Your Health and the Pill

Health considerations you should know

As with any birth control pill, knowing everything you can about your SEASONALE® prescription not only keeps you informed, it can help keep you healthy, too.

Be sure to discuss any medical condition you have with your healthcare professional, and keep him or her up-to-date on any health changes you may experience while using SEASONALE®.

What are the side effects associated with SEASONALE®?

Serious side effects: Serious side effects occur very infrequently, especially if you are in good health and do not smoke. You should know that the following medical conditions, though rare, have been associated with or made worse by oral contraceptives like SEASONALE®

  • Blood clots in the legs or lungs, stoppage or rupture of a blood vessel in the brain, blockage of blood vessels in the heart or other organs in the body
  • Liver tumors
  • High blood pressure

Common side effects: Most side effects of SEASONALE® are not serious and are similar to those of a traditional Pill. Some of these symptoms subside within the first 3 months of use. The most common are:

  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Weight gain
  • Breast tenderness
  • Difficulty wearing contact lenses

Bleeding and spotting: Most women need time to adjust to SEASONALE®. So during the first year on SEASONALE®, you’re more likely to have bleeding or spotting between periods than with traditional Pills. This can be slight to a flow like a regular period. Total bleeding days are similar to a traditional Pill.

Who should not take SEASONALE®?

Making sure your healthcare professional is fully aware of your medical history will help him or her decide if SEASONALE® is right for you. Two major health conditions that prohibit your use of SEASONALE® are if you:

Smoke: Cigarette smoking increases the risk of serious cardiovascular side effects from oral contraceptive use. This risk increases with age and with the amount of smoking. Women who use oral contraceptives like SEASONALE® should not smoke.

Are pregnant: Do not use SEASONALE® if you are pregnant or think you may be pregnant. If while using SEASONALE® you do not get your scheduled period, consider the possibility you may be pregnant and seek advice from your healthcare professional.

However, for some women, use of oral contraceptives like SEASONALE® or the Pill is associated with certain serious diseases that can be life threatening or may cause temporary or permanent disability or death. Though rare, these risks can increase significantly if you:

  • Smoke
  • Have high blood pressure, diabetes, or high cholesterol
  • Are obese
  • Have had blood clotting disorders
  • Have or have had a heart condition like heart attack, stroke, or angina pectoris
  • Have cancer of the breast or sex organs
  • Have jaundice
  • Have malignant or benign liver tumors

SEASONALE® does not protect against HIV (AIDS) or STDs

Like other birth control pills, SEASONALE® is intended to prevent pregnancy. It does not protect against HIV infection (AIDS) or other sexually transmitted diseases such as chlamydia, genital herpes, genital warts, gonorrhea, hepatitis B, and syphilis.

Remember: Only your healthcare professional—your doctor, OB-GYN, or nurse practitioner—can tell you if SEASONALE® is right for you. So make an appointment today and ask. You can print out some questions to take with you.