Birth Control Pills: Are They a Safe Choice For Women?

Birth control pills. Source | Freepik

Birth Control Pills: Are They a Safe Choice For Women?

Contraceptive pills have been a great source of control when it comes to women's sexual health choices.

Over many decades, American women have relied on contraceptives to prevent unwanted pregnancies.

There are many forms of contraceptives at hand for women to choose; but the most common are the reversible contraceptives.

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In the U.S., the use of contraceptives has only been allowed if it is accompanied by a prescription from a qualified medical doctor.

However, all that is to be done away with as the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) recently allowed over the counter birth control pills in July 2023.

This means that more women who are willing to have an extra power over their sexual health will finally have that chance.

What are the components of birth control pills?

Basically, birth control pills are just synthetic hormones that mimic the normal functions of natural hormones in female bodies.

Oral contraceptives, for example, contain the progestin and estrogen synthetic hormones. The pills are designed to be taken once a day to prevent unwanted pregnancy.

Additionally, there are many combinations of these pills in the market. But the central idea is that all have the artificial hormones that aid in their function.

In the U.S. market and extensively other overseas markets, the three common formulations include progestin only, progestin and estrogen, or continuous use pill.

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How do the birth control pills function?

The birth control pills have two mechanisms of action. They alter some crucial processes in the female body to prevent pregnancy.

First, the hormones in the pills prevent ovulation in women. Ovulation is an important process that occurs every month in women.

Ovulation results in the release of an egg that when fertilized by a sperm results in pregnancy.

When the pills prevent the ovulation process, it means there will be no eggs to be fertilized by the male sperms.

On the other hand, the pills also act by thickening the cervical mucus. They induce the release of more mucus to thicken the entry point of sperms.

By achieving this thickening, it is impossible for sperm cells to penetrate and find an egg to fertilize.

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Examples of birth control pills available in the market

There are various birth control pills that come under different brand names. The following are some of these pills.

Estrogen + estrogen (combined pill) - they include Yaz, yasmin, loestrin.

Progestin-only - norenthindrone and norgestrel.

Extended / Continuous use - progestin + estrogen. - seasonale, seasonique, and lybrel.

Are birth control pills covered by insurance?

Obtaining birth control pills using insurance is not always a great deal, as most oral contraceptives are not covered by insurance plans extensively.

There still exists some levels of debate whether full coverage should be provided to these pills by the private insurers.

However, over time, there has been some improvement due to legislative laws passed that require insurance prescription coverage for oral contraceptives, just as other prescriptions.

Over time, some states in the U.S. have implemented this legislation and provide cover plans only for those contraceptives that have been approved by the FDA.

This means that only those plans regulated by the federal government are considered, and that self-funded plans are not included.

Summing up, birth control pills are a great way for women to control their sexual health. Critical attention should be paid to which pill a woman is using and whether it is considered for insurance coverage.