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 How
Oral Contraceptives Work?
Most Oral Contraceptives pills contain the combination of the hormones estrogen and
progesterone to prevent ovulation (the release of an egg during the monthly
cycle). If a woman doesn't ovulate she cannot get pregnant because there is
no egg to be fertilized.
One type of Oral Contraceptives pills, known as the Minipill, contains only the
hormone progesterone. Although progesterone alone may prevent ovulation, this
may not occur reliably every month. The Minipill also works by thickening the
mucous around the cervix, which prevents the sperm from entering the uterus.
It also affects the lining of the uterus so if the egg is fertilized it
cannot attach to the wall of the uterus.
The combination pills comes in either a 21-day pack or a 28-day pack. One
hormone pill is taken each day at about the same time for 21 days. Depending
on your pack, you will stop taking pills for 7 days or you will take a
reminder pill (that contains no hormones) for 7 days. A woman has her period
when she stops taking the pills with hormones. Some women prefer the 28-day
pack because it helps them stay in the habit of taking a pill every day.
The Pill works best when it is taken every single day at the same time of
day, regardless of whether you are going to have sex. This is especially
important with progesterone-only pills. You should not take a friend's or
sister's pills. If pills are skipped or forgotten, you are not protected
against pregnancy and backup Oral Contraceptives, such as condoms, must be used.
Protection Against STDs?
The Oral Contraceptives pills does not protect against sexually transmitted diseases
(STDs). For those having sex, condoms must always be used along with birth
control pills to protect against STDs.
Possible
Oral Contraceptives Medication Side Effects
The Oral Contraceptives pills is a safe and effective method of Oral Contraceptives. Most
young women who take the Pill have no side effects. The side effects that
some women have while on the Pill include:
irregular menstrual bleeding
nausea, weight gain, headaches, dizziness, and breast tenderness
mood changes
blood clots (rare in women under 35 who do not smoke)
Some of these side effects improve over the first 3 months on the Pill.
Sometimes a doctor will prescribe a different brand of pill, which may work
better with your body and have fewer side effects.
The Pill also has some side effects that most young women are happy about. It
usually makes periods much lighter, reduces cramps, and is often prescribed
for women who have menstrual problems. Taking the Pill often improves acne,
and some doctors prescribe it for this purpose. Oral Contraceptives pills have also
been found to protect against some forms of breast disease, anemia, ovarian
cysts, and uterine cancer.
Cigarette smoking
increases the risk of serious side effects from oral contraceptives,
including heart attacks, blood clots, and strokes. This risk is higher for
women over 35 years old and heavy smokers (15 or more cigarettes per day). If
you take oral contraceptives, you should not smoke.
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