Birth Control Pill

Overview

The birth control pill, also called “the pill” or “oral contraception” is a pill taken once a day to prevent pregnancy. There are lots of different brands of pills on the market, and new ones come out often. Most work by using hormones that keep ovaries from releasing eggs.

There are two main categories of birth control pills, even though there are many different brands. Both types of birth control pills contain hormones. The biggest differences between them are which hormones they contain and how to use them. If someone chooses the progestin-only pill, or mini-pill, they have to be much more careful to take the pill at the same time every day. If they are more than 3 hours late taking the mini-pill (unless you’re using the brand Slynd, which offers more flexibility), they will need to use a backup method of birth control, like condoms, for the next 48 hours. With the combination pill, make sure to take a pill a day—the timing doesn’t matter.

Quick Facts

Very effective if used correctly. Easy to use, but it has to be taken every day.

Effectiveness

The pill is very effective the way most people use it.
Perfect use: Over 99% effective
Typical use: 93% effective
What are perfect use and typical use?

Hormones

The pill contains hormones.

Side effects

Most common—but usually temporary—side effects are irregular bleeding, headaches, sore breasts, and nausea.

Cost

As low as $0 or as high as $200 a month.

STI protection

The pill doesn’t protect against STIs.

Ongoing effort

A woman has to take a pill every single day, which can be hard.

Types of birth control pills - The mini-pill

Better known as the “mini-pill,” progestin-only pills have no estrogen in them. They are a good option if someone is sensitive to combination pills and having side effects or can’t take estrogen for some other reason. With the mini-pill, someone takes a small amount of progestin every day of the month—there are no placebo pills. They may have irregular bleeding while on the mini-pill.

Most brands and generic versions of the mini-pill require a prescription, but Opill is a type of mini-pill that will be available over the counter. It contains the same type of hormone and works the same way as other progestin-only pills.

Types of birth control pills - The combination pill

This type of pill uses a combination of two types of hormones—estrogen and progestin—that work with the body to prevent ovulation. For most brands of combination birth control pills, a pill pack contains a series of pills that contain hormones followed by placebo pills, which don’t contain any hormones. How many pills with hormones and how many placebo pills are included in each pack depends on the brand of combination pills being used. Most people have bleeding that resembles a period when taking the placebo pills.