The birth control pill is a daily pill that has some special hormones to prevent pregnancy. These hormones act by changing how the body works. Hormones are substances that control the functioning of the organs in our body. In birth control, the hormones in the Pill have some influence on the ovaries and the uterus.

How Does It Work?
Birth control pills have certain ovulation suppressing hormones. On ovulation, an egg comes out from the ovaries. But when ovulation doesn’t take place, there is no egg to get fertilized. And hence pregnancy is not possible. There are two kinds of birth control pills — the Minipill and the combined pill. The Minipill has just progestin, whereas the combined pill has both progestin and estrogen. The progestin contained in the Minipill may stop ovulation; however this is not consistently possible for every month. The Minipill makes the cervical mucous thick and thereby creates a blockage to any sperm that is trying to get inside the uterus. The uterus’ lining is also influenced in such a way that the fertilized eggs are blocked from getting into the uterus wall.

The Minipill is to be taken every day. While taking the Minipill you may not get your period; however, if you do get periods, it implies that you are continuing to ovulate and so you have an increased risk of pregnancy. The Combination pills arrive in both 21 and 28 day packs. You take one pill every day all together for 21 days. If you are using a 21-day pack, you should stop taking pills for seven days at the conclusion of the pack. For the 28-day pack, you should carry on taking pills every day; the final 7 non-hormonal pills act as a reminder to help you take your pill at the same time every day. And your period will take place during the week you use the seven reminder pills.

Who Shouldn’t Take the Pill
Women who are below 35 and smoke, have migraines, hypertension, gallbladder disease, diabetes, elective surgery, epilepsy, sickle cell disease, a history of blood clots, liver or heart disease may not be fit for taking The Pill. Such women should consult a doctor before taking the decision. Women who take The Pill have a higher danger of heart attack and stroke. So make sure you do some research on the pill using the internet. There are plenty of sites, not only on birth control pills, but also on various other topics like diet pills, hip exercises, fitness tips, medication side effects, etc.

Side Effects
As the body fine-tunes to hormonal changes created by The Pill, women often go through some minor side effects. This includes irregular bleeding or spotting, Breast tenderness, Nausea, water retention, Weight gain, Spotty darkening of the skin, and Mood fluctuations. Side effects usually go away after two to three cycles. If your side effects are worrisome after two to three cycles, or if heavy bleeding takes place, carry on taking your pills and visit a doctor to discuss your prescription.

See that you meet the physician right away if you experience any symptoms like severe chest pain, abdominal pains, blurred vision, severe headaches, severe leg pain/arm pain, or numbness. The efficiency of the oral contraceptives is reduced when taken with certain medications, including antibiotics, tuberculosis, anti-seizure, and migraine medications. If you are taking any prescription, please inform the doctor about it. When taking medications that may mess with The Pill, you can consider adding a backup birth control method. And as with all drugs, it is helpful to notify all your medical providers if you are using hormonal birth control.