Entry 9: 13/7/08

I will now start on my second topic, which is Issues on Sex. My first question is: How do pregnancy pills work, and does consuming pregnancy pills have any side effects?

Pregnancy pills, or Birth Control Pills(BCPs) are daily pills that contain hormones to change the way the body works and prevent pregnancy. Hormones are chemical substances that control the functioning of the body's organs. In this case, the hormones in the Pill control the ovaries and the uterus. Most birth control pills are "combination pills" containing a combination of the hormones estrogen and progesterone, which prevent ovulation (the release of an egg during the monthly cycle). A woman cannot get pregnant if she doesn't ovulate because there is no egg to be fertilised. The Pill also works by thickening the mucus around the cervix, which makes it difficult for sperm to enter the uterus and reach any eggs that may have been released. The hormones in the Pill can also sometimes affect the lining of the uterus, making it difficult for an egg to attach to the wall of the uterus.

Another kind of pill change the number of monthly periods. It is the low-dose progesterone pill, sometimes called the mini-pill. This type of birth control pill differs from the other pills in that it only contains one type of hormone — progesterone — rather than a combination of estrogen and progesterone. It works by changing the cervical mucus and the lining of the uterus, and sometimes by affecting ovulation as well. The mini-pill can be slightly less effective at preventing pregnancy.

I shall continue in my next post.

Sources:
http://kidshealth.org/teen/sexual_health/contraception/contraception_birth.html

Glossary:
Progesterone: A steroid hormone, C21H30O2, secreted by the corpus luteum of the ovary and by the placenta, that acts to prepare the uterus for implantation of the fertilized ovum, to maintain pregnancy, and to promote development of the mammary glands.

Estrogen: Any of several steroid hormones produced chiefly by the ovaries and responsible for promoting estrus and the development and maintenance of female secondary sex characteristics.