Contraceptive advice following the use of Sugammadex

Patient Information factsheet

What is Sugammadex and what is it used for?

• When you are given an anaesthetic, you are also often given a medication to help relax your muscles.
• This allows the surgeon to operate under the best conditions and helps the anaesthetist to control your breathing.
• At the end of your operation, the action of this medicine needs to be reversed before you wake up.
• This 'reversal' medicine is called Sugammadex.
• Important information - Sugammadex can affect hormonal contraception and make it less effective. It can temporarily increase your chances of getting pregnant.

If you have taken your oral contraceptive pill already

• If you have taken your oral contraceptive pill already today and have been given Sugammadex you must treat this day as a "missed pill" day.
• Oral contraceptives include:
  • The combined contraceptive pill
  • The progestogen-only pill (e.g. Desogestrel, Levonorgestrel, Northisterone, Drospirenone)
• Please follow the 'missed pill' advice from the leaflet of your oral contraceptive.

If you use any other form of hormonal contraceptive like:

• A contraceptive implant (e.g. Nexplanon®, Implanon®)
• A hormonal Intrauterine system (IUS e.g. Mirena®, Kyleena ®, Jaydess®, Levosert ®)
• The contraceptive injection (e.g. Depo-Provera ®, Sayana®, Noristerat ®
• The contraceptive patch (e.g. EVRA®)
• The vaginal ring (e.g. Nuvaring®)
• You must use a barrier method of contraception, such as condoms, for the next seven days and follow the advice from the leaflet of your contraceptive product.

Further information and support

• Please talk to your anaesthetist or use the following link: EMC - https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/product/14949/smpc

• You can also contact your local sexual health clinic for further information.

• To find your local clinic visit: https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/sexual-health/find-a-sexual-health-clinio