The Pill. An oral contraceptive that must be prescribed by a doctor.

Ratings
Safer sex—not effective
Pregnancy prevention—very effective

How it works—hormonal

The pill basically tricks your body into thinking you're pregnant. It comes in two forms and a variety of dosages. One form combines the synthetic hormones estrogen and progesterone. It prevents ovulation so you stop producing eggs. This pill does not prevent the womb lining from developing.

The second (and slightly less effective) form of the pill is progesterone only. This pill (sometimes known as the mini-pill) thickens your cervical mucus, making it difficult for sperm to get through the cervix and meet the egg. If an egg does get fertilized, it's very hard for it to survive because this pill prevents the womb lining from developing.

Pros and cons

The major plus side of the pill is that it is 97–100%effective in preventing pregnancy. But this stat only applies to women who take the pill EVERYDAY. Some research shows that the pill (with estrogen and synthetic progesterone) reduces the risk of ovarian and endometrial cancer.

There are various scientific opinions about the risk of breast cancer associated with the pill. Some women experience weight gain, headaches, mood changes, reduced sex-drive and breast tenderness. Also, the pill doesn't protect you from STDs, so you have to use a condom or some other form of barrier protection to prevent disease. The pill is available by prescription only, so you need to go to your doctor and discuss whether it's right for you.

Birth control pills side effects

You experience a false period while taking the pill. This happens during the days of the month when you're taking the reminder sugar pills in your pack or no pill at all. It's a false period because you're not really ovulating. You still bleed like a normal period, but generally, these false periods are light, absolutely regular and almost pain free.

With the mini-pill (progestogen only), the length of your cycle varies between 23 and 33 days—but it can also be shorter. Breakthrough bleeding and spotting is common between periods. Many women with irregular cycles experience no bleeding at all.