Many contraceptive brands contain exactly the same hormonal ingredients as each other, but are simply branded with a different name. This is because once a contraceptive drug or product has been around for a long time it is made ‘off license’ which means it can be produced and marketed by lots of different companies. So, to help them stand out, all these different companies each give the same drug a different name, which just confuses everyone!

The Lowdown’s combined pill groups

To make it easier to understand the differences between all the combined pills, we put them into groups below. We’ve grouped the brands of combined pill based on the type and level of oestrogen, as well as the type of progestogen. For more information on each of these brands, check out their contraceptive pages, and browse our contraception reviews.

Group	Oestrogen type	Oestrogen level	Progestogen type	Progestogen androgenicity	Brand names
1	Ethinylestradiol	Low	Levonorgestrel	Androgenic	Microlite
2	Ethinylestradiol	Low	Desogestrel	Less androgenic	Mercilon, Gedarel 20/150
3	Ethinylestradiol	Low	Gestodene	Less androgenic	Femodette, Millinette 20/75, Sunya 20/75
4	Ethinylestradiol	Low	Drospirenone	Anti-androgenic	Eloine
5	Ethinylestradiol	Medium	Levonorgestrel	Androgenic	Levest, Microgynon 30/75, Microgynon ED, Ovranette, Rigevidon, Maexini
6	Ethinylestradiol	Medium	Desogestrel	Less androgenic	Gedarel 30/50, Marvelon, Cimizt
7	Ethinylestradiol	Medium	Gestodene	Less androgenic	Femodene, Femodene ED, Katya 30/75, Millinette 30/75
8	Ethinylestradiol	Medium	Drospirenone	Anti-androgenic	Yasmin, Lucette
9	Ethinylestradiol	High	Norethisterone (1mg)	Androgenic	Norimin
10	Ethinylestradiol	High	Norethisterone (0.5mg)	Androgenic	Brevinor
11	Ethinylestradiol	High	Levonorgestrel	Androgenic	Logynon
12	Ethinylestradiol	High	Norgestimate	Less androgenic	Cilest, Lizinna, Cilique
13	Ethinylestradiol	High	Co-cyprindiol	Anti-androgenic	Dianette
14	Mestranol	Can’t compare	Norethisterone	Androgenic	Norinyl-1
15	Estradiol valerate	Can’t compare	Dienogest	Unknown	Qlaira
16	Estradiol hemihydrate	Can’t compare	Nomegestrol	Anti-androgenic	Zoely
17	Estetrol monohydrate	Can’t compare	Drospirenone	Anti-androgenic	Drovelis

What does low, medium and high oestrogen mean?

Traditionally every pill used the same type of synthetic oestrogen (ethinylestradiol) in varying concentrations. However, some newer pills contain a different type of oestrogen – the change in side effects from this are still being investigated. Your healthcare provider can change your pill brand according to the concentration of ethinylestradiol (low 15 to 20mcg, medium 30mcg or high 35mcg) based on side effects you may be experiencing. 

For example, a pill with a higher concentration of ethinylestradiol may help control bleeding more effectively and stop breakthrough bleeding. However, if you experience symptoms including bloating, breast pain, nausea, headaches or low libido, you can try to reduce oestrogen content using another brand to see if these improve. You can read more about this in our guide on what ethinylestradiol is and how it works.

What does progestogen androgenicity mean? 

The progestogen part of the combined pill can also cause an individual’s side effects to vary. Progestogen (or progestins) can be classed as “more androgenic” or “less/anti androgenic”. This means they have a greater or lesser effect on the male hormone (testosterone) receptors within the body. More androgenic progestogens can be associated with side effects such as acne and mood change. Anti-androgenic progestogens in combined pills may reduce libido and have a higher risk of blood clots. Check out our guide to androgens to learn more about this.

Brands of pill in the same group have the same hormonal ingredients and should theoretically be no different. You could also switch between brands in different groups and not notice any change in side effects, whereas others may be sensitive to the level of oestrogen or the type of progestogen.