how does it work
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how does it work
| Wed, 05-05-2004 - 10:29pm |
Okay so I've been on the pill now for about six months and its working really good. But now I'm just curious about how it works. I know there are hormones in there and I heard it makes my body think its always preggo. But then how come I still get periods at all?

~pink~
For a good explanation of how oral contraceptives work see the FAQs on the Board’s website:
http://pages.ivillage.com/cl-judie_rae/id1.html Technically, once you are on hormonal contraceptives you no longer have a true period where your endometrium grows as your estrogen rises until ovulation. Progestin rises and maintains your endometrium waiting for a fertilized egg to implant. If there is no implantation, about 2 weeks after ovulation your progestin drops and you shed your endometrium. That shedding of the lining of your uterus is your period. The hormones in your pills prevent ovulation and the estrogen and progestin in your pills is just enough to hold a small amount of endometrium stable until your pill-free week. The removal of hormones during your pill-free week caused ‘withdrawal bleeding’ which is seen as your pill-period. If you want to know more about your cycle an absolutely super book on the subject is Toni Weschler’s Taking Charge of Your Fertility. Does this help?
Good luck
Jill
After you've read the FAQ's on the website, if you have any questions, please come back and ask!
Judie
First, the pill works by preventing ovulation. This means that no egg is released and fertilization can not occur. Depending on what type of pill you're on, this mechanism can either work pretty well (on the combination pills) or work relatively poorly (the mini-pill.)
A second way that the pill works is by thickening the cervical mucus making it harder for the sperm to reach the egg (if one has been released.)
A third mechanism is to deteriorate the uterine lining. This makes it harder for the new baby/fertilized egg to implant itself in the uterus.
Some people, including myself, have a problem with this third mechanism because we see it as abortive. If you have any questions about this, let me know. I've done a lot of research on it.
Hope this helps...