hi yes I’m aware you are never fully protected on birth control, but how does it work during the placebo week? what are the placebo pills still doing or not doing? thanks!
In: Biology
Fertility proceeds in the order (typically) of thickening of the uterine lining, release of an egg, and then susceptibility to fertilization.
The hormones in birth control strongly suppress release of the egg and thickening of the uterine lining by mimicking the pregnancy signals after fertilization. During the placebo week the uterine lining is not developed and will not signal the release of an egg (and would not be able to accept it even if one were released). The “period” during the placebo week is not a normal period.
It takes time for this to return to normal fertility after stopping birth control. Under normal circumstances, ovulation doesn’t occur until 14 days after the beginning of the uterine development (i.e., 14 days after the “period”), and it’s often much delayed when you’ve been on birth control.
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