Oral contraceptives may cause side effects. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away:
- nausea
- vomiting
- stomach cramps or bloating
- diarrhea
- constipation
- gingivitis (swelling of the gum tissue)
- increased or decreased appetite
- weight gain or weight loss
- brown or black skin patches
- acne
- hair growth in unusual places
- bleeding or spotting between menstrual periods
- changes in menstrual flow
- painful or missed periods
- breast tenderness, enlargement, or discharge
- swelling, redness, irritation, burning, or itching of the vagina
- white vaginal discharge
Some side effects can be serious. The following symptoms are uncommon, but if you experience any of them, call your doctor immediately:
- severe headache
- severe vomiting
- speech problems
- dizziness or faintness
- weakness or numbness of an arm or leg
- crushing chest pain or chest heaviness
- coughing up blood
- shortness of breath
- leg pain
- partial or complete loss of vision
- double vision
- bulging eyes
- severe stomach pain
- yellowing of the skin or eyes
- loss of appetite
- extreme tiredness, weakness, or lack of energy
- fever
- dark-colored urine
- light-colored stool
- swelling of the hands, feet, ankles, or lower legs
- depression, especially if you also have trouble sleeping, tiredness, loss of energy, or other mood changes
- unusual bleeding
- rash
- menstrual bleeding that is unusually heavy or that lasts for longer than 7 days in a row
Oral contraceptives may increase the chance that you will develop liver tumors. These tumors are not a form of cancer, but they can break and cause serious bleeding inside the body. Oral contraceptives may also increase the chance that you will develop breast or liver cancer, or have a heart attack, a stroke, or a serious blood clot. Talk to your doctor about the risks of using oral contraceptives.
Some studies show that women who take oral contraceptives that contain drosperinone (Beyaz, Gianvi, Loryna, Ocella, Safyral, Syeda, Yasmin, Yaz, and Zarah) may be more likely to develop deep vein thrombosis (a serious or life-threatening condition in which blood clots that form in the veins, usually in the legs and may move through the body to the lungs) than women who take oral contraceptives that do not contain drosperinone. However, other studies do not show this increased risk. Before you begin taking oral contraceptives, talk to your doctor about the risk that you will develop blood clots and about which oral contraceptive or other method of birth control may be the best choice for you.
Oral contraceptives may cause other side effects. Call your doctor if you have any unusual problems while taking this medication.