Oral contraceptive has been a use of planned parenthood for years now. There are two major types of oral contraception, progestin-only, and a combination of progestin and estrogen. These are hormones that the female body produces naturally, they are typically introduced in birth control in small increments to get the body used to the excess amounts coming in. Estrogen-progestin pills the more popular kind of birth control used because of the side effect are less harsh, they are still prevalent but not as severe. Progestin-only pills are typically given to “women who are older than 35 and smoke…” states the staff at familydoctor.org. This is because progestin-estrogen pills can negatively affect women over 35 who smoke and have other underlying health conditions thus makes the already negative side effects even worse. With that being said, the best course of action for women when it comes to prescribing oral contraceptives depends on the women’s condition beforehand. When it comes to younger women the best type of birth control would be the combination of progestin-estrogen. This is because the side effects are significantly less than those of progestin-only pills. “The women taking progestin-only contraceptive formulations had an increased likelihood of a current mood disorder, compared with the women taking combined contraceptive formulations, who had a lower likelihood of a current mood disorder.” says the article ‘Psychological, social, and spiritual effects of contraceptive steroid hormones’ by Hannah Klaus and Manuel Cortes. Knowing this information, the best way to know what type of birth control to go on is by gaining the right information and by asking your doctor the right questions of which we will go over in the visual.

Staff, F. (2020, July 06). Progestin-Only Birth Control Pills. from https://familydoctor.org/progestin-only-birth-control-pills/

Klaus, H., & Cortés, M. E. (2015). Psychological, social, and spiritual effects of contraceptive steroid hormones. The Linacre quarterly, 82(3), 283–300. https://doi.org/10.1179/2050854915Y.0000000009

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