| What Is the Birth Control Pill? |
Birth Control pills or Oral contraceptives are hormones taken by mouth that inhibit normal fertility. They work by preventing a woman’s ovaries from releasing eggs and they can also thicken the cervical mucus, which keeps sperm from joining with an egg. The hormones in birth control pills also thin the lining of the uterus. This can prevent pregnancy by interfering with the implantation of a fertilized egg. They have been used since the 1960’s and are currently used by millions of women worldwide.How they workThere are different types of oral contraception but they generally all have different synthetic hormones (estrogen and progestin). The pill must be taken within 12 hours of the same time each day if it is a combination pill and within 3 hours for Progesterone only pills. Most brands are packaged with 21 days of active pills followed by 7 days of placebo pills or instructions not to take pills for seven days. During a placebo week a women will have their period. Women taking oral contraception should be aware that they will have protection from becoming pregnant if they take their first pill on the first day of their menstrual cycle. However if a woman begins taking a pill at another time in her menstrual cycle, then she must use a different form of contraception for 7 days. EffectivenessOral contraception is one of the most effective birth control methods. The number of unintended pregnancies in 100 normal women who use birth control pills for a year can be as low as 2.5 to 8.0. This is for typical use of birth control. If a women has uses birth control in ideal conditions then the number of pregnancies has been measured as low as 0.3 – 1.25 per 100 women.The reason that there are two different sets of numbers is because many women will forget to take their pill daily, which impairs its effectiveness. In addition, certain other drugs can prevent the Pill from working. Diarrhea can also lessen the effectiveness as it causes the hormones to not be absorbed by the bowels.
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