Aizea (Desogestrel): Buying progesterone-only oral contraceptives online in the UK

Aizea is a progesterone-only oral contraceptive, often labelled mini-pill or single-agent hormonal contraceptive. Manufactured and marketed in the UK by Marlborough Pharmaceuticals pharmaceutical company, Aizea doesn’t contain synthetic oestrogen making it more suitable for women who are especially susceptible to side effects caused by increased sensitivity to oestrogen. It can also be safely used by women who are currently breastfeeding, which is another plus as compared to combined birth control pills which are the main alternative to minipills such as Aizea.

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How reliable is Aizea?

Aizea is highly efficient at preventing pregnancy due to its proven mechanism of action. Even though mini-pills are considered to offer somewhat lower level of protection as compared to their counterparts with two active ingredients, this is not entirely true. While combined oral contraceptives do provide an additional layer of protection due to the presence of synthetic oestrogen, the mechanism of action tied to the presence of progesterone bioequivalent still remains primary even in that type of oral contraceptives.

Aizea does not contain manmade version of oestrogen, but despite that, it is highly efficient at preventing pregnancy as it will interfere with various crucial processes that the female body goes through each month in order to prepare itself for potential pregnancy. By doing so, Aizea will efficiently prevent ovulation and thus make conception virtually impossible, provided that you are using the medicine exactly as instructed and in line with the guidelines provided in the patient information leaflet.

How does Aizea prevent pregnancy?

Progesterone-only mini-pills rely on synthetic, manmade equivalent of naturally occurring sex hormone progesterone in order to influence the perceived balance of hormones in the body. This mechanism of action relies on the crucial role of progesterone in triggering ovulation, the release of egg cell from the ovaries to the fallopian tubes, where it can get fertilised by sperm.

However, with synthetic progesterone, desogestrel in case of Aizea, the body will mistake the active ingredient for naturally produced progesterone, causing it to “think” that the ovulation already took place – as indicated by perceived increase in the levels of progesterone. As a consequence, the ovulation won’t take place and the egg cell will not be released, thus making conception impossible. This mechanism of action is same for both mini-pills and combined oral contraceptives. Synthetic oestrogen present in the latter will offer an additional level of protection by increasing the thickness of the vaginal fluids, making it harder for the sperm to navigate through the cervix. However, this mechanism of action wouldn’t be considered to be reliable on itself, without progesterone-mimicking activity, making the gap in efficiency between combined contraceptive pills and mini-pills essentially negligible.

Can I buy Aizea online in the UK?

Birth control pills of all types, including progesterone-only mini-pills, are prescription-only medications in the United Kingdom, but today this is no obstacle to getting them from the comfort of your own home and using just a device with an internet connection. Thanks to the advent of online clinic, it is easier than ever to buy birth control pills such as Aizea online in the UK. Of course, you will still be required to obtain a prescription, but you can do so fairly easily, through the website of the online clinic of your choice.

Online consultations with a doctor regarding your prescription for birth control pill will most often involve filling in a detailed and specialised medical questionnaire that the doctor will use in order to determine whether you are suitable for taking Aizea. If everything checks out, the prescription will be issued and used that same moment to have the pills delivered from the partner pharmacy to the address you provided. Alternatively, the doctor might offer you some other option which might be more suitable for you like Cerazette for example.

How to take Aizea?

Just like with other birth control pills, the only way to ensure optimal levels of protection when using Aizea is to make sure you are taking the contraceptive tablets exactly as instructed by your doctor and in line with the guidelines that you can find in the official patient information leaflet that is issued within every pack of Aizea. Following these instructions is crucial and failure to do so will result in impaired efficiency and decreased level of protection, so you must make sure that you know how to use the treatment properly before commencing.

Below, we will provide you with some of the most general guidelines for properly taking Aizea. However, you should keep in mind that the points outlined before are to be used only for illustrative purpose – to help you get a better idea of what to expect from taking Aizea. As such, they can never be a substitute for the official information or the doctor’s advice.

• Always use exactly as instructed by your prescriber
• Take one pill each day at the same time
• For information on when and how to commence treatment, please consult the patient information leaflet
• If you are not switching from some other birth control pill or have not recently been pregnant, you should start taking Aizea at the first day of your period
• Always take the pill whole, never chew or break it
• Never exceed the prescribed amount
• If you accidentally miss a dose, please consult the leaflet on how to proceed

What are Aizea side effects?

As is the case with all prescription-medications, Aizea also comes with risk of causing some adverse effects in women who are susceptible to them and it is advised to get familiar with them prior to commencing treatment. You should be able to differentiate between those side effects which are uncomfortable, but not really dangerous and those which might require you to halt treatment and seek immediate medical advice.

The side effects that are considered as dangerous are any signs and symptoms indicative of:

• Allergic reaction
• Stroke
• Heart attack
• Breast cancer
• Blood clot

Other documented side effects include:

Please note that this is not a complete list of all documented side effects. For a more comprehensive overview, please consult the official patient information leaflet that you can find within your pack of Aizea.