How Does Triadene Work?

There are three basic mechanisms by which all combined contraceptive pills work. They work together to ensure that pregnancy will not occur and if one fails there are another two mechanisms to protect you. The pill is 99% effective if it is used correctly.

During a normal cycle, oestrogen and progestogen fluctuate in levels to stimulate egg release from the ovary and to prepare the uterus for pregnancy. One egg is released per cycle and travels down the fallopian tube ready to be fertilised. The sure fire way of preventing pregnancy, is to stop this egg from being released. The pill does so by maintaining a certain level of the two hormones to trick the body into thinking that it has already ovulated. If it thinks this, no egg will actually be released and there will be nothing for the sperm to fertilise.

The pill also stops the sperm from getting to an egg. The sperm have a difficult journey, regardless of the pill and only the minority makes it as far as the egg. The pill thickens a mucous that lines the neck of the womb so that it becomes a viscous fluid. The sperm have difficulty penetrating and swimming through the fluid and this reduced the chances of a sperm meeting an egg to fertilise it.

The final mechanism used acts on a fertilised egg. If the other two mechanisms fail and an egg does become fertilised, the pill can still stop pregnancy. In order to become a successful pregnancy, the egg must attach to the uterus wall so that it can obtain the nutrients that it needs. The wall needs to be thick in order for this to happen. The pill thins this layer, making it more difficult for egg implantation to occur and it is unlikely that the fertilised egg will turn into a successful pregnancy.

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