How to take birth control pills. What are the dangers of hormonal drugs: should you be afraid of “hormones” How to take contraceptives correctly

Women have many questions while taking birth control pills, and this is normal. Hormonal drugs are not to be taken lightly, and their use is subject to a number of rules. What should every woman know about combined oral contraceptives?

How to take COCs correctly?

What happens if I miss or forget to take a pill?

If the break in taking the drug was less than 12 hours, there is no need to worry. Contraceptive protection is maintained, and unwanted pregnancy will not occur. You should take the missed tablet as soon as possible.

What if the drug is missed for more than 12 hours? In this case, you need to adhere to a certain scheme:

• First week of use: Take the missed pill immediately (even if this means taking two at once). Use an additional condom for 7 days.
• Second week of use: Take the missed pill immediately (even if you have to take two at once). No additional protection is required. If a woman has missed 2 or more tablets, she must use a condom for the next 7 days.
• Third week of use: follow the scheme of the second week or immediately start drinking a new pack without a break. In the latter case, the likelihood of breakthrough bleeding increases.

It is important to know: to achieve a contraceptive effect and ensure reliable protection, you must continuously take COCs for at least 7 days.

Is it possible to start taking a new pack of birth control pills without interruption?

Combined oral contraceptives can be taken according to the 63+7 scheme. A woman takes three packs of pills in a row, after which she takes a break for a week. At this time, the withdrawal bleeding should subside. This option is optimal for athletes and women leading an active lifestyle, including those associated with business trips and flights.

Long-term use of COCs without a break increases the risk of breakthrough bleeding or spotting in the middle of the cycle.

Is it possible to stop taking oral contraceptives halfway through the pack?

You can stop taking contraceptives only in one case - if serious side effects or complications occur. In other situations, it is recommended to finish the drug to the end. Abrupt cancellation of COCs in the middle of the pack threatens disruption of the menstrual cycle and other troubles.

How to shift the day of menstruation when taking COCs?

In order to shift the start date of your period, you need to take the first pill from a new pack not after a 7-day break, but a day or two earlier. This way you can shift the date of your period by one, two or three days. It is not recommended to shorten the “window” between doses of the drug too much. The shorter the break, the higher the likelihood of developing breakthrough bleeding while taking tablets from a new package.

You can start taking a contraceptive from a new pack immediately after finishing the previous one (without a seven-day break), but in this case the likelihood of acyclic bleeding also increases.

Can I take birth control pills while preparing for surgery?

Two weeks before surgery, you should stop taking COCs. The drug is not taken during abdominal surgery. At least 1 month must pass after the intervention. In certain situations, this period may be increased (for example, with prolonged immobilization - being in a stationary position).

Modern equipment makes it possible to perform operations in one day, and in this case it is not always necessary to stop taking birth control pills. In each specific situation, consultation with a gynecologist is necessary.

Should I take a break while taking birth control pills?

A healthy woman can take birth control pills for as long as she needs - a year, two or more until she decides to become a mother. There is no need to take a break from taking the drug and “rest the ovaries.” While taking COCs, the ovaries do not work at full capacity. On the contrary, right now they are resting, since ovulation is not happening. If a woman tolerates the chosen drug well, she can take it for as long as she likes.

It is important to know: the practice of taking an annual break from taking COCs leads to the fact that when the drug is discontinued, the ovaries are activated, ovulation occurs, and it is at this time that if a woman is not planning a pregnancy in the near future, there is no need to stop birth control pills.

Is it allowed to take oral contraceptives and antibiotics at the same time?

The simultaneous use of hormonal contraceptives and some antibiotics reduces the effectiveness of the former and can lead to unplanned pregnancy. It is also worth remembering that the simultaneous use of these drugs increases the load on the liver, and also increases the risk of breakthrough bleeding.

Not only antibiotics, but also some other drugs are poorly compatible with COCs. Such undesirable effects are usually indicated in the instructions for use of the drug.

When should I stop taking birth control pills if I want to get pregnant?

Theoretically, a woman can become pregnant immediately. As soon as the supply of hormones from the outside stops, the own sex glands are activated, and the maturation of follicles in the ovary begins. Ovulation can occur already in the first cycle, and then 4-5 weeks after stopping birth control pills, the woman finds out about pregnancy.

Practicing doctors do not always recommend planning to conceive a child immediately after stopping COCs. Many gynecologists advise waiting 3 months for the body to recover and pregnancy to occur in a natural cycle. During this period, you can start taking folic acid at a dosage of 40 mcg per day. It is known that the use of vitamin B9 at the stage of pregnancy planning and in the early stages of gestation significantly reduces the risk of developing neural tube defects in the fetus.

Another reason why doctors advise waiting 3 months after stopping COCs is the high probability of conceiving twins in the first natural cycles. This phenomenon is explained by the rebound effect, when, after abruptly stopping the use of birth control pills, two or more eggs mature at once. But if a woman is ready for the birth of twins, she can use this unique life hack.

If oral contraceptives were prescribed by a doctor for the purpose of treating infertility, expectant management is not justified. In this case, all hope lies in the rebound effect, and you need to plan to conceive a child immediately after stopping the drug.

Birth control pills (oral contraceptives) are reliable (99.9%) protection against unwanted pregnancy for women who have a regular sexual partner. If your husband or boyfriend is healthy, he has no infections and you are confident in his fidelity, then you should find out how to take birth control pills. Two important points:

• OK is prescribed by a doctor taking into account your age, existing diseases, presence of children, existing hormonal problems (if any), and psychological state.
• Before the appointment, you need to take tests for hormonal levels and hidden infections, if you are not confident in yourself, so as not to infect your partner during unprotected sex.
• OCs do not protect against infections and STDs that a man can “give” you.
• If you do not take the next pill on time or forget to take it altogether, the risk of an unwanted pregnancy increases.

The principle of action of birth control pills: OCs are artificially synthesized sex hormones - estrogen and progesterone, which prevent the follicles from maturing. In addition, they thicken the mucus in the cervical canal, which prevents sperm from moving into the uterus and thickens the endometrium in order to prevent a fertilized egg from attaching to the wall of the uterus, if a meeting with sperm does occur.

Types of birth control pills

You should know not only how to take birth control pills, but also which type is most suitable for you. There are two in total: the first - containing progesterone and estrogen at the same time (combined oral contraceptives COCs), the second - contain only progesterone (gestagens) and are called mini-pills. Mini-pills are considered the most harmless in terms of side effects.

Both are aimed at suppressing ovulation and stopping the production of hormones that cause ovulation to occur. Therefore, immediately after stopping the OC, a hormonal surge occurs in the body and the likelihood of ovulation in the next few days and, as a result, pregnancy sharply increases. But doctors do not recommend becoming pregnant within 6 months after stopping the OC in order to avoid fetal deformities and missed abortions.

Remember that each body is individual and the final decision on taking OCs after studying all the pros and cons is yours. Taking OCs in some women affects the further possibility of trouble-free conception if the pills were used from 3 months to a year or longer. There are also frequent cases of hormonal imbalance in the body and thinning of the endometrium due to ovarian inactivity.

How to take birth control pills correctly

Each package of OK contains 21 tablets. We will explain in detail how to take birth control pills in order to protect yourself as much as possible from pregnancy. The rules of administration are the same for all similar drugs, regardless of the name and dosage of the drugs:

• The ideal day to start taking birth control pills is the first day of menstruation (in other words, the first day of the cycle), no matter whether you have given birth or not. If you had an abortion, you should take the first pill the very next day after the abortion.
• The pills need to be taken at the same time every day: set an alarm, write a reminder, etc. Your task is not to miss a dose by more than an hour, otherwise the effectiveness is significantly reduced and the risk of pregnancy increases.
• To avoid intestinal upset or vomiting during the period of getting used to the pills, take the pills with meals.
• When you just started drinking OK, additionally protect yourself with condoms for the first week, even if you have sex during menstruation.
• The tablets should be taken for exactly 21 days, and then a break of 7 days is required. During this period, you can expect the arrival of your period. But menstruation may not come at all, or it may come, but in much smaller quantities than usual - this is the norm.
• It doesn’t matter whether your period comes during the 7-day break or not, you need to continue drinking OK on the 8th day. On the 8th day you start a new pack and drink again for 21 days before the break and so on.
• If your period does not occur within the 7-day break, take a pregnancy test and visit a gynecologist to make sure that conception has not occurred. Remember that taking OCs during pregnancy is strictly contraindicated!
• If your period is still on the 8th day, still take the pill - the end of the discharge does not matter.
• During every 7-day break, protect yourself with condoms.
• If vomiting or diarrhea occurs soon after taking the pill (for example, due to rota virus or a change in climate, food/water), it is recommended to take another pill 12 hours later to maintain the contraceptive effect, and then continue to drink as usual. That is, per day with vomiting, it turns out that you took 1 additional tablet.
• If you missed a pill, forgot it, or there were good reasons, then take one as soon as you remember/have the opportunity, another one after 12 hours, and then continue as usual.
• If you missed two or more tablets, then take a break for a week, protecting yourself with condoms, and then continue according to the standard scheme: take 21 days, 7 days off.
• If you are sick and you are prescribed serious medications, you must consult a doctor to determine the compatibility of the medications.

How to drink mini-pill correctly

Each package contains 28 tablets. The rules of use are similar to the standard scheme for any contraceptives. Find out how to take mini-pill birth control pills correctly:

• You need to start taking it on the 1st day of menstruation or counting 3 weeks from the first day of menstruation.
• You should take the tablets at the same time every day. The maximum permissible time difference is 2 hours.
• Even skipping a pill once makes conception possible within a day.
• Mini-pills can be used by young and nursing mothers (after prior consultation with a doctor), as they have virtually no effect on the psychological state and do not affect the quality of breast milk.
• If there are stomach upsets (rotavirus, change of food/water, climate zone), then after vomiting or diarrhea you need to take one additional tablet.
• When using the 1st package of mini-pills, you should additionally protect yourself with condoms for 3 weeks.
• After an abortion or miscarriage, mini-pills are prescribed the very next day.

Complications and side effects of birth control pills

The rules for taking birth control pills are by no means all that you should pay attention to before you decide to start taking them. Remember that OK affects the hormonal levels of the body and is not a priori a “vitamin” or a harmless method of contraception for the sake of pampering or “to try.” It is strictly forbidden to prescribe birth control pills for yourself, you cannot take them “so that your breasts become 2 sizes larger and your husband is in shock,” in order to “prevent female diseases and cancer,” and teenage girls who are just starting to be sexually active should not take them. stupidly having promiscuous connections. Check out the complications of taking OK:

• nausea;
• diseases of the endocrine system;
• severe hair loss after discontinuation of OK (treated with lotions, shampoos and mesotherapy from a trichologist - treatment is expensive and lengthy);
• after stopping OK, painful periods;
• purulent acne;
• cellulite;
• ovarian cysts;
• paroxysmal surges in blood pressure;
• decreased visual acuity;
• anovulatory cycles (lack of ovulation and, therefore, menstruation) for a long time after discontinuation;
• frozen pregnancies that occurred within an interval of up to six months after discontinuation of the OC and in rare cases longer;
• blood clot formation;
• headaches, dizziness;
• severe weight gain;
• irritability, tantrums out of nowhere;
• tumor growth, in particular the growth of fibroids;
• allergies, asthma.

The OK Myth: Harm Disguised by Advertising

Information about the dangers of birth control pills comes from studies conducted by the World Health Organization, FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) and IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer).

Think about it: “fourth generation” contraceptives contain almost no steroids (when compared with the first OCs), but they do contain, for example, drospirenone, which can lead to tragic health consequences. In the United States today, hundreds of lawsuits against manufacturing companies from women whose health was irreparably damaged by taking birth control pills are being considered in the courts. The plaintiffs' main demand is a complete ban on the sale of these health-threatening pills or an official ban on the use of birth control pills for more than 3 months. While taking OCs, the body is constantly in a state of pregnancy, but since it is not natural and cannot be resolved by childbirth, this affects the functioning of the liver, gall bladder, kidneys, the condition of the endometrium, and increases the risk of developing breast cancer. In particular, in Russia, tablets with drospirenone are known under the names “Yarina”, “Jess”, “Yasmin”, “Yaz”.

Tablets. If there are 21 of them, then you should take 1 tablet per day (for 21 days), and then take a break for 7 days. On day 8, you begin taking tablets from a new blister. If the blister contains 28 tablets, then there is no need to take a 7-day break from taking COCs. The tablets are taken all 28 days in a row, without any breaks.

Effect of birth control pills

The highest reliability Among all the methods of protection against unwanted pregnancy, they have birth control pills(COCs - combined oral contraceptives). These are drugs that consist of synthetic analogues of female sex hormones ( progesterone And estrogen). A specially selected combination of hormones can change a woman’s hormonal levels and slow down ovulation. Hormonal pills also have an anti-implantation effect. They are known to change the lining of the uterus and, as a result, the egg cannot attach to it. In addition, birth control pills change the biochemical composition of the mucus that is produced by the cervix. The mucus becomes more viscous and dense. As a result, sperm motility also deteriorates.

Is it possible to take COCs without consulting a doctor?

Many girls wonder whether it is possible to start taking birth control pills without first consulting a gynecologist. The answer is obvious: it is extremely undesirable to do this, because it can lead to very serious consequences. Currently available on the pharmaceutical market more than 50 different types of birth control pills. And this is no coincidence, because Different women and girls are suitable for completely different birth control pills. The decision to start taking birth control pills on the advice of a friend or on recommendations from the Internet is considered very wrong. You should also avoid recommending certain birth control pills to your friends. After all, the pills may be perfect for you, but may cause severe side effects in another girl.

If a woman starts taking oral contraceptives without consulting a doctor, their contraceptive effect may be incomplete. Various side effects may also appear: uterine bleeding, mid-cycle discharge, swelling, hair loss, blood clots.

Blood test for hormones before starting birth control pills

Many people are interested in the question: is it necessary to do a blood test for hormones before starting to take birth control pills? Basically, this is not considered a requirement. A gynecologist may prescribe certain birth control pills without performing any tests. This will not indicate that he is incompetent. But a blood test may be needed if a girl has some kind of hormonal disorder, as well as related menstrual irregularities.

Rules for taking birth control pills

How to take birth control pills correctly? First of all, you need to figure out how many tablets are in one blister of your contraceptives. There may be 21 or 28 pieces. If one blister contains 21 tablets, then you should take 1 tablet per day (preferably at the same time) for 21 days. Then you do not need to take these pills for 7 days, take a break (at this time your period should begin). On day 8 you need to take the 1st tablet from the next blister. If the blister contains 28 tablets, then there is no need to take a 7-day break from taking COCs. You just need to take 1 tablet a day, and when one blister runs out, immediately start taking tablets from the next blister.

It is recommended to start taking COCs on the first day of menstruation. In this case, there will be no need to use additional contraception, because the contraceptive effect will occur immediately. But sometimes, for certain reasons, it is not possible to start taking COCs on the first day of your period. In principle, it is allowed to start taking pills on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th or 5th day of menstruation. But you need to remember that in this case you will have to use additional contraception for another week. If you start taking oral contraceptives later than the sixth day from the start of your period, the effect of the pills in a given month will be very low. There will be a high probability of pregnancy.

Usually, when taking oral contraceptives, a girl maintains a regular menstrual cycle. But, unlike regular menstruation, it is more painless and scanty. In order for birth control pills to work correctly, you do not need to break your dosage regimen and never miss taking another pill. The pills must be taken every day and preferably at the same time(it's best to do this before bed). If any complaints suddenly arise when taking oral contraceptives, they should always be discussed with your gynecologist. If there is no menstrual-like reaction, you should still continue taking birth control pills as usual. In this case, of course, it is better to go to the hospital to rule out pregnancy. If pregnancy is confirmed, you should immediately stop taking COCs.

It is very important to check with your doctor about taking any other medications at the same time as COCs. While taking hormonal contraceptives, it is also not recommended to smoke, or it is recommended to at least significantly reduce the number of cigarettes smoked. You should immediately consult a doctor if severe side effects occur: localized headache, acute blurred vision, chest pain, jaundice, difficulty breathing, or severely increased blood pressure.

When taking birth control pills, you should remember that pregnancy can occur during the first menstrual cycle after you stop taking COCs. It is also important to know that if you forget to take another tablet from the blister, you should take certain actions. So, if less than 12 hours have passed, then you need to take this missed pill and continue taking the contraceptive according to the previous regimen until the end of the cycle. If more than 12 hours have passed, then you also need to take the missed pill and continue to adhere to the previous regimen of taking the drug. But, in this case, for a week it will not be superfluous to additionally protect yourself with the help.

Do I need to take breaks from taking oral contraceptives?

Many women and girls who take birth control pills begin to worry a lot about whether the hormones will have a bad effect on their body. Therefore, when any opportunity arises not to take these pills, women stop taking them for 1-2 months. Thus, they try to give the body a break from hormones. But it has been proven that such breaks do not allow the body to rest at all. This is always extra stress for the endocrine glands and ovaries. Basically, such spontaneous breaks cause disruptions in the menstrual cycle, leading to poor health, delayed periods, and hair loss. Also, during such long breaks, the contraceptive effect is reduced to almost zero. At this time, a woman can easily become pregnant.

Thus, if there is still a need for contraception (a woman is sexually active, but there are no plans for pregnancy yet), then you can take birth control pills for up to 5 years in a row, without breaks. When these 5 years of taking oral contraceptives have passed, you will need to consult a gynecologist. If he finds no reason to cancel COCs, then he can continue to take them.

They find us:

• how to drink conceptriptives for the first time
• rules for taking oral contraceptives
• How long before you take birth control pills?

Birth control pills are one of the most effective means of contraception, truly reliable and affordable, known for many decades. These are hormonal drugs that contain progestins or progestins together with estrogens. All these are analogues of female hormones. Progestins suppress ovulation, without which it is impossible to get pregnant.

How do they work?

For a woman to become pregnant, she needs a mature egg. In the first half of the menstrual cycle, under the influence of hormones, the egg matures and enters the fallopian tube from the ovaries. After this - in theory - the female reproductive cell should meet the sperm and go to the uterus to attach to the wall of the organ there. This requires progesterone, a hormone that prepares the uterus. If conception does not happen, progesterone levels drop and bleeding begins, which starts a new cycle.

All this time, the level of estrogen and progesterone fluctuates as needed to conceive a child.

Birth control pills create their own hormonal levels in the body.

At the same time, they suppress ovulation, that is, there is simply nothing to be fertilized.

The pills have other properties that resist conception. For example, they make the mucus in the cervix thick so that sperm cannot reach the egg, and the inner layer of the uterus thin so that the egg cannot attach to it.

What are the different types of birth control pills?

There are two types of tablets:

1. Progestin with estrogens, or combined. If there is a lot of estrogen, it can suppress ovulation. But at such doses they have a lot of side effects, so they are not used by themselves for contraception, but are added to pills to simulate a full cycle.
2. Progestin pills, which are called mini-pills. They are prescribed when regular pills cannot be used: if a woman is breastfeeding, is sick, or has blood clots in her blood vessels.

They say that such contraceptives have many side effects. This is true?

Indeed, birth control pills have an impressive list of contraindications and side effects. It is enough to open the instructions for any such drug and see for yourself.

There are four generations of oral contraceptives. The newer the drug, the fewer hormones it contains, and therefore the fewer side effects.

Unfortunately, many gynecologists like to prescribe old drugs: such tablets are cheaper and “time-tested”. Therefore, just in case, find out from your doctor which generation the medicine he is prescribing belongs to, and whether a milder remedy can be found.

Don’t hesitate to ask why the gynecologist thinks these particular pills are right for you and why they are better than their analogues.

And what are the dangers of taking contraceptives?

The most severe side effects that occur with oral contraceptives:

1. Thrombosis. There are many studies that show that the risk of developing thrombosis while taking pills increases Combined Oral Contraceptives and venous thrombosis.
2. Cardiovascular diseases.
3. Glaucoma.

These are rare phenomena that occurred when oral contraceptives first appeared and they contained a lot of hormones. Nausea, dizziness, mood changes, and breakthrough bleeding occur more often. Usually the symptoms go away after a couple of months, but you need to tell your doctor about them and, if there is no improvement, change the drug.

Do birth control pills cause weight gain?

No one can say for sure what will happen to your weight. Different studies provide different information, but show that, in general, women who take hormonal contraceptives gain some weight.

The average weight gain when taking the mini-pill is no more than 2 kg per year. However, these data are not based on the most accurate studies. Progestin-only contraceptives: effects on weight.

Different types of hormonal contraceptives have approximately the same effect on weight.

Do they cause cancer?

Some studies show that oral contraceptives, especially if used for a long time, on the contrary, reduce the risk of developing ovarian cancer. Women who have taken birth control pills for more than five years have a 50% lower risk of developing this type of cancer than women who have never taken the pill. Can Ovarian Cancer Be Prevented?.

But the risk of detecting breast or cervical cancer, as well as tumors in the liver increases, albeit slightly Oral Contraceptives and Cancer Risk. In some cases (if you take the pills for a long time), such dynamics are not visible at all.

Birth control pills are so scary. Can they be used at all?

Can. They were invented just to be used. Of course, if there are no contraindications.

As already mentioned, modern drugs are becoming safer and are being tested more and more thoroughly.

What about contraindications?

Each drug has its own list, but there are general contraindications:

1. Smoking and age over 35 years (if you do not smoke, age does not count).
2. Tendency to form blood clots.
3. Estrogen-dependent tumors.
4. Bleeding from the uterus, the causes of which are not clear.
5. Migraine.
6. Diabetes with complications of the heart and blood vessels.

The main thing is not to smoke if you decide to take oral contraceptives. Smoking by itself does not bring any good, and in combination with hormonal contraceptives it increases the risk of developing side effects.

What tests do I need to take to get a prescription?

As a rule, none. Hormonal contraceptives were invented to be accessible, but tons of tests reduce this accessibility.

During the consultation, the doctor mainly focuses on what the woman herself tells about her lifestyle, health problems, and the medications she constantly takes. Based on this, he decides which progestin component is more suitable and prescribes it.

To check whether pills are contraindicated for a woman or not, she really needs to undergo a series of tests.

My friend was taking pills. Can I have them too?

In no case.

Only a doctor can prescribe pills after consultation. What if you have contraindications that your friend doesn’t have, and you’re at risk? What if a friend’s doctor prescribed her an old-generation drug, or did the friend even buy the medicine on the advice of a neighbor?

It will be you, not your friend, who will risk your health. Do not do it this way.

Do oral contraceptives allow the ovaries to rest?

The ovaries do not know how to rest and go on vacation; they work most of a woman’s life until menopause occurs.

Hormonal contraceptives do not give organs a vacation, but create an artificial hormonal background and suppress ovulation.

This has nothing to do with rejuvenation, longevity and other wonderful properties that people like to attribute to hormones.

Are they needed to even out the cycle?

Hormonal contraceptives create their own, special cycle. The main thing does not happen in it - ovulation of a mature egg. In this case, menstruation occurs not because the egg has not been fertilized, but because there is a break in taking the pills.

Such an artificial cycle is really smooth and easier to tolerate, which is why oral contraceptives are prescribed to cope with painful periods.

After stopping the medications, your normal cycle will return. What it will be depends on many factors.

Will birth control pills help you prepare for pregnancy?

These are contraceptives. They are needed to avoid getting pregnant. They do not prepare for pregnancy.

Although some drugs add folic acid in case you decide to stop taking the pill, immediately become pregnant and provide this vitamin to your unborn child.

Will it help with acne?

They can help. Hormonal drugs have such an effect, they help cope with. Just always remember that this effect is an additional, side effect, not the main one. In addition, sometimes something goes wrong and acne, on the contrary, appears or becomes more noticeable.

How to take it so as not to harm yourself?

It's simple: take only as prescribed by your doctor and strictly according to the instructions.

Birth control pills contain a combination of female sex hormones (which is why they are sometimes called combined oral contraceptives, or COCs). Taking these hormones daily changes the functioning of the ovaries, preventing the follicle from maturing and releasing an egg. Ovulation does not occur and pregnancy becomes impossible.

In addition, birth control pills thicken the mucus in the duct, making it difficult for sperm to penetrate the uterus and fertilize an egg.

Even if ovulation has occurred, the sperm has penetrated the fallopian tube and fertilized the egg, the embryo will not be able to implant in the uterine cavity, due to the fact that while taking birth control pills, the uterine mucosa becomes very thin.

Who can take birth control pills (OC)?

In our time, OCs are not only a method of preventing unwanted pregnancy, but also a means of treating many female diseases. Therefore, sometimes birth control pills are prescribed even to girls who are not sexually active.

There are more than 50 types of birth control pills designed for women of any age. That is why taking these pills is safe at almost any age.

Who should not take birth control pills?

Like any other medicine, birth control pills have contraindications for use. For example, hormonal pills should not be taken by women who have (or previously had) vein thrombosis, severe liver and kidney diseases, as well as women over 35 who smoke. Pregnant women are also prohibited from taking these tablets.

Pros of birth control pills

Birth control pills have many advantages over other methods of preventing pregnancy:

• This is a very reliable method of contraception: most birth control pills guarantee protection against pregnancy in more than 99% of cases
• Suitable for girls and women of almost any age, although each age group has its own contraceptive pills
• Normalize hormonal levels and reduce the risk of ovarian cancer,
• They make the menstrual cycle regular if previously your periods came with delays or appeared several times a month
• Reduce
• Reduces symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS)
• While taking OCs, menstruation becomes less profuse and lasts fewer days
• If you take birth control pills, you may be able to delay unwanted periods (for example, if you go on vacation)
• Have a healing effect for mastopathy
• If you decide to plan a pregnancy, then after you stop taking OK, your chances of conceiving are much higher
• All effects of birth control pills disappear immediately after they are stopped

Cons of birth control pills

Of course, birth control pills are not without their disadvantages and are not always suitable for everyone:

• Birth control pills do not provide a 100% guarantee that you will not get pregnant: even the highest quality OCs can misfire
• Birth control pills must be taken every day: skipping even one pill can lead to a decrease in effect and pregnancy
• When taking certain medications (for example, antibiotics), the contraceptive effect may be reduced
• The first time after starting to take OK, you may experience spotting in the middle of the menstrual cycle
• Birth control pills can increase appetite and retain water in the body: if you do not want to gain weight while on the OC, then you need to monitor your diet and lead an active lifestyle
• Birth control pills can cause
• After stopping birth control pills, some women experience disruptions to their menstrual cycle (although it is worth saying that this is the exception rather than the rule)

Birth control pills, like any other medicine, are not without side effects: swelling of the mammary glands, increased blood pressure, headaches, bloating, etc. Before you start taking OK, you need to consult a gynecologist.

conclusions

The debate among ordinary women around birth control pills will probably not subside soon: there are too many who consider any hormones to be an absolute evil. Of course, this is not true, and millions of women around the world have successfully taken OCs for many years. However, it should be understood that this is first and foremost a medicine - you cannot start taking pills without consulting a doctor, and taking OCs must be strictly followed.

If you take your health seriously, then OK can become your companion for many years.