Oral contraceptive pill

A medication taken by mouth to prevent pregnancy, usually by supplying synthetic hormones that suppress ovulation and alter cervical mucus and the uterine lining.

Combined oral contraceptive pill: An oral contraceptive containing synthetic estrogen and progestin. Its two hormones suppress ovulation through feedback on reproductive hormones.
Ethinylestradiol: A synthetic estrogen used in many combined hormonal contraceptives. It is the estrogen component of many combined oral contraceptive pills.
Contraception: Methods used to prevent pregnancy. The pill is one reversible method within the wider range of contraception.
Margaret Sanger: An American birth-control activist who helped fund early contraceptive research. She recruited Katherine McCormick to support the research that produced the first pill.
Women's liberation movement: A movement seeking political, social, and economic equality for women. Reliable contraception became part of campaigns for control over reproduction and life choices.
Progestogen-only pill: An oral contraceptive containing a progestogen without estrogen. It prevents pregnancy chiefly by thickening cervical mucus; some formulations also suppress ovulation.
Levonorgestrel: A synthetic progestogen used in contraceptive pills and emergency contraception. It is a common progestogen in combined and progestogen-only pills.
Emergency contraception: Methods used after sex to reduce the chance of pregnancy. Emergency pills are taken after sex, unlike regular pills taken on a schedule.
Katherine McCormick: An American philanthropist who financed research into an oral contraceptive. Her funding enabled Gregory Pincus and colleagues to develop and test the pill.
Thromboembolism: A condition in which a blood clot forms and may obstruct a blood vessel. Estrogen-containing pills increase the risk of blood clots, especially for some users.

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