How do hormonal birth control methods, like the pill and ring, prevent pregnancy?

Hormonal birth control methods, such as the pill and the ring, primarily function by releasing hormones—specifically estrogen and progestin—that play a crucial role in reproductive health. One of the key ways these hormonal methods prevent pregnancy is by inhibiting the release of eggs from the ovaries, a process known as ovulation.

When a woman takes hormonal birth control, the hormones in the medication signal the body to maintain steady hormone levels, which disrupts the natural hormonal fluctuations that typically prepare the ovaries to release an egg. As a result, without the ovulation of an egg, there is no opportunity for sperm to fertilize an egg, thus preventing pregnancy.

Additionally, these hormonal methods may also contribute to other secondary mechanisms of contraceptive effectiveness, such as thickening the cervical mucus to create a barrier to sperm and altering the uterine lining to reduce the likelihood of implantation should fertilization occur. However, the primary mechanism of action is the prevention of ovulation, which is why the option stating that hormonal birth control releases hormones that inhibit the ovaries from releasing eggs is the most direct and accurate choice regarding how these methods effectively prevent pregnancy.