List of Birth Control Pills Available

Oral contraceptives, also known as birth control pills, are pills that a woman takes each day to prevent pregnancy. Most pills work by preventing ovulation, thickening cervical fluid and preventing the implantation of a fertilized egg. Your doctor will prescribe a brand of birth control pill based on your birth control needs and some lifestyle considerations.

Combination Pills

The most commonly prescribed birth control pills are known as "combination pills." These pills have varying amounts of estrogen and progestin. Pills with hormones are usually taken for 21 days each menstrual cycle. Some brands come with placebo pills that contain no hormones. You take these for the next seven days to help you remember to take your pills each day. You have menstrual bleeding during the week that you take no pills or the placebo pills. Popular brands of combination pills include Ortho Tri-Cyclen, Yasmin, Ortho-Cept and Ortho-Novum. Other brands that your doctor might prescribe are Leena, Lutera, Trivora and Zovia.

Progestin Only Pills

The progestin-only pill, also called the "mini pill," does not contain any estrogen. This makes it good for breast-feeding moms and women over the age of 35 who smoke, as these women should not take pills with estrogen. The progestin-only pills can be less effective than the combination pills and must be taken at the same time every day. Brands of mini-pills include Nora-BE, Nor-QD and Micronor.

Extended Use Pills

While most pills come in packs of 21 or 28 and cause you to have a period every month, some pills come packaged for extended use. These will cause you not to menstruate monthly. Seasonale and Seasonique come in pill packs of 91 days. Menstrual bleeding will only take place during the last week of each pack, causing you to have a period only once every three months. Lybrel is a birth control pill that enables you to skip your periods altogether. You take the 28-day pill packs without interruption, and the hormones will keep you from experiencing menstrual bleeding.

Emergency Contraception Pills

If you have unprotected sex or your birth control fails, you have the option of taking emergency contraceptive pills to make pregnancy less likely to occur. Also called the "morning after" pill, these are available over the counter to people over the age of 17, and to younger women by prescription. One brand name of emergency contraception is Plan B. Some other birth control pills can be used as emergency contraception, so if you have another brand of birth control pills available, contact your doctor to see if you can use them as a morning after pill