Birth control pills are a widely accepted type of contraception and they can be very effective. However, you have to know a lot about them before using them because they may have some side effects that could be dangerous. Aside from that, women have been taking these pills to treat other health concerns such as acne and menstrual cramps. There are things to consider if you are considering taking these pills so follow this article to see what you need to know.
What do you need to know before taking birth control pills?
As effective as they may be there are always precautions to be taken into account before taking any kind of pills. This goes out also to the morning after pill which can prevent pregnancy, but also be used for other things. So, if you are thinking about starting on some of these pills it is just as fair to know what exactly you are taking.
1) There is a 99% effectiveness rate if you take it as you should
Just like condoms, birth control pills do not work all the time, and 9 out of 10 women will get pregnant all the same even if they take them. These contraceptives must be taken every day at the same exact time, and it can be very hard to do if you are living a busy life. Only if you do this absolutely correctly, there is a 1 percent chance that you stay pregnant. So, as you see, the rate is actually higher among birth control users because they do not do the timing right, which goes out to every other medication actually.
However, missing one pill does not automatically mean you are pregnant in case you have sex. Just to be sure in those situations, be sure to use other types of contraceptives like condoms with spermicide.
2) There may be a clearance of acne on your face
Birth control pills contain hormones no matter what brand you are using and they can prevent acne from forming. More often than not, doctors will actually prescribe you these pills to treat your acne problem. This side effect is one of the most welcoming from any pill.
3) There is more than one positive side effect recorded
These pills could work in your favor in more ways than you can imagine. Apart from lowering your chances to get pregnant, they may also help you treat polycystic ovary syndrome. Other positive side effects of birth control pills may be lower chances of anemia, developing some types of cancers which include endometrial and ovarian.
4) There might be a change or a halt in your menstrual cycle
Women who have either irregular or painful periods can find relief once they start taking birth control pills. The symptoms might go away if you are taking the pill on a regular schedule and can cause you to have more regular periods than you were experiencing earlier. There is a way for you to stop your periods altogether, but you should definitely consult your doctor who would then probably prescribe you a continuous birth control pill regimen. Remember that there is no medical necessity for you to have a period every month, and sometimes its lacking may come as a sigh of relief.
5) They could cause some dramatic mood changes
Birth control pills can take you in both ways: towards a very positive or a very negative person. The side effects are sometimes unpredictable. This data is unclear due to the very different reactions these contraceptives cause with women. The one thing that is indeed known is that birth control pills produce the hormones progestin and estrogen and they affect your emotional states. The thing you should remember here is that there is tinkering in every case when you are lacking or overflowing with a certain hormone. Since mental health is very important you have to take this fact seriously.
6) There can also be negative side effects, but if you consult your doctor everything should be fine
So, the mood changes into negative may already sound like negative side effects, but there can, unfortunately, be worse and they could require a trip to the doctors’ office. These side effects appear in the form of pain that can be very irritating and could happen in different body parts. Here is what you may experience which would lead you to, either change onto another brand or change the type of contraception altogether:
- severe chest pain which comes along with shortness of breath and coughing
- severe leg pain in the area of your calves or thighs
- Severe headache which is followed by weakness, numbness, and dizziness
- severe abdominal pain
- problems with your vision where you see everything blurry
- speech problems
In case you are experiencing these side effects, it is best for you to consult your doctor who will surely tell you to not use that brand of birth control pills or you will have to get any kind of pill-based contraceptive.
7) You should experiment with different brands before you find the one that is perfect for you
As it was said in the whole article, women react differently to various birth control pills. This means that you might react differently than your mother, sister, friends or neighbors did and you always have to listen to your own body. Once you do that you will find the brand of birth control pills that best suit you. This means that you will not experience any problems with pain, vision, speech, mood swings, and menstrual problems, and the only thing left for you to do is to take them as prescribed.
IMAGE SOURCE: https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2015/07/17/15/40/red-condoms-849407_1280.jpg
As you can see, there are a ton of things you must take into account before taking birth control pills especially if you are at a young age and still plan to have children one day. You always have to be aware of the various side effects that these contraceptives can cause, as well as the things they can actually help you with because they can also make your life much easier. Always consult your doctor to know which brand to take and see the prescription in order to take them correctly so that they would work. Be careful and good luck.
