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The History of Contraceptive Pills

The contraceptive pill is considered one of the most significant medical advances of the 20th century. The advent of oral contraceptives brought easier control of family size and simple pregnancy prevention in people who, whether for personal or for health reasons, did not want to conceive a child. Contraceptive pills work by tricking a woman's body into thinking it is already pregnant by changing the body's hormonal balance.

  1. The History of Birth Control

    • Before the advent of contraceptive pills, most birth control involved the withdrawal and rhythm methods. Some women would use herbal douches. The first commercial contraception was introduced in 1839 with Charles Goodyear's development of rubber condoms, intrauterine devices, douching syringes and diaphragms, all of which were in common use until the introduction of the first oral contraceptives in 1957.

    Early Contraceptive Pills

    • The first birth control pills were introduced in 1957 as a treatment of gynecological disorders. The pill was developed by the Searle pharmaceutical company. Initially, Searle has declined to do research in the area of oral contraception due to laws against birth control. A Searle chemist, Frank Colton, inadvertently developed a compound that worked as a contraceptive, and a sample was given to fellow Searle researcher, Gregory Pincus.

    FDA Approval

    • After testing, the contraceptive pill received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1960. By 1963, 1.2 million women were using the pill. Testing for FDA approval was done offshore in Haiti and Puerto Rico. These early birth control pills used the synthetic hormones oestrogen and progestin to mimic the body's natural hormones. Doses were quite high, and women reported a number of side effects including nausea, weight gain, bloating, double vision, blood clots and strokes.

    Improvements in The Pill

    • Research over the years resulted in much lower doses or hormones that resulted in very few, if any, side effects. Globally, over 100 million women currently use the pill in its many forms. In addition to very low hormone pills, a new form of the pill had been developed called the "minipill." The minipill only contains oestrogen and works by thickening the wall of the uterus to prevent egg fertilization. Although not as effective as dual hormone pills, this pill is an excellent alternative for women who suffer from side effects from more traditional pills.

    Contraceptive Pill Health Scares

    • Research in the 1980s suggested a link between contraceptive pills and strokes, blood clots, heart attacks, and cancer. Research linked very limited incidents of these conditions to high levels of hormones in birth control pills. Hormone levels have been lowered as a result. Physicians believe the pill is now very safe. In fact, using oral contraception has been shown to lower the risk of ovarian cancer.

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