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The Mini Pill

Nearly every American women is familiar with the Pill, even if they do not chose to use it. But far fewer of them are familiar with the mini pill. The Pill, which has been around for decades, uses a combination of two hormones to do the job of preventing unwanted pregnancies. It uses estrogen and progestogen giving itself the nickname, in the medical field, of the combined Pill. Physicians will tell you that it is the second ingredient, the estrogen, which causes the many side effects that women suffer from.

The mini pill, also known as POP for progestogen only pill, does not have quite the same success rate as the Pill. It has an effectiveness rating of ninety eight to ninety nine percent depending on which one is used. This pill must be taken the same time of day every day and that includes when a woman is menstruating. There is no break from daily medication if this is the pill a woman chooses to use.

You may ask if it is not as convenient or as effective as the Pill why use this one instead. The feeling in the medical community is that this pill has fewer side effects than the original Pill. There are even some groups of women who are unable to take the common pill who are able to take the mini pill. Due to its use of only the one hormone women who are nursing are able to use it. The hormone cannot be absorbed orally and so is no danger to the infant. This mini pill is also recommended for older women, those who smoke and any woman whose blood pressure rose a lot when they used the original Pill.

One of the peculiar aspects to taking the mini pill is the need to take it at the same time daily. That means if you are up early for work and so want to take it at eight every morning you cannot sleep in on the weekends and take it at noon on those two days. If you are late by over three hours you will need to use another means of contraception for the following forty eight hours. Modern women, who think they might forget, are known to use their cell phones to give them a daily reminder.

The mini pill is not suggested for women who work shift work and so have regular changes in their wake schedules. As well, large women do not seem to have the same success on this medication as they do on the other Pill. A woman who weighs more than two hundred pounds may find that this method of contraception is not suitable for them.

Women who have breast cancer should not use this method of contraception. Neither should those who have had an ectopic pregnancy or high cholesterol. If you have another medical condition you should discuss it with your health care provider. They will know if using the mini pill is safe for you or not.