subject: Birth Control Pills for Women [print this page] Birth Control Pills for Women
Birth Control Pills: Which Pill is Best?
For many women, birth control pills also known as "the pill" are the best option for family planning. Women who use this oral contraceptive are pleased with its reliability and convenience. Still, for others, the side effects make this method of birth control unappealing. Other methods such as the Essure method of birth control and other permanent forms of birth control are options worth considering. OB/GYN specialists recommend consulting an OB/GYN physician when choosing the appropriate option.
The birth control pill (also called "the Pill") is a daily pill that contains hormones to change the way the body works and prevent pregnancy. Hormones are chemical substances that control the functioning of the body's organs. In this case, the hormones in the pill control the ovaries and the uterus.
How Does the Pill Work?
Many forms of birth control pills are "combination pills" containing both estrogen and progesterone to prevent ovulation. The definition of ovulation is the release of an egg during the monthly cycle. A woman cannot get pregnant if she doesn't ovulate since there is no egg to be fertilized. The birth control pill also works by thickening the mucus around the cervix, which makes it difficult for sperm to enter the uterus and reach any eggs that may have been released. The hormones in the pill may affect the lining of the uterus, making it difficult for an egg to attach to the uterine wall. Many of the birth control pills come in easy-to-use dispensers in which the day of the week or a consecutive number is written on the dispenser with a corresponding tablet for each day or number.
For example, some dispensers are labeled "Sunday" next to the first tablet. Subsequently, the first tablet is to be taken on the first Sunday after menstruation begins (the first Sunday following the first day of a woman's period). If her period begins on Sunday, the first tablet should be taken on that day. Combination pills come in a 21-day pack or a 28-day pack. One hormone pill is taken each day at about the same time for 21 days. Depending on the pack, women may stop taking the pill for seven days (the 21-day pack), or take a dummy pill that contains no hormones for seven days (the 28-day pack). A woman has her period when she stops taking the pills that contain hormones. Some women prefer the 28-day pack because it helps them stay in the habit of taking a pill every day and they don't have to remember to restart taking the pill.
There is also a type of combination pill that decreases the frequency of a woman's period by supplying a hormone pill for 12 weeks and then inactive pills for 7 days. This decreases the number of periods to one every 3 months instead of one every month.
How Birth Control Pills Are Administered
Birth control pills are available by prescription only at a drug store, a pharmacy or OB/GYN clinic, and are prescribed to prevent unwanted pregnancy. When taken as directed, birth control pills fail in less than one in every 200 users over the first year of use. Birth control pills also are prescribed to treat menstrual pain which some women experience with ovulation. Birth control pills, while regulating the menstrual cycle, reduce menstrual cramping and heavy bleeding. Due to the reduced bleeding, they may prevent anemia that is associated with some women. The pill is also sometimes prescribed for a number of conditions that result in excessive bleeding or painful menses. Physicians sometimes prescribe higher doses of birth control pills for use as a "morning after" pill to be taken up to 72 hours after unprotected sex to prevent fertilization and pregnancy.
Women just starting to take birth control pills should use additional contraception for the first seven days of use because pregnancy may occur during this period.
If women forget to take tablets, pregnancy may result. If a single tablet is forgotten, it should be taken as soon as a woman remembers to take it. If more than one tablet is forgotten, the instructions that come with the packaging should be referred to, or a physician or pharmacist should be called.
Estrogen can inhibit the metabolism of cyclosporine, resulting in increased cyclosporine blood levels which can result in kidney and/or liver damage. If this combination cannot be avoided, cyclosporine concentrations can be monitored, and the dose of cyclosporine can be adjusted to ensure that blood levels do not become elevated.
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