birth-control pill

American  

[burth-kuhn-trohl] / ˈbɜrθ kənˌtroʊl /

noun

1. an oral contraceptive for women, containing the hormones estrogen and progesterone or progesterone alone, that inhibits ovulation, fertilization, or implantation of a fertilized ovum, causing temporary infertility.

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Etymology

Origin of birth-control pill

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

"It may be that the day will come when people say the birth-control pill was a mistake," Alan Sears explained.

From Salon • Oct. 9, 2023

If the FDA follows this advice, the medication, sold under the name Opill, will be the first birth-control pill available without prescription in the United States.

From Scientific American • May 12, 2023

A few years ago, after learning she had high blood pressure, Shannon Connell-Robichaud asked her doctor to switch her birth-control pill prescription.

From New York Times • Dec. 14, 2021

Jane was delivered in Massachusetts in 1939 by obstetrician John Rock, co-inventor of the first birth-control pill.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 25, 2021

“Too many women are in the dark when it comes to their own fertility. Should an app replace your birth-control pill? No.”

From The New Yorker • Oct. 2, 2018