This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

When additional precautions are indicated to reduce risk of pregnancy if starting combined oral contraceptive (COC) pill

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Starting combined hormonal contraception and requirement for additional contraceptive precautions

The FSRH have suggested different circumstances when starting combined hormonal contraception (CHC) when additional precautions are required.

 

COC, combined oral contraception; Cu-IUD, copper-bearing intrauterine device; HSUPT, high-sensitivity urine pregnancy test; LNG-EC, levonorgestrel emergency contraception; UPA-EC, ulipristal acetate emergency contraception; UPSI, unprotected sexual intercourse; VTE, venous thromboembolism.
*Day 1 for estradiol valerate/dienogest pill.
†See FSRH Guideline Contraception After Pregnancy.
‡In the presence of other risk factors for VTE, such as immobility, transfusion at delivery, BMI ≥30 kg/m2, postpartum haemorrhage, immediately post-caesarean delivery, pre-eclampsia or smoking, use of combined hormonal contraception may pose an additional increased risk for VTE

Note that with respect to trophoblastic disease it has been stated that (2):

  • the combined oral contraceptive (COC) can be started 1 month after no hCG is detected. The COC starting procedure is then as if taking the COC for the first time

Reference:

  • FSRH (July 2019). Combined Hormonal Contraception
  • Guillebaud J, Contraception - your questions answered, 2012

Create an account to add page annotations

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.