The Pill (Various Brands)

You take 1 pill every day at the same time.

Can help protect against:

• Acne
• Endometrial and ovarian cancer
• Excess body hair
• Anemia
• PMS
• Ovarian cysts

Can generally make periods lighter and with fewer cramps.

These symptoms can occur for some patients:

• Bleeding/spotting between periods
• Breast tenderness
• Headache
• Nausea — rarely, vomiting
• Change in sexual desire
• Depression

These complications are rare, but possible:

• Blood clots in the legs or other parts of the body (more common with the patch)
• Migraine headaches
• High blood pressure
• Stroke
• Heart attack
• Liver tumors
• Gallstones