Lovima

Buy Lovima Contraceptive Pill Online

By Clinical Pharmacist Hywel McGlinchy

Lovima is a contraceptive pill that has been recently approved to be one of the first mini pills offered over the counter without a prescription. This means that you can buy Lovima over the counter after a consultation with a pharmacist with no need for a prescription. 

You can also buy Lovima online from our UK registered online pharmacy. Simply complete an online form which is assessed by our pharmacists. If this is safe for you to take, your order will be approved and delivered in confidential packaging via Royal Mail.

Lovima is a progestogen-only pill which is also known as the mini pill. You can also visit our online doctor contraceptive clinic to view prescription-only contraceptives available from our doctors.

Please note, Lovima contains soya bean oil. This means it should not be taken by any woman with soya or peanut allergy. Another over the counter mini pill, called Hana, does not contain soya bean oil.

What is Lovima?

Lovima is one of the first contraceptive pills to be approved for sale over the counter. It contains the active ingredient desogestrel 75 mcg and is a type of pill called a progestogen-only pill. This is different to another type of pill called a combined pill, which contains oestrogen as well as a progestogen.

This means that Lovima can be suitable for women who can’t take pills containing oestrogen. Combined pills that contain oestrogen can’t be taken by some women, for example, women who are very overweight or women who smoke and are aged 35 and over. Lovima can be used by women who are breast-feeding.

If taken correctly, progestogen-only pills are more than 99% effective. However, with typical use (how it’s taken by a lot of women in real life) it’s thought to be about 91% effective. Lovima is taken once daily and there is no need to take a break between packs.

How does Lovima work?

The active ingredient is desogestrel, which is a synthetic version of the hormone progesterone. Desogestrel works primarily by stopping ovulation, which means it stops the ovaries from releasing an egg every month. It also thickens the mucus in the neck of the womb to stop sperm from reaching an egg.

Because of the way Lovima works, you may experience irregular vaginal bleeding while taking this medicine. It may be slight staining or heavier bleeding, and some women won’t experience any bleeding at all. After a few months of taking Lovima, the bleeding tends to become less frequent or stop completely. If you think the bleeding is frequent, heavy or prolonged, or you’re worried about the bleeding, contact your doctor or pharmacist for medical advice.

How to start taking Lovima

The advice for starting Lovima is different depending on whether you’re currently taking oral contraception or not. If you are not currently taking oral contraception, or have not used any in the past month, you should start Lovima on the first day of your period.

The advice differs if you are switching from other contraceptives such as other progestogen-only pills, combined pills, the implant, or a contraceptive patch. See the patient information leaflet for detailed advice on how to switch from other contraceptives to Lovima.

Lovima summary

Can you buy contraceptive pills over the counter?

In the past, only emergency contraceptive pills Levonelle and EllaOne were available over the counter. However, two mini pill brands are now available to purchase over the counter at local pharmacies and online pharmacies like Simple Online Pharmacy. 

The two brands are Lovima and Hana. They are the first available mini pills over the counter in the UK and they will be available from the end of July 2021. This will be the first time in the UK that mini pills over the counter are available.

Why is Lovima available over the counter?

Lovima has been approved by the medicines regulator, the MHRA, to be given over the counter by pharmacists. After a public consultation, the MHRA decided that Lovima could be changed to an over the counter medicine because any associated risks can be managed by pharmacists. 

It also concluded doing so will provide a valuable additional option to women enabling easier access to a safe and effective contraceptive. This, in turn, should reduce the risk of unplanned pregnancies.

What alternatives are there to Lovima?

Another over the counter mini pill is available, called Hana. This contains the same active ingredient as Lovima. Other contraceptive pills can be prescribed by a doctor such as Yasmin, Cerelle, and Rigevidon. These are available from our online doctor contraceptive clinic.

You can visit the NHS website to read about other contraceptive methods such as the implant, the coil, and vaginal rings.

Lovima Side Effects

You should tell your pharmacist if you experience any side effects, especially if they’re persistent or severe. Common side effects include mood changes, reduced sex drive, breast pain, nausea, headache, and irregular or no periods. These may affect up to 1 in 10 women. 

Evidence shows that taking a combined pill (which contains oestrogen) slightly increases the risk of developing breast cancer. This increased risk is being researched for progestogen-only pills, like Lovima, but the evidence of an increased risk is less certain than it is for combined pills. The NHS page on how to check your breasts is a good source of information on what signs to look out for.

There is evidence that combined pills increase the risk of developing blood clots, but there is currently no established link between progestogen-only pills and blood clots.

There have been reports of some ectopic pregnancies in women who are taking desogestrel. You should be aware of the symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy whilst taking this medicine, such as severe pain in the lower stomach. See the NHS information on ectopic pregnancy symptoms for further information.

For a complete list of side effects, see the patient information leaflet.

Before taking any medication, it is important to read the Patient Information Leaflet. You can find information leaflets for your medicines by typing them into the search bar at medicines.org, or by contacting us.

• Lovima patient information leaflet

How to take Lovima

Each strip of Lovima contains 28 tablets and you should take one tablet at the same time each day without a break between strips. Each strip is also marked with the day of the week to make it easier to remember when taking your tablet. When you finish a strip of tablets, start the next strip on the next day without interruption and without waiting for a bleed. 

If you forget to take a tablet but you are less than 12 hours late, take the missed dose as soon as you remember and take the next dose at the usual time. In this situation, you will still be protected against pregnancy.

If you forget to take a tablet and you are more than 12 hours late, take your tablet as soon as you remember and take the next one at the usual time, even if it means taking two in one day. You should then continue to take your tablets as usual. However, in this scenario you may not be fully protected against pregnancy. You should use additional barrier contraception (e.g. condoms) for the next 7 days.

Lovima Cautions

Lovima is an effective form of contraception but it cannot protect you from sexually transmitted infections (STIs) or diseases. Using condoms can help to protect you from catching STIs. 

This medicine may not be suitable for everyone to take. You should not take Lovima if you:

• Are pregnant or think you may be pregnant
• Have or have ever had jaundice or severe liver disease
• Currently have unexplained vaginal bleeding
• Have, or are suspected of having, cancer susceptible to sex hormones e.g. breast cancer
• Have a thrombosis or blood clot
• If you are allergic to desogestrel, peanut, or soya

See section 2 of the patient information leaflet for a complete list of warnings and precautions.