How do birth control pills work?

Birth control pills are considered a safe and a convenient method of contraception. As the name suggests, these are oral drugs containing vital female hormones. The efficiency of these drugs is reasonably high, ranging from 88% to 95%. Regularity is the key to adopting this option. Any gap in daily doses can expose you to the risk of accidental pregnancy and birth control pills are also ineffective in preventing sexually transmitted diseases.

Birth control pills consist of hormones, Estrogen (or Oestrogen), Progesterone and Progestin (synthetically manufactured natural hormone, Progesterone). Estrogen is the principal female hormone associated with the regulation of the main reproductive functions and physiological changes related to it. Progesterone controls the monthly menstruation cycles and the allied reproductive functions. Currently, there are a few specific types of birth control pills:

1. Estrogen pills
2. Progestin pills (also known as, ‘mini-pill’)
3. Combination drug (birth control pills)

The mini-pill thickens the cervical mucus and prevents the sperm from fertilizing the egg, or an egg from attaching to the uterus lining. The combination drug(s) also prevent the release of eggs from the ovaries. Therefore, combination pills are more effective than the mini-pill. The mini-pill is recommended to women who are prone to Estrogen allergies, or those who are on some interfering medication, and breastfeeding mothers.

The birth control pills should be taken during the three weeks of a four-week cycle, starting from the week immediately following menstruation and ending with the week immediately before menstruation. The pills must be consumed daily at the same time. Not even a single dose should be skipped. A missed dose in the first or third week can be risky. Currently, there are mainly two types of commercially marketed packages of birth control pills: the 21-pills pack and the 28-pills pack.

The pack with 21 pills contains the hormonal pills only (also called ‘active pills’), to be consumed during the three weeks of the monthly cycle, except the week of menstruation. The pack with twenty-eight pills has seven non-hormonal pills, or placebos (called ‘spacers’) apart from the ‘active’ pills. These extra seven pills are included to help the user in maintaining the routine and avoid any gap in the ‘active’ doses.

Hormonal pills have been linked to various side effects, most of them minor, but also certain severe ones that can include the following: dizziness, nausea, irregular periods, depression, breast cyst and tenderness, thrombosis (blood clotting), cancer, and heart ailments. The combination pills, especially those with lower Estrogen doses, have proven to be effective in minimizing some of these side effects. There cannot be a single drug that suits everyone’s body type. Therefore, different types of combinations are prescribed for different users. In addition, it is always advisable to take a doctor’s advice before embarking upon oral contraception.

Learn more about our Phoenix Birth Control Clinical Trial