Your body naturally produces hormones, which are chemicals that regulate how your body works. Some of these hormones control your menstrual cycle. Birth control pills also use hormones, although these are synthetic, or “man-made,” hormones. Normally, your body goes through a cycle each month which involves ovulation (the releasing of eggs by your ovaries). If an egg is fertilized at that time, and attaches to the womb (uterus), pregnancy occurs. However, hormones in the pill (which mimic the natural hormones in your body) prevent pregnancy from occurring in a variety of ways.
Lupin Pharmaceuticals has three different types of oral contraceptives:
All three types of pills use hormones to prevent pregnancy:
EFFECTIVENESS
Oral contraceptives are one of the most effective and reliable forms of birth control available, second only to surgical methods. In fact, when used correctly, the pill is over 99% effective. Compare that to condoms which have an approximate failure rate of 14%, or the diaphragm with spermicide, which has an approximate failure rate of 20%.
The key to the effectiveness of the pill is to use it properly. That means that you must:
While the failure rate of the pill is less than 1% if used correctly, many women do not use it correctly and miss pills, raising the national failure rate to about 5%, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. However, this rate is far lower if you take your pills as directed.
Remember, while the pill is one of the most effective birth control methods out there, you are ultimately in control of how effective it will be. Always take it correctly, as directed.