Home > Encyclopedia of Children's Health > Oral Contraceptives

Definition

Oral contraceptives are medicines taken by mouth to help prevent pregnancy. They are also known as the pill, OCs, or birth control pills.

Description

Oral contraceptives, or birth control pills, contain synthetic forms of two hormones produced naturally in the body. These hormones, estrogen and progestin, regulate the female menstrual cycle. Some types of oral contraceptives use only progestational hormones, but most use a combination of estrogen and progestin. As of 2004, there were three types of oral contraceptives marketed:

• Monophasic use a fixed dose of both estrogen and progestin during the entire cycle.
• Biphasic oral contraceptives use a constant amount of estrogen during the full cycle, but the amount of progestin is lower during the first half of...