Slinda: The Contraceptive Without Estrogen
Slinda is a contraceptive without estrogen whose active ingredient is drospirenone. This active ingredient is a synthetic progestin that has a pharmacological effect similar to that of natural progesterone.
This contraceptive pill doesn’t of a combination of estrogen and progestin. For this reason, it’s a contraceptive that women who can’t tolerate combined contraceptives can use.
In the following article, you’ll learn more about Slinda, the contraceptive without estrogen.
The presentation of Slinda, the contraceptive without estrogen
Slinda comes in the form of tablets that women must take orally. They’re white in color and come in a blister pack of 24 active tablets together with 4 green tablets that don’t contain the active ingredient.
The tablets of two different colors are arranged in such a way as to help you comply with intake and avoid any failure in the contraceptive method. The 24 white tablets contain the correct dose of drospirenone.
How does Slinda, the contraceptive without estrogen, work?
This contraceptive provides high efficacy. The contraceptive effect of Slinda is because it acts on ovulation by inhibiting it when changes in the cervical mucus take place.
However, Slinda has one drawback, and that is that it can produce irregular vaginal bleeding while taking it. However, this irregular bleeding doesn’t necessarily occur in all women taking Slinda.
Because it has no estrogen in its composition, this novel contraceptive presents fewer cardiovascular risks compared to those that can result from the use of combined contraceptives.
Drospirenone has properties that mean that women who use contraceptives containing it in their composition experience less fluid retention. This active ingredient also has anti-androgenic properties, making it very suitable for women with signs of acne, hirsutism, or oily skin.
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Precautions in pregnancy and breastfeeding
If you’re pregnant or think you might be pregnant, then you shouldn’t take Slinda. If you’ve been taking Slinda before becoming pregnant, adverse effects cannot be ruled out. However, studies with Slinda don’t indicate an increased risk of birth defects.
During breastfeeding, you can use this oral contraceptive even if small amounts of drospirenone pass into breast milk.
How to take Slinda, the contraceptive without estrogen
This contraceptive pill offers good cycle control due to its 24+4 daily schedule. This makes Slinda ideal for good compliance with the treatment.
With 24 active pills and 4 placebo tablets, it offers the advantage of allowing you to know when the bleeding period will be. What’s more, spotting between periods will be minimal.
Slinda’s taken every 24 hours at the same time of day. The format of the blister pack helps stick to the schedule. So, if you follow the direction of the arrows and numbers, you can practically never go wrong. You can start taking the first tablet on the first day of menstruation and continue in the order of the other days.
When you reach the four placebo tablets, you continue taking them and then start over with a new pack. There are no resting days between one pack and the next.
You may experience some irregular bleeding while taking Slinda. If this occurs, you should continue taking the tablets without interruption.
Read also: Contraceptive Methods: Know the Myths and Truths About Them
How to start with the first container of Slinda
If you haven’t been taking any oral contraceptives before, start the pack on the first day of your period. By doing so, the contraceptive gives you protection from the first day against possible pregnancy and you won’t need to use additional methods.
However, if you’ve previously been using another method of contraception such as another oral contraceptive, the vaginal ring, or the transdermal patch, start taking Slinda on the day after the last active tablet of your previous contraceptive or the same day of the removal of the vaginal ring or the last transdermal patch.
However, you can also start taking Slinda the day after the tablet-free week, vaginal ring, patch, or placebo period of your previous contraceptive. If you decide to do this, you’ll need to use an additional barrier method of contraception, at least during the first week of starting Slinda.
Conclusion
This contraceptive contains only drospirenone in its composition, so it’s estrogen-free. It offers an effective and safe contraceptive effect and reduces the side effects related to the presence of estrogen.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Agencia Española de Medicamentos y Productos Sanitarios. PROSPECTO SLINDA 4 MG COMPRIMIDOS RECUBIERTOS CON PELICULA. (n.d.). Aemps.Es. Retrieved January 9, 2023, from https://cima.aemps.es/cima/dochtml/p/84603/P_84603.html
- Book of Abstracts: The 15th Congress of the European Society of Contraception and Reproductive Health. The European Journal of Contraception & Reproductive Health Care. 2018;23(sup1):1-143.
- Centeno, Indira M., et al. “Efecto de un anticonceptivo oral con drospirenona/etinilestradiol (3 mg – 30 mg) sobre el hiperandrogenismo clínico y bioquímico en pacientes con síndrome de ovario poliquístico.” Fac.Rev. Medicina. (Caracas) , 2011, págs. 60–63, https://pesquisa.bvsalud.org/portal/resource/pt/lil-637406.
- Chiara Del Savio M, De Fata R, Facchinetti F, Grandi G. Drospirenone 4 mg-only pill (DOP) in 24+4 regimen: a new option for oral contraception. Expert Rev Clin Pharmacol. 2020 Jul;13(7):685-694.
- Palacios S, Colli E, Regidor PA. Multicenter, phase III trials on the contraceptive efficacy, tolerability and safety of a new drospirenone-only pill. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 2019 Dec;98(12):1549-1557.
- Sales Vieira C, Celis C, Galán G, Hernández L, et al. Drospirenone: a Latin American perspective for oestrogen-free oral contraception. Eur J Contracept Reprod Health Care. 2021 Feb;26(1):73-78.
