THE MINIPILL (THE PROGESTOGEN-ONLY PILL): WHAT IS IT?
It isn’t quite as effective as the combined pill so it is not used as often in Australia. The minipill is the name most people use when they are talking about the progestogen-only pill be. This type of pill contains only one hormone, progestogen, and you may also hear the minipill called the POP, which is short for progestogen-only pin.
You have to take the minipill every single day without a break, and every pill is a hormone pill. There are no dummy or sugar pills in a minipill pack. It is also important to take the minipill at the same time every day. All minipills come in packs of 28 pills, and all the pills have the same dose of hormone in them.
Are there different types of the minipill? There are four brands of minipills available in Australia, but they all contain one of two kinds of the hormone, progestogen. Some women might find that one kind of minipill suits them really well while the other one gives them problems.
How does the minipill work? The progestogen in the minipill acts in your body to make the mucus in your cervix thicker, so that the sperm can’t get through. It also causes changes in the lining of the uterus so that even if an egg were fertilised, it cannot implant in the lining and grow there. In many women progestogen can also stop the ovaries from releasing an egg every month. But some women still release an egg and have normal periods just as if they weren’t taking the minipill at all.
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