Mircette (Ethinyl Estradiol/Desogestrel)

Mircette is used as contraception to prevent pregnancy. Mircette may also be used for purposes other than those listed in this medication guide.

Mircette contains a combination of female hormones that prevent ovulation (the release of an egg from an ovary). This medication also causes changes in your cervical mucous and uterine lining, making it harder for sperm to reach the uterus and harder for a fertilized egg to attach to the uterus.

• You may need to use back-up birth control, such as condoms or a spermicide, when you first start using this medication. Follow your doctor's instructions;
• You may have breakthrough bleeding, especially during the first 3 months. Tell your doctor if this bleeding continues or is very heavy.

Check with your doctor if any of these most common side effects persist or become bothersome:

• mild nausea, vomiting, bloating, stomach cramps; breast pain, tenderness, or swelling; freckles or darkening of facial skin; increased hair growth, loss of scalp hair; changes in weight or appetite; problems with contact lenses; vaginal itching or discharge; changes in your menstrual periods, decreased sex drive; or headache, nervousness, dizziness, tired feeling.

• sudden numbness or weakness, especially on one side of the body; sudden headache, confusion, pain behind the eyes, problems with vision, speech, or balance; chest pain or heavy feeling, pain spreading to the arm or shoulder, nausea, sweating, general ill feeling; a change in the pattern or severity of migraine headaches; nausea, stomach pain, low fever, loss of appetite, dark urine, clay-colored stools, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes); swelling in your hands, ankles, or feet; breast lump.

Mircette is to be used only by the patient for whom it is prescribed. Do not share it with other people.