The Pill

There’s around 100 million women worldwide who use the contraceptive pill, so if you’re thinking about it, you’re certainly not alone!

What’s in it and how does it work?

In a nutshell, there’s two female hormones in the pill – an oestrogen and a progestogen. The combination of these stops women ovulating, and if you don’t ovulate, you don’t get pregnant….it also makes it harder for sperm to reach an egg. Having said that, the pill is not 100% guaranteed and doesn’t protect against HIV or AIDS either….nothing beats a condom!!

How to take it

To work effectively, you have to take your pill at the same time every day. If you miss one, take it as soon as you remember and then carry on taking them as normal.

The idea is that you take one pill every day until you finish an entire pack. A pack normally contains 21 pills, so you take one pill every day for 21 days, no pills for 7 days, then you start a new pack. Write yourself a reminder to start taking them again after a week to remind you!

Other benefits
Because you don’t have a proper period, but a ‘withdrawal’ bleed every month, your periods are often lighter and shorter than normal. So if you have problems with really heavy or painful periods, the pill could be your answer to that monthly agony!

Who shouldn’t take it?
Women who smoke, have migraines, gallbladder disease, hypertension, diabetes, epilepsy, sickle cell disease, elective surgery, a history of blood clots, liver or heart disease may not be able to take the pill. Have a chat with your doctor and see if the pill (and which pill) is right for you.

Helpful tip!
Try to link taking the pill with a regular activity that you do at the same time every day, like eating a meal, brushing your teeth or when your alarm clock goes off in the morning. Then you’re less likely to forget it!!

The pill is free on the NHS, so if you’re seriously thinking about it then get down to your local GP for a chat now!