Cilique

Cilique is a combined contraceptive pill. When you take it exactly right, your chances of getting pregnant are less than 1%. If you take Cilique and make the occasional mistake by missing a pill, it’s not quite as effective. It still gives you a good level of protection (around 91% on average).

There are two active ingredients in Cilique pills, which are synthetic versions of the natural hormones oestrogen and progesterone.

Cilique works in three ways to stop you becoming pregnant.

Firstly, it prevents ovulation. This is the process where the body releases an egg ready to be fertilised. If no egg is released, pregnancy can’t happen.

Cilique also changes the lining of the womb. So if an egg did happen to be released and become fertilised, it wouldn’t be able to attach itself to the uterus. This womb lining builds up and then sheds when you have your period.

The ‘period’ you have when you’re using hormonal birth control isn’t the same as a normal period, because the lining doesn’t build up in the same way. It’s technically a withdrawal bleed, which is usually lighter than a true period.

The hormones in the pill also thicken the mucus in your cervix. This makes it harder for a sperm to reach and fertilise the egg.

Cilique contains the same active ingredient as Lizinna. So there shouldn’t be any difference in how well they work or their side effect profile. The only real difference between the two is branding, which means the packaging and name.

Another important aspect about generic and branded versions is price. Generic products tend to be cheaper, despite the fact they do almost the same thing

Cilique comes in packs of 21 pills. The blister pack of Cilique only contains active pills. The pills are blue and are taken for 21 days, followed by a seven day break. After this cycle you simply start the next pack of 21 and repeat. To be protected right away when you start taking Cilique, you should start taking active pills on the first day of your period.

It’s also important to take the pill at regular intervals to help you get into the habit of taking it every day.

This might be first thing in the morning or with a meal you have at the same time each day. You don’t need to take the pill with food, but if you do have an upset stomach while you’re using hormonal birth control, taking it with a meal might help.

Cilique is around 99% effective at preventing pregnancy, which is as effective as reversible methods get. ^[1] This means that out of 100 women taking it over one year, exactly right, only one will get pregnant. This level of effectiveness relies on the pill being taken as directed, at the same time, every day.

If you forget to take it occasionally, it’s still highly effective. ‘Typical use’ effectiveness for the combined pill is 91% (so nine out of every 100 women taking it over a year in this way will become pregnant).

If you do take your pill late, or miss a pill, Cilique’s effectiveness will be reduced. How much it will drop will depend on a number of factors. For example, if you start a strip of 21 pills late, that reduces the effectiveness more than if you miss one single pill.

If you miss one pill, simply take it as soon as you remember, even if this means taking two pills within one day. If you miss two or more pills in a cycle, you should take it as soon as you remember. You should then use an extra contraceptive, such as a condom, for at least seven days so the pill can ‘catch up’.