Tell me about... taking birth control pills

Oral contraceptive pills prevent pregnancy by stopping ovulation. Photo: AFP

I am a woman who is thinking of going on oral contraceptives. At the same time, I heard that they have some side effects. What actually constitutes oral contraceptives?

The birth control pill that you know is also commonly known as the combined oral contraceptive pill. It is called thus because it is a combination of two of your reproductive hormones – an oestrogen (formulated in the pill as ethinylestradiol) and a progesterone (usually progestin in the pill.)