Oral contraceptives

Oral contraceptives (birth control pills) * Birth control pills (oral contraceptives) are a method of birth control that uses hormones to prevent pregnancy. The man-made female hormones in the pills change a woman's natural hormone levels and prevent her ovaries from releasing an egg each month. The cervix also produces less mucus so that sperm cannot easily enter the uterus. In addition, the lining of the uterus becomes thinner, so it would be more difficult for a fertilized egg to stay in the uterus.

Emergency Contraception: The Morning After Pills An emergency form of birth control is available to women, but many do not know it exists. Oral contraceptives used for this purpose are often referred to as 'the morning after pill.' Not just one pill, emergency contraception (EC)...

Older types of birth control pills more harmful to smokers The newer, low-dose types of birth control pills may be less likely to cause heart problems in female smokers than older formulations of oral contraceptives, US researchers suggest...

More insight on how the Pill offers cancer protection Women who use birth control pills have a reduced risk of ovarian cancer, and scientists have assumed that this is due to the prevention of ovulation and the hormonal changes that accompany it...

Say happy birthday to the Pill The birth control pill turned 40 this week, and researchers report there are plenty of reasons to celebrate...

Pill linked to fatal clot risk While birth control pills have been linked to a risk of blood clots, new research suggests that more women than commonly thought may die of Pill-related clots in the lungs...

Low-dose birth control pills can lower ovarian cancer risk Birth control pills with low doses of the hormones estrogen and progestin appear to be just as...

Newer oral contraceptives just as safe as older types Despite a 1995 "scare" over the safety of the newest wave of birth control pills...

Newest Version Of The Pill May Cause Blood Clots The latest generation of birth control pills, which were introduced in the 1980s and early 1990s, may raise a woman`s risk of blood clots even more than earlier oral contraceptives...