Many ways have been devised to avoid pregnancy. These contraceptive methods fall into a number of categories.
Contraceptive methods used are:
(1) Mechanical
(2) Drugs (as pills)
(3) Loop or Copper T
(4) Surgical method
Pills are contraceptive drugs that change the hormonal balance to prevent the release of an egg, thereby preventing fertilisation. Most birth control pills are "combination pills" containing a combination of the hormones estrogen and progesterone to prevent ovulation (the release of an egg during the monthly cycle). A woman cannot get pregnant if she doesn't ovulate because there is no egg to be fertilised. The pill also works by thickening the mucus around the cervix, which makes it difficult for the sperm to enter the uterus and reach any eggs that may have been released. The hormones in the pill can also sometimes affect the lining of the uterus, making it difficult for an egg to attach to the wall of the uterus.