Anaesthetics - Sugammadex

Today you have been given Sugammadex, an anaesthetic drug that decreases the levels of hormonal contraceptive in your body for 7 days after it is given. This may temporarily increase the chances of pregnancy in the 7 days following your surgery.

What is Sugammadex?

For certain surgeries your anaesthetist may give a drug to relax the muscles in your body, to provide better operating conditions for the surgeons. Sugammadex (BRIDION®) is a drug used at the end of an operation to reverse the effects of these muscle relaxing drugs. This ensures you can be woken up safely. One of the side effects of Sugammadex is that it decreases the effectiveness of hormonal contraception.

If you take the oral contraceptive pill

This includes:

Progesterone only contraceptive (‘mini pill’)

e.g. Noriday®, Norgeston®, Cerelle®, Aizea®

Combined oral contraceptive (‘pill’)

e.g. Loestrin 20®, Gedarel®20/150mcg, Milinette® 20/75mcg, Levest®, Rigevidon®, Ovranette®, Microgynon 30®, Loestrin 30®, Ovysmen®, Brevinor®, Microgynon ED®, Logynon®

If you have been given Sugammadex and have taken your pill this morning or are due to take it later in the day, it is the equivalent to one missed pill.

Please follow the missed pill advice in the leaflet in your oral contraceptive packet.

If you are taking any other type of hormonal contraceptive

This includes:

Contraceptive implant e.g. Nexplanon®

Hormonal Intra-Uterine System (IUS) e.g. Kyleena®, Levosert®, Mirena®

The contraceptive injection e.g. DepoProvera®, Sayana Press®

The contraceptive patch e.g. Evra®

Vaginal ring e.g. NuvaRing®

Please use a barrier method of contraception, such as condoms, for the next 7 days.

Summary

Today you have been given an anaesthetic drug called sugammadex that temporarily decreases the effectiveness of hormonal contraception.

If you take the combined or progesterone only oral contraceptive pill, please follow the missed pill advice in the leaflet from the oral contraception packet.

If you use another form of hormonal contraception such as the implant, intra-uterine system (IUS), injection, patch or vaginal ring, please use barrier contraception such as condoms for the next 7 days.