How Does Birth Control Work

Birth control is the way of using different modes of protection to deliberately prevent or reduce the chances of conception or pregnancy. Under the broad number of choices present today for birth control, there are three main areas to which each of them belong. They are contraception, contragestion and abortion. Technically, abortion is the chemical or surgical induction of the developing embryo or fetus, and thus it is not a mode of birth control. Thus, in this article we will concentrate on how does birth control work from the point of view of contraception and contragestion.

Mainly used as the motive for family planning, birth control is used also in cases of an unwanted pregnancy. Find out what are the various ways in which birth control exists and how well does birth control work, from the information given below.

How Does Hormonal Birth Control Work?

The most commonly used of the birth control methods is contraception, under which there are choices of condoms and birth control pills. If you want to engage in safe sex and rule out any possibility of conception, condoms are the best choice. The birth control pills (the pills) are, however, a more complicated method of birth control as they are oral contraceptives. Contragestion is that period, where the egg is fertilized but through some medication, it is not allowed to be implanted in the uterus, for further growth. Since pills are the most used birth control methods, we will be concentrating on how does birth control work and how good does birth control work.

How Does Birth Control Pill Work?

Hormones are chemicals produced in our bodies and they are responsible to control how different parts of our body work. You must know that birth control pills are those which are made of artificial hormones that confuse the reproductive system when consumed. A few birth control pills known as combination pills contain two hormones, the estrogen and progestin but some other are progestin-only pills. Most women on the pill prefer to take combination pills. The following lines explain how does birth control work.

• The artificial hormones in the pill keep a woman's ovaries from releasing eggs that is ovulation.
• There is no possibility of pregnancy if there is no egg to unite with the sperm.
• These hormones also prevent fertilization by thickening a woman's cervical mucus which blocks the sperm and prevents it from uniting with the egg.
• In yet another way the hormones in the pill thin out the lining of the uterus. Theoretically, this action could prevent pregnancy by stopping a fertilized egg from attaching to the uterus, which means implantation (contragestion).
• The birth control pills effectiveness is best observed when they are taken regularly. Combination pills work the best when consumed everyday, whereas, progestin-only pills are to be taken at the same time everyday. This helps in maintaining the hormone levels in a woman's body.

How Long Does it Take for Birth Control to Work?

• Since birth control pills are hormonal medicines which will take time to signal your reproductive system, you have to take these for at least 7 days.
• There is no question about how fast does birth control work, as even though pills take a long time to make you safe from pregnancy, a condom, will give you immediate protection.
• Thus, if you are wondering how long does birth control take to work, it will take at least a week after you have started consuming them to make you safe from pregnancy. But make sure you are regular in taking them and before starting them, consult a gynecologist, as there can be many health issues and side effects related to pills.
• Another way of birth control are the emergency contraceptives (EC) or the "morning after pills", which are to be taken within 72 to 120 hours after unprotected sex. They also work in the same manner as "the pills", but have a heavier concentration of hormones to suppress ovulation immediately. This is not a healthy way of birth control as there are a number of birth control pills side effects on your menstruation.

With this information about how does birth control work, I would like to conclude by saying that birth control is best used externally. Pills and ECs should not be used on a regular basis as it can have serious hormonal problems in your reproductive system. Thus, make sure you have protected sex and if otherwise, visit a gynecologist before opting for birth control pills.