Norgestimate / Ethinyl Estradiol: brand names and study card

Norgestimate / Ethinyl Estradiol — Combined oral contraceptive (estrogen + progestin). Study the mechanism, listed uses and warnings from the US label on one sourced card.

Generic name: Norgestimate / Ethinyl Estradiol
Brands: Sprintec
Class: Combined oral contraceptive (estrogen + progestin)
Mechanism: Primarily suppresses ovulation; possible additional mechanisms include cervical-mucus changes that inhibit sperm penetration and endometrial changes that reduce implantation likelihood.
Used for: Prevention of pregnancy
Common side effects: Headache / migraine; Abdominal pain; Breast tenderness; Nausea; Irregular uterine bleeding
Boxed warning: Cigarette smoking increases serious cardiovascular events with COCs; contraindicated in women over 35 who smoke.
Warnings: Thromboembolic disorders; Liver disease / jaundice; Hypertension
Interactions: CYP3A4 inducers (reduced efficacy)

Read the source label ↗

Label date: 20260831 · 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.

Practice

Pronunciation

Norgestimate: nor-JES-ti-mate · Ethinyl Estradiol: ETH-in-il es-tra-DYE-ol

Pronunciation is shown for the US English generic name.

Body system

Women's health · 12 Drug cards

Compare with related cards

Levonorgestrel / Ethinyl Estradiol

Same class on both cards

Mechanism: Prevents pregnancy primarily by suppressing ovulation.

On both cards: Used for — Prevention of pregnancy · Common side effects — Breast tenderness; Nausea · Warnings — Hypertension

Only on the Levonorgestrel / Ethinyl Estradiol card: Common side effects — Headache; Menorrhagia; Dysmenorrhea · Warnings — Thrombotic and thromboembolic events; Liver disease · Interactions — Enzyme inducers (reduced efficacy)

Norethindrone

Same body system: Women's health

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 — Breast tenderness; Nausea · Interactions — CYP3A4 inducers (reduced efficacy)

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

Drospirenone / Ethinyl estradiol

Same body system: Women's health

Mechanism: Combination oral contraceptive that prevents pregnancy primarily by suppressing ovulation.

On both cards: Used for — Prevention of pregnancy · Common side effects — Headache / migraine · Interactions — CYP3A4 inducers (reduced efficacy)

Only on the Drospirenone / Ethinyl estradiol card: Common side effects — Premenstrual syndrome; Breast pain / tenderness; Nausea / vomiting; Mood changes · Warnings — Drospirenone-containing COCs may have a higher VTE risk than levonorgestrel-containing or some other COCs; Hyperkalemia risk due to anti-mineralocorticoid activity; Liver disease · Interactions — Hepatitis C combos with ombitasvir/paritaprevir; Potassium-raising drugs

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.

Boxed warnings on related cards

Same boxed-warning wording on: Levonorgestrel / Ethinyl Estradiol