Live Life Team
A woman who does not want any pregnancy due to unprotected sex can use the oral contraceptives containing only progesterone.
Women who smoke or above thirty five years can use this pill as the combined oral contraceptive pills containing both progesterone and oestrogen cannot be used.
A pack of this type of POP contains twenty eight pills that should be taken on all the days of the menstrual cycle. POP may be
A three hour POP which must be taken on the same time on all the days within 3 hours.
A twelve hour POP which must be taken daily on the same time within 12 hours.
How does a POP work
POP functions in two different ways:
The mucus present at the neck of womb is thickened in such as way so that sperm will not be able to fertilise the egg as the penetration of the womb becomes difficult.
The lining of the womb is thinned to such an extent so that the implantation of the egg which gets fertilised is almost impossible.
Progesterone-only pills also help in the prevention of ovulation. Ovulation is the process by which the ovaries release egg every month.
Progesterone-only pill is normally very effective if taken properly.
But the progesterone-only pill does not provide any protection for the women against sexually transmitted infections like gonorrhoea, chlamydia as well as syphilis.
Female condoms must be used along with the intake of progesterone-only pill for protection against the sexually transmitted diseases.
Who can use the progesterone-only pill
Progesterone-only pill can be administered to women, in majority of the cases. The following are a few conditions where the woman will not be able to use the progesterone-only pill. They are:
- Hepatic or liver diseases
- Heart diseases
- Cancer
- Cysts in the ovaries
- There is bleeding form the vagina, the cause of which is undiagnosed.
- Ectopic pregnancy, where the egg that has been fertilised starts its development in places like fallopian tubes, which are present outside the womb.
If a woman is breastfeeding, she can use progesterone-only pill. Even though traces of this pill are passed on to the baby via the mother’s milk, it neither poses any threat to the baby nor does it affect the production of breast milk.
In very rare cases, women get pregnant while using progesterone-only pill. If the woman gets pregnant in this stage also, the baby will not have any problems.
The gynaecologist must be consulted if the woman develops an unusual or sudden stomach pain. The gynaecologist must also be visited in case the periods is lighter than normal one or is shorter than normal periods.
Side effects
Even though there are very less side effects associated with the use of this pill, they are:
- The menstrual bleeding will be irregular.
- Heavier periods
- missed periods
- spotting
- breakthrough bleeding
These side effects are normally observed in the early months of using the pill. The other side effects are:
- tenderness of the breast
- enlargement of the breast
- decreased or increased libido
- acne
- depression
- headache
- migraine
- nausea
- vomitting
- cysts in the ovaries
- stomach getting upset
- weight gain.
