Check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist. You use the pill by swallowing one pill around the same time every day. The pill works by stopping the ovaries from releasing an egg each month.
The pill can: be used to skip your period make your periods become lighter, more regular, and less painful improve acne reduce your chance of getting cancer of the uterus womb , ovaries and bowel help with symptoms of polycystic ovary syndrome PCOS and endometriosis. Once you stop taking the pill your fertility quickly returns to normal. Possible side effects for a small number of people who take the pill can include: irregular vaginal bleeding nausea sore or tender breasts headaches bloating changes to your skin mood changes.
These side effects often settle with time. The pill has not been shown to cause weight gain. The pill may not be a good option for you if you: find remembering to take a daily tablet difficult have certain types of migraine or headache are very overweight have a close family member who has had a deep vein thrombosis are taking certain types of medication which might stop the pill from working check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist have had some health conditions such as high blood pressure, heart or liver disease check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist are over 35 years and smoke have been treated for breast cancer are unable to move around for a long time for example, because of surgery or disability.
If you miss a pill: Take the missed pill as soon as you notice this may mean taking two pills on the same day. Continue to take your pills as normal. Use condoms for the next seven days.
If you have had sex without a condom in the seven days before missing a pill, you may need emergency contraception or you may need to skip your next sugar pills and start a new pill pack in the hormone section. This depends on where you are up to in the pill packet check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.
You can stop the pill at any time and your fertility will quickly return. The pill: does not protect you from sexually transmissible infections STIs. The best way to lessen the risk of STIs is to use barrier protection such as male and female condoms with all new sexual partners can sometime be supplied in small quantities by your pharmacist, without a prescription. If you run out of pills and cannot see a doctor for a new script, speak to a pharmacist. They can often give you a small supply of pills without a script.
If possible show them your old pill packet. Give feedback about this page. Was this page helpful? Yes No. View all sexual health. Related information. Contraception services are free and confidential , including for people under 16 years old. This means the doctor or nurse won't tell your parents or anyone else, as long as they believe you're mature enough to understand the information and decisions involved. If they believe there's a risk to your safety and welfare, they may decide to tell your parents.
Find your nearest sexual health service , including contraceptive clinics. Many of these places offer information, testing and treatment for STIs, including chlamydia.
There are lots of contraceptive methods to choose from. You should use a method that suits you, not just because your friends are using it. Don't be put off if the first method you use isn't quite right for you: you can try another. Read more about the contraceptive options available to help you decide which one will suit you best:. The Pill also has some side effects that most girls are happy about. It usually makes periods lighter, reduces cramps, and is often prescribed for women who have menstrual problems.
Taking the combination Pill often improves acne, and some doctors prescribe it for this purpose. Combination birth control pills have also been found to protect against some forms of breast disease, anemia , ovarian cysts, and ovarian and endometrial cancers. Young women who can remember to take a pill each day and who want excellent protection from pregnancy use birth control pills.
Not all women can — or should — use the Pill. In some cases, medical or other conditions make the use of the Pill less effective or more risky. For example, it is not recommended for women who have had blood clots, certain types of cancers, or some migraine headaches.
It also might not be recommended for girls who have had unexplained vaginal bleeding bleeding that is not during their periods or who think they might be pregnant. Girls who are interested in learning more about different types of birth control, including the Pill, should talk to their doctors or other health professionals. A doctor or a nurse practitioner NP must prescribe the Pill.
He or she will ask about a girl's health and family medical history, and do a complete physical exam, which might include a pelvic exam. If the doctor or NP prescribes birth control pills, he or she will explain when to begin taking the Pill and what to do if pills are missed.
The doctor or NP will usually ask the girl to come back in a few months to have her blood pressure checked and to see if she is having any problems. After that, girls who are having sex should get routine exams every 6 months to a year, or as recommended. Many health and family planning clinics such as Planned Parenthood sell birth control pills for less. In addition, birth control pills and doctor visits are covered by many health insurance plans.
Larger text size Large text size Regular text size. Find out what to do if you miss a combined pill. If you vomit within 3 hours of taking the combined pill, it may not have been fully absorbed into your bloodstream. Take another pill straight away and the next pill at your usual time.
If you continue to be sick, keep using another form of contraception until you've taken the pill again for 7 days without vomiting. Very severe diarrhoea 6 to 8 watery poos in 24 hours may also mean that the pill does not work properly. Keep taking your pill as normal, but use additional contraception, such as condoms, while you have diarrhoea and for 2 days after recovering.
Speak to a GP or nurse or call NHS for more information, if your sickness or diarrhoea continues. If there are no medical reasons why you cannot take the pill, and you do not smoke, you can take the pill until your menopause.
However, the pill is not suitable for everyone. To find out whether the pill is right for you, talk to a GP, nurse or pharmacist. If you have just had a baby and are not breastfeeding, you can most likely start the pill on day 21 after the birth but you will need to check with a doctor.
You will be protected against pregnancy straight away. If you start the pill later than 21 days after giving birth, you will need additional contraception such as condoms for the next 7 days. If you are breastfeeding, you're not advised to take the combined pill until 6 weeks after the birth. If you have had a miscarriage or abortion , you can start the pill up to 5 days after this and you will be protected from pregnancy straight away.
If you start the pill more than 5 days after the miscarriage or abortion, you'll need to use additional contraception until you have taken the pill for 7 days. Some medicines interact with the combined pill and it does not work properly.
Some interactions are listed on this page, but it is not a complete list. If you want to check your medicines are safe to take with the combined pill, you can:. 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 do not have this effect. If you are prescribed rifampicin or rifabutin, you may be advised to change to an alternative contraceptive. If not, you will need to use additional contraception such as condoms while taking the antibiotic and for a short time after.
Speak to a doctor or nurse for advice. The combined pill can interact with medicines called enzyme inducers. These speed up the breakdown of hormones by your liver, reducing the effectiveness of the pill.
A GP or nurse may advise you to use an alternative or additional form of contraception while taking any of these medicines. There are some risks associated with using the combined contraceptive pill. However, these risks are small. The oestrogen in the pill may cause your blood to clot more readily.
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