Birth Control Pills appear to be the unanimous choice among the approximate twelve million women in the United States and a hundred million women globally. The presently available birth control pills have significantly lower estrogen doses as compared to their antecedents translating to negligible side effected and yet no  compromise on the efficacy quotient.

There are 2 key forms of birth control pills namely, Combination pill that has a combination of estrogen and progestin. The other type of birth control pill is the ‘minipill’ that solely has the presence of progesterone. Emergency birth control pills are another form that must be consumed subsequent to unprotected sexual contact.

Below explicated are an outline of all the combination pill types and their manner of working.

Combination Pill

The combination pill is the form prevalently linked with the terminology ‘the pill’ and contains estrogen and progestin (the man-made version of progesterone hormone) in unison. The woman generally ovulates when there is a surge in estrogen levels signalling the ovaries to shed the egg. A Combination pill impedes ovulation by amending hormone levels to avert this rise. A combination pill additionally causes a thickening of the mucus in the cervical region to stop sperm passage to reach the egg. Additionally these pills create an inhospitable environment for the implantation of the fertilised egg.

Majority of the combination pills employ the analogous type of estrogen – ethinyl estradiol – however in varying forms of progestins like progestin desogestrel, drospirenone. Majority of the combination pills are obtainable in the twenty-one or twenty-eight day packaging. The twenty-one day packaging has all its pills of the active type with the final one week of the menstrual cycle being pill-free. One should ideally bear in mind when to begin the subsequent pill packet. The twenty-eight day packet has twenty-one pills of the active form and one week long of pills that are placebo and dormant.

Combination pill comes into 3 varying kinds namely monophasic, biphasic and triphasic.

Monophasic Pills

In these types of pills the entire twenty-one active pills have the analogous hormone levels. These pills are branded as Alesse, Brevicon, Demulen, Desogen, Levlen, Loestrin, Yaz (containing twenty-four active pills and 4 dormant ones), Ortho – Cept or Cyclen or Novum, Yasmin and Norinyl.

Biphasic Pills

These twenty-one active pills have 2 diverse estrogen and progestin levels. These pills are available as Jenest-28, Mircette, Necon and Ortho-Novum 10/11.

Triphasic Pills

The twenty-one active pill set comprises of 3 varying hormone dosages that change weekly. These pills are obtainable by the names Ortho-Novum 7/7/7 or Tri-Cyclen, Tri-Levlen or Norinyl and Triphasil.

All the three pill forms are equally safe and effective, though several physicians usually suggest monophasic pills as there is consistency in the hormone dosage and colouring. In bi and triphasic pills there are varying colours that could get confusing for some women in a situation wherein she has skipped taking a pill.

Positive aspects about Combination Pills:

• These have a ninety-nine percent efficacy rate when consumed as per schedule. The classic failure chances range from three to eight percent.
• Period flow is lesser, greater regularity and less agonising.
• Lesser experienced PMS (pre-menstrual syndrome) side effects like mood swings.
• Lesser chances of developing cancers of the ovaries and the uterus, cyst formation in the ovaries, breasts and PID (pelvic inflammatory disease).
• Lesser skin eruptions.
• Prevention of ectopic pregnancy.
• Allays pain due to endometriosis.

Downside about Combination Pills:

• Feeling nauseous.
• Puking.
• Recurrent headaches.
• Soreness and inflammation of the breasts.
• Lowered libido.
• Giddiness.
• Erratic bleeding, particularly in the initial 2 months of usage.
• Unsuitable for those with a past of blood clots, hypertension, migraines (aura-type), cardiovascular or liver ailment.
• The pill could raise chances of hypertension, stroke, blood clot, liver cancer or atypically gallstone.