Combined injectable contraceptives contain an association of estrogen and progestin, which must be administered by a healthcare professional, intramuscularly, every month.
This type of contraceptive works similarly to the daily pill, inhibiting ovulation and thickening the cervical mucus, preventing the passage of sperm. Some names of this type of injectable contraceptive are Cyclofemina, Mesigyna, Perlutan, Ciclovular and Uniciclo.
The price of injectable contraceptives for monthly use varies between 15 and 45 reais, depending on the drug and the region where it is sold, and can be purchased at any pharmacy.
How to use injectable contraceptives
For women with a normal menstrual cycle, who do not use the pill or other contraceptive injection, the first injection should be taken until the 5th day of menstruation and the following should be administered every 30 days, more or less 3 days, regardless menstruation. If there is a delay of more than three days for the new injection, the woman should be advised to use a condom.
To start after childbirth, a woman must have an injection between the 21st and 28th day after the baby is born, and to start using after an abortion or after taking the morning-after pill, the injection can be taken immediately.
You can also take your first injection on the same day that you decide to change your contraceptive pill or quarterly injection, without using a condom. If the woman has not used any contraceptive method before and has had sex, she must have a pregnancy test before taking the injection. Learn how to change contraceptives without risking pregnancy.
The injection must be done by the doctor, nurse or pharmacist, and administration by the woman herself is not recommended.
Main side effects
The monthly contraceptive injection can lead to breast pain, nausea, vomiting, headache, dizziness and the woman may gain weight.
In addition, menstrual changes may appear, and in these cases the woman must be evaluated by a gynecologist to perform tests in order to identify whether there is any other cause for bleeding, such as pelvic inflammatory disease, for example. If there is no apparent cause for heavy bleeding and the woman is not comfortable with this method, it is advisable to replace this injection with some other method of contraception.
Check out some tips to relieve the pain of the injection:
Who should not use
The monthly contraceptive injection is not indicated for people with hypersensitivity to any component of the product formulation, pregnant women, women who are breastfeeding for up to 6 weeks after delivery, current breast cancer or suspected hormone-dependent malignancy, severe headaches with focal neurological symptoms, severe hypertension, vascular disease, history of thrombophlebitis or thromboembolic disorder and history of ischemic heart disease or complicated valve heart disease.
In addition, the injection should also not be used in women with diabetes with nephropathy, retinopathy, neuropathy or other vascular disease or diabetes lasting more than 20 years, systemic lupus erythematosus with positive anti-phospholipid antibodies, history of liver disease, who have undergone major surgery with prolonged immobilization, suffer from abnormal uterine or vaginal bleeding or who smoke more than 15 cigarettes a day, aged over 35 years.
