Order Your Contraceptive Pill Online From Superdrug

• We can now offer contraceptive pill initiation for popular mini pill brands.
• Join thousands of women getting their repeat prescription for the pill online.
• If you need emergency contraception, you can order the morning after pill here.

The combined oral contraceptive or ‘the pill’ is affordable and easy to use. Tablets are taken by mouth to prevent pregnancy. The combined pill contains two different hormones which are synthetic versions of the female hormones oestrogen and progesterone.

There are many types of combined contraceptive pills to choose from. Used correctly, the combined pill is over 99% effective at protecting against pregnancy. It works because it stops ovulation, stops sperm reaching an egg and prevents a fertilised egg implanting in the womb. The combined pill recreates the natural menstrual cycle. Every 21 days there is a seven day break to have your period. The combined pill comes in packets of 21 or 28 tablets and one pill has to be taken daily.

If you take the combined pill with 21 tablets, you’ll need to take a 7 day break at the end of each packet and then start taking the next packet of pills. If you take the combined pill with 28 tablets, you stick to the habit of taking one pill every day without a break because there are 7 placebo pills (pills that don’t have an active ingredient) in every packet.

Combined oral contraceptives decrease the risk of ectopic pregnancy and cancer in the reproductive system. The pill also usually leads to lighter, less painful and more regular periods and can improve acne.

Unlike the combined pill, the mini-pill or progesterone-only pill contains only one type of hormone. The active ingredient in this oral contraceptive is progestin, a synthetic version of the natural female hormone progesterone. When taken correctly, the mini-pill is 99% effective in preventing pregnancy. It works because it stops ovulation, stops sperm reaching an egg and prevents a fertilised egg implanting in the womb.

The mini-pill was first created for women who were breastfeeding, because oestrogen affects the production of breast milk. It is now used more widely.

The mini-pill is recommended for women who are over 35 years of age and smoke. It is also used by women who can’t take oestrogen because of conditions like high blood pressure, blood clots or obesity. The mini-pill comes with 28 tablets in a packet. There are no placebo tablets. All of the tablets contain the active ingredient. For the mini-pill to be effective, you must take a pill every day at roughly the same time (within a three hour window). You don’t have a break between packets – when you finish one packet you start another the next day – so you don’t have to remember to stop taking the tablets to have your period. If you start taking the mini-pill within the first five days of a period, you will be immediately protected against pregnancy. If you start the mini-pill outside of this time, you’ll need to use another contraceptive (e.g. condoms) for two days.

The mini-pill often leads to lighter, less painful periods, but four out of ten women also experience irregular bleeding. Discuss this with your doctor if it happens.