Desogestrel / Ethinyl Estradiol — Combined oral contraceptive. Study the mechanism, listed uses and warnings from the US label on one sourced card.
Generic name
Desogestrel / Ethinyl Estradiol
Class
Combined oral contraceptive
Mechanism
Suppresses gonadotropins, mainly inhibiting ovulation; also alters cervical mucus and endometrium.
Used for
Prevention of pregnancy
Common side effects
Nausea; Vomiting; Breakthrough bleeding / spotting; Breast tenderness; Change in weight
Boxed warning
Cigarette smoking raises serious cardiovascular risk; not for women over 35 who smoke.
Warnings
Thromboembolic disorders (contraindicated); Cerebrovascular or coronary artery disease
Interactions
CYP3A4 inducers
Brand questions use only name pairings verified against the linked product source. Unverified pairings are withheld from these questions; the other study content remains available.
Label date: 20260812 · For learning, not clinical decisions. US label and brand information; always consult the current source.
Source snapshot checked: 2026-10-21. The source document and selected fields were compared. The complete card has not had an independent clinical review.
Mechanism: Primarily suppresses ovulation; possible additional mechanisms include cervical-mucus changes that inhibit sperm penetration and endometrial changes that reduce implantation likelihood.
On both cards: Used for — Prevention of pregnancy · Common side effects — Nausea; Breast tenderness
Only on the Norgestimate / Ethinyl Estradiol card: Common side effects — Headache / migraine; Abdominal pain; Irregular uterine bleeding · Warnings — Thromboembolic disorders; Liver disease / jaundice; Hypertension · Interactions — CYP3A4 inducers (reduced efficacy)
Mechanism: Suppresses ovulation in about half of users, thickens cervical mucus, blunts LH/FSH peaks and alters the endometrium.
On both cards: Used for — Prevention of pregnancy · Common side effects — Nausea; Breast tenderness
Only on the Norethindrone card: Common side effects — Menstrual irregularity; Headache; Dizziness · Warnings — Known or suspected pregnancy (contraindicated); Breast carcinoma (contraindicated); Liver tumors or acute liver disease · Interactions — CYP3A4 inducers (reduced efficacy)
Mechanism: Prevents pregnancy primarily by suppressing ovulation.
On both cards: Used for — Prevention of pregnancy · Common side effects — Nausea; Breast tenderness
Only on the Levonorgestrel / Ethinyl Estradiol card: Common side effects — Headache; Menorrhagia; Dysmenorrhea · Warnings — Thrombotic and thromboembolic events; Liver disease; Hypertension · Interactions — Enzyme inducers (reduced efficacy)
An item counts as shared only when both cards use the same wording. If a card does not list an item, that is not a statement that the effect never occurs.
Capsera