Contraception is likely to be something which features in most of our lives, being particularly felt by women; many of whom take a form of contraception into their bodies at some point. The most popular choice in the UK is the contraceptive pill, with 28% of women aged 15-49 using this as their main method of contraception [27% used make condoms; 10% IUD; 6% Withdrawal]. However, there is much about ‘The Pill’ which many do not know, despite taking such every day! With so many women taking the pill, often being the default from the GP (which rarely involves more than a few questions and a blood pressure reading), we think it is crucial that we are better educated about all forms of contraception in order to make an informed decision that is right for you personally. So, in this article we are going to focus in particular on the pill…

How does it work? 

You probably have a rough idea of how the pill works, but if you don’t, then we can quickly run through this. The pill works by tricking your body into thinking that you are pregnant and thus preventing ovulation (an egg being released). It contains artificial forms of oestrogen and progesterone that thicken the lining of the womb to prevent a fertilised egg implanting & prevent the ovaries from releasing an egg.

Women on the pill take one pill each day — and while it is often assumed that you must take the pill for 21 days and then have a 7-day break; this is not actually a requirement and you can continuously take it [with this 7-day break design being incorporated to try and get the Pope to accept this new form of contraception!].

What different pills are there?

There are many different pills that you can take, all of which have varying levels of hormones present. The two predominant types of pill are the combined pill (oestrogen and progesterone), and the progesterone only pill. However even within each of these categories there are variations between different brands for example Microgynon, Rigevidon and Ovranette are all combined pills (with the same levels of hormones) but all have different binding agents. These differences are increasingly thought to be the cause of differing side effects from taking, what many perceive to be identical pills. Rigevidon in particular has increasingly been protested against and received bad press; and while there have been no official studies released as of yet, this is an emerging topic of study.  

Side Effects 

Importantly — if you experience serious negative side effects such as migraines, severe abdominal pains or simply do not feel happy taking the pill — please speak to your doctor.

The pill is often (but not always) used as a method of contraception, but it is important to highlight that this does not make it 100% effective. It is 99% effective at preventing pregnancy — BUT this is when it is taken at the exact same time each day, without missing a dose. When taken irregularly this percentage falls to around 91% or perhaps less.

The pill undoubtedly has a LOT of other effects — which are often completely opposite in different bodies. Therefore, it is key to note that everyone is different and will therefore process the pill completely differently. We often focus on the serious physical effects that the pill can have such as blood clots, but there is all too little focus on the emotional impacts that the pill can have. It may work wonders for some women, and balance their moods, or it may send others spiralling. However, it is important to be aware of some of the changes that MAY occur, or are likely to occur.

As the pill makes your body think that you are pregnant, this undoubtedly influences your behaviours. Here are a few of the effects this pill can have on your behaviours — which are often not discussed!

• Who you find attractive
  • Women on the pill tend to choose men that are more stable, less sexually attractive, and more financially stable. This is due to lower levels of oestrogen in their bodies.
• Your sex drive
  • Many women report a lower libido when on the pill due to the pill reducing the amount of active testosterone in the body. This is often linked to a reduced sex drive for women on the pill.
• Your stress response
  • Stress is very normal and healthy. However, the pill disrupts women’s stress response, although there is little scientific explanation at present as to exactly why this occurs, is has been noted as an effect. Sustained elevated cortisol levels make it more difficult to deal with stress, being linked with other associated issues including anxiety.

The Female Knowledge Gap 

Most studies into the effects of drugs involve research on men, often due to the fact that the changing hormone levels in women during their cycle each month makes them more complicated to study – so people simply don’t.

This is why ScreenMe is here — to help women to understand more about THEIR own bodies. As all women are different, it makes sense that their bodies respond to their environment, food, drugs and pretty much everything in a different way. To help remove some of the mystery around female bodies – we create personal & personalised support, supplements, nutritional plans and more to optimise women’s health & wellbeing at all stages of life; from periods, to fertility, to pregnancy & the menopause. You can check out some of our packages here, or send us a message about what kind of tests you would like & we can help you to decide what is right for you.

This is not to scare people off of contraception, more so to encourage a more in-depth review of what feels right for you. There is no ‘normal’ way to take contraception — everyone is different and therefore different bodies will respond completely differently to the same drugs – but we are here to help you to discover what is best for you.

Jessica Hobbis