Combined pill how does it work

On this page. By Dr Mitra Dutt. Types of contraception There are four main types of contraception: Hormonal - as above, this affects your hormones to prevent ovulation and pregnancy. Includes the contraceptive pill, patch and ring as well as the longer acting reversible contraceptives, comprising of the implant, intrauterine system and injection Barrier - this stops sperm from reaching eggs, preventing fertilisation.

Includes condoms, diaphragm and femidom. Intrauterine - a device inserted into your uterus creating an environment that stops an egg from embedding. Sterilisation - this is an irreversible surgical procedure that seals or blocks your fallopian tubes, preventing an egg or sperm from meeting.

The contraceptive pill The pill is a form of hormonal contraception that works by changing the menstrual cycle. The two types of contraception pill are: The combined pill contains synthetic versions of the hormones oestrogen and progesterone.

These hormones are produced during the menstrual cycle. The progestogen-only pill, known as the mini pill or POP, which contains synthetic versions of progesterone. Considering contraception? View our contraception options. Allowing for mistakes, it is 93 per cent effective. There are many different brands of the pill.

Most come in a day pack that includes both hormone and sugar pills. Speak to your doctor, nurse or pharmacist for advice about which brand is most suitable for you. You will usually have your period bleeding from your vagina while taking the sugar pills. You can skip your period by missing the sugar pills and continuing to take the hormone pills each day. It also thickens the fluid around the cervix opening to the uterus or womb to prevent the sperm from entering.

When you start the pill for the first time, or after a break from the pill, it can take up to 12 days to start working to prevent pregnancy. This depends on whether you start with the hormone pill or sugar pill. Speak with a doctor, nurse or pharmacist about the best way to start taking the pill. Your doctor can provide a script for the pill which you can take to the pharmacy.

Some brands may be more expensive than other brands. Some brands will be cheaper if you have a healthcare card. The pill causes a very small increase in your risk of deep vein thrombosis blood clot , heart attack or stroke. It may also lead to a tiny increase in your risk of breast cancer. The risk of developing breast cancer due to vaginal ring or pill use in people aged under 35 years is 1 in 50, It is safe to continue the pregnancy and stop the pill or to have an abortion.

If you are breastfeeding , do not use the pill until your baby is six weeks old, as it may reduce your supply of breast milk and may increase your risk of thrombosis. After six weeks you can use the pill but other types of contraception might be better choices check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.

If you are not breastfeeding , you can start using the pill once your baby is three to six weeks old check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist. This page has been produced in consultation with and approved by:. In Victoria, you can have two types of abortion: surgical and medication. Both types are safe and reliable. You can have a medication abortion up to nine weeks of pregnancy.

You can have a surgical abortion from around six weeks of pregnancy onwards. Mifepristone, also called RU or the 'abortion pill', is used to terminate end a pregnancy up to nine weeks. Abortion is one of the most common and safest types of surgery in Australia.

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Content on this website is provided for information purposes only. Information about a therapy, service, product or treatment does not in any way endorse or support such therapy, service, product or treatment and is not intended to replace advice from your doctor or other registered health professional.

The information and materials contained on this website are not intended to constitute a comprehensive guide concerning all aspects of the therapy, product or treatment described on the website.

All users are urged to always seek advice from a registered health care professional for diagnosis and answers to their medical questions and to ascertain whether the particular therapy, service, product or treatment described on the website is suitable in their circumstances. Hormonal contraceptives thin the endometrium and make it far more difficult for a fertilized egg to implant.

Without implantation, the egg cannot receive nutrients and blood needed to survive. Under normal circumstance, the endometrium will thicken during ovulation to create a place where a fertilized egg can implant and grow. Placebo week is a time when your pill back contains placebo pills "sugar pills" with either no hormones or reduced hormones.

In effect, it is the time in your cycle when you are not taking any pills. Not all hormonal methods have a placebo week. The placebo week can vary based on the contraceptive types:. The placebo week is important in that it helps you maintain a consistent habit of taking a pill every day, rather than stopping and starting. Moreover, you are likely to have your period during this week, making pregnancy all but unlikely.

Even though you are being exposed to few, if any, hormones during the placebo week, the level of protection remains unchanged. As such, you do not need additions forms of contraception to prevent pregnancy. The bottom line is that the pill, as well as other forms of hormonal contraception work in more than one way. They can prevent a woman from ovulating, they can lead to a thicker cervical mucus which hinders the passage of sperm through the cervix, and they can change the lining of the uterus in a way which inhibits implantation if fertilization occurs.

The pill continues to work through the month, even when you are taking placebo pills so that additional forms of contraception aren't needed. With that said, the pill does not reduce the risk of sexually transmitted diseases , including HIV. For this, condoms still offer you the best means of protection. Sign up for our Health Tip of the Day newsletter, and receive daily tips that will help you live your healthiest life. The Kaiser Family Foundation. Oral Contraceptive Pills. Published May 23, The Department of Health of Manila.

Kaiser Family Foundation. San Francisco, California; May 23, Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for VerywellHealth.