Why do some birth control pill packs contain placebo pills?

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Blister pack of 28 oral contraceptive pills arranged in four rows, with 21 white active pills followed by 7 orange inactive pills. Arrows indicate the order for taking pills. — birth control A 28-day package of birth control pills.

Some birth control pill packs include placebo pills primarily to help users maintain the daily habit of taking a pill. By keeping the routine consistent, users avoid the need to track days and can easily transition from one pack to the next without interruption.1

Additionally, these inactive pills—which contain no active ingredients—allow for a withdrawal bleed that mimics a menstrual cycle. This bleeding serves as a visual confirmation for the user that she is likely not pregnant. While these pills are often referred to as placebos, their function in this context is strictly to support adherence to the medication schedule rather than to test for a placebo effect.1