oral contraceptive

noun

plural oral contraceptives
: any of various preparations (as of norethindrone and ethinyl estradiol) that are taken orally especially on a daily basis and act as contraceptives : birth control pill
Johns Hopkins University has estimated that 80 percent of American women born since 1945 have used oral contraceptives at some time.The New York Times
And because it's a combined oral contraceptive … meaning that it contains progestin and estrogen, it's not recommended for nursing moms …Caitlin Stine
She is considering having another child and is wondering whether she should discontinue oral contraceptives to attempt pregnancy.G. Adam Davidson

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web Women who are at the highest risk for breast cancer, such as those with a BRCA 1 or BRCA2 mutation, could actually benefit from taking an oral contraceptive, according to Shah-Khan. Claire Bugos, Verywell Health, 23 Mar. 2023 But so far, no one has successfully developed an oral contraceptive that could be put into feed and distributed in the wild, and that could deliver a reliable-enough dose over time. Maryn Mckenna, WIRED, 21 Mar. 2023 Faust identified a similar error when ChatGPT stated that costochondritis — a common cause of chest pain — can be caused by oral contraceptive pills, but confabulated a fake research paper to support this statement. Rushabh H. Doshi And Simar S. Bajaj, STAT, 1 Feb. 2023 Ninety female college students participated in a study to compare fat distribution of an oral contraceptive user to that of a nonuser with a similar height and weight. Donna Sarkar, Discover Magazine, 18 Apr. 2021 Is there any risk that PhenQ will interfere with an oral contraceptive? Mark Jackson, Discover Magazine, 15 Dec. 2022 Their partners took an oral contraceptive until 3 sperm samples proved the men to be azoospermic. Seriously Science, Discover Magazine, 18 July 2014 As the New York Times opinion page recently put it, there’s never been a more crucial time for an oral contraceptive for men than in a post-Roe America. Petra Guglielmetti, Glamour, 24 Oct. 2022 The Food and Drug Administration will consider the application for an over-the-counter oral contraceptive pill, a first in the U.S. Paolo Confino, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'oral contraceptive.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

First Known Use

1959, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of oral contraceptive was in 1959

Dictionary Entries Near oral contraceptive

Cite this Entry

“Oral contraceptive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oral%20contraceptive. Accessed 28 Mar. 2023.

Medical Definition

oral contraceptive

noun

More from Merriam-Webster on oral contraceptive

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