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Choosing a birth control pill
Content
What are the different kinds of birth control pills?
How do the different birth control pills work?
Are all kinds of birth control pills appropriate for everyone?
What are the pros and cons of combination pills?
What are the pros and cons of the minipill?
What's the bottom line?
How do the different birth control pills work?
Combination birth control pills prevent your ovaries from releasing an egg. They also slow an egg's progress through the fallopian tubes, thicken cervical mucus and thin the lining of the uterus (endometrium). All of these actions help keep sperm from joining the egg.
The minipill slows an egg's progress through the fallopian tubes, thickens cervical mucus and thins the endometrium — all of which help prevent sperm from reaching the egg. The minipill sometimes also suppresses ovulation.