What is the Pill & how does it work?

My name is Ann and I am 19 years old. I am thinking of starting to take the Pill but don’t know much about it. Can you please tell me what is in the Pill and how it works?

Hi Ann, you are right to find out as much you can about your contraceptive choice before you start using it. There are two main types of pill. One type of pill, known as the combined pill, contains two hormones - an oestrogen and a progestogen, and the second type contains progestogen only, and is known as the progestogen-only pill or mini pill.

The combined pill works by preventing ovulation, that is, by preventing production of an egg. It does this by controlling the hormone levels and it also thickens the mucus at the neck of the womb which makes it hard for sperm to get through.

The progestogen-only pill (the mini pill) works principally by thickening the mucus at the entrance to the womb, but also has an effect on preventing ovulation. The combined pill is 99.9% effective; the mini pill is slightly less so.