As women today continue to juggle careers and family, the choice of when to become pregnant also becomes increasingly important. In addition, a woman may want to have more than one child and will want to control how much time elapses between the births of each child. To do this, there are many different birth control methods available. The most popular remains the birth control pill.


Birth control pills are a prescription drug and are not available over-the-counter, so they must be given to you by your physician. Of course, you should check with your healthcare provider to find out what any side effects are and to find out what the best pill is for you. He or she should be able to give you information on what is available so that you can choose the best option for you. In addition, you can do your own research on the Internet.


One of the things you need to consider when you are deciding which pill you should take is the frequency with which you want to take it. Many of the pills need to be taken on a 28-day cycle. Other types consist of 21 pills plus 7 days' worth of placebo pills in a given 28-day cycle. One of the most important considerations with the latter schedule of 21 birth control pills plus 7 placebo pills is the order in which you take them. This type of schedule will not be as effective if you take them out of order, so make sure you adhere to the schedule you are given and take the 21 birth control pills on schedule with the 7 placebo pills. To take them any other way may risk pregnancy.


About 40 different types of birth control pills currently exist on the market, most available only by prescription. However, the "morning after" pill has recently become available over the counter in some places. The morning-after pill is used when a woman has had recent intercourse and fears she may become pregnant as a result. She takes the pill within several hours after intercourse to ensure that she does not become pregnant. This is different than the regular birth control pill, which works by keeping your body in a constant state of "false pregnancy," to help ensure that you never become pregnant. To be effective, you must take a pill every day. By contrast, the "morning after" pill is taken just once, immediately after intercourse. This can work with any type of situation, but is often used in situations such as rape, for example, when the woman's pregnancy would be an additional horror after such a crime has been committed. Even though various pro-life advocates would say that this is just another form of abortion, in such a situation, this may be a choice a woman needs to make.


Taking birth control pills is a personal decision, but as always, you must weigh the benefits and risks. One of the riskiest things about taking birth control pills is the effect they may have on your health. Therefore, always check with your practitioner and tell him or her about any side effects you are experiencing. With careful attention, birth control pills can mean the freedom to choose when you want to become a mother instead of waiting for chance to take a hand.