How Can Birth Control Pills Prevent Pregnancy?

Birth control pills are one of the most effective forms of reversible birth control ever invented.

About 18 million American women relay on birth control pills. Birth control pills can also be called as oral contraceptives. Nowadays, there are about 40 various contraceptives that a woman can use.

Instead of the fact that birth control pills are safe for most of the women, however they also carry some health risks.

For instance, people above the age of 35 years who smoke or have certain medical conditions like history of blood clots, or endometrial or breast cancer, then the healthcare provider won’t recommend birth control pills.

Also, oral contraceptives won’t protect you against sexually transmitted diseases. In recent years, researchers invented low dose oral contraceptives that cause fewer side effects.

In reality, healthy women who don’t smoke can safely use the birth control pills despite of their age. Don’t simply buy the birth control pills that are available at over-the-counter. It is better to take your doctor’s prescription.

How do birth control pills work?

Each when your menstrual cycle starts, your estrogen levels rise very much. Estrogen plays a great role in thickening your uterine lining in order to prepare for a fertilized egg. Once your estrogen levels reach its peak level, one of your ovaries releases an egg. This process is called ovulation.

Once ovulation is over, a hormone called progesterone starts to rise. For the next seven days, the hormone progesterone prepares endometrium further for a fertilized egg. Conception takes place when the fertilized egg implants itself in the uterine lining.

If conception won’t occur, both the hormone levels drop and signals the thickened uterine lining to shed or slough off. Eventually, your menstrual cycle begins.

Usually, birth control pills are the synthetic form of both these hormones. They help prevent the ovulation by maintaining a consistent hormone level. If estrogen doesn’t rise, then it won’t signal your ovaries to release the egg. It means that there is no chance for fertilization because there is no egg.

Also, birth control pills can thicken the cervical mucus so that the sperm can not reach the egg. Oral contraceptives make the lining of your uterus unreceptive for implantation of the fertilized egg.

You will find 28 day pack or 21 day pack, which are progestin-only or combined pills. You will find progestin-only pills in 28 day pack only.