The Pill
The combined oral contraceptive pill (COCP), often referred to as the birth control pill or colloquially as "the pill", is a type of birth control that is designed to be taken orally by women. It is the oral form of combined hormonal contraception. The pill contains two important hormones: a progestin (a synthetic form of the hormone progestogen/progesterone) and estrogen (usually ethinylestradiol or 17β estradiol). When taken correctly, it alters the menstrual cycle to eliminate ovulation and prevent pregnancy.
Combined oral contraceptive pills were first approved for contraceptive use in the United States in 1960, and remain a very popular form of birth control. They are used by more than 100 million women worldwide including about 9 million women in the United States. From 2015 to 2017, 12.6% of women aged 15–49 in the US reported using combined oral contraceptive pills, making it the second most common method of contraception in this age range (female sterilization is the most common method). Use of combined oral contraceptive pills, however, varies widely by country, age, education, and marital status. For example, one third of women aged 16–49 in the United Kingdom use either the combined pill or progestogen-only pill (POP), compared with less than 3% of women in Japan (as of 1950–2014).
Combined oral contraceptives are on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines. The pill was a catalyst for the sexual revolution.
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