Minulet 20 µg EE/75 µg gestoden 3 x 21 Drg

Minulet is a combined oral contraceptive containing gestodene and ethinylestradiol (30 mcg), equivalent to Femodene. It provides reliable contraception with a third-generation progestogen that has low androgenic activity.

How to Take Minulet

Take one Minulet tablet daily at the same time each day for 21 consecutive days, then take a seven-day tablet-free break. A withdrawal bleed typically occurs during the break. Start the next strip after the seven-day break, whether or not bleeding has finished.

If starting on day 1 to 5 of your period, you are immediately protected against pregnancy. If starting at any other time, use condoms for the first seven days. If a tablet is missed by more than 12 hours, take it as soon as you remember, continue the pack, and use additional contraception for the next seven days.

Switching from Another Pill

If switching from another combined oral contraceptive, start Minulet the day after finishing your last active tablet, without a pill-free interval.

One tablet daily for 21 days, then 7 days off. Each tablet: 75 mcg gestodene, 30 mcg ethinylestradiol.

Common Side Effects

• Headache
• Nausea (taking with food or at bedtime helps)
• Breast tenderness
• Mood changes and irritability
• Irregular spotting or breakthrough bleeding, especially in the first few months
• Reduced libido

These effects typically settle after the first two to three cycles.

Serious Risks

Minulet, like all combined pills, carries a small increased risk of blood clots (venous thromboembolism), stroke, and high blood pressure. The absolute risk for healthy young non-smoking women is low but increases with smoking, particularly over the age of 35. Seek urgent medical attention if you develop sudden leg pain or swelling, chest pain, difficulty breathing, or a severe headache.

Standard combined pill precautions. Slightly higher VTE risk than levonorgestrel pills.

Contraindicated in women with active venous or arterial thromboembolism, migraine with aura, severe hypertension (>160/100 mmHg), diabetes with vascular complications, severe liver disease or a history of liver tumours, hormone-sensitive cancers, undiagnosed vaginal bleeding, and known hypersensitivity to any component. Not recommended for women who smoke and are aged 35 or over.