Oral Contraceptive - The Pill
What is The Pill?
The Pill is the most popular type of birth control. There are many different brands of The Pill and they come in packs of 21 or 28 pills. The Pill must be taken at the same time every day. Combined oral contraceptives are birth control pills that contain two hormones, an estrogen and a progestin. The estrogen prevents pregnancy by stopping ovulation (release of an egg), while the progestin makes the lining of the uterus thinner, preventing fertilization. The first 21 pills have a combination of synthetic estrogen and progesterone hormones. The last 7 pills of a 28-day pack have no hormones and are called spacer pills.
How is The Pill used?
To lower the risk of pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, condoms can be used while taking The Pill.
- Starting The Pill
There are several ways to begin taking The Pill. One common way is to start on the first day of your period or the first day after an abortion. - Continuing The Pill
Take one pill every day until you finish an entire pack. If you have a 28-day pack, start a new pack immediately after you finish the old one. If you have a 21-day pack, take one pill every day for 21 days, no pills for 7 days, then start the new pack immediately.
Success Rate
In general, how well each type of birth control method works depends on a lot of things. These include whether a person has any health conditions or is taking any medications that might interfere with its use. The Pill is 97-99.9% effective as birth control.
The Pill Precautions
Following are some important points to remember when taking The Pill:
- Effectiveness - The effectiveness of the Pill is lowered when taken with certain medications, including antibiotics, anti-seizure, tuberculosis, and migraine medications. If you are taking any medications, tell your clinician.
- Missed Pills - If you forget to take a pill, take the pill as soon as you remember.
- Future Fertility - Women who want to become pregnant may stop using The Pill at any time. Fertility may return immediately or after a few months.
Side Effects
Women often experience some minor side effects, which usually disappear after 2-3 cycles:
- Irregular bleeding or spotting
- Nausea
- Breast tenderness
- Weight gain
- Spotty darkening of the skin
- Mood changes
Advantages
- Periods may be lighter or more regular.
- Easy to use.
- Does not harm future fertility.
- May protect against uterine and ovarian cancers.
- Can reduce acne in women taking combined birth control pills.
Disadvantages
- Does not protect against HIV/AIDS.
- Must be taken every day.
- Less effective when taken with some drugs.
- Raised risk of heart attack and stroke.
- Pills require a prescription and can be expensive.