What is the Pill?

The Pill is a tablet containing two female-type hormones – an oestrogen (pronounced ‘ee-stro-jen’) and a progestogen.

Various different oestrogens and progestogens are used in the many different types of Pill which are available. There are currently 22 brands on the market in Britain.

What these two hormones do is to stop you from ovulating (‘producing an egg’) each month. And if you don’t ovulate, you won’t get pregnant.

In addition, the hormones thicken the secretions round your cervix – thus making it more difficult for sperm to get through. Also, they make the lining of your womb thinner, so that it is less receptive to an egg.

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