Special information on Lo/Ovral – 21

Most important fact about Lo/Ovral – 21
Cigarette smoking increases the risk of serious heart-related side effects (stroke, heart attack, blood clots, etc.) in women who use Lo/Ovral - 21 . This risk increases with age. There is an especially significant increase in heart disease risk in women over 35 years old who smoke and use Lo/Ovral - 21 .

Special precautions if you are pregnant or breastfeeding
If you are pregnant (or think you might be), you should not use Lo/ovral-21 , since it is not safe during pregnancy. For safety, switch to a nonhormonal method of contraception if you miss a period after forgetting a scheduled dose of Lo/ovral-21. In addition, wait at least 4 weeks after delivery before starting an Lo/ovral-21 .

Nursing mothers should not use most Lo/ovral-21 , since it can appear in breast milk and may cause jaundice and enlarged breasts in nursing infants. In this situation, your doctor may advise you to use a different form of contraception while you are nursing your baby.

In addition, Lo/ovral-21 given in the postpartum period may interfere with lactation by decreasing the quantity and quality of breast milk.

Special warnings about Lo/Ovral-21
Lo/Ovral-21 should be used with caution if you are over 40 years old; smoke tobacco; have liver, heart, gallbladder, kidney, or thyroid disease; have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, epilepsy, asthma, or porphyria (a blood disorder); or tend to be seriously overweight. Caution is also advised if you have blood circulation problems or have had a heart attack or stroke in the past. Be cautious, too, if you have problems with depression, migraine or other headaches, irregular menstrual periods, or visual disturbances.

The estrogen in Lo/Ovral-21 has been linked with a slight increase in the risk of breast cancer during use of the pill. If you do use a Lo/Ovral-21 , choose one with a relatively low amount of estrogen.

You should also be aware that some experts opine that Lo/Ovral-21 may increase the risk of cervical cancer. This remains controversial, however. Many doctors think other factors are to blame.

Since the blood's clotting ability may be affected by Lo/Ovral-21 , your doctor may discontinue Lo/Ovral-21 prior to surgery. The risk of blood clots is greater with oral contraceptives that contain desogestrel, such as Ortho-Cept.

Lo/Ovral-21 do not protect against HIV infection (AIDS) or any other sexually transmitted disease. If there is a danger of infection, use a latex condom and spermicide in addition to the pill.

If you miss a menstrual period but have taken your pills regularly, contact your doctor but do not stop taking your pills. If you miss a period and have not taken your pills regularly, or if you miss two consecutive periods, you may be pregnant; stop taking your pills and check with your doctor immediately to see if you are pregnant. Use another form of birth control while you are not taking your pills.

You should also be aware that Lo/Ovral-21 may cause rare cases of noncancerous--but dangerous--liver tumors. In people prone to high cholesterol and similar problems, Lo/Ovral-21 may raise triglyceride levels, leading to pancreatitis.

Cigarette smoking increases the risk of serious cardiovascular side effects and mortality. Lo/Ovral-21 increases this risk, especially with increasing age.

The use of Lo/Ovral-21 may be associated with increased risks of several serious conditions including myocardial infarction, thromboembolism, stroke, hepatic neoplasia, gallbladder disease, and hypertension, although the risk of serious morbidity or mortality is very small in healthy women without underlying risk factors. The risk of morbidity and mortality increases significantly in the presence of other underlying risk factors such as hypertension, hyperlipidemias, obesity, and diabetes.

Why Lo/Ovral-21 should not be prescribed?
You should not take Lo/Ovral-21 if you have had an allergic reaction to it or if you are pregnant (or think you might be). Avoid Lo/Ovral-21 , too, if you suffer from migraine headaches preceded by an aura (visual disturbances such as pulsing lights and blind spots, temporary numbness, and similar symptoms).

If you have ever had breast cancer or cancer in the reproductive organs or liver tumors, you should not take Lo/Ovral-21.

If you have or have ever had a stroke, heart disease, liver disease, angina (severe chest pain), or blood clots, you should not take Lo/Ovral-21 . Lo/Ovral-21 is not recommended for women with significant high blood pressure. Women who have had pregnancy-related jaundice or jaundice stemming from previous use of Lo/Ovral-21 should not take them.

If you have undiagnosed and/or unexplained abnormal vaginal bleeding, do not take Lo/Ovral-21 .