Lucette

What is the Lucette pill?

Lucette is a contraceptive pill that you take daily. It contains two active ingredients (drospirenone and ethinyl estradiol) which are artificial versions of the hormones progesterone and oestrogen.

These provide close to full protection against pregnancy when you take them correctly. They do this in three ways. Primarily, they prevent ovulation so no egg is released. They also change the wall of your uterus so any fertilised eggs (unlikely anyway) can’t implant, and thicken cervical fluid so sperm can’t pass through and fertilise an egg.

Lucette is a 4th generation pill, which means that it’s a newer type.

Is Lucette safe?

Lucette is considered a safe pill. All combined contraception pills like Lucette go through rigorous testing before they become available.

Some women get side effects when they start a new pill. It’s pretty common. Most of the time they’re mild and it’s just a case of your body getting used to the hormones. They usually disappear after a couple of months. You can let a clinician know if any side effects stick around or get uncomfortable, and they’ll help you choose a more suitable contraceptive.

How effective is Lucette?

Lucette is more than 99% effective with ‘perfect’ use, which means taking it exactly as intended. That means less than 1% of women will get pregnant over a year when using it correctly.

If you make a mistake when taking it, which is known as ‘typical’ use, it becomes a bit less effective: 91%. So it’s best to stick to the instructions as closely as you can (i.e. take your pill at the same time each day and try not to miss any).

How to take Lucette

Swallow it whole, preferably with water, at the same time every day. It’s recommended that you take it with breakfast or before bed to maintain the habit throughout the course of the month.

A 28-day course is contained within a strip of pills, all with the days of the week labelled above them, so you can keep track of what you have taken. There are 21 tablets in total in each strip. Once you reach the end of the strip, you should take a break for seven days.

When can I start taking Lucette?

If you haven’t been using a hormonal contraceptive the previous month, start taking Lucette on the first day of your cycle, which is the first day of bleeding on your period. You will then be immediately and fully protected against pregnancy. If you take them between days two and five, you’ll need to use a barrier contraceptive for seven days.

Changing from a different combined contraceptive pill (or patch and ring) to Lucette means you will need to take Lucette the day after you took the last pill of the other course and then complete the Lucette strip of 21 pills. You can then take the seven day break as instructed and carry on as explained above.

Changing from progesterone only pills to Lucette means you will need to use a barrier contraceptive for seven days after switching.

What to do if I miss a Lucette pill

With the combined pill, if you’re late taking it one day you have a bit of leeway. If you remember to take your pill within 12 hours of your scheduled time, your protection won’t be reduced.

If you’re later than 12 hours taking it, or miss more than one, take the most recent pill you forgot as soon as you remember and carry on taking the pill as normal. You’ll need to use barrier protection for seven days. You might be advised to skip the 7-day break at the end of your pack, depending on when your missed pill was.

For further information, you should read the patient information leaflet that comes with your medication.