birth-control pill

[burth-kuhn-trohl]

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of birth-control pill¹

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

Doctors told her she should just get back on the birth-control pill.

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Often, their first step is getting off the birth-control pill.

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The birth-control pill, once widely viewed as a symbol of free choice, has become a cultural flashpoint.

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

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The Food and Drug Administration approved Thursday the first over-the-counter birth-control pill as concerns about cost, health hazards and correct usage take a back seat to reproductive rights after the fall of Roe v.

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