterone levels in your body vary through your cycle, giving you fertile and non-fertile windows. The hormones in Akizza mean that your body stays in a non-fertile window all the time. These hormones work together to prevent pregnancy in a few different ways.

They stop your ovaries from releasing an egg each month. This means there’s nothing for the sperm to fertilise. Akizza also changes your cervical fluid, making it dry and sticky so that it’s harder for sperm to enter the uterus. Akizza makes the walls of your uterus (or endometrium) much more thin and weak too. So even if an egg was somehow released and was fertilised by sperm, it would have nowhere to implant and grow.

Overall, this makes Akizza very effective in preventing pregnancy.

What doses of Akizza are there?

Akizza comes in two doses. There’s a version of Akizza with 75 mcg of gestodene and 30 mcg of ethinylestradiol, known as the standard dose. There’s also a mini version with 75mcg of gestodene but only 20mcg of ethinylestradiol.

The mini version might be better if you’re sensitive to oestrogen, as it usually gives you fewer side effects. Both doses are equally effective for preventing pregnancy. Whichever dose you use, you’ll take one pill every day for 21 days, then have a seven-day break with no pills.

How to take Akizza

Follow your clinician’s guidance on how to take Akizza.

• You can take Akizza with or without food
• Swallow Akizza whole with water.
• Take your pill at the same time every day
• You’ll take Akizza once a day for 21 days. Each blister strip contains 21 pills
• On the back of the strip, they’re labelled with the days of the week. Start the pill on the day you’re starting, so, if you’re starting on a Friday, take a pill labelled Friday.
• Then follow the direction of the arrows on the strip, until you’ve taken all the pills
• After you’ve finished all 21 pills in the pack, it’s time for your seven-day break from the pills.
• After the seven pill-free days are over, begin the next blister strip of tablets. Take those as you took the previous strip.^[1]

How long does it take Akizza to work?

Your body absorbs the ingredients in Akizza within a couple of hours. ^[1]
But it could take some time for you to be fully protected against pregnancy. It depends on your situation before you start taking Akizza. Ask your clinician for advice if you’re switching to Akizza from the contraceptive patch or ring. If you’re currently on another combined contraceptive pill and want to change to Akizza, it should be effective right away. This is as long as you start Akizza the day after the last active tablet of your previous pill. If you leave a longer gap than this, use extra contraception like a condom for seven days. If you want to start taking Akizza and you’re currently on a progestin-only contraceptive method, like a mini pill, IUS (intrauterine system), implant or injection, start taking Akizza the day your previous method runs out. If it’s a pill, take Akizza the day after your last pill. You’ll still have to use a condom or another barrier method for seven days to make sure you don’t get pregnant. If you’ve recently had a miscarriage or termination, talk to your clinician before you take Akizza. If you’ve given birth and you’re breastfeeding, you should also talk to your clinician first. It’s not usually recommended to take Akizza if you’re breastfeeding. If you’ve recently given birth and you’re not breastfeeding, take it 21 to 28 days after you give birth. Any longer than this and you’ll need to use extra protection like a condom for seven days. ^[1]

What should I do if I make a mistake when taking Akizza?

The effects of taking too much Akizza are rarely serious. If you’ve taken too many pills, you may feel sick or have unexpected vaginal bleeding. This usually resolves by itself. If your symptoms worry you, contact a clinician right away. If you forget to take more than one pill of Akizza, contact your clinician. There’s a chance you could be pregnant if you had sex during this time. If you forget one Akizza pill, what you do next depends on if it’s more or less than 12 hours since you last took a pill. If it’s been less than 12 hours, just take your pill as soon as you remember and keep taking your pills at the normal time. You’ll still be protected from pregnancy. If it’s been more than 12 hours, how protected you are depends on which week you’re at in your pill schedule. First week of pills: take your missed pill as soon as you remember, even if you’re taking two pills at once. For the next seven days, use a condom or another barrier method. The effectiveness of Akizza may be reduced Second week of pills: again, take the forgotten pill as soon as possible. Keep taking your pills at your usual time. Your contraception should still be as effective Third week of pills: if you forget a pill from your third week, you have two choices. Either take your pill as soon as you remember and finish the pack. Then, go directly onto the next pack with no break. Or stop taking your pills right now and leave a gap of seven tablet-free days or less, then start on the next pack. Either of these options will protect you against pregnancy Akizza won’t protect you from sexually transmitted infections. If you’re having sex with a new partner, with multiple partners, or you and your partner are not free from STIs, use a barrier method like a condom too. This will help protect you from developing STIs.^[1]