Contraceptive Pill Styles Revealed

That is an introductory explanation of the various kinds of oral contraceptive pills that could allow you to finally select the one which is most beneficial for your body. 50 years on, we’ve unearthed that the oral contraceptive pill for women still prevents pregnancy when it is comprised of much lower doses of estrogen and progestin than in the first days. ‘The Pill’ used to contain 50-100 micrograms of estrogen and today it contains only 20-35 micrograms, with researchers trying to reduce this amount further to reduce side effects. Synthetic hormones (estrogen/ethinyl estradiol and progestin) utilized in contraceptive pills mimic the natural hormones (oestrogen and progesterone) made by the ovaries, adrenal gland and liver.

Estrogen’s main job in a contraceptive pill is to prevent ovulation (release of an egg from the woman’s ovary). Progestin in the pill, whilst it does possess some intermittent impact on ovulation (about 50% of the time) is relied on mainly to thicken the mucus round the cervix to avoid sperm from getting to an egg.

Contraceptive Pills can be found in two basic types: single hormone pills (progestin only) and combination hormone pills (estrogen + progestin) Pills are given in two basic packs- 28 day pill packs= 3 weeks of active hormone pills +1 week placebo pills and 21 day pill packs= 3 weeks of active hormone pills without placebo pills.

PROGESTIN only pills (the ‘mini pill’) don’t contain estrogen and just have a small amount of progestin in them. Breastfeeding women are often prescribed these ‘mini pills’ (estrogen might cause a lowering of milk supply) as well as women who cannot take synthetic estrogen for medical reasons. Unwanted effects are less than pills containing estrogen and they are not associated with heart problems, however, irregular bleeding /spotting/mood swings may occur. Progestin only pills MUST be taken at the same time frame every day and are affected by vomiting or diarrhoea.This type of contraceptive pill is not afflicted with antibiotics.

COMBINATION PILLS- contain estrogen and progestin and could be further categorized as being Monophasic, Biphasic or Triphasic- what exactly do these terms mean? Pills are put in these categories according to whether or not the quantities of hormones they contain stay exactly the same through the entire first three weeks of a woman’s menstrual cycle (in 28 day pill packs, the pills for the fourth week in the pack are placebo or ‘reminder pills’ that are inactive and don’t contain any hormones)

MONOPHASIC Pill- is one which contains exactly the same quantity of hormones in every ACTIVE pill so you are less likely to have mood swings as your hormone levels don’t vary much through the entire month. Popular monophasic pills include:Alesse, Brevicon, Desogen, Levlen, Levlite, Loestrin, Modicon, Nelova, Nordette, Norinyl,Ortho-Cept, Ortho-Cyclen, Ortho-Novum, Ovcon, Yasmin. In 2003 the FDA approved a brand new packaging of a monophasic contraceptive pill called Seasonale. This pill is taken for 91 days, during which no periods occur -so in 12 months, women taking this pill will only have 4 periods (for the initial year though, expect exactly the same no. of menstrual days just like a conventional contraceptive pill till your body adjusts)

BIPHASIC PIll- is one which contains different amounts of hormones through the entire pack. These pills alter your hormone levels once through your cycle by increasing the dosage of progestin about halfway throughout your cycle and are thought to better match your body’s natural production of hormones- they contain smaller doses of hormones altogether than monophasic pills. buy tramadol online  However, insufficient evidence has been gathered to favour these pills over monophasic ones, where far more reliable data can be obtained so monophasic pills are preferred. Breakthrough bleeding has been reported as a complication with one of these pills. Popular biphasic pills include : Jenest, Mircette, Necon 10/11, Nelova 10/11, Ortho-Novum 10/11. Attempts to decrease negative effects resulted in the three-phase pill in the 1980s.

TRIPHASE pill- is one which contains 3 different amounts of hormones in the ACTIVE pills over three weeks, i.e. a big change in hormone levels within the body occurs every 7 days for the initial 3 weeks.. The dose of estrogen is gradually increased and in a few pills, the dose of progestin can also be increased. Whether three-phase pills cause fewer pregnancies than two-phase pills is unknown. Nor could it be known if the pills give better cycle control or have fewer side effects. Try to find the ‘TRI’ on the label such as:Ortho Tri-Cyclen, Triphasil, Tri-Levlen, Trivora, Tri-Norinyl, other brands include: Cyclessa, Ortho-Novum 7/7/7.

The Best Pill to Take – All contraceptive pills are effective if taken correctly, with combination pills (containing both estrogen and progestin) being more effective compared to low dose ‘mini pill’ ;.Monophasic pills may be the best to begin with as they are cheaper and those with lower amounts of estrogen may have fewer negative effects (but more breakthrough bleeding)

Always use back up (a condom or diaphragm) for the rest of the month in the event that you miss a pill. Trial and error, negative effects and talking to your doctor should allow you to locate a contraceptive pill that suits your body. Pregnancies occur mainly when women forget to have a pill or bring them incorrectly, vomit, get diarrhoea or, in the case of the mini pill, don’t take pills at the same time frame each day. It is very easy to begin a pill packet late if you only forget or in the event that you don’t have the following new packet on hand. Probably the most dangerous time and energy to miss a pill is at the end or beginning of a supply since it lengthens the pill free gap beyond 7 days meaning that you may not have absorbed sufficient synthetic hormones to prevent you from ovulating next month.

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