Rigevidon is a combined oral contraceptive pill used to help prevent pregnancy.

Find out more about oral contraceptive pills.

Rigevidon is used to help prevent pregnancy. It can also help to treat heavy or painful periods and to manage acne.

Rigevidon is a birth control pill that contains synthetic versions of the naturally occurring hormones oestrogen (ethinylestradiol 30mcg) and progesterone (levonorgestrel 150mcg). These prevent the ovaries from releasing eggs each month to prevent fertilisation and pregnancy.

They also work by thickening the cervical music (at the neck of the womb), which makes it harder for sperm to reach an egg, and thinning the womb lining, making it harder for a fertilised egg to implant.

Rigevidon comes in packs of 21 pills. Take one pill at the same time each day for 21 days until you finish the pack.

Then take a break for seven days. So if you finished a pill pack on Sunday, start the following pill pack on Monday seven days later.

You’ll usually get a withdrawal bleed after a couple of days into the pill free week.

If you want to take Rigevidon without a break to reduce the frequency of your period, or delay a period, you can run packs together without the seven-day break. We’d advise you to only do this for a maximum of three months to avoid problems with breakthrough bleeding.

If you have any other questions about how to take Rigevidon, please feel free to contact us through your online patient record.

Each film-coated tablet contains 30 micrograms ethinylestradiol and 150 micrograms levonorgestrel.

When Rigevidon is used perfectly, without missing any pills, the chance of becoming pregnant is less than 1% (i.e. less than 1 pregnancy per 100 women in the first year of use). However, typical failure rates are actually 5% in the first year. With each missed pill during a menstrual cycle, the chance of becoming pregnant increases.

If you forget to take your pill, or have a sickness with diarrhoea or vomiting, you’re at risk of pregnancy. Find out more about what to do if you miss your pill.

Taking emergency contraception (the morning after pill) can also impact the effectiveness of Rigevidon.

If you’re wondering if Rigevidon is safe, we’ll only prescribe this contraceptive pill if it’s suitable for you. However, as with all oral contraceptive pills, it’s normal to experience some side effects.

Common side effects include: nausea or stomach ache, mood changes, breast tenderness, and unusual vaginal bleeding between periods.

Side effects usually disappear within a few weeks as your body adjusts to Rigevidon. If they continue for more than three months, or you have vaginal bleeding after sex or a significant change to your bleeding pattern that doesn’t settle within six weeks, please contact us or speak to your GP for advice.

There are also some rare but serious side effects that include: blood clots, heart attack and stroke. To help reduce these you must know your blood pressure is normal and aim to have a normal weight. Ensure you check your blood pressure once a year and that it stays under 140/90.

Tell us if anything changes in your family or personal medical history while taking this pill.

Please read the Patient Information Leaflet that comes with your oral contraceptive pill for the full side effects, Rigevidon ingredients and further information.

If you’re pregnant, you should not take Rigevidon. If you fall pregnant while taking Rigevidon as regular contraception, stop taking it immediately.

If you’re in the first 6 weeks of breastfeeding, you should not use Rigevidon. Please speak to your healthcare provider about alternative contraception during this time.

Please let us know about all other medicines you’re taking (including those prescribed, bought over the counter and supplements) so we can check if Rigevidon is safe for you.

Rigevidon is not recommended if you’re aged over 35 and smoke, have a BMI above 35 or if you have certain medical conditions. Please make sure to tell us your full medical history during the consultation so we can ensure we prescribe treatment that’s suitable and safe for you.

You may want to consider other combined oral contraceptive pills including those with different progesterone components or lower doses of oestrogen. For those who are not suitable for the combined pill, we also offer progesterone only contraceptive pills.

Find out more about oral contraceptive pills.

You may also want to consider other forms of contraception, such as implants, coils (hormonal or copper) or injections. Many of these are long acting. These types of contraception can normally be accessed through your GP service or local sexual health clinic.

There are different barrier methods of contraception available, such as male or female condoms. These barrier methods work by helping to block sperm from reaching an egg, meaning it can’t be fertilised and therefore preventing pregnancy. Speak to your regular GP if you’d like to consider barrier methods of contraception. You can also get condoms from your local sexual health clinic or buy condoms from Boots or your local pharmacy.

It’s fine to stop taking Rigevidon at any time. You’ll need to make sure you’re using another form of contraception as soon as you come off as you’ll no longer be protected from pregnancy from the day you stop taking Rigevidon.

If you’d like to come off Rigevidon because you’re experiencing side effects, get in touch to discuss alternative contraceptive pills that could be more suitable.

There is no evidence that Rigevidon causes depression, but it can contribute to mood changes as your body adjusts to the new synthetic hormones.

If you experience distressing or ongoing mood changes, please contact us and we can discuss an alternative contraceptive pill.

You can start taking Rigevidon at any point during your menstrual cycle. If you start taking it during the first five days of your period, you’ll have immediate protection from pregnancy.

If you start taking it at any other time in your cycle, you’ll need to use extra protection (condoms) for the first seven days.

You’re at risk of pregnancy if you miss pills or have had a diarrhoea or vomiting illness. Taking the emergency contraceptive pill can also affect how your pill works.

Rigevidon only protects you from pregnancy, not from sexually transmitted infection (STI). To avoid catching STIs, please also use condoms and make sure to have regular STI tests. Order easy home STI test kits.

Rigevidon and other oral contraceptive pills can only be bought with a prescription. You can make an appointment with your local GP to get this or, if you don’t want to wait, fill out our quick online questionnaire and one of our expert team will prescribe Rigevidon if suitable for you.

You can collect your birth control pill at your local Boots pharmacy or we can deliver it direct to your door in discreet packaging in as little as two days.

Find out more about our contraceptive pill service.

Rigevidon and Microgynon contain the same active ingredients in the same doses and work to protect you from pregnancy in exactly the same way. The only difference between them is the branding.

Rigevidon is the generic version of Microgynon (a branded contraceptive pill) and is therefore a less expensive version of this pill.