Pill, the
Commonly called “the pill,” combined oral contraceptives are the most commonly used form of reversible birth control in the United States.
This form of birth control suppresses ovulation (the monthly release of an egg from the ovaries) by the combined actions of the hormones estrogen and progestin.
If a woman remembers to take the pill every day as directed, she has an extremely low chance of becoming pregnant in a year. But the pill’s effectiveness may be reduced if the woman is taking some medications, such as certain antibiotics.
Besides preventing pregnancy, the pill can make periods more regular. It also has a protective effect against pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), an infection of the fallopian tubes or uterus that is a major cause of infertility in women, and against ovarian and endometrial cancers.
Birth control pills are considered safe for most women but they carry some risks. Current low-dose pills have fewer risks associated with them than earlier versions. But women who smoke, especially those over 35, and women with certain medical conditions such as a history of blood clots or breast or endometrial cancer, may be advised against taking the pill. The pill may also contribute to cardiovascular disease, including high blood pressure, blood clots, and blockage of the arteries.
One of the biggest questions has been whether the pill increases the risk of breast cancer in past and current pill users. An international study published in the September 1996 journal Contraception concluded that women’s risk of breast cancer 10 years after going off birth control pills was no higher than that of women who had never used the pill. During pill use and for the first 10 years after stopping the pill, women’s risk of breast cancer was only slightly higher in pill users than non-pill users.
The side effects of the pill include nausea, headache, breast tenderness, weight gain, irregular bleeding, and depression. These side effects often subside after a few months’ use of the pill.
This is in part based on information from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (the FDA).
Read Also:
- Piloerection
Erection of the hair of the skin due to contraction of the tiny arrectores pilorum muscles that elevate the hair follicles above the rest of the skin and move the hair vertically, so the hair seems to ‘stand on end.’
- Pilonidal
Refers to an embedded (ingrown) hair or tuft of hair. Literally, a nest of hair. From the Latin pilus (meaning hair) and nidus (meaning nest).
- Pilonidal cyst
An abscess that occurs in the cleft between the buttocks at the base of the tailbone (coccyx). Pilonidal cysts are common in adolescence, often after long trips that involve sitting.
- Pilonidal sinus
A sinus tract from which there may be chronic drainage of pus, due to an embedded tuft of hair, most often in the crease between the buttocks, but can occur elsewhere in the body, as between the fingers in barbers, hairdressers, and animal groomers. Surgical removal of the hair and the inflammatory tissue cures the […]
- Pimple
An inflamed area of the skin with pus formation that results from an oil gland being infected with bacteria. Pimples are due to overactivity of the oil glands located at the base of the hair follicles, especially on the face, back, chest, and shoulders.