Yasmin

Yasmin is a type of combined oral contraceptive pill, which means it contains synthetic versions of the hormones oestrogen (0.03mg of ethinylestradiol) and progesterone (3mg of drospirenone).

Together, they work to prevent ovulation, which is the release of an egg, and thicken the lining of the womb to stop pregnancy. Yasmin is more than 99% effective, though the effectiveness can decrease with things like frequent vomiting or missed pills.

Like other contraceptive pills, Yasmin does not protect against sexually transmitted infections (STIs), though it can prevent pregnancy. You must use a condom if you want to protect against STIs, as well as have regular STI testing.

Take 1 Yasmin pill every day at around the same time. It does not matter which time of day as long as you remember to take it, but it might help to set an alarm or to take it at the same time as another activity, like brushing your teeth.

Unless otherwise instructed by your doctor, take Yasmin every day for 21 days, then have a 7-day break before starting your next pill packet. You’ll usually have a withdrawal bleed during your break, which is similar to a period. Some people decide to have a 4-day break or skip it altogether, but it’s best to discuss this with a healthcare professional first.

Who can take Yasmin?

Yasmin is suitable for people who have the potential to get pregnant.

This means anyone with a vagina who has started their period and has not yet gone through menopause, as long as they’re not:

• taking another form of hormonal contraception
• breastfeeding or pregnant
• are unable to take Yasmin for medical reasons

Although Yasmin is most commonly used to prevent pregnancy, it can also be used to improve painful or heavy periods and to treat hormonal acne in some cases. However, we only provide the contraceptive pill as a contraception method.

Starting Yasmin

If you can, it’s best to start Yasmin on day 1 of your cycle (when your period starts) as you’ll be protected from pregnancy right away. If you start it after day 5 of your cycle, you should use condoms for 7 days to give the medication time to work.

If you’re changing from another type of combined contraceptive pill or hormonal contraception like the patch, start taking Yasmin the day after your last pill or the day your previous hormonal contraception was removed.

If your previous contraceptive only contained progesterone, like the implant, intrauterine system (Mirena), or mini pill, you should use a condom for 7 days after starting Yasmin.

➤ Find out more about how long it takes the pill to work in our guide.

What if I miss a pill?

If you’ve missed a pill and it’s been less than 12 hours, take your forgotten pill immediately and the next pill as planned.

If it’s been more than 12 hours, it depends on where you are in your cycle.

In week 1

Take the missed pill even if it means taking 2 close together, and use condoms for the next 7 days. If you have missed more than 1 pill, just take the most recently missed pill.

You may need to take emergency contraception if you’ve had unprotected sex and either of the following apply:

• you’ve missed 2 or more pills in the first week
• it’s been 9 or more days since you last took your pill

In week 2

Take the missed pill even if it means taking 2 close together. If you have missed more than 1 pill, just take the one you most recently missed.

If you did not miss any pills in week 1, there is no need to take extra precautions. If you missed more than 1 pill, use condoms for the next 7 days.

In week 3

Take the missed pill even if it means taking 2 close together. If you’ve missed more than 1 pill, just take the one you most recently missed.

Continue taking your current pill packet and start the next one immediately after. If you have missed more than 1 pill or have missed another in the last 7 days, use condoms for 7 days.

In some cases, you may be advised to count the missed pills as the start of your 7-day pill-free break, and not take any pills for 7 days before starting your next pill packet. If you do not have any bleeding during the pill-free break, you may be pregnant and should take a pregnancy test.

What if I take Yasmin twice?

It should not cause any problems if you take 2 Yasmin pills, and in some cases, you are advised to do so if you’ve missed a pill.

There is no record of anyone overdosing on Yasmin, but taking too much may lead to being sick (vomiting), feeling sick (nausea), and vaginal bleeding. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if you’re worried you have taken too many Yasmin pills.

Stopping Yasmin

If you are pregnant, stop taking Yasmin immediately.

You should also stop taking Yasmin 4 weeks before any surgery that lasts more than 30 minutes or any surgery to the leg. It can be restarted 2 weeks after you can walk around again.

If you want to stop taking Yasmin completely or switch to another contraceptive, it’s always best to discuss this with a doctor. They will be able to advise you on whether you need to take extra precautions when swapping.

You will be at risk of pregnancy after you stop taking Yasmin, so it’s important to take other precautions during sex. You may also notice some vaginal bleeding after stopping.

Although it’s possible to get pregnant immediately after stopping Yasmin, it may take several months or even a year for your fertility to return to normal.

The main way Yasmin works is by stopping the ovaries from releasing an egg, so it cannot be fertilised and you cannot get pregnant.

Yasmin also thickens the lining of the womb and makes the cervical mucus more sticky, making it harder for sperm to get to the egg, and for a fertilised egg to implant.

Yasmin works from day 1 if you take it on days 1 to 5 of your menstrual cycle. If you take it from day 6 onwards, it can take up to 7 days to work, and a barrier form of contraception (like condoms) should be used for the first 7 days.

If taken perfectly, Yasmin is more than 99% effective at preventing pregnancy. When taken typically (considering things like missed pills), it’s around 91% effective.

The combined pill is sometimes prescribed to help with acne. The oestrogen within the pill helps to counteract the activity of testosterone – a hormone that can worsen acne.

Although Yasmin is not licensed to treat acne, it is sometimes prescribed off-label. At Asda Online Doctor, we only prescribe Yasmin as a form of contraception, though we can prescribe acne treatments instead.

Common side effects that affect between 1 in 10 to 100 people include:

• low mood
• headache or migraine
• feeling sick
• vaginal bleeding
• vaginal discharge
• vaginal candidiasis (thrush)
• menstrual disorders
• breast pain or discomfort

Uncommon side effects that impact between 1 in 100 and 1000 people include:

• increased or decreased sex drive
• high blood pressure
• low blood pressure
• being sick
• diarrhoea
• acne
• eczema
• hair loss
• itchiness
• breast enlargement
• vaginal infections
• weight loss or gain
• fluid retention

Rarely, fewer than 1 in 1000 people taking Yasmin can experience:

• allergic reactions
• asthma
• partial hearing loss
• rashes
• breast discharge
• blood clots in the veins or arteries

Many people take Yasmin without any problems, but it’s possible to get side effects when taking this medication. Most side effects improve with time or after stopping the medication, but more serious side effects may require medical attention.

Although mild side effects can be managed at home, if you’re experiencing worrying side effects such as an allergic reaction or blood clot, speak to a doctor or call 999 in an emergency.

Increased risk of blood clots

All combined contraceptive pills increase the risk of experiencing a blood clot, and this risk is highest within the first year of use. Blood clots can form in many different places, including the arms, legs, eyes, brain, lungs, or the heart, but this is rare.

Around 2 out of every 10,000 women not taking a combined contraceptive pill will experience a blood clot in a vein every year. This increases to 9 in every 10,000 women taking a drospirenone-containing pill like Yasmin. Other risk factors can increase this chance, and these people may not be able to take Yasmin.

Be aware of the signs of a blood clot, such as:

• swelling of the leg, foot, or arm with pain, warmth, or redness (blood clot in the leg or arm)
• sudden shortness of breath, coughing, chest pain, dizziness, or a rapid or irregular heartbeat (blood clot in the lungs)
• blurred vision progressing to vision loss, or sudden visual loss (blood clot in the eye)
• numbness, weakness, dizziness, loss of coordination, confusion, a sudden headache, loss of consciousness, seizures, and difficulty seeing (blood clot in brain, also known as a stroke)
• pain or discomfort in the chest or radiating into other areas, sweating, feeling or being sick (nausea or vomiting), indigestion, weakness, and an irregular or rapid heartbeat (blood clot in the heart, also known as a heart attack)

If you notice any of these symptoms, visit A&E or call 999 in an emergency.

Increased risk of certain cancers

Long-term use of the combined contraceptive pill may increase the risk of breast and cervical cancer, but can reduce the risk of endometrial (womb) and ovarian cancer.

The increased risk seems to disappear in the 10 years after stopping the pill.

Yasmin may not be right for everyone. Some medical conditions and medications can interact with Yasmin, making it less effective or even unsafe.

You should not take Yasmin if you are:

• pregnant, planning a pregnancy, or breastfeeding
• allergic to any of the ingredients in Yasmin
• taking medication to treat hepatitis C
• at high risk of blood clots
• about to have an operation where you cannot move around afterwards

Yasmin should also not be taken if you have:

• ever had a heart attack or stroke
• liver or kidney problems
• vaginal bleeding with an unknown cause
• a tumour or history of cancer, such as breast cancer
• migraines with aura
• high blood pressure
• diabetes

The following medications may interact with Yasmin, and you should discuss them with a doctor before starting Yasmin:

• epilepsy medication, such as carbamazepine or phenytoin
• tuberculosis medication, such as rifampicin
• HIV, hepatitis C medication, or other antivirals such as ritonavir
• antifungal medication, such as griseofulvin
• arthritis medication, such as etoricoxib
• herbal medication, vitamins, or supplements that contain St John’s wort

If you are unable to take Yasmin, other hormonal contraceptives might be better suited to your needs.

Always read the patient information leaflet before taking Yasmin.

Yasmin is a prescription-only medication that is available from trusted online doctor services or the NHS.

Can I buy Yasmin online?

Yes, you can buy Yasmin online from a reputable online service like Asda Online Doctor. You cannot buy Yasmin online without a prescription.

To order Yasmin from us:

1. Fill in a short online health questionnaire that is then checked by a doctor to see if Yasmin is right for you.
2. Your Yasmin order will then be delivered in discreet packaging to your doorstep, or you can pick it up at your local Asda pharmacy.

Ordering your contraceptive pill online through our service saves time, and you do not have to wait for appointments. You can order the same pill, change the pill you use, or get the pill for the first time.

Can I buy Yasmin over the counter?

Yasmin is a prescription-only medication, so you cannot buy it over the counter from a pharmacy. Some pharmacies may be able to offer Yasmin if you do not already have a prescription for it after a discussion with a pharmacist, but not all pharmacies offer this service.

Can I get Yasmin on the NHS?

You can get a combined oral contraceptive pill prescribed on the NHS for free from your GP, family planning service, or sexual health clinic.

However, they will prescribe the medication itself rather than the brand name Yasmin. If you specifically want to take Yasmin, you may be better off getting a private prescription.

There are many alternative contraceptive pills to Yasmin, some of which contain the same active ingredients and other combined pills that contain different active ingredients or doses.

Lucette

Lucette is a combined pill that contains the same active ingredients as Yasmin: 0.03mg ethinylestradiol and 3mg drospirenone. It has a different brand name, is produced by a different pharmaceutical company, and contains slightly different non-active ingredients.

Rigevidon

Another combined pill, Rigevidon contains different active ingredients than Yasmin: 150 micrograms (mcg) of levonorgestrel and 30mcg of ethinylestradiol. It could be an option for women who do not get on with Yasmin.

Combined pills like Rigevidon that contain levonorgestrel also have a slightly reduced risk of venous blood clots compared to drospirenone-containing pills like Yasmin and Lucette: 6 in 10,000 a year compared to 9 in 10,000.

➤ If you’re still not sure on how to choose the right contraceptive pill for you, read our page on which pills are best for different conditions, such as endometriosis, acne, heavy periods, or if you’re over 35.

Alternatives to the combined pill

If you do not want to or cannot take a combined pill, you may want to try the progesterone-only pill, such as Cerelle or Noriday, or a long-acting form of contraception like the implant or copper coil instead. Speak to your doctor about the most suitable alternative for you.

Yasmin and Lucette contain the same active ingredients and in the same amount. Each tablet of Yasmin or Lucette contains ethinylestradiol (30 micrograms) and drospirenone (3 milligrams). They both work the same way and are more than 99% effective at preventing pregnancy if used perfectly. You can use either Yasmin or Lucette to help treat acne too.