Birth control pills are medications commonly used as a form of
contraception. They are also known as "the Pill."
Over 11 million women in the United States use birth control
pills.
They are the most popular form of contraception for women under
age 30, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC).
Birth control pills contain synthetic female hormones known as
estrogen and progestin (a synthetic form of progesterone). Used in
combination or alone, these hormones prevent pregnancy.
When always used correctly, birth control pills have an
effectiveness rate of over 99 percent.
Under typical use (less than perfect use), the effectiveness
rate drops to 95 percent.
The effectiveness of birth control pills may be reduced by some
medications, including certain antibiotics.
Birth control pills "fool" your body into thinking that it is
already pregnant, which creates an environment that makes
fertilization difficult.
There are more than 40 brands of birth control pills
available.
Different brands of birth control pills contain slightly
different medications or doses, are taken differently and have
different risks and benefits.
They offer a number of significant health benefits when taken
for at least 10 years, including a significantly lower risk of
colorectal, uterine or ovarian cancer.
They also carry an increased risk of blood clots, ischemic
stroke and elevated blood pressure.
Birth control pills do not offer protection against human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or other sexually transmitted diseases
(STDs).
Smoking may decrease the effectiveness of birth control pills
and may increase the risk of heart attacks, strokes and blood
clots.
Birth control pills containing estrogen and progestin are known
as combined birth control pills. They come in either a 21-day,
28-day or 91-day cycle.
A 21-day cycle means that a patient takes one pill each day for
21 days, and then waits seven days (during which she will get her
period) before beginning another pack of 21 pills.
A 28-day cycle means that the patient takes a pill every day
for 28 days and then starts another pack of 28 pills. The last
seven pills in a 28-day pack are taken during the week that she
gets her period.
The last seven pills in a 28-day pack are a different color
than the other pills. However, these are not always simply
placeholders. Depending on they type of birth control pill
prescribed, the last seven pills may contain active
ingredients.
The 91-day cycle of birth control pills was approved in 2003.
Pills are taken for 12 weeks (84 days), followed by seven placebo
(inert) pills. This reduces the number of periods from once a month
to about once every three months.
Another type of extended-cycle birth control pill was approved
in 2006. This pill also reduces the monthly period to only four per
year. However, instead of seven placebo pills, women receive a low
dose of estrogen during their bleeding episodes. The estrogen may
provide a lower risk of breakthrough bleeding and spotting between
the periods.
In May 2007 another form of oral contraceptives that do not
include any placebo pills and should, therefore, theoretically
eliminate periods altogether was approved. The new pill comes in a
28-day pack and is designed to be taken continuously, with no break
in between pill packets. Initial clinical trials have found the new
pills to be as effective in preventing pregnancy as other forms of
oral contraception.
Although women using the continuous birth control pills will not
have scheduled periods, they may be more likely to experience
unplanned bleeding or spotting, especially during the first year of
use. Generally, this side effect decreases or disappears altogether
in most women who continue to take the pills for a full year. The
new continuous birth control pills are now available by
prescription.
Different types of birth control pills contain different
hormones. Most prescriptions contain estrogen and progestin, but a
few varieties contain only progestin (progestin-only pills
[POPs]).
Although they are most commonly prescribed to prevent
pregnancy, birth control pills are also used to treat a variety of
menstrual disorders including amenorrhea (a condition in which
women no longer get their period), dysmenorrhea (abnormally painful
menstruation) and hypermenorrhea (abnormally heavy menstrual
bleeding).
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