How does Femodette Work?

Femodette uses the same three mechanisms as any other contraceptive pill to prevent you from becoming pregnant. It is over 99% effective if you use it correctly and is a very efficient method of contraception.

The main mechanism it uses to ensure you don’t become pregnant is to stop an egg from being released. This is a simple mechanism that involves an influx of the hormones that control the menstrual cycle. During your regular cycle, oestrogen and progestogen levels rise and fall to cause ovulation and maintain the uterus in the chance an egg is fertilised. If you put a high enough constant level of these hormones into your body, you can make your body think that it has already ovulated during this cycle. Therefore, as only one egg is released a month, no egg will actually be released in your cycle. If there is no egg to fertilise, pregnancy will not occur.

The pill also makes it very difficult for the sperm to reach the egg to fertilise it in the first place. Around the vaginal opening is a layer of mucous, which keeps the vagina healthy and protects it from certain bacteria. The pill acts on this mucous, causing it to thicken and become very viscous, creating a mucous plug. This is a very difficult obstacle for the sperm to overcome, as it is very difficult to swim through. If an egg was to be released, the chances of a sperm reaching it to fertilise are very slim.

If an egg is released and a sperm manages to swim through the mucous plug to fertilise it, there is another obstacle that the egg must overcome. In order to be successful, the egg must implant itself into the uterus wall so that it can develop into a foetus. This is most favorable when the uterus wall is thick. However, the pill thins this uterus wall so much so that there is very little chance of an egg being able to embed itself and take hold. This is also the mechanism that produces lighter, shorter periods that do not cause as much pain.

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