The Combined Pill

The combined pill is a tablet that contains the hormones oestrogen and progestogen (synthetic versions of the hormones that are naturally released from the ovaries).  You take the pill every day for 21 days, then stop for seven days.  During that week, you have your period.  After seven days, you start taking the pill again.

The hormones prevent you from ovulating (releasing an egg).  They also make it difficult for sperm to reach an egg, or for an egg to implant itself in the lining of the womb.

  If used correctly, it can be more than 99% effective.  This means that less than one woman in 100 who takes the pill will get pregnant in one year.  The chances of getting pregnant rise if:

• The pill isn’t taken according to the instructions
• It doesn’t stay in the body long enough to work, for example when you vomit
• Other medications make it less effective.

Using condoms as well as the pill is the only way to protect against STI's.