How Safe Is The Contraceptive Pill?

Since the approval of birth control pills by the U.S. FDA (Food and Drug Administration), the pregnancy control rate has significantly improved. According to research, contraceptive tablets have substantial benefits for women, even aside from preventing pregnancy. However, the pills are also accompanied by health risks and side effects. Therefore, learning about the benefits and side effects of the pill is essential before starting treatment.

Benefits of Contraceptive Pills

Here are some of the advantages of using contraceptive pills;

1. The pill is effective in birth control

To control your pregnancy, you must adhere to the doctor’s prescription and use the contraceptive pills correctly. To yield good results, always take your medication daily and start new packs on time.

2. It regulates the menstrual flow and makes periods less painful

Birth control pills help to balance the fluctuation in hormones occurring during the menstrual cycle. This allows issues such as heavy and irregular bleeding to be managed with ease. Additionally, periods often become lighter and more consistent in timing.

The contraceptives prevent ovulation. As a result, menstrual pain is reduced because when you don’t ovulate, the uterus does not contract; hence no cramps.

3. Reduces the risk of ovarian cysts

The birth control tablets reduce the chances of ovarian cysts forming in your ovaries during ovulation. The cysts are small sacs containing fluid that are sometimes painful. By preventing ovulation, the cysts won’t be formed, and any existing cysts will not regrow.

4. Prevents hormonal acne

Variation in hormones is one of the leading causes of acne. The fluctuations in hormones are minimized by using birth control pills, and thus the acne is cleared. The pills contain both estrogen and progesterone that are effective in fighting acne.

5. Relieve signs of Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder and PMS

For lots of women, it’s routine to experience both physical and emotional symptoms called premenstrual syndrome days before their periods. Hormonal fluctuations cause this, and as contraceptive pills balance the hormonal changes, they thus treat severe PMS and PMDD.

6. The contraceptive pill is convenient

The pills’ pack size is small, and therefore you can carry it with you wherever you go. The tablets are also easy to take and can be easily accessed.

Drawbacks and side effects of contraceptive pills

It is possible to have side effects when you use contraceptive pills for the first time. However, they will likely go away after the first two months of use.

Here are some of the drawbacks and side effects;

1. Increases blood pressure

Some birth control pills cause a worrying increase in blood pressure. The intensive risk of hypertension is thought to be caused by the levels of estrogen present in oral contraceptive pills.

2. Health risks

Contraceptives come with various temporary side effects, including headaches, nausea, mood swings, and tender breasts. What’s more, contraceptive pills have been linked to severe conditions such as blood clots and breast cancer.

3. The effective rate of using contraceptive pills

Effective use of birth control pills is 99%. However, not everyone uses the pills exactly as instructed by the doctor, and occasionally pills might be missed out. For this reason, the pills are about 93% effective, which means that for every 100 pill users, 7 of them get pregnant annually.

The bottom line

The decision-making process on how you take the pills is up to you. But you can also consult your doctor to find out the best contraceptive pill to use. Make sure to use the pills whose benefits exceed the drawbacks. Remember that after only a short period of usage, most women find that any side effects will disappear.

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