
Written by Editorial Team
If you want to avoid pregnancy or want to keep the gap between babies, you need to resort to the various birth control options available such as condoms, intrauterine contraceptive devices, or oral contraceptive pills. The choice ultimately depends upon one’s preferences.
In a nutshell, oral contraceptive pills are an easy, affordable, and effective way to avoid unwanted pregnancy. Make sure to consult your doctor before starting your birth pill.
In This Article
Oral contraceptive pills or birth control pills are the medications that are used to avoid pregnancy. They are hormonal preparations comprising of estrogen and progesterone hormones or only progesterone. Ovulation is the process of release of the egg from the ovary and is governed by women’s hormones.
The contraceptive pills contain small quantities of synthetically prepared estrogen and progesterone hormones. They impede the functioning of natural hormones and interfere with the implantation and fertilization of eggs and thus prevent pregnancy. Due to their high efficacy, they are increasingly used by women all over the world to prevent unwanted pregnancies.
Here is a list of some commonly available oral contraceptive pills:
The birth pills have a number of advantages over other birth control measures. They are:
The birth pills or contraceptive pills are of different kinds, such as monophasic, biphasic, or triphasic pills. The triphasic contraceptive pills have constant or varying estrogen levels and progestin levels in the entire cycle.
The biphasic pills contain a constant amount of estrogen and a slightly low progestin/estrogen ratio in the first 21 days of the menstrual cycle and a slightly higher ratio in the second half of the cycle. Monophasic pills release the same amount of progestin and estrogen every day.
Pregnancy occurs when an egg released from the ovary is fertilized by a man’s sperm. The fertilized egg is then implanted or attached in the woman’s uterus. It receives nourishment and matures into a baby. The birth control pills contain only progestin or a combination of estrogen and progestin.
The FSH and LH have a vital role in the maturation of eggs and the preparation of uterine lining for embryo implantation. The combined use of estrogen and progesterone inhibits the secretion of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH).
The hormonal contraceptive pills act by:
Broadly speaking contraceptive pills are safe, but it would be better to seek advice from your doctor before you start taking it. Following are the important factors that your doctor keeps in mind before recommending you’re the birth pill:
Birth pills are very effective in keeping pregnancy at bay and the failure rate is very less. Progestin pills should be taken at the same time every day to accomplish its complete efficacy. However, the effectiveness of the pills can be retarded by the use of rifampicin, certain oral yeast infection medicine, some HIV medicine, and certain anti-seizure drugs. The potency of the pill is also affected if the woman is having diarrhea or vomiting.
Yes, oral contraceptive pills do have some side effects, though nothing should be serious. Some women complain of the below side effects when they take oral contraceptive pills:
Yes, they are. These pills stop the egg from being released. Hence, they are designed only for women.
Yes, they are. They have a 99% effective rate, compared to the 95% for condoms. However, you need a doctor’s prescription to use these pills.
No you cannot. It is not safe for the baby. Since these pills cause a change in your hormonal levels, it can impact your child.
Yes, you can. No form of birth control promises a 100% safety. If you miss to take your pills on time, it can result in a pregnancy.
The 3 types of birth control pills available in the market are progestin-only pill, also known as the mini-pill, combination pill that contains a combination of hormones progesterone and estrogen, and continuous-use pill.
Yes, oral contraceptive pill is safe. This form of birth control has been in use for many decades and is considered one of the safest birth control methods. Some women may develop side effects in which case the doctor must be consulted.
With a rich experience in pregnancy and parenting, our team of experts create insightful, well-curated, and easy-to-read content for our to-be-parents and parents at all stages of parenting.Read more.
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