PROGESTIN ONLY ORAL CONTRACEPTIVES

You may not have heard of these pills even though they have been available for 25 years in the U.S. They are similar to birth control pill which is called a combination pill since it contains two types of female hormones. The progestin only pill has just the one hormone. Three brands are marketed in this country: Micronor, Nor QD and Ovrette.

Advantages:

• Since it contains no estrogen, it can be used in women who smoke.
• It has fewer side effects than the combination pill. For example, it never causes nausea.
• It may be better for women who are breast-feeding.
• It may be better for women with diabetes.
• It's about 95% effective in preventing pregnancy.

Disadvantages:

• It must be taken exactly every 24 hours.
• Irregular bleeding is common.
• Some women have no periods at all, which makes it hard to tell if pregnancy has occurred.
• About 5% of women get pregnant on this method.
• If a woman does get pregnant, the chance of an ectopic pregnancy is quite high. These types of pregnancies can require major surgery.

HOMEPAGE