Levlen is a postcoital oral contraceptive.
Levlen is a synthetic progestogen with a contraceptive effect and a pronounced progestogenic and antiestrogenic effect. If you use it in recommended doses, it suppresses ovulation and prevents fertilization if sexual intercourse occurs in the pre-ovulation phase, and Levlen characterized by the highest probability of fertilization.
It can also lead to changes in the endometrium that prevent implantation. The effectiveness of Levlen will be minimal if implantation has already occurred.
The probability of preventing pregnancy with taking the drug in the right moment is about 85%. As longer the time interval between sexual contact and taking the drug, as less effective it will be (95% during the first 24 hours, 85% - in 24‒48 hours and 58% - in 48‒72 hours). Therefore, Levlen should be taken as soon as possible (but no later than 3 days after intercourse), if no contraceptive method has been used.
In therapeutic doses, Levlen does not significantly alter blood clotting factors and does not affect the metabolism of carbohydrates and fats.
When used orally, Levlen is rapidly and absorbed for almost one hundred present. After taking 0.75 mg of the drug, its maximum concentration will be reached after 1.6 hours.
Side effects of Levlen
Transient adverse reactions (do not require medical treatment):
- Often (more than 10% of cases) - lower abdominal pain, fatigue, acyclic bleeding, nausea;
- Sometimes (less than 10% of cases) - breast tenderness, headache, dizziness, diarrhoea, vomiting, delayed menstruation (in case of a delay of more than 5-7 days, pregnancy should be excluded);
- Allergic reactions: rash, itching, urticaria, swelling of the face.