So you’re finally ready to go all the way with your latest flame. And like the smart person you are, you want to know what your options are to protect your partner and yourself from the pitter-patter of little feet too soon. But what should you consider when choosing the right birth control pill?

It is much easier to make a choice when you know the fundaments of birth control. There are two different types of birth control pills. The first is a combined pill that contains both estrogen and progestin, which are hormones that stop ovulation, the release of an egg, and slow the male’s sperm so they die off before fertilization takes place. The second type of birth control, called a minipill, contains only progestin. The minipill simply makes the cervical mucus thicker so the sperm can’t swim through, but its side effects vary. Neither pill protects against STDs.

Most birth control pills have the same set of risks: blood clots and stroke in extremely rare cases, as well as nausea and vomiting, irregular bleeding, weight gain or loss and breast tenderness. For those women who have severe cramps, the pill can help decrease pain as well as PMS, ­the emotional and physical symptoms that make some women bloat like balloons and others want to kill their husbands for recommending skim milk instead of 2 percent.

The pill is designed to give females the option of being able to have sex whenever their partner is ‘up’ for it without having to worry about dealing with messy options like sponges or spermicide. Condoms should still be used to protect against STDs.

There are several different brands of birth control. Like most competitive products, some do the same thing, while others focus on the special needs of individual women. According to the FDA Web site, most oral contraceptives fail only for between one and two out of every 100 women who take them.

YAZ is a combination pill that also helps with PMS. It also advertises the ‘three day period,’ and for any woman who has ever had to deal with seven complete days of menstrual hell, that’s quite a selling point.

Because YAZ contains a different kind of hormone, progestin drsp, it may increase potassium in some women, which means you shouldn’t take it if you have kidney, liver, or adrenal diseases. According to Mai Do, the marketing coordinator of Student Health Services, Watkins Memorial Health Center prescribes YAZ for $46.45 for one cycle of pills.

Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo is a brand of pill that uses lower levels of hormones than other birth control methods. This pill has lower levels of estrogen, which means it may be a better pill for younger women to start with because it has fewer side effects. Lo also has a small discontinuation rate, only about four percent, which means many women found the side effects to be limited or nonexistent. According to the Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo Web site, those side effects include headache, cervical dysplasia, emotional lability, nausea and abdominal pain. One frequent downside to the drug is its breakthrough bleeding and spotting, a side effect that one in five women experienced during their first month on the pill. Lo is available for $47.45 per cycle.

For those women who really hate the monthly mess of a period, however short, a new brand of pill has been developed called Seasonale birth control, which limits periods to a four-time-a-year event. Don’t worry; these quarterly menstruation cycles won’t become the periods from hell. Studies show menstruation cycles occur exactly like a once-a-month period. As in Lo, in rare cases there may be breakthrough bleeding and spotting every few months, as well as all the other risks associated with oral contraceptives. Available for $106.10 for a three-month cycle, Watkins also prescribes its generic counterpart, Jolessa, for $54.65 for three months.

The Emergency Contraceptive, otherwise known as EC, the Morning-After Pill, or Plan B, can be used as a back up in emergency situations. According to birthcontrol.com, EC should be taken up to three days after unprotected sex. EC stunts or delays ovulation, which means it prevents an egg from being able to mature into a human being. While EC is the only non-abortive contraceptive on the market that helps prevent pregnancy after sex, it works only about 80-85 percent of the time. EC will not affect an established pregnancy, will not cause an abortion, and, as in all other pills, will not protect against STDs. There are no long-term side effects associated with EC, and the most common short-term complaints were nausea and vomiting. EC is the only birth control pill available over-the-counter, costing $24.09 after tax.

Whenever you or your partner decide to begin taking birth control, it is important to consider all the risks involved and have a long chat with the doctor including a discussion about which brand is right for you. It is also essential to pay attention to how your body reacts to the pill, not just physically, but emotionally as well. There is a reason the advertisements call them “the most common side effects.” There can be many less common, and sometimes more disruptive ones, as well. Don’t forget to use other forms of contraceptives for the first month after beginning a pill regimen. After all, you don’t want the big event to become a huge nightmare.

— Edited by Rachel Bock