Which birth control pill is best for me quiz

Q: What is the best birth control pill for weight loss?

Combination pills YasminⓇ, a brand of combination birth control pill, uses an alternative to progestin called drospirenone. Drospirenone acts as a diuretic, meaning you are less likely to have water retention, and, therefore, less likely to gain weight.

While most people are aware of common forms of contraception, such as the Pill and condoms, there are many more options available, a number of which provide enhanced protection against pregnancy than their better-known counterparts. So what is the best contraception method?

Table of Contents Show

What are the different kinds of birth control pills?
How do the different birth control pills work?
Are all kinds of birth control pills appropriate for everyone?
What are the pros and cons of combination pills?
What are the pros and cons of the minipill?
What's the bottom line?
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How do I know which birth control is right for me?
What is the most popular birth control pill?
What is the best birth control for first time users?
What is the best birth control pill for weight loss?

Finding out about these other options can be difficult, particularly if you don’t have a regular GP you can approach for advice. This is where My Best Fit — Marie Stopes online contraception adviser — can help you find out more about how the various methods of contraception work and decide which one suits you and your lifestyle.

You can explore and compare different options by browsing through the contraception methods or you can take the My Best Fit quiz, which takes you through a series of questions about your age and gender, your situation, and what you want from contraception, to establish which options best suit your needs.

Both men and women can take the quiz, although the non-permanent contraceptive options for men are limited to condoms and withdrawal, with the latter not recommended, as it is extremely unreliable as a way to prevent unplanned pregnancy and does not protect against sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Vasectomy — the permanent form of contraception for men — is, however, an option for men who have already completed their family or who have decided not to have children.

With so many options available for birth control (BC), selecting the right one can be daunting. About 60% of women of reproductive age use contraceptives—and of those, 72% use hormonal methods like the birth control pill, patch, implant, injectable, vaginal ring, intrauterine device (IUDs), and non-hormonal methods. And this might come as a surprise, but the remainder opt for the permanent option of surgery (22% for women, 7% for men) that results in sterilization.

In all things BC, it’s important to realize: The BC you use today might not be the best option for you next month, next year, or 10 years from now. “If you choose a method and it doesn’t work for you, talk to your provider about another choice. And needs change, so revisit your choice regularly. A method you choose at 17 may well not be the right method for you at 23,” says Mary Jane Minkin, M.D., clinical professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences at Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, CT.

We talked to her and several other leading obstetrician-gynecologists to develop this quiz that will help you discover the BC method that might be right for you, right now.

Choosing the right birth control pill can be a challenge. Learn the pros and cons of different types of birth control pills.

By Mayo Clinic Staff

If you're considering taking birth control pills, you're not alone. Birth control pills are some of the most popular contraceptives. And for good reasons — they're effective and easy to use. The variety of birth control pills available, though, can seem daunting. Fortunately, they can be sorted into just a few categories to make it easier to understand your options.

What are the different kinds of birth control pills?

There are two main kinds of birth control pills:

Combination birth control pills. This type of pill contains both estrogen and progestin. There are a wide variety of combination pills to choose from, depending on how often you want to have periods and the dose of hormones that is best for you.
The minipill. This type of pill contains only progestin. The minipill doesn't offer as many choices as combination pills. In each pack of pills, all the pills contain the same amount of progestin and all the pills are active. The progestin dose in a minipill is lower than the progestin dose in any combination pill.

Combination birth control pills come in different mixtures of active and inactive pills, depending on how often you want to have periods:

Conventional. Conventional packs usually contain 21 active pills and seven inactive pills, or 24 active pills and four inactive pills. Bleeding occurs every month when you take the inactive pills.
Continuous dosing or extended cycle. These packs typically contain 84 active pills and seven inactive pills. Bleeding generally occurs only four times a year, during the time when you take the inactive pills. Formulations that contain only active pills — eliminating bleeding — also are available.

Combination birth control pills are also categorized according to whether the dose of hormones in the active pills stays the same or varies:

Monophasic. In this type of combination birth control pill, each active pill contains the same amounts of estrogen and progestin.
Multiphasic. In this type of combination birth control pill, the amounts of hormones in active pills vary.

Most combination birth control pills contain 10 to 35 micrograms of ethinyl estradiol, a kind of estrogen. Women who are sensitive to hormones may benefit from taking a pill that contains a dose of estrogen at the lower end of this range. However, low-dose pills may result in more breakthrough bleeding — bleeding or spotting between periods — than higher dose pills.

How do the different birth control pills work?

Combination birth control pills prevent your ovaries from releasing an egg. They also slow an egg's progress through the fallopian tubes, thicken cervical mucus and thin the lining of the uterus (endometrium). All of these actions help keep sperm from joining the egg.

The minipill slows an egg's progress through the fallopian tubes, thickens cervical mucus and thins the endometrium — all of which help prevent sperm from reaching the egg. The minipill sometimes also suppresses ovulation.

Are all kinds of birth control pills appropriate for everyone?

No. Your doctor will ask about your medical history and any medications you take to determine which birth control pill is right for you.

Your doctor may discourage use of combination birth control pills if you:

Have just given birth
Are older than age 35 and smoke
Have poorly controlled high blood pressure
Have a blood clotting disorder or a history of deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism
Have a history of breast cancer
Have a history of stroke or heart disease
Have diabetes-related complications
Have liver or gallbladder disease
Have a history of migraines with aura
Have unexplained uterine bleeding
Will be immobilized for a prolonged period due to major surgery
Take St. John's wort, or anticonvulsant or anti-tuberculous agents

Your doctor may discourage use of the minipill if you:

Have breast cancer
Have certain liver diseases
Have unexplained uterine bleeding
Take anticonvulsant or anti-tuberculous agents

What are the pros and cons of combination pills?

Pros

Easily reversed method of birth control if you hope to get pregnant
Relief from premenstrual syndrome (PMS)
Less severe menstrual cramps (dysmenorrhea)
Improvement in acne
Shorter, lighter and more predictable periods, or fewer or no periods
Reduction in heavy bleeding (menorrhagia) and related anemia
Reduced symptoms of endometriosis
Lowered risk of ovarian, endometrial and colorectal cancers
Possible positive effect on bone mineral density
Improvement in unwanted hair growth (hirsutism) caused by polycystic ovary syndrome

Cons

Skipping pills or taking them late may reduce effectiveness
No protection against sexually transmitted infections, including HIV
Increased risk of high cholesterol, heart attack and stroke
Increased risk of blood clots, especially for smokers and women older than 35 years of age, with a slightly greater risk of blood clots linked to pills that contain higher doses of estrogen
Increased risk of cervical cancer and breast cancer for women who are currently taking combined birth control pills, but this risk appears to gradually decline to normal levels once you stop taking the pills
Side effects such as irregular bleeding, bloating, breast tenderness, nausea, depression, weight gain and headache

What are the pros and cons of the minipill?

Pros

Easily reversed method of birth control if you hope to get pregnant
Can be taken even if you have certain health problems that increase the risks of taking combined pills, such as blood clots, migraines, high blood pressure or a high risk of heart disease
Are less likely than combined pills to interfere with breast-feeding
Lowered risk of endometrial cancer

Cons

Must be taken at the same time every day — if you skip a pill or take a pill more than 3 hours late, you need to use a backup form of birth control for at least two days
No protection against sexually transmitted infections, including HIV
Side effects such as irregular menstrual bleeding, ovarian cysts, decreased libido, headache, breast tenderness, acne, weight gain, depression and hirsutism
Slightly increased risk that if pregnancy occurs, the fertilized egg will implant outside the uterus (ectopic pregnancy)

What's the bottom line?

You have many options for birth control. If you choose to take birth control pills, work with your doctor or other care provider to decide which type of birth control pill is right for you.

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Jan. 29, 2022

Hatcher RA, et al., eds. Contraceptive Technology. 21st ed. Ayer Company Publishers; 2018.
Hatcher RA, et al. Managing Contraception 2019-2020: For your pocket. 15th ed. Bridging the Gap Foundation; 2020.
Oral contraceptives and cancer risk. National Cancer Institute. https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/hormones/oral-contraceptives-fact-sheet. Accessed Oct. 14, 2019.
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Bartz DA, et al. Combined estrogen-progestin contraception: Side effects and health concerns. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/search. Accessed Oct. 28, 2019.
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Practice Bulletin No. 206: Use of hormonal contraception in women with coexisting medical conditions. Obstetrics & Gynecology. 2019; doi:10.1097/AOG.0000000000003072.
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