hormones to reduce fertility

• hormones can be used to prevent the release of an egg - so it can be used as a method of contraception
• hormones can be used to reduce fertility
• if oestrogen is taken everyday to keep the level of it permanently high, it inhibits the production of FSH and after a wile egg development and production stop and stay stopped
• progesterone reduces fertility by stimulating the production of a thick mucus which prevents any sperm getting through and reaching the egg
• oestrogen and progesterone can be taken in a pill
• the pill is an oral contraceptive containing oestrogen and progesterone - know as the combined oral pill
• its over 99% effective at preventing pregnancy
• the pill can cause side effects like headaches and nausea
• the pill does not protect against STDs
• there is also a progesterone only pill - it has fewer side effects than the pill, and is just as effective
• the contraceptive patch contains oestrogen and progesterone - it is a small patch that is stuck to the skin, each patch lasts one week
• the contraceptive implant is inserted under the skin of the arm
• the implant releases a continuous amount of progesterone, which stops the ovaries from releasing eggs, makes it hard for sperm to swim to the egg, and stops any fertilised egg implanting in the uterus
• the implant can last for three years
• the contraceptive injection also contains progesterone - each does lasts 2 to 3 months
• an intrauterine device (IUD) is a T-shaped device that is inserted into the uterus to kill sperm and prevent implantation of a fertilised egg
• there are two main types of IUDs - plastic IUDs that release progesterone and copper IUDs that prevent the sperm from surviving in the uterus