Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsUsesDosageSurrounding DebateBenefitsDisadvantagesSide EffectsPrescription & Cost
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Uses
Dosage
Surrounding Debate
Benefits
Disadvantages
Side Effects
Prescription & Cost
Amethyst birth control is a low-dose, continuouscombination pillthat containslevonorgestrel, a progestin, as well as ethinyl estradiol, an estrogen. While it will not offer you any protection againstsexually transmitted infections, it may be used to help:
Dawn Stacey
Amethyst birth control is the generic version ofLybrel. While no longer available, Lybrel was the first extended-cycle oral contraceptive designed to supply you with an active dose of hormones every day.
This article discusses the uses, dosage, benefits, and side effects of Amethyst birth control pills.
Amethyst Birth Control Uses
Amethyst birth control is 91% to 99.7% effective at preventing pregnancy.
This means that with typical use, only 9 out of every 100 individuals will become pregnant during the first year of use. With perfect use, less than 1 will become pregnant during the first year of using Amethyst birth control.
In addition to preventing pregnancy, regulating your period, decreasing period-related symptoms, andtreating acne, Amethyst birth control may also decrease the incidence of:
Does Birth Control Have Long-Term Side Effects?
Amethyst Birth Control Dosage
Each pack of Amethyst birth control contains 28 tablets (90 micrograms levonorgestrel/20 microgram ethinyl estradiol). One pill will need to be taken every day at the same time if possible.
Amethyst birth control supplies a steady, low dose of ethinyl estradiol and levonorgestrel. Unlike some otherbirth control pills, Amethyst birth control does not contain any inactive tablets—so there is no placebo period.
Those who use birth control pills do not have a period. What you actually experience each month when you take the placebo pills is calledwithdrawal bleeding. The bleeding tends to be shorter and lighter than a regular period because the uterine lining does not build up. When you use Amethyst, you get continuous hormones, so you should have little or no uterine bleeding.
Withdrawal bleeding actually has no medical function other than reassuring you that you are not pregnant. The researchers who invented birth control pills back in the 1960s thought that individuals would be more likely to take them and the church would be more accepting of them if they included a period week.
Advantages and benefits of Amethyst birth control:
Downsides of using Amethyst birth control include:
The Pros and Cons of the Birth Control Pill
Amethyst Birth Control Side Effects
Amethyst birth control has the same side effects as other combination hormonal methods. Serious complications are not common with oral contraceptive use.
All oral contraceptives, Amethyst included, carry a greater chance of negative outcomes in:
Getting and Filling a Prescription
Amethyst may be purchased at a drugstore or clinic with a valid prescription. You should check with your health insurance policy as Amethyst should be covered with no out-of-pocket costs for all non-grandfathered insurance plans.
Summary
Amethyst birth control is a low-dose, continuous combination pill that contains a progestin and an estrogen. It may be used to help prevent pregnancy, lower the incidence of certain conditions, treat acne, as well as help regulate periods and decrease period-related symptoms.
One pill needs to be taken every day around the same time. Amethyst birth control, like other birth control methods, comes with benefits, risks, and certain side effects that you should discuss with your healthcare provider if you plan on using this specific birth control.
7 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Library of Medicine.Amethyst-levonorgestrel and ethinyl estradiol tablet.Słopień R, Milewska E, Rynio P, Męczekalski B.Use of oral contraceptives for management of acne vulgaris and hirsutism in women of reproductive and late reproductive age.Prz Menopauzalny. 2018;17(1):1-4. doi:10.5114/pm.2018.74895Demaria AL, Sundstrom B, Meier S, Wiseley A.The myth of menstruation: how menstrual regulation and suppression impact contraceptive choice.BMC Womens Health. 2019;19(1):125. doi:10.1186/s12905-019-0827-x.Office on Women’s Health.Menstrual cycle.Dhont M.History of oral contraception.Eur J Contracept Reprod Health Care.2010;15(Suppl 2):S12-S18. doi:10.3109/13625187.2010.513071Hillard PA.Menstrual suppression: current perspectives.Int J Womens Health. 2014;6:631-637. doi:10.2147/IJWH.S46680.Edelman AB, Koontz SL, Nichols MD, Jensen JT.Continuous oral contraceptives: are bleeding patterns dependent on the hormones given?Obstet Gynecol. 2006;107(3):657-665. doi:10.1097/01.AOG.0000199950.64545.16.Additional ReadingJacobson J, Likis F, Murphy P.Extended and continuous combined contraceptive regimens for menstrual suppression.Journal of Midwifery & Women’s Health. 2012;57(6):585-592.
7 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Library of Medicine.Amethyst-levonorgestrel and ethinyl estradiol tablet.Słopień R, Milewska E, Rynio P, Męczekalski B.Use of oral contraceptives for management of acne vulgaris and hirsutism in women of reproductive and late reproductive age.Prz Menopauzalny. 2018;17(1):1-4. doi:10.5114/pm.2018.74895Demaria AL, Sundstrom B, Meier S, Wiseley A.The myth of menstruation: how menstrual regulation and suppression impact contraceptive choice.BMC Womens Health. 2019;19(1):125. doi:10.1186/s12905-019-0827-x.Office on Women’s Health.Menstrual cycle.Dhont M.History of oral contraception.Eur J Contracept Reprod Health Care.2010;15(Suppl 2):S12-S18. doi:10.3109/13625187.2010.513071Hillard PA.Menstrual suppression: current perspectives.Int J Womens Health. 2014;6:631-637. doi:10.2147/IJWH.S46680.Edelman AB, Koontz SL, Nichols MD, Jensen JT.Continuous oral contraceptives: are bleeding patterns dependent on the hormones given?Obstet Gynecol. 2006;107(3):657-665. doi:10.1097/01.AOG.0000199950.64545.16.Additional ReadingJacobson J, Likis F, Murphy P.Extended and continuous combined contraceptive regimens for menstrual suppression.Journal of Midwifery & Women’s Health. 2012;57(6):585-592.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
National Library of Medicine.Amethyst-levonorgestrel and ethinyl estradiol tablet.Słopień R, Milewska E, Rynio P, Męczekalski B.Use of oral contraceptives for management of acne vulgaris and hirsutism in women of reproductive and late reproductive age.Prz Menopauzalny. 2018;17(1):1-4. doi:10.5114/pm.2018.74895Demaria AL, Sundstrom B, Meier S, Wiseley A.The myth of menstruation: how menstrual regulation and suppression impact contraceptive choice.BMC Womens Health. 2019;19(1):125. doi:10.1186/s12905-019-0827-x.Office on Women’s Health.Menstrual cycle.Dhont M.History of oral contraception.Eur J Contracept Reprod Health Care.2010;15(Suppl 2):S12-S18. doi:10.3109/13625187.2010.513071Hillard PA.Menstrual suppression: current perspectives.Int J Womens Health. 2014;6:631-637. doi:10.2147/IJWH.S46680.Edelman AB, Koontz SL, Nichols MD, Jensen JT.Continuous oral contraceptives: are bleeding patterns dependent on the hormones given?Obstet Gynecol. 2006;107(3):657-665. doi:10.1097/01.AOG.0000199950.64545.16.
National Library of Medicine.Amethyst-levonorgestrel and ethinyl estradiol tablet.
Słopień R, Milewska E, Rynio P, Męczekalski B.Use of oral contraceptives for management of acne vulgaris and hirsutism in women of reproductive and late reproductive age.Prz Menopauzalny. 2018;17(1):1-4. doi:10.5114/pm.2018.74895
Demaria AL, Sundstrom B, Meier S, Wiseley A.The myth of menstruation: how menstrual regulation and suppression impact contraceptive choice.BMC Womens Health. 2019;19(1):125. doi:10.1186/s12905-019-0827-x.
Office on Women’s Health.Menstrual cycle.
Dhont M.History of oral contraception.Eur J Contracept Reprod Health Care.2010;15(Suppl 2):S12-S18. doi:10.3109/13625187.2010.513071
Hillard PA.Menstrual suppression: current perspectives.Int J Womens Health. 2014;6:631-637. doi:10.2147/IJWH.S46680.
Edelman AB, Koontz SL, Nichols MD, Jensen JT.Continuous oral contraceptives: are bleeding patterns dependent on the hormones given?Obstet Gynecol. 2006;107(3):657-665. doi:10.1097/01.AOG.0000199950.64545.16.
Jacobson J, Likis F, Murphy P.Extended and continuous combined contraceptive regimens for menstrual suppression.Journal of Midwifery & Women’s Health. 2012;57(6):585-592.
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