Why is oestrogen combined with progestogen in oral contraceptives?

Question

Is this combination necessary??

Answer 1

Estrogen and progestins are both female hormones, so it's not really about "balancing" anything. They are combined because unopposed estrogen has long been known to cause carcinomas, other cancers (i.e. breast, uterine, ovarian), as well as a host of other illnesses. See http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/oral-contraceptives for details on unopposed and combined OC therapies and the risks of each. Some OCs contain mild or trace adrogen (male hormone), which you can read about on the same site, given not to "balance" anything, but to assist women with certain conditions that might benefit from such therapy.

Answer 2

Yes, to balance the male and female hormones out in your body if you take them.