Birth Control Pills

In the 1930s, researchers determined that hormones can prevent ovulation in rabbits. Based on that concept, futher research led to the development of the human birth control pill, first made available to women in the 1960s. A commercially available birth control pill for men may soon be on the market.

Birth control pills, sometimes called "the pill" or oral contraception, are a prescription medication that women can take daily to prevent pregnancy. The hormones in the pill suppress ovulation. The hormones in the pill also prevent pregnancy by thickening a woman's cervical mucus, blocking sperm from joining with an egg. Most women can use birth control pills safely. For most women, pills are a safe, effective means of preventing unplanned pregnancy. Birth control pills are available by prescription from a healthcare provider.

*Like other forms of hormonal birth control, birth control pills do not protect against Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs).