7 Surprising Things You Never Knew About the Pill

We're happy to present this excerpt from one of our favorite sites, YourTango. Ever wonder if all of those birth control myths are true? Read on to find out.

Although the pill has been around for over 50 years now, there are still many misconceptions out there. Does it make you gain weight? (No.) Make you attractive to different men? (Yes.) Lower your sex drive? (Yes and no.) It's hard to separate the truth from fiction — which can make your birth control decision tougher.

We have some shocking facts about its creation and its benefits that will help dissolve some of the things that you may have heard about the number-one prescribed medicine in the world.

Yams should be your new favorite side dish, since they're the reason your pill is more affordable and able to be mass manufactured, according to LiveScience. A scientist was able to extract the pill's key ingredient, progesterone, from a wild Mexican yam called cabeza de negro. You rock, yams.

Catholicism is known to be a religion against all forms of contraception, except for natural family planning, so this definitely comes as a surprise. According to LiveScience, John Rock, a devout Catholic medical doctor, believed that sex was healthy for marriage. He also believed that the pill would help married couples, so he conducted clinical trials that resulted in the FDA approving the pill.

You think that you're attracted to him because of his thick, lovely head of hair, his sexy accent, or his humor. But did you know you could actually be drawn to him because of the pill? Research found that the pill plays a role in affecting a woman's smell, which then affects who she is — and isn't — attracted to. In a man's scent, there are signs of histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes, which affect his immune system. Women naturally prefer a scent that has MHC genes different from their own, but the pill reverses this preference.

Since we know the hormones in the pill slightly change your idea of the perfect partner, how does that affect your relationship? Well, new research finds that the pill won't reduce your sexual satisfaction if you take it at the beginning of a relationship or have been taking it before you were dating. But starting your oral contraceptive during your relationship means you may start to find your partner less attractive — and your sex drive could drop. Anyone else think this should be on the warning label?

To see three more reasons, head to YourTango: Thank the Yams: Seven Surprising Things You Never Knew About the Pill

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