Yacella

Yacella is a combined contraceptive pill containing ethinylestradiol 30 micrograms and drospirenone 3 milligrams per tablet. It is licensed in the UK for the prevention of pregnancy and is manufactured by Stragen UK Ltd. Yacella belongs to the combined hormonal contraceptive group of medicines. It works primarily by suppressing ovulation, and also alters cervical mucus and the uterine lining to add further contraceptive protection. It is available as a film-coated tablet in a 28-tablet pack: 21 active tablets followed by 7 inactive placebo tablets, taken every day with no break between packs. This page covers what Yacella is, how it works, how to take it, and what you should know before starting.

Yacella contains drospirenone, a progestogen that behaves differently from most others used in combined pills. It is derived from spironolactone and has a mild anti-fluid and mild anti-androgen action alongside its contraceptive effect. Importantly, because of this mechanism, Yacella is not appropriate for women with renal or adrenal insufficiency or for those taking certain medicines that raise potassium levels. Your prescriber will assess this during your consultation.

Yacella is a monophasic combined oral contraceptive. Every active tablet in the pack delivers the same dose of both hormones. The 28-tablet pack contains:

1. 21 active tablets: ethinylestradiol 30 micrograms and drospirenone 3 milligrams per tablet
2. 7 inactive tablets: lactose-based placebo containing no hormones

You take one tablet every day in order, with no gap between packs. When you finish the 7 inactive tablets, you start the next pack immediately. A withdrawal bleed usually occurs during the inactive tablet days as hormone levels fall.

Drospirenone is a fourth-generation synthetic progestogen. Its structural relationship to spironolactone gives it two properties not shared by levonorgestrel, gestodene, or norgestimate. First, it mildly blocks aldosterone receptors, counteracting fluid and sodium retention that oestrogen and some progestogens can cause. Second, it has mild anti-androgenic activity. These properties are real and clinically documented, but their effect on any individual patient cannot be predicted in advance.

Yacella is equivalent in active content to Lucette and Yasmin, both of which contain ethinylestradiol 30 micrograms and drospirenone 3 milligrams. All three share the same 21 active plus 7 inactive tablet format. They are considered clinically equivalent and are dispensed interchangeably.

Yacella works through three mechanisms, with ovulation suppression doing the heavy lifting.

Ethinylestradiol and drospirenone suppress the pituitary signals that would normally trigger your ovary to release an egg. Without the luteinising hormone surge, ovulation does not happen. No egg means no fertilisation.

At the same time, drospirenone thickens cervical mucus, making it harder for sperm to reach the uterus. Even in a cycle where ovulation suppression is not complete, sperm penetration becomes significantly more difficult.

The combined hormonal action also changes the endometrial lining, making implantation unlikely in the rare event that fertilisation did occur. In practice, ovulation suppression is so reliable when the pill is taken correctly that this third mechanism is rarely a factor.

What Drospirenone Adds

Drospirenone's anti-mineralocorticoid action means it actively works against fluid retention rather than adding to it. Some women on drospirenone-containing pills report less bloating compared with pills using older progestogens. This is a documented pharmacological property, not a marketing claim, but individual responses vary and it cannot be guaranteed.

During the 7 inactive tablet days, hormone levels fall and a withdrawal bleed occurs. This is not a period in the traditional sense. It is a predictable response to hormone withdrawal. It is usually lighter and shorter than a natural period.

When to Start

If you begin on day one of your period, you are protected immediately. If you start between days two and five, use condoms or another barrier method for your first seven days on the pill.

If you are switching from another combined pill, take your first Yacella tablet the day after the last active tablet of the previous pack, or immediately after the last inactive tablet if your previous pill also had placebo days. Protection continues without interruption.

If you are switching from a progestogen-only pill, you can start Yacella on any day. Use a barrier method for the first seven days.

Day to Day

Take one tablet at the same time every day, working through all 28 tablets in order. Start the next pack immediately after finishing the last inactive tablet. There is no gap between packs.

Take each tablet whole with water. Consistent timing each day keeps hormone levels stable. The inactive white tablets serve no pharmacological purpose but keep the daily habit going during the hormone-free phase.

If you vomit within two hours of taking an active tablet or have a bout of severe diarrhoea, absorption may be incomplete. Treat either situation as a missed active tablet and follow the guidance below.

If You Miss a Tablet

Missed a white inactive tablet: discard it and carry on as normal. Your protection is not affected.

Missed one active tablet, under 24 hours late: take it straight away and continue at the usual time. You remain protected.

Missed one active tablet, over 24 hours late: take the missed tablet now and take the next at the usual time, even if two fall on the same day. Use condoms for the following seven days.

Missed two or more active tablets in a row: take only the most recently missed one and discard the others. Continue the pack and use condoms for seven days. If the missed tablets were in week one and you had unprotected sex during that window, contact your prescriber or pharmacist urgently about emergency contraception.

Yacella comes in one strength: ethinylestradiol 30 micrograms and drospirenone 3 milligrams per active tablet. Every active tablet is identical.

Each pack contains 21 active tablets and 7 inactive placebo tablets, giving 28 tablets in total. You take one every day with no break between packs.

Yacella, Lucette, and Yasmin

All three contain the same active ingredients at the same doses: ethinylestradiol 30 micrograms and drospirenone 3 milligrams. All three use the same 21 active plus 7 inactive tablet format. They are considered clinically equivalent under FSRH and NHS prescribing guidance and are dispensed interchangeably. Yacella and Lucette are manufactured by Stragen UK Ltd; Yasmin is manufactured by Bayer plc. If your pharmacy supplies one in place of another, the contraceptive content is unchanged.

Like all combined pills, Yacella can cause side effects, though not everyone experiences them. Common ones include headache, nausea, breast tenderness, mood changes, changes to your libido, irregular spotting in the first few cycles, and changes in vaginal discharge.

Less common side effects include weight changes, contact lens discomfort, and chloasma. Chloasma is patchy skin darkening, typically on the face, which gets worse with sun exposure.

Symptoms That Need Urgent Attention

Stop taking Yacella and seek medical help immediately if you notice any of the following:

1. Sudden chest pain, difficulty breathing, or coughing up blood
2. Swelling, pain, warmth, or redness in one leg only
3. Sudden severe headache, visual disturbance, difficulty speaking, or one-sided weakness
4. Severe abdominal pain
5. Yellowing of your skin or the whites of your eyes

These can be signs of a blood clot, stroke, or liver problem. All combined pills carry a small increased risk of blood clots compared with not taking hormonal contraception. Drospirenone-containing pills sit in a similar VTE risk category to other third-generation progestogen pills, somewhat higher than levonorgestrel-based pills, as confirmed by MHRA guidance.

Medicines That Affect How Yacella Works

Some medicines make combined pills less effective by speeding up hormone breakdown. These include rifampicin, certain epilepsy medicines such as phenytoin, carbamazepine, phenobarbital, and topiramate, some HIV medicines, and St John's Wort. Tell your prescriber about everything you take, including supplements and herbal products.

Also declare any medicines that raise potassium, as listed in the clinical note above. Drospirenone's action on potassium makes this interaction clinically relevant in a way that does not apply to most other combined pills.

Yacella Is Not Suitable If You:

1. Have ever had a blood clot, stroke, or heart attack
2. Have migraine with aura
3. Have uncontrolled high blood pressure
4. Have renal insufficiency or adrenal insufficiency
5. Have liver disease, liver tumours, or pill-related jaundice
6. Have or have had breast cancer or another hormone-sensitive cancer
7. Are pregnant
8. Are breastfeeding a baby under six weeks old
9. Smoke and are 35 or older
10. Have diabetes with vascular complications
11. Regularly take medicines that raise potassium levels

Yacella May Be Appropriate If You:

1. Are a healthy adult woman with no contraindications to combined hormonal contraception
2. Have normal kidney and adrenal function and are not taking potassium-raising medicines
3. Prefer an every-day tablet format with no break period to manage
4. Have previously taken Lucette or Yasmin and are being offered Yacella as an equivalent preparation
5. Have no personal or family history of blood clots, stroke, or cardiovascular disease

Talk to Your Prescriber First If You:

1. Smoke and are under 35
2. Have a BMI above 30
3. Have a close family member who had a blood clot before the age of 50
4. Have migraines without aura
5. Are planning long-haul travel or face extended periods of immobility
6. Have a history of depression
7. Take any medicines that may affect potassium levels

Pharmacy Planet is a GPhC registered UK online pharmacy. Every Yacella prescription follows a clinical consultation reviewed individually by a registered prescriber. The consultation is the first step. A prescription is one possible outcome, not a guaranteed result.

Because Yacella contains drospirenone, your prescriber will specifically check for renal and adrenal insufficiency and review your full medicines list for potassium-raising interactions. This is a step that goes beyond the standard combined pill assessment and is specific to drospirenone-based preparations.

The prescriber may issue a prescription for Yacella, recommend a different preparation, suggest a different contraceptive method, ask for more information, or refer you for an in-person review. Completing the questionnaire gives the prescriber what they need to make that clinical judgement. It does not determine the outcome. Repeat prescriptions follow the same individual review, with no automatic renewal.

Store your tablets below 25°C, away from direct sunlight and damp. Keep them in the original blister strip so you can follow the pack order and track active versus inactive tablets. Store out of reach of children and check the expiry date on the carton before use.

Return any unused or out-of-date tablets to a pharmacy for safe disposal. UK pharmacies accept returned medicines at no charge. Do not flush tablets down the toilet or put them in household rubbish.

This reference guide compares the contraceptive preparations available at Pharmacy Planet, grouped by delivery method and formulation type. Every preparation is a Prescription Only Medicine. A registered prescriber will review your individual health profile, contraceptive history, and risk factors before recommending any preparation. This table is a clinical reference, not a recommendation.

Combined Oral Contraceptive Tablets (Monophasic)

Monophasic combined pills contain the same dose of both hormones in every active tablet. The table below compares commonly prescribed monophasic combined oral contraceptives by progestogen type, oestrogen dose, VTE risk category, pack format, and key clinical characteristics.

Important: This comparison is for general information only and does not replace medical advice. A prescriber will decide which treatment is suitable for you following an online consultation.

Yacella's drospirenone content requires a more detailed prescribing assessment than most combined pills. Potassium levels, kidney function, adrenal health, and co-prescribed medicines all become clinically relevant considerations that a prescriber must actively check. At Pharmacy Planet, our prescribers work through this assessment for every Yacella consultation. It is part of the process, not an optional add-on.

If Yacella is not appropriate for you, your prescriber will tell you and, wherever possible, suggest a suitable alternative. We do not approve prescriptions automatically, and our prescribers are not measured on speed of supply. Clinical accuracy comes first.

Our GPhC registration is publicly verifiable at www.pharmacyregulation.org. The Internet Pharmacy logo on our site confirms our regulated status. Our team is available before, during, and after your consultation for any questions.

• Stragen UK Ltd. Yacella 0.03 mg/3 mg film-coated tablets – Summary of Product Characteristics. Available at: www.medicines.org.uk/emc. Accessed May 2026.
• Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (FSRH). Combined Hormonal Contraception – Clinical Guidance. Available at: www.fsrh.org. Accessed May 2026.
• NHS. Combined pill – your contraception guide. Available at: www.nhs.uk/conditions/contraception/combined-contraceptive-pill. Accessed May 2026.
• British National Formulary (BNF). Ethinylestradiol with drospirenone. Available at: bnf.nice.org.uk. Accessed May 2026.
• MHRA. Combined hormonal contraceptives and venous thromboembolism – updated guidance. Available at: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/medicines-and-healthcare-products-regulatory-agency. Accessed May 2026.