Levonorgestrel is a hormonal medication which is used in a number of birth control methods.[3][7] It is combined with an estrogen to make combination birth control pills.[8] As an emergency birth control, sold under the brand names Plan B One-Step and Julie, among others, it is useful within 72 hours of unprotected sex.[3][7][9] The more time that has passed since sex, the less effective the medication becomes, and it does not work after pregnancy (implantation) has occurred.[7] Levonorgestrel works by preventing ovulation or fertilization from occurring.[10] It decreases the chances of pregnancy by 57–93%.[11] In an intrauterine device (IUD), such as Mirena among others, it is effective for the long-term prevention of pregnancy.[7] A levonorgestrel-releasing implant is also available in some countries.[12]
Common side effects include nausea, breast tenderness, headaches, and increased, decreased, or irregular menstrual bleeding.[7] When used as an emergency contraceptive, if pregnancy occurs, there is no evidence that its use harms the fetus.[7] It is safe to use during breastfeeding.[7] Birth control that contains levonorgestrel will not change the risk of sexually transmitted infections.[7] It is a progestin and has effects similar to those of the hormone progesterone.[7] It works primarily by preventing ovulation and closing off the cervix to prevent the passage of sperm.[7]
Levonorgestrel was patented in 1960 and introduced for medical use together with ethinylestradiol in 1970.[13][14] It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines.[15] It is available as a generic medication.[16] In the United States, levonorgestrel-containing emergency contraceptives are available over the counter (OTC) for all ages.[17] In 2020, it was the 323rd most commonly prescribed medication in the United States, with more than 800thousand prescriptions.[18]
^ ab"Levonorgestrel Use During Pregnancy". Drugs.com. 23 March 2020. Archived from the original on 2 July 2020. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
^"Jaydess 13.5 mg intrauterine delivery system - Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC)". (emc). 1 July 2022. Archived from the original on 13 April 2021. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
^ abc"Plan B One-Step- levonorgestrel tablet". DailyMed. 21 December 2022. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
^ abcdeCite error: The named reference pmid16112947 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Cite error: The named reference pmid8842581 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ abCite error: The named reference ShoupeHaseltine2012 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ abcdefghij"Progestins (Etonogestrel, Levonorgestrel, Norethindrone)". The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. Archived from the original on 2015-09-07. Retrieved Aug 21, 2015.
^Postgraduate Gynecology. Jaypee Brothers Medical Pub. 2011. p. 159. ISBN 9789350250822. Archived from the original on 2015-09-26.
^"Levonorgestrel 1.5 mg Tablet Emergency Contraceptive: New Drug Application 21998, Supplement 5" (PDF). U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
^"Now Is the Time to Change Label on Emergency Contraceptives". Relias Media | Online Continuing Medical Education | Relias Media - Continuing Medical Education Publishing. Retrieved 2022-08-16.
^Gemzell-Danielsson K (November 2010). "Mechanism of action of emergency contraception". Contraception. 82 (5): 404–409. doi:10.1016/j.contraception.2010.05.004. PMID 20933113.
^"Chapter 1". Research on reproductive health at WHO : biennial report 2000-2001. Geneva: World health organization. 2002. ISBN 9789241562089. Archived from the original on 2015-09-26.
^Fischer J, Ganellin CR (2006). Analogue-based Drug Discovery. John Wiley & Sons. p. 479. ISBN 9783527607495. Archived from the original on 2021-08-28. Retrieved 2020-08-05.
^Cite error: The named reference Roth2014 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^World Health Organization (2019). World Health Organization model list of essential medicines: 21st list 2019. Geneva: World Health Organization. hdl:10665/325771. WHO/MVP/EMP/IAU/2019.06. License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.
^Hamilton RJ (2014). Tarascon pocket pharmacopoeia : 2014 deluxe lab-pocket edition (15th ed.). Sudbury: Jones & Bartlett Learning. pp. 310–312. ISBN 9781284053999. Archived from the original on 2015-09-26.
^"FDA approves Plan B One-Step emergency contraceptive for use without a prescription for all women of child-bearing potential" (Press release). June 20, 2013. Archived from the original on 14 January 2016. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
^"Levonorgestrel - Drug Usage Statistics". ClinCalc. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
Levonorgestrel is a hormonal medication which is used in a number of birth control methods. It is combined with an estrogen to make combination birth control...
intrauterine device that releases a progestogenic hormonal agent such as levonorgestrel into the uterus. It is used for birth control, heavy menstrual periods...
rapidly. Copper devices have a failure rate of about 0.8% while hormonal (levonorgestrel) devices fail about 0.2% of the time within the first year of use. In...
available, including combined estrogen and progestin pills; progestin-only (levonorgestrel, LNG) pills; and antiprogestin (ulipristal acetate or mifepristone)...
Levonorgestrel cyclopropylcarboxylate (developmental code name HRP-003), or levonorgestrel 17β-cyclopropylcarboxylate, is a progestin and a progestogen...
Levonorgestrel acetate (LNG-A), or levonorgestrel 17β-acetate, also known as 3-ketonorgestimate, is a progestin which was never marketed. It is a progestogen...
Levonorgestrel cyclobutylcarboxylate (or levonorgestrel 17β-cyclobutylcarboxylate; developmental code name HRP-001) is a progestin and a progestogen ester...
medication is a prodrug of norelgestromin and to a lesser extent of levonorgestrel in the body. Norgestimate was patented in 1965 and introduced for medical...
and ethinylestradiol G03AA06 Norgestrel and ethinylestradiol G03AA07 Levonorgestrel and ethinylestradiol G03AA08 Medroxyprogesterone and ethinylestradiol...
of countries by emergency contraceptive availability. (LNG refers to Levonorgestrel and UPA refers to Ulipristal acetate). "Countries with non-prescription...
prevent prolonged menstrual bleeding. The hormonal IUD (Mirena) releases levonorgestrel which thins the uterine lining, preventing excessive bleeding and loss...
enantiomer, levonorgestrel, whereas the dextro isomer is inactive. As such, norgestrel is identical in its hormonal activity to levonorgestrel except that...
combination of ethinyl estradiol and levonorgestrel, specifically 1 mg of norgestrel (or 0.50mg of levonorgestrel) and 100 mcg of ethinyl estradiol ASAP...
Levonorgestrel butanoate (LNG-B) (developmental code name HRP-002), or levonorgestrel 17β-butanoate, is a steroidal progestin of the 19-nortestosterone...
rate 1.4%) and is more effective than levonorgestrel. Mifepristone is also more effective than levonorgestrel, while copper IUDs are the most effective...
among the most potent progestogens available, along with gestodene and levonorgestrel (which have effective ovulation-inhibiting dosages 40 μg/day and 60 μg/day...
have 2- to 3-fold the risk of VTE of birth control pills containing levonorgestrel in retrospective cohort and nested case–control observational studies...
taken at the time of intercourse, or within a few days afterwards: Levonorgestrel, sold under the brand name Plan B Ulipristal acetate Mifepristone and...
common versions are the single-rod etonogestrel implant and the two-rod levonorgestrel implant. Brands include: Norplant, Jadelle (Norplant II), Implanon,...
pregnancies, and prevents more pregnancies than emergency contraception with levonorgestrel. Ulipristal acetate is available by prescription for emergency contraception...