So my GP has a funny way of putting things. Usually, it's laughing funny but this time it was just confusing!
He gave me a prescription for the mini pill (I promised DP, bugger!) and I asked how long I need to take it before it becomes effective. "About a month, I like to be sure about these things" Ok, so is that a month or is a month cautionary? And also;
Dr: "The minipill becomes less effective over time"
Me: "Why is that?"
Dr: "Because as your baby grows up, you become fertile again"
Me: "So the effectiveness of the pill is directly related to breastfeeding?"
Dr: "Yeah, because your hormone levels change as you're breastfeeding over time and your body doesn't get the message to not ovulate anymore"
Me: "But if I'm getting periods, that means I'm ovulating?"
Him: "Yes"
I would take that as - the minipill in conjunction with breastfeeding becomes less effective over time - because as you stop/minimise breastfeeding, your body gets ready to fall pregnant again, with ovulation and I guess maybe other changes that come with weaning? I suspect your dr was talking about the changes related to breastfeeding, while you're on the pill?
The breast feeding will still affect your hormone levels...this will affect your periods and ovulaiton.
The mini pill is so named because it doesnt contain the same volume of hormones in regular pills.
The month is both cautionary and practical. The time it takes for (any) pill to work in any womans body is different for everyone. Generally spekaing, you need to wait a full cycle in order to make sure your hormones and body are responding the way they should be.
You will still get your period whilst on the pill. Getting your period isnt dependent necessarily of whether or not you ovulate (hence why just because you have your period again doesnt mean you are ovulating regularly. and why the mini pill becomes less effective, because the levels change and with personal variation, there is no guarantee or ability for the doctor to tell you when it will stop working.)
So when BF over time, your hormones levels change and allow your body to ovulate again, hence why the pill can become inaffective - the hormones in it are simply not strong enough to regulate your cycle adequately. Sort of like what happens if you are put on a normal pill that isnt strong enough.
The Mini-Pill works by giving you progesterone. This messes with your fertility hormones and is about 96% effective in stopping a pregnancy (different pills may vary), although it doesn't always suppress ovulation the womb lining is rarely suitable for a baby. The Pill has two hormones in, oestrogen and progesterone (or rather, synthetic versions) and stops ovulation. Some mini-pills do stop ovulation too, although Cerazette is the only one I can think of that does that.
You do NOT have to wait a month for the mini-pill to be effective: just one week if you don't start it when your period starts.
There are SOOOO many myths about the Mini-Pill: it is effective if you're not BFing and is a good alternative to those who cannot take oestrogens.
You may want to look up your exact brand but believe me, it's not foolproof (only abstainence is) but it's not as risky as your GP is making out.
We're not having another baby, DS stopped breastfeeding ages ago and I'm on the mini-pill atm. So I'm very well researched about it!
Registered User
My Dr confused me about the mini-pill! Help?
My Dr is nuts sometimes . . .
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks