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The Pill

Birth control pills are taken by the woman. They have hormones that stop the ovaries from releasing an egg.

For the pill to work a woman must swallow one pill each day and take it about the same time of day.

When a woman first starts the pill she needs to use another birth control method for a while. This is because it can take a few weeks for the pill to start working.

The pill is prescribed by a doctor. Anyone taking the pill should get regular GYN checkups to see the pill is affecting them.

The pill affects women in different ways. Some women have no side effects. For others, the pill may cause nausea (feeling sick to your stomach), mood changes, weight loss or weight gain.

These are not dangerous reactions. But if they bother you see your doctor. Another kind of pill may work better.

A few women have serious problems with the pill. See a doctor right away if you have bad chest or leg pains, bad headaches, blurred vision or bad stomach pains.

For most people the pill is safe. Pills even help protect against some diseases and some kinds of cancer.

REMEMBER: Only taking the pill the day you have sex will not prevent pregnancy. You must take the pills regularly for several weeks for it to work.

Taking someone else's pills does not work and is a bad idea. Pills are specially prescribed for each woman.