Package Leaflet: Information for the Patient
Bijuva 1 mg/100 mg Soft CapsulesEstradiol/Progesterone
Read the entire package leaflet carefully before starting to take this medication, as it contains important information for you.
Follow the administration instructions for the medication contained in this package leaflet or as indicated by your pharmacist exactly.
Keep this package leaflet, as you may need to read it again.
If you need advice or more information, consult your pharmacist.
If you experience side effects, consult your pharmacist, even if they are side effects not listed in this package leaflet. See section 4. You should consult a doctor if it worsens or does not improve.
Contents of the Package Leaflet
Bijuva is indicated as hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
It contains two types of female hormones, an estrogen and a progestogen. Bijuva is used in postmenopausal women who have had their last natural period more than 1 year ago.
Relief of symptoms occurring after menopause
During menopause, the amount of estrogen produced by the woman's body decreases. This can cause symptoms such as heat in the face, neck, and chest ("hot flashes"). Bijuva relieves these symptoms after menopause.
You will be prescribed Bijuva only if your symptoms seriously affect your daily life.
Medical history and regular check-ups
The use of HRT involves risks that must be taken into account when deciding whether to start or continue treatment.
Experience in treating women with premature menopause (due to ovarian insufficiency or surgical intervention) is limited. If you have premature menopause, the risks of using HRT may be different. Consult your doctor.
Before starting (or resuming) HRT, your doctor will ask you about your personal and family medical history. Your doctor may decide to perform a physical examination. This may include a breast examination and/or an internal examination, if necessary.
Once treatment with Bijuva has started, you should visit your doctor for regular check-ups (at least once a year). During these check-ups, discuss the benefits and risks of continuing with Bijuva with your doctor.
Regular breast examinations should be performed, as recommended by your doctor.
Do not take Bijuva
consult your doctorbefore taking Bijuva,
Do not take Bijuva
If any of these diseases occur for the first time while you are taking Bijuva, stop treatment and consult your doctor immediately.
When to be especially careful with Bijuva
Tell your doctor if you have ever had any of the following problems, before starting treatment, as they may come back or get worse during treatment with Bijuva. If so, you should consult your doctor more frequently for check-ups:
Stop taking Bijuva and go to the doctor immediately
If you notice any of the following disorders when taking HRT:
for more information, see: "Blood clots in a vein (thrombosis)"
Note:Bijuva is not a contraceptive. If it has been less than 12 months since your last menstrual period or if you are under 50 years old, you may still need to use an additional contraceptive method to prevent pregnancy. Ask your doctor for advice.
HRT and cancer
Excessive thickening of the uterine lining (endometrial hyperplasia) and cancer of the uterine lining (endometrial cancer)
Taking HRT with estrogens alone will increase the risk of developing excessive thickening of the uterine lining (endometrial hyperplasia) and cancer of the uterine lining (endometrial cancer).
The progestogen in Bijuva protects against this additional risk.
Irregular bleeding
You may have irregular bleeding or spotting during the first 3-6 months of taking Bijuva. However, if irregular bleeding:
consult your doctor as soon as possible.
Breast cancer
Existing data show that the use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) with estrogen-progestogen combinations or with estrogen alone increases the risk of breast cancer. The additional risk depends on the duration of HRT use. The additional risk becomes apparent within 3 years of use. After stopping HRT, the additional risk will decrease over time, but the risk may persist for 10 years or more if HRT has been used for more than 5 years.
Comparison
In women aged 50-54 who are not using HRT, an average of 13-17 out of 1,000 will be diagnosed with breast cancer over a 5-year period.
In women aged 50 who start estrogen-only HRT for 5 years, there will be between 16 and 17 cases per 1,000 users (i.e., between 0 and 3 additional cases).
In women aged 50 who start HRT with estrogen-progestogen for 5 years, there will be 13-21 cases per 1,000 users (i.e., between 4-8 cases).
In women aged 50-59 who are not taking HRT, an average of 27 cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed per 1,000 women over a 10-year period.
In women aged 50 who start estrogen-only HRT for 10 years, there will be 34 cases per 1,000 users (i.e., 7 additional cases).
In women aged 50 who start HRT with estrogen-progestogen for 10 years, there will be 48 cases per 1,000 users (i.e., 21 additional cases).
In addition, it is recommended that you join breast cancer screening programs when offered. For breast cancer screening, it is important to inform the nurse/healthcare professional performing the X-ray that you are taking HRT, as these medications can increase breast density, which can affect the outcome of the mammogram. When breast density increases, the mammogram may not detect all lumps.
Ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer occurs less frequently than breast cancer. The use of HRT with estrogen alone or with estrogen-progestogen combinations has been associated with a slightly increased risk of ovarian cancer.
The risk of ovarian cancer varies with age. For example, in women aged 50-54 who are not taking HRT, about 2 cases of ovarian cancer are observed per 2,000 women over a 5-year period. In women taking HRT for 5 years, about 3 cases are observed per 2,000 patients (i.e., about 1 additional case).
Effects of HRT on the heart and circulation. Blood clots in a vein (thrombosis)
The risk of blood clots in the veinsis approximately 1.3 to 3 times higher in HRT users compared to non-users, especially during the first year of use. Blood clots can be serious and, if one moves to the lungs, can cause chest pain, difficulty breathing, fainting, or even death.
You are more likely to have a blood clot in the veins with age and if any of the following apply to you. Inform your doctor if any of these situations apply to you:
For symptoms of a blood clot, see "Stop taking Bijuva and go to the doctor immediately".
Comparison
In women in their fifties who are not taking HRT, it is expected that an average of 4 to 7 out of 1,000 will have a blood clot in a vein over a 5-year period.
In women in their fifties who have been taking HRT with estrogen-progestogen, there will be 9-12 cases per 1,000 users (i.e., 5 additional cases) over a 5-year period.
Coronary artery disease (heart attack)
There is no evidence that HRT prevents heart attacks. Women over 60 years old taking HRT with estrogen-progestogen are slightly more likely to develop heart disease than those not taking HRT.
Stroke
The risk of having a stroke is approximately 1.5 times higher in HRT users compared to non-users. The number of additional stroke cases due to HRT use will increase with age.
Comparison
In women in their fifties who are not taking HRT, it is expected that an average of 8 out of 1,000 will have a stroke over a 5-year period. For women in their fifties taking HRT, there will be 11 cases per 1,000 users over a 5-year period (i.e., 3 additional cases).
Other diseases
HRT does not prevent memory loss. There is some evidence of greater memory loss in women who start using HRT after the age of 65. Consult your doctor.
Children
Bijuva should not be used in children.
Using Bijuva with other medicines
Bijuva may affect the way other medicines work. Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, have recently taken, or might take any other medicines. Some medicines may interfere with the effect of Bijuva, which may lead to irregular bleeding. These medicines are:
HRT may affect the way other medicines work:
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are using or have recently used other medicines, including those obtained without a prescription, herbal medicines, and other natural products.
Your doctor will advise you.
Lab tests
If you need a blood test, inform your doctor or the laboratory staff that you are taking Bijuva, as this medication may affect the results of some tests.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding
Bijuva is indicated only in postmenopausal women. If you become pregnant while taking Bijuva, you should stop treatment and contact your doctor.
Excipients
Bijuva contains the colorant Allura Red. Bijuva contains 0.042 mg of Allura Red (E129) per capsule. It may cause allergic reactions. It may trigger asthma, especially in patients allergic to acetylsalicylic acid.
Take one capsule a day with food.
Take this medication every day without any break in treatment.
If you take more Bijuva than you should
If you have taken more Bijuva than you should, you may feel drowsy, dizzy, dazed, or tired.
If you have taken more Bijuva than you should, consult your doctor or pharmacist immediately, or call the Toxicology Information Service (Tel: 91 562 04 20) indicating the medication and the amount used.
If you forget to take Bijuva
If you forget a dose, take it as soon as you remember. However, if more than 12 hours have passed, skip the missed dose.
Do not take a double dose to make up for a missed dose.
The likelihood of unexpected bleeding or spotting may increase.
If you stop taking Bijuva
Do not stop taking Bijuva without talking to your doctor first. If you have doubts about the use of this product, consult your doctor or pharmacist.
If you need to have surgery
If you are going to have surgery, inform the surgeon that you are taking Bijuva. You may need to stop treatment with Bijuva for about 4-6 weeks before surgery to reduce the risk of blood clots (see also section 2 "Blood clots in a vein"). Ask your doctor when you can resume treatment with Bijuva.
Like all medicines, Bijuva can produce adverse effects, although not all people suffer from them.
The following diseases occur more frequently in women who use THS compared to women who do not take THS:
For more information on these adverse effects, see section 2.
Report to your doctor if you notice any of the following adverse effects during the use of Bijuva:
Very frequent (affects more than 1 in 10 people)
Frequent (affects less than 1 in 10 people)
Infrequent (affects less than 1 in 100 people)
Rare (affects less than 1 in 1,000 people)
Very rare (affects less than 1 in 10,000 people)
The following adverse effects have been reported with other THS:
Adverse Effect Reporting
If you experience any type of adverse effect, consult your doctor, pharmacist, or nurse, even if it is a possible adverse effect that does not appear in this prospectus. You can also report them directly through the Spanish Pharmacovigilance System for Human Use Medicines: https://www.notificaram.es/. By reporting adverse effects, you can contribute to providing more information on the safety of this medicine.
Keep this medicine out of sight and reach of children.
This medicine does not require special temperature storage conditions. Keep the blister pack in the outer packaging to protect it from light.
Do not use this medicine after the expiration date that appears on the packaging after "CAD". The expiration date is the last day of the month indicated.
Do not use this medicine if you observe visible signs of deterioration.
Medicines should not be thrown away through wastewater or household waste. Deposit the packaging and medicines you no longer need at the SIGRE point in the pharmacy. In case of doubt, ask your pharmacist how to dispose of the packaging and medicines you no longer need. This way, you will help protect the environment.
The active ingredients are estradiol (as estradiol hemihydrate) and progesterone.
The other components are: medium-chain mono/diglycerides, lauroyl macrogolglycerides 32, gelatin 200 Bloom, hydrolyzed gelatin, glycerin (E422), Allura Red (E129), titanium dioxide (E171), propylene glycol (E1520), polyvinyl acetate phthalate, polyethylene glycol (E1521), and ammonium hydroxide (E527).
Appearance of the Product and Package Contents
Bijuva capsules are oval, opaque, light pink on one side and dark pink on the other side, printed with "1C1" in white ink.
They are supplied in blister packs containing 28 or 84 capsules.
Only some package sizes may be marketed.
Marketing Authorization Holder
Theramex Ireland Limited
3rd Floor, Kilmore House,
Park Lane, Spencer Dock,
Dublin 1
D01 YE64
Ireland
Manufacturer
Pfizer Italia S.R.L.,
Localita Marino Del Tronto
63100 Ascoli Piceno (AP)
Italy
You can request more information about this medicine by contacting the local representative of the marketing authorization holder:
Theramex Healthcare Spain, S.L.
Calle Martínez Villergas 52, Edificio C, planta 2ª izquierda.
28027 Madrid
Spain
This medicine is authorized in the EEA member states with the following name:
Netherlands: Bijuva 1 mg/100mg soft capsules
Belgium: Bijuva 1 mg/100mg soft capsules
Luxembourg, Italy, France, Poland: Bijuva
Germany: Bijuva 1mg/100mg soft capsules
Spain: Bijuva 1 mg/100 mg soft capsules
Date of the last revision of this prospectus: May 2025
Detailed information about this medicine is available on the website of the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS) (https://www.aemps.gob.es/)