What exactly is the oral contraceptive pill, what does it have in it and how does it work? And how does the pill have generations? What is the story about 3rd generation pills supposedly being bad for you? nzgirl checks it out....
What is Oestrogen and how does it work?
Oestrogen is a powerful female sex hormone that regulates many aspects of our lives. During puberty it stimulates breast growth, lays down fatty deposits, thickens the vagina and causes it to secrete mucus. It affects how our skin looks, whether our bones are strong and healthy, and can protect us against heart disease.
It also regulates our menstrual cycle. At the beginning of our cycle, about 30 egg follicles will start to ripen and produce oestrogen. When levels of oestrogen in the blood are highest the brain tells a follicle to release an egg (Ovulation.) If you are not producing enough oestrogen you will not ovulate.
Oestrogen can also affect your mood and it is thought that pre-menstrual syndrome, post-natal depression and menopausal depression are caused by falling levels of oestrogen. Your exposure to oestrogen may also have an effect on your risk of developing breast cancer as it attaches itself to receptors in the breast on the surface of cells and stimulates them to divide in anticipation of producing milk, it is this division of cells that is thought to cause the risk.
What is Progestogen and how does it work?
Progestogen is also a hormone produced in the body. It thicken the fluid (mucus) at the neck of the womb (cervix) which makes it hard for sperm to travel through. It also makes the lining of the womb less likely to accept a fertilised egg.) Progesterone is a sex steroid that is produced by the ovaries and adrenal glands and plays an important role in pregnancy, preparing the uterus' lining for implantation of a fertile egg and then helping to maintain it during pregnancy. It also signals the uterus to shed its lining if pregnancy doesn't occur, resulting in a period. The synthetic progestins that are used in oral contraceptives quickly mature uterine lining cells. When you stop taking the progesterone, the uterine lining is sloughed off and bleeding occurs. It takes only low doses, 5-10 mg, to achieve this affect. Progestogen is a relaxant, and can make women feel low in mood.
What is the Combined pill?
The combined oral contraceptive pill contains oestrogen and progestogen in the form of synthetic progesterone.
How does the Combined pill work ?
The combined oral contraceptive pill uses oestrogen and progestogen to prevent ovulation and encourage cervical mucus to form a barrier to sperm. It also alters the movement of the fallopian tubes to slow the journey of the sperm and egg and makes the lining of the uterus thinner and inhospitable to a fertilised egg.
How reliable is the Combined pill?
If taken according to instruction it is over 99% effective. Most combined pill failures are caused by forgetting to take the pills or having something happen that the user did not realise could affect the way the pill works, e.g. diarrhoea or vomiting. Antibiotics interfere with the pill so use condoms while taking antibiotics and for 7 days afterwards.
To make the pill as effective as it can be you must remember to:
- Take it regularly.
- Use another contraceptive method as well if you miss a pill or are sick, have severe diarrhoea, or are taking medicines which may interfere with the pill.
How many different generations of combined pill are there?
There have been three “generations” of progestogens used in oral contraceptives. The WHO (World Health Organisation) study found that the second generation progestogen called levonorgestrel, was only half as likely to be associated with blood clots compared to the third generation progestogens called desogestrel and gestodene.
What the WHO study actually established is that the second generation progestogens had a lower incidence of blood clots than previously thought, while the third generation progestogens risks were not associated with high risks, as believed.
As a result of the WHO study the Committee on Safety of Medicines issued a press release to the media recommending that women taking third generation combined oral contraceptive pills should change to second-generation preparations.
If you're on a 3rd generation contraceptive pill and have concerns about the risks associated with it, talk to your doctor.
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What exactly is the oral contraceptive pill, what does it have in it and how does it work? And how does the pill have generations? What is the story about 3rd generation pills supposedly being bad for you? nzgirl checks it out....
Oestrogen can also affect your mood and it is thought that pre-menstrual syndrome, post-natal depression and menopausal depression are caused by falling levels of oestrogen. Your exposure to oestrogen may also have an effect on your risk of developing breast cancer as it attaches itself to receptors in the breast on the surface of cells and stimulates them to divide in anticipation of producing milk, it is this division of cells that is thought to cause the risk.
What is Progestogen and how does it work?
What is the Combined pill?