The development history of oral contraceptives

Abstract

The creation of oral contraceptives goes back 60 years. It has gone through a long and complex process from the discovery of sex hormones to their development into drugs to market. A correct understanding of the developmental history of oral contraceptives is of great importance for human reproduction. Gregory G Pincus successfully synthesized the first oral contraceptive Enovid based on research by Carl Djerassi, this was approved for marketing by the US Federal Drug Administration (FDA) in May 1960. However, due to the severe side effects of Enovid, the safer and more effective second generation oral contraceptives - Levonorgestrel and the third generation oral contraceptives - Pregnene are widely used and continue to be used to this day. The introduction of oral contraceptives not only dampened the explosive growth of the world's population, but also improved the social status of women, and catalyzed the sexual liberation movement.