Understanding the female cycle

In order to understand how the oral contraceptive pill works, you need to know something about the female reproductive cycle. From the time of the first menstrual period your body goes through the following process:

• The female ovaries usually release one egg every month
• When the egg is released (ovulation) it makes its way to the uterus through one of the fallopian tubes.
• At the same time, the lining of the uterus becomes thicker and prepares for pregnancy.
• The fertilization of the egg occurs if sperm enters the egg resulting in pregnancy.
• If there is no fertilization, the uterus sheds its lining and the unfertilized egg resulting in a menstrual period.

Oral contraceptive pills (OCs) are usually made from two types of hormones (estrogen and progestin). They prevent pregnancy by stopping the production and release of eggs from the ovaries.