Identifying And Understanding Birth Control Pills
Women may be familiar to the two different kinds of birth control pills - the combination "combo" pills, the progestin-only "mini" pill.
And the emergency "Plan B" contraceptive pill - but not all women understand how the different contraceptive pills work.
They just know that these pills help prevent them from getting pregnant, and that is all that seems to matter.
However, women should have a deeper understanding on how their miracle contraceptives work.
The combination pill
Combination pills like Triphasil, Ortho Tri Cyclen are oral contraceptive pills that contain a synthetic version of the two female sex hormones reponsible for contraception - estrogen and progesterone (in the form of progestin).
These two hormones are primarily responsible for the movement and function of the ovaries and the uterus. Combo-pills work by preventing ovulation.
Ovulation is the process wherein the ovaries release a mature egg during a woman's menstrual period. It can also change the consistency of the cervical mucus to make it difficult for sperm cells to reach the mature egg.
This pill is taken daily and comes in three different variations - monophasic, multiphasic, and continuous use.
Monophasic combo-pills contain 21 active pills taken consistenly, with 7 placebo pills to be taken during the "break" week. During the "break" week, women get their menstruation.
Multiphasic combo-pills contain varied amounts of hormones in the pills and are taken all throughout the month.
The varied hormone levels in the pills help decrease the side effects of the contraceptive.
Continuous use combo-pills contains the same hormone amount on each tablet and it taken daily with no breaks.
While taking the continuous use combo-pill, the user will not menstruate, but may experience breakthrough bleeding.
The progestin-only pill (POP)
As what the name suggests, this birth control pill only contains progestin, the synthetic form of progesterone.
It prevents pregnancy by thickening the cervical mucus to make it harder for sperm to get to the woman's egg cell.
Also, it changes the uterine environment, making the wall of the uterus less favorable for implantation of a fertilized egg.
It does not, however, effectively prevent ovulation. This means that a woman can still menstruate while taking the mini-pill.
Although the progestin-only pill is not looked upon as the most effective birth control pill in the market, it is a good alternative for women who cannot take estrogen.
Aside from that, this type of birth control pill also has comparably less side effects that the combo-pill. Examples of progestin-only pills are Micronor, Nor-QD, and Ovrette.
The emergency contraceptive pill (Plan B)
Emergency contraceptives are only meant to be used as a back-up for the primary birth control method of choice This is in the case that the primary contraceptive fails or both partners can't get a hold of their main contraceptive.
The brand name gives a pretty good explanation to it. If Plan A fails, use Plan B. Doctors always emphasize the Plan B can never be used as a primary birth control means, it only works as a back-up.
Emergency contraceptive pills are different from the abortion pill RU-486 because Plan B cannot terminate an existing pregnancy.
Plan B is just like the mini-pill, but with a higher level of levenogestrel to further make the uterine wall less hospitable for implantation.
The pill is a very efficient birth control method when used appropriately, but it will not protect you from sexually transmitted diseases unlike other contraceptive measures.
Before settling on a specific birth control method, consult your doctor.
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