Starting the Pack — Active Hormone Pills Begin
Placeholder: daily estrogen-progestin dosing starts suppressing the axis.
- 21: Active pill days (Placeholder short caption)
- Falling: Starting FSH level (Placeholder short caption)
- Falling: Starting LH level (Placeholder short caption)
- Quieting: Follicle state (Placeholder short caption)
Why suppression starts immediately
Placeholder sentence describing early pituitary suppression onset.
Placeholder highlight: early adherence matters most in week one.
FSH and LH Decline Through the Active Weeks
Placeholder: gonadotropin levels drop as hormone exposure accumulates.
- 8–14: Days into pack (Placeholder short caption)
- Suppressed: FSH trend (Placeholder short caption)
- Blocked: LH surge risk (Placeholder short caption)
- Minimal: Follicle growth (Placeholder short caption)
Building a stable suppression plateau
Placeholder sentence on cumulative suppression across the second week.
Placeholder highlight: missed pills here blunt the plateau.
Ovulation Blockade Holds Through Week Three
Placeholder: peak suppression prevents any dominant follicle from maturing.
- 15–21: Days into pack (Placeholder short caption)
- Blocked: Ovulation status (Placeholder short caption)
- Peak: Suppression level (Placeholder short caption)
- Dormant: Follicle size (Placeholder short caption)
Maintaining peak suppression
Placeholder sentence describing sustained blockade at pack end.
Placeholder highlight: consistency keeps blockade dependable.
Days 22–28 — Hormone-Free Placebo Interval
Placeholder: stopping hormones lets suppression begin fading gradually.
- 7: Placebo days (Placeholder short caption)
- Rising: FSH/LH trend (Placeholder short caption)
- Low but rising: Ovulation risk (Placeholder short caption)
- Shedding: Endometrium (Placeholder short caption)
What the placebo week changes
Placeholder sentence describing why the hormone-free week is included.
Placeholder highlight: extended placebo weeks raise escape risk.
Withdrawal Bleed and the New Pack Begins
Placeholder: bleeding occurs and day 1 of a new pack restores suppression.
- Days 24–26: Bleed onset (Placeholder short caption)
- Day 1: New pack day (Placeholder short caption)
- Restarting: Suppression reset (Placeholder short caption)
- Maintained: Protection continuity (Placeholder short caption)
Restarting the suppression cycle
Placeholder sentence on resuming active pills without a gap.
Placeholder highlight: late restart is the riskiest adherence lapse.