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:
“The trick, which requires the combined skills of a tightrope walker and a cordon bleu chef frying a plain egg, is to take your [preteen] daughter seriously without taking everything she says and does every minute seriously.”
—Stella Chess (20th century)
“We have seen over and over that white male historians in general have tended to dismiss any history they didn’t themselves write, on the grounds that it is unserious, unscholarly, a fad, too “political,” “merely” oral and thus unreliable.”
—Adrienne Rich (b. 1929)
“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)