Combination of | |
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Ethinylestradiol | Estrogen |
Norethisterone | Progestogen |
Clinical data | |
Trade names | Alyacen, Aranelle, Balziva, others |
Other names | EE/NET |
AHFS/Drugs.com | Monograph |
MedlinePlus | a601050 |
License data | |
Routes of administration | By mouth |
ATC code | |
Legal status | |
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Identifiers | |
CAS Number | |
PubChem CID | |
ChemSpider |
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CompTox Dashboard (EPA) |
Ethinylestradiol/norethisterone (EE/NET), or ethinylestradiol/norethindrone, is a combination birth control pill which contains ethinylestradiol (EE), an estrogen and norethisterone (NET), a progestin. [1] It is used for birth control, symptoms of menstruation, endometriosis, and menopausal symptoms. [1] [2] Other uses include acne. [1] It is taken by mouth. [1] Some preparations of EE/NET additionally contain an iron supplement in the form of ferrous fumarate. [3]
Side effects can include nausea, headache, blood clots, breast pain, depression, and liver problems. [2] Use is not recommended during pregnancy, the initial three weeks after childbirth, and in those at high risk of blood clots. [2] [4] It, however, may be started immediately after a miscarriage or abortion. [4] Smoking while using combined birth control pills is not recommended. [5] It works by stopping ovulation, making the uterus not suitable for implantation, and making the mucus at the opening to the cervix thick. [4]
This combination pill was approved for medical use in the United States in 1964. [6] It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines. [7] It is available as a generic medication. [8] It is marketed under a large number of brand names. [9] In 2022, the combination of ethinylestradiol with norethisterone or with norethisterone acetate was the 80th most commonly prescribed medication in the United States, with more than 8 million prescriptions. [10] [11]
Ethinylestradiol (EE) is an estrogen medication which is used widely in birth control pills in combination with progestins. In the past, EE was widely used for various indications such as the treatment of menopausal symptoms, gynecological disorders, and certain hormone-sensitive cancers. It is usually taken by mouth but is also used as a patch and vaginal ring.
Desogestrel is a progestin medication which is used in birth control pills. It is also used in the treatment of menopausal symptoms in women. The medication is available and used alone or in combination with an estrogen. It is taken by mouth.
Drospirenone is a progestin and antiandrogen medication which is used in birth control pills to prevent pregnancy and in menopausal hormone therapy, among other uses. It is available both alone under the brand name Slynd and in combination with an estrogen under the brand name Yasmin among others. The medication is an analog of the drug spironolactone. Drospirenone is taken by mouth.
Norethisterone acetate (NETA), also known as norethindrone acetate and sold under the brand name Primolut-Nor among others, is a progestin medication which is used in birth control pills, menopausal hormone therapy, and for the treatment of gynecological disorders. The medication available in low-dose and high-dose formulations and is used alone or in combination with an estrogen. It is ingested orally.
Norelgestromin, or norelgestromine, sold under the brand names Evra and Ortho Evra among others, is a progestin medication which is used as a method of birth control for women. The medication is available in combination with an estrogen and is not available alone. It is used as a patch that is applied to the skin.
Norgestimate, sold under the brand name Ortho Tri-Cyclen among others, is a progestin medication which is used in birth control pills for women and in menopausal hormone therapy. The medication is available in combination with an estrogen and is not available alone. It is taken by mouth.
Norgestrel, sold under the brand name Opill among others, is a progestin which is used in birth control pills. It is often combined with the estrogen ethinylestradiol, marketed as Ovral. It is also used in menopausal hormone therapy. It is taken by mouth.
Ethinylestradiol/norethisterone acetate (EE/NETA), or ethinylestradiol/norethindrone acetate, is a combination of ethinylestradiol (EE) and norethisterone acetate (NETA) which is used as birth control and menopausal hormone therapy. EE is an estrogen, while norethisterone acetate (NETA) is a progestin. It is taken by mouth. Some preparations of EE/NETA used in birth control additionally contain an iron supplement in the form of ferrous fumarate.
Etynodiol diacetate, or ethynodiol diacetate, sold under the brand name Ovulen among others, is a progestin medication which is used in birth control pills. The medication is available only in combination with an estrogen. It is taken by mouth.
Norethisterone, also known as norethindrone and sold under the brand name Norlutin among others, is a progestin medication used in birth control pills, menopausal hormone therapy, and for the treatment of gynecological disorders. The medication is available in both low-dose and high-dose formulations and both alone and in combination with an estrogen. It is used by mouth or, as norethisterone enanthate, by injection into muscle.
Mestranol, sold under the brand names Enovid, Norinyl, and Ortho-Novum among others, is an estrogen medication which has been used in birth control pills, menopausal hormone therapy, and the treatment of menstrual disorders. It is formulated in combination with a progestin and is not available alone. It is taken by mouth.
Norethisterone enanthate (NETE), also known as norethindrone enanthate, is a form of hormonal birth control which is used to prevent pregnancy in women. It is used both as a form of progestogen-only injectable birth control and in combined injectable birth control formulations. It may be used following childbirth, miscarriage, or abortion. The failure rate per year in preventing pregnancy for the progestogen-only formulation is 2 per 100 women. Each dose of this form lasts two months with only up to two doses typically recommended.
Drospirenone/ethinylestradiol/levomefolic acid (EE/DRSP/LMF), sold under the brand name Beyaz among others, is a combination of ethinylestradiol (EE), an estrogen, drospirenone (DRSP), a progestogen, antimineralocorticoid, and antiandrogen, and levomefolic acid (LMF), a form of vitamin B9, which is used as a birth control pill to prevent pregnancy in women. The formulation contains folate as the calcium salt of levomefolic acid to lower the risk of complications such as fetal neural tube defects should the medication fail as a form of birth control. EE/DRSP/LMF was approved for use by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in September 2010.
Ethinylestradiol/levonorgestrel (EE/LNG) is a combined birth control pill made up of ethinylestradiol, an estrogen and levonorgestrel a progestin. It is used for birth control, symptoms of menstruation, endometriosis, and as emergency contraception. It is taken by mouth. Some preparations of EE/LNG additionally contain an iron supplement in the form of ferrous bisglycinate or ferrous fumarate.
Ethinylestradiol sulfonate (EES), sold under the brand names Deposiston and Turisteron among others, is an estrogen medication which has been used in birth control pills for women and in the treatment of prostate cancer in men. It has also been investigated in the treatment of breast cancer in women. The medication was combined with norethisterone acetate in birth control pills. EES is taken by mouth once per week.
Combined birth control pills that contain natural estradiol or an estradiol ester include:
Ethinylestradiol sulfonate/norethisterone acetate (EES/NETA), sold under the brand name Deposiston, is a combination medication of ethinylestradiol sulfonate (EES), an estrogen, and norethisterone acetate (NETA), a progestin, which was used as a combined birth control pill for women. It was formulated as oral tablets and contained 1 mg EES and 5 mg NETA per tablet. The medication had a long-lasting depot effect and was taken only once per week, for a total of four tablets per cycle. It was developed and marketed by Jenapharm and was previously available in Germany. EES/NETA was introduced for medical use in 1978.
Ethinylestradiol/drospirenone (EE/DRSP), sold under the brand name Yasmin among others, is a combination of ethinylestradiol (EE), an estrogen, and drospirenone (DRSP), a progestin, antimineralocorticoid, and antiandrogen, which is used as a birth control pill to prevent pregnancy in women. It is also indicated for the treatment of moderate acne, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), and dysmenorrhea (painful menstruation) in women. The medication is taken by mouth and contains 30 μg EE and 3 mg DRSP per tablet (brand names Yasmin, others) or 20 μg EE and 3 mg DRSP per tablet (brand names Yaz, Yasminelle, Nikki, others). A formulation with levomefolic acid (vitamin B9) has also been marketed (brand names Beyaz, Safyral, others), with similar indications. EE/DRSP is marketed widely throughout the world.
Ethinylestradiol/desogestrel (EE/DSG), sold under the brand name Marvelon among others, is a fixed-dose combination of ethinylestradiol (EE), an estrogen, and desogestrel (DSG), a progestin, which is used as a birth control pill to prevent pregnancy in women. It is taken by mouth.