Oral contraceptives, abbreviated OCPs, also known as birth control pills, are
medication
A medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy ( pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the medical field an ...
s taken by mouth for the purpose of
birth control.
Female
Two types of female oral contraceptive pill, taken once per day, are widely available:
* The
combined oral contraceptive pill
The combined oral contraceptive pill (COCP), often referred to as the birth control pill or colloquially as "the pill", is a type of birth control that is designed to be taken orally by women. The pill contains two important hormones: proges ...
contains
estrogen
Estrogen or oestrogen is a category of sex hormone responsible for the development and regulation of the female reproductive system and secondary sex characteristics. There are three major endogenous estrogens that have estrogenic hormonal a ...
and a
progestin. Colloquially known as "The Pill".
* The
progestogen-only pill, colloquially known as "minipill".
*
Ormeloxifene is a
selective estrogen receptor modulator which offers the benefit of only having to be taken once a week.
Emergency contraception pills ("morning after pills") are taken at the time of intercourse, or within a few days afterwards:
*
Levonorgestrel, sold under the brand name Plan B
*
Ulipristal acetate
*
Mifepristone and
misoprostol, when used in combination, are more than 95% effective during the first 50 days of pregnancy.
Male
*
Male oral contraceptives are currently not available commercially, although several possibilities are in various stages of research and development
{{Authority control
Hormonal contraception