Binovum Contraceptive Pill

Binovum is a brand of the combined contraceptive pill that is manufactured by Janssen-Cilag ltd. It has two hormone derivatives in it that help prevent pregnancy. Like most contraceptive pills, it has a 99% effective rate and although it is mainly used to protect women from pregnancy, it can also be used in women who have heavy or irregular periods as it helps regulate periods. The pill is a 21-day pill so it is taken every day for 21 days and then you have a seven-day break in which you experience a withdrawal bleed.

Binovum contains ethinylestradiol, which is a derivative of the hormone oestrogen, and also norethisterone, which is a derivative of progestogen. The pill releases a stream of these hormones into the blood in order to trick the body into thinking that it has already ovulated thus stopping an egg from being released and dramatically decreasing the chances of pregnancy. Binovum is known as a biphasic pill because there are two different pills within the cycle. There are seven white pills, which are taken first and contain 0.5mg of norethisterone and 0.035mg of ethinylestradiol and the remaining 14 pills in the pack are peach and contain 1mg of norethisterone and 0.035 mg of ethinylestradiol. This difference in the levels of hormones helps to mimic your body cycle and hopefully reduce the side effects of the pill.

All the pills in the Binovum strip are active and aside from containing the two hormone derivatives, it also contains some inactive ingredients such as magnesium stearate, pregelatinised starch, lactose, purified water and methanol. It is important to note that it contains lactose so if you are lactose intolerant, you need to tell your doctor before they give you your brand of contraceptive pill. 

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