The contraceptive pill

From your healthcare provider or at a sexual health clinic. You might also be able to get them from community-based programmes. For example, some youth-clubs also provide sexual health services. 

It releases hormones that interrupt your normal menstrual cycle, so that you can’t get pregnant. One way that they do this is they stop an egg being released (known as ovulation), and this prevents pregnancy.

Advantages 

• Contraceptive (birth control) pills are very effective at preventing pregnancy if you remember to take them every day. 
• It means you are in control of whether you get pregnant or not. 
• They can stop heavy or painful periods and can sometimes help with period-related mood changes (premenstrual syndrome).  
• Birth control pills can also reduce acne for some people. 

Disadvantages 

• You have to remember to take it every day at around the same time.  
• It doesn’t protect you or your partner from STIs including HIV – only condoms prevent STIs as well as pregnancy. 
• You might get side effects, such as tender breasts, mood changes and light bleeding between periods. Often people find these get better after a while.
• Some people have more serious side effects, including blood clots, although this is rare.  
• Some medication can make the pill less effective. This includes some HIV treatments and antibiotics used to treat tuberculosis and meningitis. Check with your doctor about taking the contraceptive pill if you're taking any other drugs.  
• If you vomit or have severe diarrhoea within a few hours of taking the pill, it might not work. You might need to take another pill straight away or use condoms until you’re better.  

You need to take the pill every day. It’s best to take it at the same time every day. 

If you are taking the combination pill, you usually take a seven-day break after 21 days of taking the pill. During this break you will normally have a period. Once the break is over, you start taking the pill again (whether you are still bleeding or not). 

If you’re taking the mini-pill you don’t take a break. 

If you start the pill in the first five days of your period you will be protected from pregnancy straight away.

If you start at another time it can take up to seven days to start working. So, keep using condoms or another form of contraception for those first seven days.

Missing your pill increases your chance of getting pregnant. The risk depends on how many pills you have missed and where you are in your menstrual cycle. 

If you’re worried about pregnancy, speak to a healthcare provider. You might be able take emergency contraception, but some pills can affect how these work, so get advice from a healthcare professional.

If you keep forgetting your pill, consider other methods of contraception that don’t rely on you to remember them every day, such as the implant.

If you accidentally take two pills in one day, it’s normally ok and won’t harm you. But see a healthcare provider if you feel sick or have any unusual vaginal bleeding.

Here are some tips to help you remember to take your pill: 

• take your pill at the same time every day so it becomes a habit
• set a daily alarm 
• store your birth control pills next to things you use every day (like your toothbrush) 
• carry your pills in your bag so they’re always with you 
• ‘buddy up’ with someone who also takes medicine every day so you can remind each other 
• ask your partner or someone at home to remind you. 

Condoms are the only type of contraceptive that protect you and your partner from STIs including HIV, so it is worth using them even if you are using contraceptive pills.

If you are not using condoms, keep testing regularly for HIV and STIs.

No. The contraceptive pill only works for as long as you keep taking it. So, if you decide you’re ready to have a baby, you can stop taking the pill and your fertility will return to normal.

Here are a few questions to help kick-off discussions on the issues you need to talk about! You can share them on social, on WhatsApp or just get talking.

The pill contains hormones, similar to the ones that women or transgender men produce naturally. Some people do experience mood changes but these should settle down after a while and not everyone will get them. If you think the pill is affecting your mood or mental health, speak to a healthcare provider.

Lots of people have irregular menstrual cycles, especially when they're young or for reasons like stress. If you have an irregular cycle, you might experience some spotting or bleeding during your seven-day break, even if it is not a full period. You should still start your next pack of pills on day eight, whether you are still bleeding or not.

You might also get some spotting or bleeding at other points in your cycle. This is normal and you should keep taking the pill as usual if this happens. It normally stops after you have been taking the pill for a few months. 

The pill can have side effects, and one of these is putting on weight, but everyone reacts differently – some people don’t get any side effects at all. A lot of people start taking the pill at an age when their body is changing, which is one of the reasons why people associate weight gain with taking the pill.  

If you're taking the pill and experiences side effects that you're worried about, talk to your healthcare professional. There are plenty of other birth control methods you can try. 

It’s a good idea to speak to your healthcare provider about contraception after giving birth. You can get pregnant three weeks after giving birth, so it’s important to know your contraception options.

You can start the mini pill (progesterone only) straight after birth, even if you are breastfeeding.

It’s not recommended that you start the combination pill straight after giving birth. If you're breastfeeding, you should wait 6 weeks until starting the combination pill. You should use another form of contraception in this time. If you’re not breastfeeding, you can start the combination pill 21 days after giving birth. Talk to your healthcare provider for more advice and to check it’s safe for you. 

Yes. If you’ve had a miscarriage or abortion you can start taking birth control pills straight away.

If someone is thinking about using birth control pills, the best thing you can do is give them clear and accurate information, respect their decisions, be open and do not judge. 

They might feel embarrassed about discussing things to do with sex. If they are, you could give them details of a friendly healthcare professional, a helpline or factual online resources, like this site.