Pill: am I ovulating?

The pill is still the most widely used contraceptive, but the lack of education about contraceptives 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'll explain: how the birth control pill works, why you don't ovulate when you take the pill and when you ovulate when you stop taking the pill. In addition, we present you trackle as a hormone-free alternative to the pill.

What is ovulation?

So that we can explain what the pill does with your cycle we will briefly explain what happens before and after you ovulate. Your cycle begins on day 1 of your period, 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 in your cycle, after which the luteal phase begins. The best quality mature ovum ruptures 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 cell and the lining of the uterus that has built up are shed – menstruation occurs and a new cycle begins. Pretty clever circuit, right?

You can find more information about your cycle here here.

What does the pill do to my cycle?

You've probably heard that the pill fools your body into thinking you're pregnant, but that's a common misconception. The pill puts your body much more into a permanent luteal phase, i.e. the phase in which ovulation is already over. 

The pill also stops your uterine lining from growing properly. This means that a fertilized egg cell cannot implant itself. In addition, no cervical mucus is formed when taking the pill, since the production of food depends on an unaffected hormone 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'll get your "menstruation" during that break. This bleeding has nothing to do with healthy menstruation, but is withdrawal bleeding that occurs when your hormone levels, which were maintained by the pill, suddenly drop.