Birth control pill
What is the birth control pill?
The birth control pill, also called “the pill” or “oral contraception” is a pill you take 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 your 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 you use them. If you use the progestin-only pill, or mini-pill, you have to be much more careful to take your pill at the same time every day. If you are more than 3 hours late taking the mini-pill (unless you’re using the brand Slynd, which offers more flexibility), you will need to use a backup method of birth control, like condoms, for the next 48 hours. With the combination pill, you just need to make sure to take a pill a day—the timing doesn’t matter.
Quick Facts
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EffectivenessThe 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?
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HormonesThe pill contains hormones.
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Side effectsMost common—but usually temporary—side effects are irregular bleeding, headaches, sore breasts, and nausea.
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CostAs low as $0 or as high as $200 a month.
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STI protectionThe pill doesn’t protect against STIs.
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Ongoing effortYou have to take your pill every single day, which can be hard.
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 your 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 you’re using. Most people have bleeding that resembles a period when taking the placebo pills.
The mini-pill
Better known as the “mini-pill,” progestin-only pills have no estrogen in them. They are a good option if you’re sensitive to combination pills and having side effects or can’t take estrogen for some other reason. With the mini-pill, you take a small amount of progestin every day of the month—there are no placebo pills. You 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.
We can help you find an in person provider or online birth control delivery service.
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