Some facts about birth control pills stay constant, despites all those frequently asked questions. If you’re new to birth control, discover everything you need to know.
Although birth control pills are quite well known, there are still some doubts about their consumption. What are the secondary effects? When to stop taking them? We will tell you.
Birth control pills are medicines that contain hormones. The most widely used pills are those known as combined and contain estrogens and progestin. However, there are many different ways.
These two hormones prevent a woman’s ovary from releasing an egg during her menstrual cycle, a process known as ovulation. To do this, natural hormone levels are combined with those administered with the pill.
Also, progestin is responsible for thickening mucus from the cervix. This fact makes penetration by sperm into the uterus more difficult.
Although the use of birth control pills is becoming more common, a number of questions continue to arise about them. Therefore, we want to share some of the most frequent ones.
Questions and answers: Facts about birth control pills
What side effects can there be with birth control pills?
Birth control pills are very safe and the side effects they can cause are minimal. However, as with all medications, they can produce some undesirable effects. For example, among the most frequent are:
- Changes in menstrual cycles (absence of menstrual cycles or additional bleeding).
- Worsening of migraines due to the effect of estrogens.
- Sickness.
- Breast tenderness.
- Weight gain.
In addition, it is worth mentioning the possibility of blood clots, heart attacks, an increase in blood pressure and cardiovascular accidents with the use of birth control pills. However, these risks are very rare, as they only occur in exceptional cases.
At what age should you stop taking the pill?
Many people think that from an age, such as 35 years, it is no longer safe to continue taking the pill. However, everything will depend on the lifestyle you lead.
In this sense, women who are over 35 and who are active, do not smoke and carry a healthy diet, will be able to continue with the administration of these hormones without the need for concern.
However, women who are smokers and do not lead a healthy life should discontinue their treatment, since these habits promote the development of the adverse reactions described, in addition to aggravating them.
What should you do if you want to get pregnant?
The average time it takes for a woman who has stopped taking the pills to return to ovulation is about two weeks. Therefore, once you stop taking birth control pills and ovules again, you can try to get pregnant.
In the event that this occurs during the first cycle after stopping treatment, it is normal that you do not have menstruation.
How do birth control pills work to prevent pregnancy?
As we have mentioned, the effectiveness of this type of preventive pregnancy treatment lies in the ability they have to prevent the fertilization process, that is, the sperm reaching the egg and fertilizing it.
To do this, they block the release of the egg from the ovary to the uterus. In this way, the sperm will not find a cell to fertilize and a pregnancy cannot be triggered.
Can you prevent sexually transmitted diseases if you take the contraceptive pill?
This question is very important to have very clear. The pill does NOT protect against STDs. It is only effective in preventing pregnancy, but has no other preventive effects.
Therefore, it is still essential to use a condom to prevent the spread of this type of disease. Also, if you use a condom and the contraceptive pill, the chances of getting pregnant are much more reduced.
Is there something wrong if you take birth control pills during pregnancy?
It is advisable to stop the treatment once you know you are pregnant. However, as is normal, many women take the pill without knowing they are pregnant until they have evidence of it and nothing happens.
Although there is not much evidence that exposure to hormones causes problems in the baby, treatment should be abandoned once you are aware of the pregnancy.
Conclusion
We encourage you to consult any doubts you have on this subject with your pharmacist, doctor or gynecologist. Finally, remember that the use of condoms is always recommended, since contraceptive pills do not protect you from sexually transmitted diseases.
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