The type of birth control you use is a personal choice, and there are many choices to choose from. If you’re a sexually energetic female, you might take into consideration birth control pills. Birth control pills, also called oral contraceptives, are medications you take by mouth to stop pregnancy. They’re an effective approach of birth control. Find out how they work and what side effects they can create, along with other aspects to help you choose if birth control pills are a good choice for you.
What Are the Sorts Of Birth Control Pills?
Combination Pills
Combination pills have synthetic (man-made) types of the hormones estrogen as well as progestin. A lot of pills in each cycle are active, which means they contain hormones. The remaining pills are inactive, which means they don’t have hormones. There are several sorts of combination pills:
- Monophasic pills: These are used in one-month cycles and each energetic pill provides you the very same dose of hormone. Throughout the last week of the cycle, you take inactive pills as well as have your period.
- Multiphasic pills: These are used in one-month cycles and supply different degrees of hormones during the cycle. During the last week of the cycle, you take inactive pills and have your period.
- Extended-cycle pills: These are normally used in 13-week cycles. You take energetic pills for 12 weeks, and also during the last week of the cycle, you take inactive pills as well as have your period. As a result, you have your period only 3 to 4 times per year.
Instances of brand-name combination pills consist of:
- Azurette
- Beyaz
- Enpresse
- Estrostep Fe
- Kariva
- Levora
- Loestrin
- Natazia
- Ocella
- Low-Ogestrel
- Ortho-Novum
- Ortho Tri-Cyclen
- Seasonale
- Seasonique
- Velivet
- Yasmin
- Yaz
Progestin-only Pills
Progestin-only pills include progestin without estrogen. This sort of pill is also called the minipill. Progestin-only pills might be a good option for women who can’t take estrogen for wellness or other reasons. With these progestin-only pills, all pills in the cycle are active. There are no inactive pills, so you may or may not have a period while taking progestin-only pills.
Instances of progestin-only pills consist of:
- Camila
- Errin
- Heather
- Jencycla
- Nor-QD
- Ortho Micronor
Deciding on a Type of Birth Control Pill
Not every type of pill is a good suitable for every woman. Talk to your doctor regarding which pill choice would certainly work best for you. Elements that can affect your option include:
- your menstrual signs
- whether you are breastfeeding
- your cardiovascular health and wellness
- other chronic health conditions you may have
- other medications you may take
How Do Birth Control Pills Work?
Combination pills work in two methods. Initially, they avoid your body from ovulating. This means that your ovaries won’t launch an egg every month. Second, these pills create your body to thicken your cervical mucus. This mucus is fluid around your cervix that aids sperm travel to your uterus so it can fertilize an egg. The thick mucus helps prevent sperm from reaching the uterus.
Progestin-only pills likewise work in a few various means. Generally, they work by thickening your cervical mucus and also by thinning your endometrium. Your endometrium is the lining of your uterus where an egg implants after it’s fertilized. If this lining is thinner, it’s harder for an egg to implant in it, which will stop a pregnancy from expanding. Furthermore, progestin-only pills might stop ovulation.
How Do I Use Birth Control Pills?
Combination pills can be found in a variety of styles. These include monthly packs, which follow either 21-day, 24-day, or 28-day cycles. Extended regimens can follow 91-day cycles. For all of these formats, you take one pill every day at the same time of day.
Progestin-only pills, on the other hand, just come in packs of 28. As with combination pills, you take one pill at the same time everyday.
How Effective Are Birth Control Pills?
If taken properly, birth control pills are very effective in avoiding pregnancy. According to the CDC, both the combination pill and the progestin-only pill have 9 percent failure rates with normal usage. That means out of 100 women using the pill, 9 would certainly get pregnant.
To be completely effective, progestin pills should be taken within the very same three-hour amount of time daily.
There is somewhat a lot more adaptability with combination pills. In general, you must try to take combination pills at the same time daily, but you can take them within the same day-to-day 12-hour window as well as still have pregnancy security.
Particular medications might make either sort of pill less effective. These include:
- rifampin (an antibiotic).
- certain HIV medications such as lopinavir as well as saquinavir.
- specific antiseizure medications such as carbamazepine and topiramate.
- St. John’s wort.
The pill might also be less effective if you have diarrhea or throwing up. If you have actually had a belly illness, contact your doctor to see if you’re at risk of pregnancy. Use a backup approach of birth control up until you recognize it’s safe not to do so.
What Are the Benefits of Birth Control Pills?
Birth control pills have a variety of advantages:.
- They protect you 24/7. You don’t have to stress over birth control during intimacy.
- They’re effective. They protect against pregnancy better than most other birth control choices.
- They aid regulate your menstrual cycle. This can be practical for women with irregular or heavy periods.
- They’re totally relatively easy to fix. This means when you quit taking them your cycle will return to typical as well as you can get pregnant later on.
There are also advantages relying on the kind of pill. Combination pills might also supply some defense against:.
- acne.
- ectopic pregnancy.
- thinning bones.
- non-cancerous breast growths.
- endometrial as well as ovarian cancer.
- anemia.
- heavy periods.
- severe menstrual cramps.
Progestin-only pills have other advantages as well, such as being much safer for women who:
- can’t tolerate estrogen therapy.
- are smokers.
- are older than 35 years.
- have a history of blood clots.
- want to breastfeed.
What Are the Disadvantages of Birth Control Pills?
Birth control pills don’t protect against sexually transmitted infections. To ensure you’re protected against these infections, you require to use condoms in addition to your daily pill.
Likewise, you need to keep in mind to take your pill daily. As well as you need to ensure you always have a new pack ready to go when you finish a pack. If you miss a pill or delay beginning a new pack after finishing a cycle, your risk of pregnancy increases.
Side Effects and Risks
While birth control pills are safe for many women, they do include some negative effects and risks. Every woman reacts in different ways to the hormones in birth control pills. Some women have side effects, such as:.
- decreased sex drive.
- nausea.
- bleeding between periods.
- breast tenderness.
If you have these side effects, they will likely enhance after a couple of months of using the pill. If they don’t improve, speak to your doctor. They might recommend that you change to a various type of birth control pill.
Risks
A serious risk of using birth control pills, particularly combination pills, is an enhanced risk of blood clots. This can bring about:.
- deep vein thrombosis.
- heart attack.
- stroke.
- pulmonary embolism.
On the whole, the risk of a blood clot from using any type of type of birth control pill is low. According to the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, out of 10,000 women, less than 10 will create a blood clot after taking a combination pill for a year. This threat is still less than the danger of developing a blood clot during pregnancy as well as promptly after giving birth.
Nevertheless, the danger of a blood clot from the pill is higher for certain women. This consists of women that:
- are extremely overweight.
- have high blood pressure.
- are on bed remainder for long periods.
If any of these factors apply to you, talk with your doctor concerning the threats of using a birth control pill.
Talk With Your Doctor
Numerous birth control choices are readily available today, and also the birth control pill is a superb one. But the best birth control selection for you relies on lots of variables. To find a choice that works for you, talk with your doctor. Be sure to ask whatever questions you have. These may include:.
- Which sort of birth control pill could be much better for me?
- Am I taking any kind of medications that could create troubles with a birth control pill?
- Am I at higher risk of blood clots from the pill?
- What should I do if I fail to remember to take a pill?
- What other birth control options should I think about?
