I just want to start this off by saying that I’ve read the pill packet and I’ve done a preliminary Google search. I know the basics, i.e. that it prevents ovulation and thickens cervical mucus. But I’m trying to delve a little deeper into the mechanics, here. If you don’t ovulate, how come you have a “period” at the end of the 28-day pill pack? If the pill works by suppressing ovulation, how come when you stop taking it at the end of the 28-day pack and take either placebos or nothing for 7 days, you don’t ovulate right then? What does the pill really do?
Birth control pills release harmones (progestin and often estrogen) which trick the body into thinking that ovulation has already taken place. Typically they come in 28-pill packs. Only 21 of the pills contain the harmones, the remaining seven are sugar pills. The sugar pills allow you to menstruate and discard the usual uteral membranes that build up over the month. Some women prefer to maintain their menstrual cycle but it’s not always necessary. You can also get pills which supress the entire cycle, so you don’t menstruate at all. Naturally you should consult a doctor about your options.
Okay, thanks, but that’s not really much more information than what comes in the pill pack. How does the pill “trick your body” into thinking ovulation has already taken place? Why do the “usual uteral membranes” (sic?) still build up even if you haven’t ovulated and your body thinks you already ovulated? Also, all of the questions I asked in my initial post.
Just to clarify – if you take the active pills consecutively, without the inactive pills, you don’t have a period. There is one brand, called Seasonale, in which active pills are taken continuously for three months, then you have a period quarterly instead of monthly.
My understanding (IANAD) is that the hormones in The Pill signal to the body that it is already pregnant. Therefor it does not release other hormones which would normally prompt ovulation. Ovulation isn’t like a gumball machine – a lot of hormones come into play for an egg to be released. Since these hormones are not flowing, when you move to the “inactive” (no hormone) week, the body realizes it isn’t, after all, pregnant, sheds the uterine lining and resets the cycle.
This link breaks it down:
http://www.oralcontraceptives.com/about_cvc.asp
Sorry I wasn’t too clear – I was in a rush to get the spaghetti out of the pot before it boiled over and I was typing faster than I was thinking.
It would be more accurate to say that it tricks the body into thinking ovulation and fertilization have taken place. It does this by releasing the same harmones that your body would when you get pregnant. This causes your uterus to build up its mucus lining (which also forms an additional contraceptive barrier.) After the 21 day cycle, you start taking the sugar pills and you no longer get the harmones. Your body realizes it wasn’t pregnant and sheds the uterine membranes in the usual manner. If you opt for the kind of pill that gives you harmones continuously, then you don’t menstruate at all. But this can have health consequences so most such programs reccomend that you have a period every three or four months just to flush out the plumbing, so-to-speak. 
Hormones, actually.
Some women menstruate even when they haven’t ovulated without the pill. Meaning you can have a period without ovulating, which is nice, knowing you wouldn’t get pregnant, but you wouldn’t really Know.
My question is: can you get pregnant during the 7 day “sugar pill” week(even though I don’t take the fake pills).
Good Egg
Short answer, yes, birth control has a fail rate.
Snarky answer, you haven’t read the tread, the drug convinces the body it has concieved. You may have well asked if a pregnant woman could get pregnant.
Yes, but not because it’s “sugar pill” week; the overall system has a (small-ish) failure rate. The “sugar pills” aren’t included in order to make the whole system more falliable, :dubious: but because the treatment needs hormones only three weeks out of four.
Short answer: No.
Long answer: Yes, there is always some chance of failure, but you don’t have to take any extra precautions during the placebo week (although IANAD, read the instructions to be sure, etc.). The pill provides the same protection throughout the month, even during the time when you’re not taking the active pills.