Babies are a blessing, a miracle. But, there is a right time for their arrival. Planned babies double the happiness and when women don't want to get pregnant, there are multiple options for preventing pregnancy right after intercourse, contraceptive pills being one of them. The contraceptive pills are oral birth control pills help in avoiding pregnancy and are quite effective. The pills are taken orally daily and as per the prescription of the doctor. They contain man-made hormones called estrogen and progesterone; similar to the ones made by the female body. They are also called combination pills. The hormone prevents pregnancy by suppressing the pituitary glands and prevents the production of ovum or eggs and is released from the ovaries. The progestin prevents the male counterpart from reaching the eggs and also, changes the lining of the uterus so that the fertilization does not happen. However, these are not the only contraceptive pills available in the market. Let's know what they are.

Types of Contraceptive Pills

Combination Pills

As we have understood earlier, they are a combination of synthetic hormones, estrogen and progesterone. They prevent pregnancy by preventing the production and release of ovum and also, preventing the sperm from reaching the eggs. Further, there are various kinds of combination contraceptive pills.

Multiphasic Pills -These provide a different level of hormones during the one month cycle and at the end of the month inactive pills help the menstruation occur.

Monophasic Pills - These provide the same amount of hormones for the entire duration of consumption of the active pills and the inactive pills allow the periods to come accordingly.

Extended-cycle Pills - These pills come for a 13 weeks cycle and needs to be consumed for 12 weeks at a stretch. At the end of the cycle, inactive pills will help the periods to come.

Progestin-only Pills - These pills, as the name suggests contain only one hormone - progestin and also known as mini-pills. This hormone prevents the sperm from reaching the eggs and stops the fertilization process. Since this pill does not contain estrogen, it is perfect for women who cannot consume estrogen for health or other reasons.
- Furthermore, these pills contain only active pills, thus, you might not get periods while on this pill.

Emergency Contraceptive Pills - There are chances that you are not on any pill or contraception has failed or you are unprotected during intercourse. There are chances of one getting pregnant. Here emergency contraceptive pills should be considered.
- The pills contain levonorgestrel, the man-made version of the hormone produced by the ovaries called progesterone. The drug prevents the release of the eggs from the ovaries. There are two types of emergency contraceptive pills - morning-after pills and one that needs to be taken within three days.
- The pill needs to be taken within 3 days or 72 hours of unprotected intercourse for it to be effective.

Looking for Emergency Contraceptive pills in India? Here are top 5 best brands available in India:

I-pill Emergency Contraceptive Pill
Unwanted 72
Preventol
Truston 2
Tpill-72

Are Contraceptive Pills Effective?

Indeed, they are quite effective when taken as per the directions, each pill per day at the same time, although, with combination pills, one can be more flexible. It allows a 12-hour time frame within which one has to take the pill. Progestin-only pills have to be taken within 3-hour time frame. There is approximately 90% success rate with the contraceptive pills, with about 10 women getting pregnant out of 100 women.

Advantages of Contraceptive Pills

1. Birth-control Pills:

Give a sense of security while being intimate with your partner.
Prevent pregnancy effectively.
Help in regulating irregular periods.
Will help in getting pregnant once one stop consuming the pills.

2. Combination Pills:

Help in preventing acne, heavy periods, menstrual cramps, ectopic pregnancy and such.

3. Progestin Pills:

These are a boon for women who are estrogen sensitive, are above 35 years of age and are heavy smokers and drinkers.

Side-effects of Contraceptive Pills

Although not common, there are possible side effects of contraceptive pills such as nausea, irregular or heavy periods, enlarged breasts and such. Every woman reacts differently to each hormone and thereby, to every birth control pill. However, some of the common symptoms that women experience are as follows: