Pill: am I ovulating?

The pill is still the most widely used contraceptive, but the lack of contraceptive education is becoming an increasingly important issue in society. Most girls and women have little knowledge of how the pill works and how it affects their cycle. We explain: how the birth control pill works, why you do not ovulate when you take the pill and when you ovulate when you stop taking the pill. Also, we introduce you track them as a hormone-free alternative to the pill.

What is ovulation?

So we can explain what the pill does with yours cycle we will briefly explain what happens before and after ovulation. Yours cycle starts on day 1 of the cycle, this phase is also called the follicular phase. During this time, the follicles mature and your body prepares for a potential pregnancy. The follicular phase ends with ovulation, the most important event of the cycle, after which the luteal phase begins. The best-quality mature egg breaks apart and travels from the ovary through the fallopian tube to the uterus, where it can be fertilized. If fertilization does not take place, the egg and the lining of the uterus that have accumulated are eliminated: menstruation occurs and a new cycle begins. Pretty smart circuit, right?

You can find more information about your period here who.

What does the pill do to my period?

You've probably heard that the pill tricks your body into thinking you are pregnant, but this is a common misconception. The pill puts your body much more into a permanent luteal phase, which is the phase where ovulation is already over. 

The pill also prevents the uterine lining from growing properly. This means that a fertilized egg cannot implant itself. Furthermore, no cervical mucus is formed while taking the pill, as food production depends on an unaltered hormonal balance: vaginal dryness is therefore a widespread side effect of the pill. 

If you take a birth control pill where you stop taking it for a week, you will have your "period" during that break. This bleeding has nothing to do with healthy menstruation, but is a withdrawal bleed that occurs when hormone levels, which have been maintained by the pill, suddenly drop.

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