Birth Control Pills
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Birth control is a way for men and women to prevent pregnancy. There are many different methods of birth control, including hormonal contraception such as "the pill."
Women take the pill by mouth to prevent pregnancy, and, when taken correctly, it is up to 99.9% effective. However, the pill does not protect against sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV (the virus that causes AIDS). The latex male condom provides the best protection from most STDs. Other types of combined estrogen and progestin hormonal contraception include the patch and the vaginal ring.
How Does Hormonal Contraception Work?
A woman becomes pregnant when an egg released from her ovary (the organ that holds her eggs) is fertilized by a man's sperm.
The fertilized egg attaches to the inside of a woman's womb (uterus),
where it receives nourishment and develops into a baby. Hormones in the
woman's body control the release of the egg from the ovary -- called ovulation -- and prepare the body to accept the fertilized egg.
Hormonal contraceptives (the pill, the patch, and the vaginal ring) all contain a small amount of man-made estrogen
and progestin hormones. These hormones work to inhibit the body's
natural cyclical hormones to prevent pregnancy. Pregnancy is prevented
by a combination of factors. The hormonal contraceptive usually stops
the body from ovulating. Hormonal contraceptives also change the cervical mucus to make it difficult for the sperm to go through the cervix
and find an egg. Hormonal contraceptives can also prevent pregnancy by
changing the lining of the womb so it's unlikely the fertilized egg will
be implanted.
Another option for hormonal contraceptives is the extended-cycle pill, such as Seasonale, which was the first one to be approved. Seasonale contains the same hormones as other birth control pills,
but the hormones are taken in a longer cycle. That reduces the number
of menstrual periods from 13 periods a year to only four a year. That
means a woman who takes this pill will menstruate only once each season.
Seasonale contains the same combination of two
hormones that are commonly used in other hormonal contraceptives. But
the pill is taken continuously for 12 weeks followed by one week of
inactive pills, which results in a menstrual cycle. Other extended-cycle
pills, such as Seasonique
and LoSeasonique use a different configuration of hormones. Both of
these pills use estrogen in the final week, with LoSeasonique providing a
lower dose option.
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