A Landmark Anniversary for Women

Mother’s Day was the 50th anniversary of the birth control pill, the Associated Press (AP) reported May 7. Officials of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced their approval of the oral contraceptive on May 9, 1960. The pill gave women more control over whether and when to have children. Experts disagree on how large its role was in the sexual revolution that followed. “The pill,” as it’s also known, is the most popular form of reversible birth control for U.S. women. Nearly one-third of women who are trying to prevent a pregnancy use it. Yet nearly half of U.S. pregnancies are still unplanned, AP reported. Hormone doses are much lower in today’s birth control pills. But taking birth control pills still can increase a woman’s risk of blood clots. However, it also reduces the risk of ovarian and uterine cancers.