Enpresse is a birth control pill that has been available since 2001. Like other hormone methods, this is a means of preventing pregnancy, not a way to keep you safe from sexually transmitted diseases.
This medication carries the same risks and benefits as other current low-dose oral contraceptives. Used properly, the protection rate against pregnancy is 98 to 99 percent. Enpresse works by altering hormone cycles and stopping ovulation (egg production). The pill also thickens cervical mucous, making it difficult for sperm to penetrate. Finally, were an egg to traverse and fertilize a woman's egg, Enpresse's hormones have made the uterine lining too thin for implantation and pregnancy growth.
Enpresse is termed a triphasic, which means it contains a three-wave dose of ethinyl estradiol: 30/40/30 µg throughout the active 21-day cycle. It is equivalent to the following brands: Alesse, Aviane, Lessina, Levlen, Levlite, Levora, Lutera, Lybrel, Nordette, Portia, Sronyx, Tri-Levlen, Triphasil-21, Triphasil-28 and Trivora-28.
Who Should Avoid Enpresse
Enpresse has some dangers for those with certain medical history or current illnesses. Do not use this medicine if you have a history or tendency to make blood clots or have a history of heart attack, angina, stroke, hypertension, migraine with aura, lupus or liver disease. Avoid Enpresse if you have certain types of cancer such as liver, breast or uterine cancer or if you have undiagnosed and uncertain causes of vaginal bleeding, breast lumps or ovarian masses.
Cardiovascular Side Effects
Cardiovascular adverse events are the most dangerous according to experts at the University of Berkley in California. Serious events that have occurred include death, heart attack, stroke, other type of blood clot and hypertension.
Relative risk can be difficult to understand. A non-smoker on the pill has twice the risk of heart attack as does her sister not on the pill. Yet, because a young woman on the pill has such a remotely low risk of heart attack, she should not fear a doubling of a risk, which still approaches zero. The longer a patient is on Enpresse, however, the greater her chances for elevated blood pressure. By the fifth year of use, her chance of hypertension is three times greater than it was in her first year.
A smoker on the pill has five times the risk of a smoker not on the pill. As this smoker becomes older and approaches 35, her risk of both hypertension and of heart attack becomes increased. Never consider smoking and taking Enpresse, especially if you are older.
Gastrointestinal Side Effects
Nausea can occur, though many women on Enpresse note this side effect improves as they remain on the pill. Other side effects include bloating, constipation, and--rarely--cramping and diarrhea.
If you develop abdominal pain or yellowing of the skin, let your doctor know immediately, as liver disease and jaundice also occur.
Dermatologic Side Effects
Recent birth control pills have helped reduce acne symptoms for many, though some women note they have the opposite effect and have more bothersome outbreaks.
An adverse skin change, more often seen in pregnancy, is termed melasma and causes a darkening across the face, sometimes a brown mottled but faint tan marks across the cheeks and nose.
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