Briellyn

Briellyn is a combined birth control pill. It’s got both estrogen and progestin so if you’re looking for a progestin-only pill, the mini pill might be a better option for you.

You take Briellyn every day. It comes with three weeks of active pills containing hormones and one week of inactive pills, which are designed to keep you in your daily habit. When taken consistently, Briellyn is highly effective at preventing pregnancy.

Yes, Briellyn is a generic version of Ovcon 35 and is made by Glenmark Pharmaceuticals. Briellyn and Ovcon 35 are bioequivalent, which means they contain the same active ingredients in the same amounts. So they’re both equally effective at preventing pregnancy and have the same interactions and potential side effects.

Since the company that makes them is different, you’re likely to see different packaging and pill colors. The price will also likely be different — generic medications are generally cheaper than their brand-name counterparts.

Briellyn changes your hormone levels, which affects how your body prepares for pregnancy every month. The two hormones it contains, norethindrone acetate and ethinyl estradiol, are synthetic versions of the progesterone and estrogen your body produces naturally.

When you take hormonal birth control, you’ll be protected from pregnancy in three ways. The hormones stop ovulation, the once-monthly action where your ovaries release an egg. They also impact the lining of your uterus, which normally becomes thicker every month in preparation for the egg. Thirdly, the hormones create a physical barrier against sperm by changing the consistency of your cervical fluid to something more difficult to swim through.

To keep your protection level as high as possible, you’ll want to take Briellyn at the same time every day. Pick out a time that’s convenient for you before starting your pack, so you’re not having to use a back-up birth control like condoms to adjust the time.

You can take Briellyn with food but you don’t need to. It’s possible you’ll experience a bit of nausea when starting to take hormonal birth control, though, so try Briellyn with a small meal or a snack if that happens to you.

Your pack has three weeks of active pills and one week of inactive pills, which will be different colors. Take the whole pack before starting a new one.

Briellyn is around 99% effective when taken “perfectly,” which means at the same time, every day.^[1] Taking your pill late or missing a pill lowers how protected you are, which is why it’s so important to pick a schedule that works for you and stick with it.

If you don’t like the idea of taking a pill every day, there are other hormonal birth control methods like the ring and the patch you can try, which require a bit less maintenance.

If you miss a pill, it’s important that you get back on track as quickly as possible. Instructions on what to do if you miss a pill are in the package insert that comes with your medication. If you’ve missed a pill and are worried, you can also get in touch with your physician through the chat feature in your account.