The problematic pill

Abstract

The first oestrogen containing oral contraceptive was introduced in 1957 as a clinical trial involving a few hundred Puerto Rican women; it was first sold on the open market in 1960, and it is now taken by over 14 million women throughout the world. There are two types of oestrogen containing oral contraceptive, a corn bined preparation in which both oestrogen and progestogen are present in all 20 to 22 tablets, or a sequential preparation in which all the tablets contain an oestrogen, but only the last 5 to 7 contain a progestogen. Recently a pill containing a progestogen alone has been introduced, but as it is not very effective as a contraceptive its use is limited, and there has been as yet little research work carried out on its metabolic effects. Only the first two types, that is those containing an oestrogen, will be considered.