Desogestrel 75 Microgram Progestogen-Only Pill – 3 Months (84 Tablets)

Desogestrel 75 microgram is a prescription-only progestogen-only pill (POP, sometimes called the "mini pill"). It contains one hormone and is taken every day with no break, so it can suit many women who cannot take oestrogen. It is sold under brand names such as Cerelle and Cerazette, as well as generic versions. At Ways Pharmacy it is supplied only after a pharmacist has assessed your health and confirmed that it is suitable for you.

How to access this medicine

1. Start your free online assessment. Answer the health questions online and confirm your identity (upload photo ID, or show it on a video call). Progestogen-only pills do not need a blood pressure reading.
2. Pharmacist reviews and speaks with you. A GPhC-registered pharmacist contacts you by phone or video to confirm whether this medicine is suitable for you. They go through your medical history, other medicines and any chance of pregnancy, and explain how to take the pill and what to do if you miss one.
3. If suitable, order and pay on this page. Once the pharmacist confirms the medicine is suitable, you order and pay on this page, or call 020 8106 7084. If it is not suitable — including when the pharmacist recommends advice only — you pay nothing, and the pharmacist explains your other options. If you have already paid and the pharmacist finds the medicine is not suitable, you receive a full refund.
4. We post your medicine or you collect it. Orders placed by 3pm on a weekday are posted the same day (see our shipping policy), or you can collect from our Holborn pharmacy.

There is no separate consultation fee. If the medicine you chose is not suitable, the pharmacist may suggest another option.

If you are 16 or 17, you can consult online without a parent or guardian. If you are under 16, contraception is available only through a face-to-face consultation with the pharmacist, on your own, at our Holborn pharmacy. Young people's confidentiality is respected, in line with national guidance.

About this medicine

Dosage

• Take one tablet every day at about the same time, following the arrows on the strip
• There is no break between strips — start the next strip the day after you finish the last one
• If you are more than 12 hours late taking a tablet, protection may be reduced. Follow the patient information leaflet and speak to a pharmacist promptly if you are unsure or have had sex — you may need emergency contraception.
• Vomiting or severe diarrhoea can also stop the pill working properly — see the leaflet

The pharmacist will explain when to start and whether you need extra contraception, such as condoms, for the first few days. Irregular bleeding is common with this pill, especially in the first months.

A first supply is up to 3 months. After a review confirming the pill still suits you, up to 12 months can be supplied at a time, and you can then order more than one pack at a time.

See our contraceptive pill service for other pill options.

Warnings and who should not take this medicine

• Anyone who is or might be pregnant
• A current blood clot (DVT or pulmonary embolism)
• Breast cancer, now or in the past, or another cancer that may be sensitive to hormones
• Severe liver disease or liver tumours
• Unexplained vaginal bleeding
• Medicines that make the pill less effective, such as some epilepsy medicines, rifampicin, rifabutin, some HIV medicines and St John's wort — tell the pharmacist everything you take

Tell the pharmacist if you have had a blood clot in the past, have diabetes, or have had an ectopic pregnancy. The pill does not protect against sexually transmitted infections — see our STI testing service.

Possible side effects

Changes to your bleeding pattern (irregular, more frequent, longer or no bleeding) are the most common. Other side effects include headache, acne, breast pain, mood changes, nausea and weight change. Contact a pharmacist or doctor if you get severe pain in the lower tummy, a painful swollen leg, chest pain or sudden breathlessness.

Regulatory information

• Legal status: Prescription-only medicine (POM), supplied under a Patient Group Direction after pharmacist assessment
• Pharmacy: Ways Pharmacy, 77 Southampton Row, London WC1B 4ET · GPhC-registered premises 9012227
• Patient information leaflet: electronic Medicines Compendium (emc)
• Report suspected side effects through the MHRA Yellow Card Scheme

This page gives factual information about a prescription-only medicine and is not an advertisement to the public. It is supplied only after a pharmacist has assessed that it is suitable for you.