Lesson 5 of 10 · 10 min
Pills, injectables and implants
NCERT §3.2
Anjali starts college next month and wants a reliable method she controls herself. Dr Meera hands her a strip of 21 tablets and explains why the strip has no pills for the last week of the month.
The lesson in notes
In short
Oral contraceptives ('pills') are small doses of progestogens alone or of progestogen-estrogen combinations, taken by females as tablets.
Schedule: take one pill every day for 21 days, ideally beginning in the first five days of the cycle; stop for 7 days, when the period comes; then repeat the pattern for as long as pregnancy is to be avoided.
Pills inhibit ovulation and implantation and change the quality of cervical mucus so that sperm entry is prevented or slowed.
Pills are very effective, have fewer side effects and are well accepted by females.
Saheli, developed at CDRI Lucknow, is a non-steroidal oral contraceptive taken once a week, with very few side effects and high contraceptive value.
Progestogens alone or with estrogen can also be given as injections or as implants under the skin. They act like pills but stay effective for much longer.
Emergency contraception: progestogens, progestogen-estrogen combinations or IUDs given within 72 hours of coitus are very effective, for example after rape or casual unprotected intercourse.