Femodette

What is Femodette?

Femodette is a low-dose combined contraceptive pill. It contains a lower dose of oestrogen than some other combined pills, so it may be particularly suitable for women who are more sensitive to the hormone, or for women who are prone to more side effects with higher doses of oestrogen.

The two artificial hormones in Femodette adjust the body’s menstrual cycle making pregnancy much less likely.

How effective is Femodette?

Provided you take it correctly, at the same time each day, Femodette is more than 99% effective, despite its lower dose of oestrogen.  To put this into perspective, out of 100 women taking it as they should over a 12-month period, just one will get pregnant. This is what’s known as ‘perfect use’.

In cases where pills are missed from time to time, or if it’s used in error, its effectiveness drops slightly (to around 91%). So approximately 9 women in every 100 will become pregnant in a year. This is what’s known as ‘typical use’.

What dosages of Femodette can you get?

Femodette is available in one standard dose: 20mcg of ethinylestradiol and 75mcg of gestodene. It’s a lower dose alternative to Femodene.

So if you need a pill with slightly more oestrogen in it to help get certain symptoms under control, a doctor may suggest switching to Femodene.

How to take Femodette pills

Femodette comes in strips of 21 pills, and each pill is marked with a day of the week. You should take one pill at the same time every day, according to the day of the week printed on the strip. Follow the arrow on the strip until you have no more pills.

You can swallow each pill with water if you need to, but don’t chew it.

If you choose to take Femodette on a 21-day basis, once you’ve taken all 21 pills in the strip, take a 7-day, pill-free break from it. Within a few days of taking the last pill from the strip, you should experience a withdrawal bleed, which may not have finished by the time you’re ready to start your new strip.

Provided you’ve taken the pills correctly and start the next strip when you should, you don’t need to use any additional contraception, like a condom, during this 7-day pill-free window.

Start your next strip after the 7-day pill-free break, even if you’re still experiencing some bleeding. If you’re taking Femodette correctly, you’ll always start a new strip on the same day of the week.

What if I miss a Femodette pill?

If you’re less than 12 hours late your protection from pregnancy isn’t reduced. Take the one you missed immediately, even if it means taking two pills in one day. Then carry on as normal.

If you’re 12 hours late or missing more than one pill, your protection could be reduced. Take the pill you missed most recently as soon as you remember, even if it means taking two pills close together. Leave any pills that you missed earlier than this in the strip. You should then carry on taking a pill every day for the next 7 days at the usual time. Use a condom for the next 7 days.

What if I lose a Femodette pill?

You can do one of two things. Take the last pill of the strip as a substitute for the lost pill, then take all the other pills on the days you’re supposed to. Your pill cycle will be one day shorter than normal, but it won’t reduce your protection. Once your 7 pill-free days have passed, you will have a new starting day, one day earlier than it was before.

The other way is to take a pill from a spare strip (if you have one). And then take all the other pills from your current strip as normal. Should you lose any more pills, you can use the spare strip you’ve opened.