In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For drospirenone and ethinyl estradiol, the following should be considered:

Allergies—Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to estrogens or progestins. Also tell your health care professional if you are allergic to any other substances, such as foods, preservatives, or dyes.

Pregnancy—Drospirenone and ethinyl estradiol is not recommended for use during pregnancy and should be discontinued if you become pregnant or think you are pregnant. Women who are not breast-feeding may begin to take oral contraceptives four weeks after having a baby.

Breast-feeding—Drospirenone and ethinyl estradiol pass into the breast milk and can change the content or lower the amount of breast milk. Also, they may shorten a woman's ability to breast-feed. It may be necessary for you to use another method of birth control or to stop breast-feeding while taking drospirenone and ethinyl estradiol.

Healthy women who do not smoke cigarettes have almost no chance of having a severe side effect from taking oral contraceptives. For most women, more problems occur because of pregnancy than will occur from taking oral contraceptives. But for some women who have special health problems, oral contraceptives can cause some unwanted effects. Some of these unwanted effects include benign (not cancerous) liver tumors, liver cancer, or blood clots or related problems, such as a stroke. Although these effects are very rare, they can be serious enough to cause death. You may want to discuss these effects with your doctor.

Smoking cigarettes during the use of oral contraceptives has been found to greatly increase the chances of these serious side effects occurring. To reduce the risk of serious side effects, do not smoke cigarettes while you are taking oral contraceptives.

The following side effects may be caused by blood clots. Get emergency help immediately if any of the following side effects occur:

Abdominal or stomach pain (sudden, severe, or continuing);  anxiety;  burning pain in lower abdomen ;  changes in skin color;  chill;  coughing up blood;  convulsions;  fever;  feeling of heat;  feeling of warmth in lips and tongue;  headache (severe or sudden);  loss of coordination (sudden);  loss of vision or change in vision (sudden);  nervousness;  numbness of the fingertips;  pain in lower back, pelvis, or stomach;  pains in chest, groin, or leg (especially in calf of leg);  ringing in the ears;  shortness of breath (sudden or unexplained);  slurring of speech (sudden);  sudden loss of consciousness ;  swelling of foot or leg;  weakness, numbness, or pain in arm or leg (unexplained) 

Check with your doctor as soon as possible if any of the following side effects occur:

More common—usually less common after the first 3 months of oral contraceptive use

Changes in the uterine bleeding pattern at menses or between menses, such as decreased bleeding at menses, breakthrough bleeding or spotting between periods, prolonged bleeding at menses, complete stopping of menstrual bleeding that occurs over several months in a row, or stopping of menstrual bleeding that only occurs sometimes 

Headaches or migraines (although headaches may lessen in many users, in others, they may increase in number or become worse);  increased blood pressure;  vaginal infection with vaginal itching or irritation, or thick, white, or curd-like discharge  

Mental depression;  swelling, pain, or tenderness in upper abdominal area 

For women who smoke tobacco

Pains in stomach, side, or abdomen;  yellow eyes or skin 

For women with a history of breast disease

Lumps in breast 

Other side effects may occur that usually do not need medical attention. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. However, check with your doctor if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome:

Abdominal cramping or bloating;  acne (usually less common after first 3 months and may improve if acne already exists);  breast pain, tenderness, or swelling;  dizziness;  nausea;  swelling of ankles and feet;  unusual tiredness or weakness;  vomiting