The combined oral contraceptive pill (COCP), often referred to as the birth-control pill or colloquially as "the Pill", is a birth control method that includes a combination of an estrogen (estradiol) and a progestogen (progestin). When taken by mouth every day, these pills inhibit female fertility. They were first approved for contraceptive use in the United States in 1960, and are a very popular form of birth control. They are currently used by more than 100 million women worldwide and by almost 12 million women in the United States. Usage varies widely by country, age, education, and marital status: one third of women aged 16–49 in the United Kingdom currently use either the combined pill or a progestogen-only "minipill", compared to only 1% of women in Japan.
Read more about Combined Oral Contraceptive Pill: Medical Use, Drug Interactions, Common Side Effects, Serious Side Effects, Contraindications, Mechanism of Action, Formulations, History, Society and Culture, Environmental Impact
Famous quotes containing the words combined, oral and/or pill:
“You do not become a “dissident” just because you decide one day to take up this most unusual career. You are thrown into it by your personal sense of responsibility, combined with a complex set of external circumstances. You are cast out of the existing structures and placed in a position of conflict with them. It begins as an attempt to do your work well, and ends with being branded an enemy of society.”
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“Andrews: Do you mind if I ask a question frankly? Do you love my daughter?
Peter: Any guy that’d fall in love with your daughter ought to have his head examined.
Andrews: Now that’s an evasion.
Peter: She grabbed herself a perfect running mate. King Westley! The pill of the century. What she needs is a guy that’d take a sock at her once a day, whether it’s coming to her or not.”
—Robert Riskin (1897–1955)