Combined oral contraceptive (drospirenone progestogen)

Ethinylestradiol with drospirenone

Brand names: Yasmin, Eloine, Yaz

Adult dose

Dose: 1 tablet OD per pack regimen

Route: Oral

Frequency: OD

Clinical pearls

MHRA: drospirenone-containing COCs have higher VTE risk than levonorgestrel — 4th-gen progestogen
Often chosen for acne/PMS/PMDD benefit (anti-androgenic and anti-mineralocorticoid)
FSRH UKMEC essential

Contraindications

Standard CHC contraindications
Severe renal impairment (drospirenone potassium-sparing)
Adrenal insufficiency

Side effects

Breakthrough bleeding
Hyperkalaemia (rare; monitor if RAAS-active drugs)
VTE (higher than 2nd-gen)
Mood change
Headache

Interactions

RAAS inhibitors / potassium-sparing diuretics (hyperkalaemia)
Enzyme inducers
NSAIDs

Monitoring

BP
Potassium if on interacting drugs
BMI
VTE risk factors

Reference: BNF; FSRH CHC guideline; MHRA Drug Safety Update; UKMEC; https://bnf.nice.org.uk/drugs/ethinylestradiol-with-drospirenone/. Verify against your local formulary and the latest BNF before prescribing.

Curated clinical cross-links plus same-class fallbacks.

Calculators

Pathways