Question

Which of the following statements is correct about birth control pills?
A) It contains estrogen only
B) It contains progesterone only
C) It contains a mixture of estrogen and progesterone derivatives
D) Progesterone enhances ovulation

Answer 1

Hint: Oral contraceptives or birth control pills are used to control the pregnancy. The progesterone hormone prevents ovulation in females. A synthetic derivative of the hormone has been used as oral contraceptives. They change the uterus lining and thus prevent pregnancy.

Complete answer:
> The drug is defined as the substance or a chemical compound that is used for diagnosis, prevention, relief, or cure of a disease.
> Antifertility drugs are chemical substances that are used to control pregnancy. These are also called oral contraceptives. The basic aim of the antifertility drugs is to prevent conception or fertilization and therefore, these drugs are also known as birth control pills.
> Oral contraceptives belong to the class of natural products known as a steroid. These are the active ingredients of the pill functioning as an antifertility agent. These control the female menstrual cycle and ovulation. It is estimated that about 50-60 million women throughout the world take these pills as the primary form of contraception.
> The birth control pills are mixtures of estrogen and progesterone derivatives. The estrogen and progesterone are hormones. The progesterone suppresses ovulation in females.
> Synthetic derivatives of progesterone are found to be more potent than the naturally obtained progesterone. Some of the examples of birth control drugs are norethindrone. It is widely used as an antifertility drug.
> The estrogen derivative used in the combination with the progesterone derivative is novestrol. There is one more drug Mifepristone which is a synthetic steroid block the effects of progesterone and known as the “morning-after pill”.
Oral contraceptives are known as pills or oral pills.

Hence, (C) is the correct option.

Note: During the ovulation the female body releases progesterone and estrogen to send a signal to the receptors to stimulate the ovulation. The estrogen and progesterone in the contraceptive pills block this signal before reaching the receptor.