Take Camrese at the same time every day. None of the pills in your pack are inactive (without hormones) so it’s important you don’t skip a pill. Before starting Camrese, pick a time that works for you and your schedule, every day of the week.

Most women take Camrese with a sip of water but if you experience any nausea or stomach upset this way, try having your daily pill with a snack or small meal.

Your Camrese pack comes with 91 total pills. It’s in an extended-cycle pack which looks like three conventional birth control packs attached to each other. The first two will have 28 pills (four weeks) in each of them and the last pack has an extra week of estrogen-only pills. That’s when you’ll have your period, before starting a new extended-cycle pack.

Like other hormonal birth control pills, Camrese can be up to 99% effective when taken “perfectly.” That means that if 100 hypothetical women took Camrese every day for a year, one of them might become pregnant. Of course, taking a medication perfectly can be difficult — we’re only human. Missing the occasional pill or taking it late lowers the effectiveness to the mid-high nineties. That’s still a lot of protection.

For the full instructions on what to do if you miss a pill, refer to the patient info that comes with your birth control. Here’s a quick look at what you need to do.

If you miss one light blue-green pill, take it as soon as you remember — even if that means taking two pills in one day.

If you miss two light blue-green pills in a row, take two pills on the day you remember and two pills the next day. Your protection has been compromised, so use condoms for the next week.

If you miss three or more light blue-green pills in a row, don’t take the missed pills. Just take one pill every day until you’ve finished the pack. Your protection has been compromised, so use condoms for the next week.

If you miss any of the seven yellow estrogen-only pills, don’t take the missed pill(s). Just take one pill every day until you’ve finished the pack.

If you’re ever not sure what to do or worried about your protection levels, use condoms when you have sex and keep taking Camrese until you’re able to speak with the doctor.

You won’t have a period every month with Camrese or other extended-cycle birth control. Instead, you’ll have it every three months, during the week you’re taking the yellow estrogen-only pills. It’s likely that this period will be shorter and lighter than what you’d normally experience off hormonal birth control.

Yes, Camrese can cause side effects. Most of the common side effects are mild and will go away on their own, and any serious side effects are very rare. However, it’s still important to know what they are so that you’re able to see a doctor if you experience any of them. Here’s what to look out for.

You shouldn’t gain any weight while taking Camrese. Hormonal birth control can make you bloated or change your appetite, which can in turn change the number on the scale — but the birth control itself will not make you gain or lose weight. If you are experiencing an uncomfortable amount of bloating or severe changes to your appetite, get in touch with the doctor through the EveAdam chat feature in your account. It might be time to try a new pill.

Camrese can help with acne, but there are other birth control pills which are FDA-approved to specifically treat acne in addition to preventing pregnancy. If you just want a little boost to your skin, you’re likely to get it with Camrese — the hormones in birth control change how much oil your body produces, which usually makes acne better. If you’re looking for more help than that, speak to the doctor about it during your consultation so they can suggest one of the pills that’s better known for treating acne.

Yes. Camrese is the generic version of Seasonique. It’s made by Teva.

There are other extended-cycle birth control pills with the same formulation as Camrese and Seasonique. They include Amethia, Daysee, Ashlyna and Jaminess.

Generics are all equally effective but will likely look different and have different prices — and while the active ingredients (hormones) are the same, they may have other inactive ingredients.

Camrese Lo is, well, a lower-dose version of Camrese. The seven yellow estrogen-only pills are the same in both packs, but the first 84 pills have a slightly different amount of levonorgestrel and ethinyl estradiol.

If you’re sensitive to hormones but want to take an extended-cycle birth control, talk to the doctor about Camrese Lo during your consultation. It may be a good option for you.

Lo Loestrin contains the lowest daily dose of estrogen possible — .01mg — in every active pill. Camrese Lo has this amount in the estrogen-only pills, but the first 84 pills in your Camrese pack have a higher dose of estrogen alongside the progestin.

Put simply, Lo Loestrin is unlike anything else on the market. If you really want a low dose of estrogen (but not a progestin-only birth control), it’s the way to go. Because it’s a brand-name medication, though, it can be quite expensive. Camrese Lo is a good alternative to try.