Birth control pill

The birth control pill is first developed in 1950 when Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood, approached Gregory Pincus about working on trustworthy, simple-to-use contraception. Pincus was employed by the Worcester Foundation for Experimental Biology, a private laboratory in Massachusetts. And it wasn’t until 1960 that the first birth control pill was approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

Birth control pills are a kind of medicine with hormones. If you take your medication on schedule every time, it is secure, inexpensive, and efficient. Beyond its obvious purpose, which is preventing pregnancy, the pill has lots of other health benefits including easing cramps and PMS symptoms, making your skin clearer, etc. The pill works by stopping sperm from joining an egg, therefore preventing the fertilization process so that no pregnancy can happen. The pill’s hormones also thicken the mucus on the cervix. This thicker cervical mucus blocks sperm so it can’t swim to an egg.

Currently, scientists are striving to develop a birth control pill that is effective on men. A drug that temporarily sterilizes men is reportedly closer than ever to being developed, according to researchers at the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy, but there is no set deadline for FDA submission or for clinical trials.

Discovered in: 1950
Discovered by: Gregory Goodwin Pincus, Carl Djerassi
Usage: Prevent unwanted pregnancy