Oral Birth Control Options

by Christine Lehman

Overview

Oral Birth Control Options

Oral contraceptives are a form of birth control available to women. These pills disrupt the natural cycling of hormones and disrupt the menstrual cycle by inhibiting ovulation. This means that no egg can be released from the ovary and no pregnancy can occur. There are a few different options with respect to oral contraceptives.
Mini Pill

The mini pill is a small dose of progesterone and is taken every day. They do not contain estrogen and are slightly less effective than regular birth control pills.

Phasic Pills

Monophasic, biphasic and triphasic birth control pills offer a constant dose of estrogen and progesterone for 28 days, a constant dose of estrogen and progesterone for 21 days, or a constantly changing dose of these two hormones, respectively. They generally have equal success rates.
Low-Dose Pills

Hormone pills are available that are taken for 12 weeks straight with one week off. This results in one period every 12 weeks, or four periods per year.
Very Low-Dose Pills

Very low-dose pills are available. They contain lower amounts of hormones, and so reduce the risk of hormone-related issues, but pregnancy is more likely if you miss one of these pills as opposed to a higher dose pill.
Morning After Pill

The "morning after pill" is a contraceptive you can take after having sexual intercourse. Because this pill interferes with implantation rather than fertilization, some women choose not to use it for ethical reasons.