Who Can and Cannot Use Progestin-Only Pills

Safe and Suitable for Nearly All Women

Nearly all women can use POPs safely and effectively, including women who:

Are breastfeeding (starting as soon as 6 weeks after childbirth)
Have or have not had children
Are not married
Are of any age, including adolescents and women over 40 years old
Have just had an abortion, miscarriage, or ectopic pregnancy
Smoke cigarettes, regardless of woman’s age or number of cigarettes smoked
Have anemia now or had in the past
Have varicose veins
Are infected with HIV, whether or not on antiretroviral therapy, unless that therapy includes ritonavir (see Progestin-Only Pills for Women With HIV, p. 30)

Women can begin using POPs:

Without a pelvic examination
Without any blood tests or other routine laboratory tests
Without cervical cancer screening
Without a breast examination
Even when a woman is not having monthly bleeding at the time, if it is reasonably certain she is not pregnant (see Pregnancy Checklist)

Pair of hands taking Progestin-Only 28 Day Pill