Birth Control Forum - kariva Mircette inactive pills

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Q: kariva Mircette inactive pills

asked by: carolinagirl999 on April 15th, 2008

New User

Ok, I'm a little confused about which pills are the "inactive" pills, if anyone else is taking Kariva (which is the generic brand of mircette) and could help me out that would be great. I know that the 21 white pills are the "active" pills and should all be taken, and I had thought that the 2 light green pills and 5 light blue pills at the end of the month were "inactive" BUT then I was reading the instruction pamplet thing and it said that the 5 light blue pills were also active? But later it says that if you miss a one of the light blue pills you can just throw it away and not worry about it. I usually skip the last 7 pills in a pack because i had thought that they were all inactive... can I get pregnant by not taking these light blue pills? whats the deal? Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Replies(6)

Carifairy

replied on April 15th, 2008

Extremely eHealthy

The 21 'active' pills are ALL you *need* to take.

The 'period' week does contain a few pills with SOME hormones in it, but this is for a special reason!

SOME women need those hormones to prevent headaches during the period week.

carolinagirl999

replied on April 15th, 2008

New User

thanks! I figured it was something like that but I just wanted to be sure!

Dr. Nikola

replied on April 15th, 2008

Doctor

Of the last 7 pills, only the first 2 (green) are truly inactive because they don't contain any hormones. The last 5 pills (light blue) contain a very small portion of hormones so they technically can be also considered "inactive". That small portion serves to provide the body with minimum hormones during menstruation. Missing these last 5 pills won't decrease your protection.

PenguinsRus

replied on April 15th, 2008

Moderator

Dr Nikola,
Out of curiosity, why do the last 5 pills contain hormones if they are not necessary to take? I always heard of the last 7 pills being completely inactive. Does having the extra hormones those 5 days have any benefits compared to pills who have 7 completely inactive pills, or is it pretty much the same? If it is the same, why do they put the hormones in those 5 pills; wouldn't it save the company money to not?

Dr. Nikola

replied on April 17th, 2008

Doctor

The last 5 inactive pills that still contain some portion of estrogen hormones can provide shorter duration of the menstruation with less bleeding.

Carifairy

replied on April 17th, 2008

Extremely eHealthy

Mircette is also given to women who have menstrual migraines, because the hormones allow for the women to have a tiny bit of estrogen.

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