5.3.22

Female Contraception - The Pill

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Controlling Fertility - The Contraceptive Pill

Pharmaceutical companies have designed contraceptive pills. They reduce a woman’s fertility to reduce the likelihood of pregnancy. The contraceptive pill comes in two main forms:

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Progesterone-only pill

  • Stimulates the production of thick, sticky mucus, which is very difficult for any sperm to penetrate.
  • Inhibits the release of FSH, so that eggs don’t mature.
  • Just as effective as the combined pill but with fewer side effects.
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Combined pill

  • Contains both oestrogen and progesterone.
  • By taking it every day, enough oestrogen builds up in the female body to inhibit the production of FSH so that no eggs mature.

Jump to other topics

1Cell Biology

1.1What's in Cells?

1.2Cell Division

1.3Transport in Cells

2Organisation

2.1Principles of Organisation

2.2Enzymes

2.3Circulatory System

2.4Non-Communicable Diseases

2.5Plant Tissues, Organs & Systems

3Infection & Response

4Bioenergetics

5Homeostasis & Response

5.1Homeostasis

5.2The Human Nervous System

5.3Hormonal Coordination in Humans

5.4Plant Hormones

6Inheritance, Variation & Evolution

7Ecology

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