If I Start Taking the Pill the Day My Period Stops When Will I Get My Period Again

The combined oral contraceptive pill is oft just called "the pill". It contains artificial versions of female hormones oestrogen and progesterone, which are produced naturally in the ovaries.

If sperm reaches an egg (ovum), pregnancy can happen. Contraception tries to terminate this happening usually by keeping the egg and sperm apart or past stopping the release of an egg (ovulation).

At a glance: the combined pill

When taken correctly, the pill is over 99% effective at preventing pregnancy. This means that fewer than 1 in 100 who use the combined pill as contraception will get pregnant in 1 twelvemonth.
The standard way to accept the pill is to take one every twenty-four hours for 21 days, then take a break for vii days, and during this week y'all have a bleed like a period. You kickoff taking the pill once more afterward vii days.
Yous may be able to take some types of pill with no or shorter breaks (a tailored regime), which may reduce some side effects. Speak to a medico or nurse virtually your options.
Yous demand to accept the pill at effectually the same time every day. You could go meaning if you lot do not practise this, or if you miss a pill, or vomit or have severe diarrhoea.
Some medicines may brand the pill less effective. Check with your doctor if y'all're taking whatever other tablets.
If you have heavy periods or painful periods, PMS (premenstrual syndrome) or endometriosis the combined pill may help.
Pocket-size side effects include mood swings, nausea, breast tenderness and headaches – these usually settle down in a few months.
At that place is no evidence that the pill will make you gain weight.
There'due south a very low take chances of serious side effects, such equally blood clots and cervical cancer.
The combined pill is not suitable if you are over 35 and fume, or if yous accept certain medical weather condition.
The pill does not protect confronting sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and so use a condom as well.
At that place may be a link betwixt the pill and depression just evidence is mixed and further inquiry is needed.

How the combined pill works

How information technology prevents pregnancy

The pill prevents the ovaries from releasing an egg each month (ovulation). It also:

thickens the mucus in the neck of the womb, so it is harder for sperm to penetrate the womb and reach an egg
thins the lining of the womb, then there is less chance of a fertilised egg implanting into the womb and being able to grow

The pill is over 99% effective if used correctly. Other methods of contraception are improve at preventing pregnancy, such as the IUD, IUS, implant and injection.

There are many different brands of pill, made upwardly of three main types:

Monophasic 21-24-hour interval pills

This is the virtually mutual type. Each pill has the same amount of hormone in it. One pill is taken each twenty-four hours for 21 days and then no pills are taken for the next vii days. Microgynon, Marvelon and Yasmin are examples of this type of pill.

Phasic 21-twenty-four hours pills

Phasic pills contain 2 or 3 sections of different coloured pills in a pack. Each section contains a different amount of hormones. One pill is taken each day for 21 days and then no pills are taken for the side by side vii days. Phasic pills demand to be taken in the right lodge. Logynon is an example of this blazon of pill.

Every day (ED) pills

There are 21 agile pills and 7 inactive (dummy) pills in a pack. The two types of pill look different. One pill is taken each twenty-four hour period for 28 days with no intermission between packets of pills. Every twenty-four hours pills need to be taken in the right social club. Microgynon ED is an example of this type of pill.

Follow the instructions that come with your bundle. If you have whatever questions, ask a doctor, nurse or pharmacist.

It's important to take the pills as instructed, considering missing pills or taking them at the same time as certain medicines may make them less constructive.

How to accept 21-day pills - standard authorities

Accept your 1st pill from the packet marked with the right twenty-four hour period of the week, or the 1st pill of the 1st color (phasic pills).
Keep to take a pill at the same time each day until the pack is finished.
End taking pills for vii days (during these 7 days you volition go a bleed).
Start your next pack of pills on the 8th day, whether you are still bleeding or not. This should be the aforementioned 24-hour interval of the week every bit when you took your 1st pill.

How to take every 24-hour interval pills

Have the 1st pill from the section of the packet marked "start". This will be an active pill.
Continue to take a pill every day, in the right order and preferably at the same time each 24-hour interval, until the pack is finished (28 days).
During the 7 days of taking the inactive pills, you will get a bleed.
Get-go your next pack of pills after you take finished the 1st pack, whether you are yet haemorrhage or non.

Tailored regimes

Yous can also take the combined pill as a tailored government. This may include taking the pill for 21 days and stopping for 4, or taking the pill continuously without a break. For more information speak to a doc or nurse.

Starting the combined pill

You can normally start taking the pill at whatever indicate in your menstrual bicycle. There is special guidance if you have just had a babe, abortion or miscarriage. The guidance may besides exist different if y'all have a curt menstrual bicycle. Become advice from a medico or nurse if you need it. You may need to use additional contraception during your 1st days on the pill – this depends on when in your menstrual cycle you start taking it.

Starting on the 1st day of your period

If you start the combined pill on the 1st 24-hour interval of your period (solar day one of your menstrual cycle) you volition be protected from pregnancy straight abroad. You will not need additional contraception.

Starting on the 5th day of your wheel or before

If you kickoff the pill on the 5th day of your period or before, you lot will even so exist protected from pregnancy straight away.

Starting afterwards the fifth day of your cycle

You will not be protected from pregnancy straight away and volition need additional contraception until yous accept taken the pill for 7 days.

If you lot start the pill after the 5th day of your cycle, brand sure you accept not put yourself at risk of pregnancy since your concluding flow. If you're worried you lot're pregnant when you start the pill, take a pregnancy test 3 weeks after the last time you had unprotected sex.

What to do if yous miss a pill

If you miss a pill or pills, or you start a pack late, this tin brand the pill less constructive at preventing pregnancy. The adventure of getting pregnant after missing a pill or pills depends on:

when the pills are missed
how many pills are missed

Find out what to do if y'all miss a combined pill.

Vomiting and diarrhoea

If you vomit within 3 hours of taking the combined pill, it may not have been fully absorbed into your bloodstream. Have another pill direct away and the next pill at your usual time.

If you lot continue to be sick, go on using another form of contraception until y'all've taken the pill again for 7 days without airsickness.

Very severe diarrhoea (6 to 8 watery poos in 24 hours) may also mean that the pill does not work properly. Go along taking your pill as normal, but use additional contraception, such every bit condoms, while you take diarrhoea and for ii days after recovering.

Speak to a GP or nurse or call NHS 111 for more information, if your sickness or diarrhoea continues.

Who can employ the combined pill

If there are no medical reasons why you lot cannot have the pill, and you lot do not smoke, you tin can take the pill until your menopause. Nevertheless, the pill is not suitable for everyone. To find out whether the pill is correct for you, talk to a GP, nurse or pharmacist.

The pill may not be right for you if you:

are significant
smoke and are 35 or older
stopped smoking less than a year ago and are 35 or older
are very overweight
accept sure medicines

The pill may also not be right for you lot if yous take (or have had):

claret clots in a vein, for example in your leg or lungs
stroke or whatsoever other illness that narrows the arteries
anyone in your shut family having a blood clot under the age of 45
a heart abnormality or centre disease, including high blood pressure
severe migraines, specially with aura (alert symptoms)
breast cancer
disease of the gallbladder or liver
diabetes with complications or diabetes for the past 20 years

Afterward having a baby

If you have just had a babe and are not breastfeeding, you can nigh likely start the pill on day 21 later the birth but you will demand to check with a doctor. Yous will be protected against pregnancy straight away.

If you kickoff the pill afterward than 21 days after giving birth, yous volition need additional contraception (such equally condoms) for the next 7 days.

If you are breastfeeding, you're not advised to take the combined pill until 6 weeks afterwards the nascence.

Later on a miscarriage or abortion

If you take had a miscarriage or abortion, y'all can start the pill up to 5 days afterwards this and you volition be protected from pregnancy straight away. If you start the pill more than 5 days afterwards the miscarriage or abortion, you'll need to use additional contraception until you accept taken the pill for vii days.

Advantages and disadvantages

Some advantages of the pill include:

information technology does not interrupt sex
it usually makes your bleeds regular, lighter and less painful
it reduces your risk of cancer of the ovaries, womb and colon
it tin can reduce symptoms of PMS (premenstrual syndrome)
it can sometimes reduce acne
it may protect against pelvic inflammatory disease
information technology may reduce the risk of fibroids, ovarian cysts and non-cancerous breast disease

Some disadvantages of the pill include:

it can cause temporary side effects at first, such as headaches, nausea, chest tenderness and mood swings – if these do non get after a few months, it may help to change to a different pill
it tin can increase your blood force per unit area
it does non protect y'all against sexually transmitted infections
quantum bleeding and spotting is common in the first few months of using the pill
it has been linked to an increased take a chance of some serious health conditions, such as blood clots and breast cancer

The combined pill with other medicines

Some medicines collaborate with the combined pill and it does not piece of work properly. Some interactions are listed on this page, but it is not a consummate listing. If you desire to check your medicines are safe to take with the combined pill, you tin can:

ask a GP, practice nurse or chemist
read the patient information leaflet that comes with your medicine

Antibiotics

The antibiotics rifampicin and rifabutin (which can be used to treat illnesses including tuberculosis and meningitis) can reduce the effectiveness of the combined pill. Other antibiotics practise non take this upshot.

If you are prescribed rifampicin or rifabutin, you lot may exist advised to change to an culling contraceptive. If not, you will need to apply boosted contraception (such as condoms) while taking the antibiotic and for a short time after. Speak to a physician or nurse for advice.

Epilepsy and HIV medicines, and St John'southward wort

The combined pill can interact with medicines called enzyme inducers. These speed upwards the breakdown of hormones by your liver, reducing the effectiveness of the pill.

Examples of enzyme inducers are:

the epilepsy drugs carbamazepine, oxcarbazepine, phenytoin, phenobarbital, primidone and topiramate
St John's wort (a herbal remedy)
antiretroviral medicines used to care for HIV (research suggests that interactions between these medicines and the progestogen-only pill tin can affect the safe and effectiveness of both)

A GP or nurse may propose you to use an alternative or boosted form of contraception while taking any of these medicines.

Risks of taking the combined pill

There are some risks associated with using the combined contraceptive pill. However, these risks are small.

Blood clots

The oestrogen in the pill may crusade your blood to clot more than readily. If a blood jell develops, it could cause:

deep vein thrombosis (clot in your leg)
pulmonary embolus (clot in your lung)
stroke
heart assault

The chance of getting a claret jell is very small, but your doctor will check if you have certain adventure factors earlier prescribing the pill.

Cancer

The pill tin can slightly increase the run a risk of developing breast cancer and cervical cancer. Information technology can too decrease the chance of developing womb (uterus) cancer, ovarian cancer and bowel cancer.

Still, 10 years after yous finish taking the pill, your risk of breast cancer and cervical cancer goes dorsum to normal.

Where you lot can become the combined pill

Contraception is gratis to everyone through the NHS. Places where yous can get contraception include:

community contraception clinics
some genitourinary medicine (Mucilage) clinics
sexual health clinics – they also offering contraceptive and STI testing services
GP surgeries – talk to a GP or nurse
some young people's services (call the Sexual Health Line on 0300 123 7123 for more than information)

Discover a sexual health dispensary

Getting contraception during coronavirus

If you demand contraception, call your GP surgery or a sexual health clinic as shortly as possible. Only go in person if y'all're told to.

It can take longer to get contraception at the moment and some types are not widely available.

You may only be able to get the combined pill if you lot've had your blood force per unit area and weight checked in the last 12 months.

If you cannot get the combined pill, you may be advised to use the progestogen-only pill or condoms for now.

How practice I change to a different pill?

If you want advice about changing your contraceptive pill, you can visit a GP, contraceptive nurse (sometimes called a family planning nurse), or sexual wellness dispensary.

You lot should not have a break betwixt unlike packs, so you will usually be brash to beginning the new pill immediately or wait until the day later on yous accept the last of your old pills.

You may also be advised to employ alternative methods of contraception during the changeover, as the new pill may take a short time to take consequence.

If you lot're under 16 years onetime

Contraception services are free and confidential, including for people nether the historic period of sixteen.

If you're under 16 and want contraception, the doctor, nurse or pharmacist will not tell your parents (or carer) as long as they believe you fully sympathize the information you're given and your decisions.

Doctors and nurses work under strict guidelines when dealing with people under 16. They'll encourage yous to consider telling your parents, simply they volition non brand you lot.

The only time that a professional person might want to tell someone else is if they believe you're at risk of harm, such every bit corruption. The risk would demand to be serious, and they would unremarkably discuss this with y'all start.

More information

For more than information about the pill visit:

Sexwise'due south page nigh the combined pill
Contraception Choices' page most the combined pill

Folio final reviewed: ane July 2020
Next review due: ane July 2023

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Source: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/contraception/combined-contraceptive-pill/