Though both I Pills and birth control pills have the term “pill” and have to do with pregnancy prevention; contrary to the widespread belief amongst the youth, I Pill and birth control pill is not the same. However, many youth uses I Pill as the contraceptive method of their choice.
I Pill is an Emergency Contraceptive Pill (ECP). It contains the hormone Levonorgestrel in high concentrations. I Pills are not to be used as a regular birth control option as the high hormone concentration in these pills can cause short-term and long-term side effects.
[Just because ECP is an Over-The-Counter drug, doesn’t mean anyone and everyone can use it. If you have pre-existing medical conditions, you must consult a doctor to get advice on using ECP. You can talk to us and we will ensure that you get help from a doctor who understands your position. Click on this Whatsapp chat button: 
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Birth control pills are not yet a widely popular option for contraception amongst the youth. Between condoms and I pills, it is the latter that is the most sought-after option. The lesser popularity of birth control pills could be due to the fact that you need to consult a doctor and have the doctor give you the prescription. And in India, not every doctor is okay with prescribing birth control pills to unmarried women.
In this article, we bring to you some basic information on birth control pills such that you have a safer and reliable option of contraception and thus your body no longer needs to swing between hormonal highs and lows caused by the constant use of I Pills. We advise you to always take your doctor’s opinion before you start taking birth control pills.
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Types of birth control pills:
There are two types of birth control pills:
(1) Combined Birth Control Pills
They are also called Combined Oral Contraceptive Pills or COCP. These pills have two hormones Estrogen and Progestin. The strip of pills will have two sets of tablets viz active pills and inactive pills. The active pills are the ones that have the combined hormones. The inactive pills do not have any hormones.
(2) Mini Pills
They are also called Progestin Only Pills or POP. These pills have only one hormone viz Progestin. The strips of pills will have only active pills and there are no inactive pills. Thus every pill has the Progestin hormone. Mini pills are recommended for those women whose bodies cannot have external addition of Estrogen in their systems. This is so when there are underlying health conditions or other reasons.
Combined Birth Control Pills:
Not all COCP is the same, even though they all have just two hormones. There are variations in the hormone dosage of the pills. This is why it is very important that you should rely only on your COCPs prescribed to you by your doctor and not substitute the pill with your sister or friends’ pills when you miss taking your pill.
The types of COCPs are:
- Monophasic pills
The active pills all have the same dose of hormone. Each strip of pills is for one month cycle. Once the active pills are used daily, you will take the inactive pills in the last week of the cycle and this will bring in menstruation.
- Multiphasic pills
The active pills have different doses of hormones. Each strip of pills is for one month cycle. Once the active pills are used daily, you will take the inactive pills in the last week of your cycle and this will bring in menstruation.
- Extended – cycle pills
These pills are for long-term usage. The active pills are to be taken daily for 12 weeks and the inactive pills are taken only in the 13th week. You will get your period shortly after taking the inactive pills. Thus if you use extended cycle pills for a year, you will have your menstruation only three or four times a year.
Mini Pills
There are no subcategories of mini pills. There is only one type of mini pills. A distinct feature of mini pills is that they do not have inactive pills in their strip. Thus the woman may or may not have menstruation when she is on mini pills.
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