Oral contraceptive

Oral contraceptives are chemicals taken by mouth to inhibit normal fertility. All act on the hormonal system. Female oral contraceptives have been on the market since the early 1960s, and enjoy great popularity. They are used by millions of women around the world, though the acceptance varies by region: approximately one-third of sexually active women in the United Kingdom, but much less in countries such as Japan. Male oral contraceptives remain a subject of research and development, and are not widely available to the public.

Effectiveness

The Pearl Index{{ref|1}} is often used to compare the effectiveness of various methods of contraception. It is expressed as the "number of pregnancies in 100 normally fertile women over the period of one year". Each method of birth control has two Pearl index numbers:

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• method effectiveness: is the Pearl index number for use under perfect conditions. The method effectiveness Pearl index for the Pill has been measured as low as 0.3 and as high as 1.25, which means that under ideal conditions, anywhere from 0.3 to 1.25 out of 100 users will become pregnant during one year of perfect use (Pearl index = 0.3 to 1.25).
• user effectiveness: is the Pearl index number for use under typical conditions. The user effectiveness measured by the Pearl index for the Pill has been measured as low as 2.15 and as high as 8.0, which means that anywhere from 2.15 to 8.0 out of 100 women will become pregnant during the first year of typical use (Pearl index = 2.15 to 8.0). {{ref|2}} {{ref|3}}

Many women occasionally forget to take the Pill daily, impairing its effectiveness. Correct use of the pill usually implies taking it every day at the same hour for 21 days, followed by a pause of seven days.

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Use of other medications can prevent the Pill from working, due to interactions with the metabolism of the hormonal constituents. Diarrhea will also stop the Pill from working, because the hormones are not properly absorbed by the bowels.

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While the Pill is usually effective, its wide availability has not prevented unplanned pregnancies. In the USA, the rise in widespread use of the Pill has coincided with a rise in the abortion rate to a level that is consistently above 1,000,000 per year, according to AGI statistics.

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