When you did finally get your first birth control pills, there were only one or two kinds to choose from. And the hormone dosage was much higher than it needed to be.

Thank heavens birth control pills and products are changing. We now have greater choice, convenience and safety.

Birth control pills remain one of the most effective ways to prevent pregnancy, with less than 1% failure rate when used correctly (compared to condoms at 3%, diaphragms at 6%, spermicide 6% and sponges 9%). Only hormone implants show a lower failure rate than the pill.

So let's look at some of the innovations to birth control pills that women can now choose from.

Birth Control Innovation: Ortho Evra Patch

The Ortho Evra patch has changed birth control for millions of women by offering greater convenience than pills and many other forms of contraception.

With Ortho Evra, you only have to apply a patch once a week for pregnancy prevention. The Ortho Evra patch boasts a high rate of effectiveness, similar to birth control pills, but easier for many women to manage with less chance of missing a dose.

Birth Control Innovation: Seasonale

One of the latest innovations has been the arrival of Seasonale, an extended-cycle birth control pill with similar ingredients to other pills but taken for 12 weeks straight, dramatically lengthening the menstrual cycle.

This reduces the number of periods a woman has from 13 a year to just four - a wonder drug for many women who suffer from painful, difficult periods.

Birth Control Innovation: Plan B

Then there's the so-called "morning after" pill, or Plan B. When taken within 72 hours after unprotected sex, Plan B can prevent pregnancy with a high level of reliability. By taking just two tablets as directed and within the time frame prescribed, a woman can prevent pregnancy after the fact.

Plan B has prevented many unwanted pregnancies due to unprotected sex or failure of birth control methods, for example condom breakage.

Birth Control Standby: Ortho Tricyclen

And then there's Ortho Tricyclen, the #1 prescribed birth control pill for years and the only oral contraceptive to attain FDA approval as an acne treatment. With its combination of two low-dose hormones, Ortho Tricyclen not only prevents conception but also helps clear up problem skin.

Ortho Tricyclen works on a 28-day cycle, with 21 hormone pills and 7 inert pills.

Birth Control Pill Side Effects

Although great strides have been made in producing safe, effective birth control pills, there are still side effects and warnings. Birth control pills should NOT be taken by women who smoke, especially women over age 35, because it increases their risk of stroke and heart attack.

Nor should any birth control pill be taken by women with blood clots, certain cancers, a history of stroke or heart attack, and women who are pregnant.

There are also some drug interactions that affect how well birth control pills work, which your prescribing doctor will take into account.

Serious side effects from taking birth control pills are uncommon. The more usual ones result from the progestin component and include symptoms like fluid retention, breast swelling and tenderness, break-through bleeding and spotting, and acne. These symptoms often go away as your body adjusts to the pills.

(Research shows that norgestimate, a newer progestin found in Ortho Tricyclen, may be less likely to cause unpleasant side effects than other formulations.)

Birth Control Pill Benefits

The birth control pill offers advantages to women beyond safe and reliable contraception. In many women, the pill also:

* reduces cramps and menstrual flow,

* regulates the menstrual cycle,

* provides some protection against breast and ovarian cysts,

* is associated with decreased rates of ovarian and endometrial cancer,

* reduces risk of pelvic inflammatory disease, benign breast disease and iron deficiency anemia.