Oral contraceptives pills
Oral contraceptives pills containing an oestrogen and a progestogen are the most effective preparations for general use. These preparation is called combined oral contraceptives.
There are several advantages of combined oral contraceptives over most other contraceptive methods.
Oestrogen and a progestogen preparations are reliable as well as reversible. As an additional advantage they reduced dysmenorrhoea, menorrhagia, premenstrual tension. Combined oral contraceptive also reduced symptoms of fibroids, functional ovarian cysts, risk of ovarian cancer, endometrial cancer and pelvic inflammatory disease.
What to do with missed pill?
The critical time for loss of contraceptive protection is when a pill is omitted at the beginning or end of a cycle. If a woman forgets to take a pill, it should be taken as soon as she remembers, and the next one taken at the normal time. If the delay is 24 hours or longer with any pill (especially the first in the packet) the pill may not work. As soon as she remembers, she should continue taking the pill normally. However, she will not be protected for the next 7 days and must either not have sex or she should use another method of contraception such as a condom. If these 7 days run beyond the end of the packet, the next packet should be started at once, omitting the pill-free interval.
Emergency contraception is recommended if more than 2 combined oral contraceptive tablets are missed from the first 7 tablets in a packet.
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