What is the birth control pill?

When people talk about “the pill”, they usually mean the combined pill or combined oral contraceptive (COC) which contains an estrogen and a progestogen – the most commonly used form of oral contraception. The latest generation of “pills” have a low dosage of hormones compared to older products. The pill is a type of hormonal contraception which is a particularly effective method of family planning. It is fully reversible, that means a woman can become pregnant again once she stops using the contraceptives.1 Hormonal contraceptives contain sex hormones which act in a similar way to the estrogens and progestin produced by the body.

The birth control pill (or the Pill) is an oral contraception that is taken every day. It stops you from getting pregnant by preventing an egg from being released each month. Without an egg to be fertilized, you can’t become pregnant. With reliable birth control, you can really get closer to your partner.