Articles
Choosing a birth control pill
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?
Content
What are the different kinds of birth control pills?
Do you need a prescription to get birth control pills?
What differs in how birth control pills work?
Are all kinds of birth control pills OK for everyone?
What are the pros and cons of combination birth control pills?
What are the pros and cons of progestin-only birth control pills?
Pros
Cons
How do you decide?
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?
Content
What are the different kinds of birth control pills?
Do you need a prescription to get birth control pills?
What differs in how birth control pills work?
Are all kinds of birth control pills OK for everyone?
What are the pros and cons of combination birth control pills?
What are the pros and cons of progestin-only birth control pills?
Pros
Cons
How do you decide?
Cons
Here are some possible drawbacks of progestin-only birth control pills:
- Must be taken at the same time every day. If you skip a pill or take a pill more than three hours late, you need to use a backup form of birth control for at least two days.
- Don't protect against sexually transmitted infections.
- Side effects may include irregular menstrual bleeding, ovarian cysts, less sex drive, headache, breast tenderness, acne, weight gain, depression and hirsutism.
- Slightly higher risk that if pregnancy happens, the fertilized egg will implant outside the uterus. This is called an ectopic pregnancy.
