What does POP stand for?

Progestogen-only pills and hormone-releasing intrauterine devices were not associated with any increased risk of venous thrombosis.

Good options for breastfeeding women include the mini Pill, also known as the progestogen-only Pill (POP), which releases hormones to prevent an egg being fertilised or implanted - or the hormone implant, a matchstick-sized rod which releases hormones that prevent ovulation and fertilisation.

Yvette tried taking the progestogen-only pill and the combined oral contraceptive pill (the standard way of treating the symptoms), but this simply made her heavier and depressed.

95 Paperback Rapid reference RG136 Gynecologist and lecturer Kubba provides comprehensive information concisely and also deals with the controversies of his specialty in this pocket guide, covering the contraceptive decision-making process as well as such drugs, devices and techniques as the combined pill, the progestogen-only pill, progestogen-only injectables, combined injectables, barrier methods, intrauterine devices and hormonal systems, transdermal hormonal systems, vaginal rings, subdermal implants, and sterilization.

The two types of pill available are combined oral contraceptives (containingoestrogen and progestogen), commonly referred to as COCs, and progestogen-only pills (POPs), sometimes termed ``the mini-pill''.

A useful compromise is to switch to the safer progestogen-only pill (the minipill) - this is slightly less effective than the Pill but has fewer serious side effects and offers more than enough protection for women in their late thirties and forties (in whom fertility levels are significantly lower than in younger women).

New products -- such as the combined pill Yasmin, from Schering Health and the progestogen-only pill Cerazette, from Organon -- have tended to take market share from other products, rather than to stimulate the sector as a whole.

ORAL CONTRACEPTIVES (THE PILL AND THE POP) The combined oral contraceptive (COC) contains the female sex hormones oestrogen and progestogen, while the progestogen-only Pill (POP) is oestrogen-free.