Boston (SmartAboutHealth) - It may be hard to believe, but the birth control pill is set to turn 50-years-old tomorrow, on Mother’s Day.

The birth control pill was first approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) back on May 9, 1960.

Since then it has grown to become available to just about any woman who wants to use it.

The pill was developed to allow woman to have sex without the worry of becoming pregnant.

Back when the birth control pill was approved, there were very few methods of having sex without the risk of becoming pregnant.

The most widely-used method prior to the pill being approved was the use of condoms.

The very first birth control pill was known as Enovid, and at the time, there was a great deal of controversy over its approval.

What it did though was change the world, as woman had control over their body to help with pregnancy prevention.

The birth control pill has evolved over the years, and has improved greatly as you would expect.

It works by using hormones to actually prevent pregnancy. The pill manages to do this by allowing the body to block the function of ovulation.

The birth control pill is touted as being 99.9% effective in preventing pregnancy as long as it is used appropriately.

One big negative to the birth control pill is that it does not protect against sexually-transmitted diseases (STD’s).

Estimates though state that the pill will be used by over 95% of women during their lifetime.