Women CAN take contraceptive pill every day of the month says NHS because traditional seven-day break was only brought in to keep the Pope happy The new guidance comes from Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare The break was previously required to 'make it acceptable for Catholics to use' Scientists added that taking the pill with fewer breaks may reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies Drug was approved by FDA in 1960 and introduced to the British public in 1961 By Bhvishya Patel For Mailonline Published: 19:45 GMT, 20 January 2019 | Updated: 00:10 GMT, 21 January 2019 283 shares 778 Viewcomments The NHS has now assured women that it is safe to take the contraceptive pill every day of the month without any risk. According to the new guidance from the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (FSRH), the seven-day break that was previously required in order to 'make it acceptable for Catholics to use', provides little benefit to the user. The new guidelines by the body responsible for setting safe prescription guidelines in the UK now state there is no health benefit in taking the historic seven-day break that was previously prescribed. Scientists have added that taking the pill with fewer breaks may even help reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies. The new guidance from the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (FSRH) has assured women that it is safe to take the contraceptive pill every day of the month Professor of Family Planning and Reproductive Health at University College London John Guillebaud dismissed the way the pill has been taken for the past 60 years. The professor has performed around 5000 vasectomies using the favoured and improved ‘No-scalpel’ technique and has also co-authored more than 300 publications. WHAT IS THE COMBINED PILL? The combined oral contraceptive pill is usually just called 'the pill'. It contains the female sex hormones oestrogen and progesterone and works by preventing the ovaries from releasing eggs each month - meaning sperm cannot fertilise them. The pill is usually taken every day for three weeks then stopped for a week to allow the woman's period to happen because the womb lining still thickens even if an egg is not released. The pill is over 99 per cent effective if used properly, meaning fewer than one in 100 women using it will get pregnant. There is no evidence that the pill makes women gain weight, but it carries a very low risk of causing blood clots or cervical cancer. The pill does not protect against sexually transmitted infections. Source: NHS As well as studying and performing procedures for women, he has also been involved in looking into a promising non-hormonal male pill. The male pill would give men a semen-free orgasm. He told The Sunday Telegraph: 'The gynaecologist John Rock devised [the break] because he hoped that the Pope would accept the pill and make it acceptable for Catholics to use.' The pioneering Dr John Rock, who was the first scientist to fertilise a human egg in a test tube, was a monumental force in the development of the revolutionary contraceptive pill. The revolutionary drug was approved by the FDA in 1960 and introduced to the British public in 1961. Alongside Dr. Gregory Pincus, Dr. M. C. Chang and Selzo Garcia, the American doctor was a key player in the clinical tests conducted on inhibiting ovulation in women and in the creation of the pill. A devout Roman Catholic who attended mass every morning, Dr Rock also urged leaders of the Catholic church and then Pope John XXIII to accept the pill, insisting the drug was safe to use. After Pope John XXIII died the matter then passed to Pope Paul VI. In 1968, the Pope confirmed a ban on Roman Catholics using contraceptives. Speaking about the pill Dr Rock had said: 'I believe the new pills to be completely physiological and therefore in accord with nature. Their use is completely moral.' He also wrote the acclaimed book 'The Time has Come' which urged church leaders to change their perspective on contraceptives. In an annual Royal College of General Practitioners conference in 2017 Professor Guillebaud had shared his support for offering the pill every day of the year. He added: 'How could it be that for 60 years we have been taking the pill in a sub-optimal way because of this desire to please the Pope?' The new Nice-approved guidelines will now see leaflets informing women on the effectiveness of taking combined hormonal contraception being given out by the Family Planning Association. If the guidelines are followed, medical experts can expect to see the contraceptive pill more widely available across the country. The combined oral contraceptive pill, more commonly referred to as 'the pill', works by preventing the ovaries from releasing an egg during ovulation. As well as preventing the release of an egg, the drug also thickens the mucus at the neck of the womb and thins the lining of the womb making it difficult for a sperm to penetrate or a fertilised egg to implant. It is 99 per cent effective in preventing pregnancy if taken correctly. After Pope John XXIII (left) died it came to Pope Paul VI (right) to express his thoughts on the matter. In 1968 he confirmed a ban on the use of contraceptives by Roman Catholics The new guidelines now state there is no health benefit in taking the historic seven-day break, with scientists adding that taking the pill with fewer breaks may even help reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies Who is Professor John Guillebaud? Professor of Family Planning and Reproductive Health at University College London John Guillebaud -John Guillebaud is a Professor of Family Planning and Reproductive Health at University College London -He was born in Burundi and then brought up in Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya -He has performed around 5000 vasectomies using the favoured and improved ‘No-scalpel’ technique -As a medical expert in gynaecological procedures he is also involved in the studies looking into the non-hormonal male pill -He has authored and co-authored more than 300 publications on contraception for women and men -Nine of his books have been translated into 10 languages -The professor is also a patron of and adviser to www.populationmatters.org -His areas of research include male and female contraception and the population and sustainability of the environment -In 2013, the professor gave a TED talk lecture titled ‘Sex and the Planet’ Source: Royal College of General Practitioners Read more: Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site dailymail and under his responsibility