“May all be happy, may all be healed, may all be at peace and may no one ever suffer."
This pill contains a small amount of female sex hormone, the progestogen desogestrel. For this reason this pill is called a progestogen-only-pill (POP), or a minipill. Contrary the combined pill, desogestrel does not contain an oestrogen hormone next to the progestogen. Most minipills work primarily by preventing the sperm cells from entering the womb but do not always prevent the egg cell from ripening, which is the primary action of combined pills. This pill is distinct from other mini-pills in having a dose that in most cases is high enough to prevent the egg cell from ripening. As a result, this pill provides high contraceptive efficacy. In contrast to the combined pill, this pill can be used by women who do not tolerate estrogens and by women who are breast feeding. A disadvantage is that vaginal bleeding may occur at irregular intervals during the use of this pill and also may not have any bleeding at all.