Go through the pill
Taking the contraceptive pill, also known as the long cycle, offers many advantages due to the absence of menstruation in everyday life. For this reason, many women decide to postpone their periods, sometimes for several months. So-called single-phase pills consist of a fixed combination of estrogen and progestin, which remains the same with each individual pill.
If the pill break follows, menstruation occurs due to the drop in hormone levels. However, taking single-phase pills can lead to noticeable side effects. Especially at the beginning of a long cycle, many women experience spotting, bleeding and abdominal pain.
Because of the possible side effects, it is always advisable to consult a gynaecologist before taking the contraceptive pill. The situation is different with a two-phase pill, a so-called sequence preparation. This initially only releases oestrogen in the first few days after taking the pill. In the second week progestins are added. For this reason it is not possible to take a two-phase pill and it can lead to a variety of side effects such as severe stomach pain.
How the pill works
If taken correctly, the pill is a reliable and very practical means of preventing pregnancy, and most women tolerate it quite well overall. Its effect is usually based on the synthetic oestrogen “ethinyl estradiol”, which is usually combined with artificial progestins. There is also a variant which contains only oestrogens, the so-called “minipill”.
