When used regularly every day, birth control pills have a 99% success rate in avoiding pregnancy. The hormones in the pill control menstruation, lessen PMS symptoms, reduce the risk of ovarian and uterine cancer, cure endometriosis, and improve acne.
What is a pills for birth control?
Hormones are used by the birth control pill and other oral contraceptives to prevent conception. “Oral” denotes consumption via the mouth. Any procedure or technology used to prevent pregnancy is considered contraception. Because it comes in an accessible tablet form, many refer to it as “the pill”. The pill is simply one element of many people’s daily routines.
If you use birth control tablets every day and precisely as directed, they will prevent conception 99% of the time. The pill does not provide STI protection, in contrast to other methods of birth control like condoms. To lower your risk of STIs, you’ll need to utilize extra protection in addition to the pill.
What kinds of birth control pills are there?
Birth control pills come in two different varieties. Both of them include hormones that prevent pregnancy.
Progestin and estrogen are used in combination medications. The most typical kind is this.
One such name for progestin-only tablets is “the minipill.” If you shouldn’t take estrogen and are nursing (chestfeeding), have a history of blood clots in your legs or lungs (venous thromboembolism), or have had a stroke, they could be better for you.
When you’re not taking regular birth control and you’re at danger of becoming pregnant, you may use the morning-after pill as an emergency method of birth control. Plan B One-Step® and ella® are examples of brand names. Compared to the typical birth control pills you take, the morning-after pill functions differently.
How well does the medicine work?
Only when used daily is the pill 99% effective in preventing conception. If you’re sexually active, forgetting to take the pill at the appointed time increases your risk of becoming pregnant. Every year, nine out of every 100 individuals on the pill get pregnant without intending to.
How does the contraceptive pill function?
The hormones in birth control tablets stop sperm from fertilizing an egg, preventing conception and preventing pregnancy. Additionally, they alter your uterus such that it is incapable of supporting a pregnancy while you are on the pill.
Pills for birth control:
Stop or lessen the release of an egg from an ovary (ovulation).
Boost cervical mucus production to create a barrier that keeps sperm from entering your uterus and finally reaching the egg.
Thin your uterus’ lining to prevent a fertilized egg from adhering and developing there.
What time of day should I use birth control pills?
Take these as directed, precisely. The tablet is available in a variety of dosage packages, such as 21-day pill packs, 91-day pill packs, or even 365 days’ worth. Each pill in a package is unique. Depending on the kind, you should decide when to take certain of them. You must take the proper medication at the appropriate time.
If you have any questions before you begin, contact your doctor or pharmacist or follow the directions on the container.
Combining medications
The majority of packages include both “active” and “inactive” tablets. Hormones are included in active tablets. Hormones are absent from placebo tablets, which are inactive medications. The hormone-free, inactive tablets might be useful reminders to keep you from forgetting to take the pill. Additionally, you may utilize applications that send reminders or schedule reminders, such as an alarm.
Standard dosage packets:
28-day packages: Take the active medication for 21 days and the inactive medication for 7 days. On the week of inactivity, you’ll bleed. (The bleeding is not menstrual blood. Your body is instead reacting to not being on hormones.)
Take active pills for 21 days, then skip tablets for 7 days, in a 21-day pack. The week you don’t take your medication, you’ll bleed. (Set alarms to remind you to begin a fresh pack on day 29.)
Packs for continuous or extended use
Take the active tablets for 12 weeks (three months) and the inactive pills for 7 days when purchasing 91-day packs. On the week of inactivity, you’ll bleed. (You only have four weeks of bleeding per year.)
Take the active tablets in the 365-day boxes each day. You might have breakthrough bleeding or not at all. The only birth control pill offered in 365-day packs is AmethystTM.
Only-progestin capsules (minipills)
To avoid becoming pregnant, you must take progestin-only tablets, which have 28 active ingredients, at the same time each day (within a three-hour window). If you’re sexually active, take a pill between 7 a.m. Monday and 10:30 a.m. Tuesday (3 and a half hours) increases your probability of becoming pregnant.
Slynd®, a more recent variation of the minipill, is the exception. 24 active tablets are taken, followed by four inactive ones.
When does the medicine start to work?
It may take the pill up to a week to begin preventing pregnancies. If you are sexually active during the first seven days that you are on the pill, you must utilize another method of birth control.
What must I do if I forget to take a pill?
As soon as you recall, take the missing tablet, then proceed as normal with your regular dosage. Utilize a backup method of birth control up to when you’ve taken the active tablets for seven days. Package inserts should be kept close at hand. Most include detailed advice on what to do if a medication is missed.
If you miss many doses of the medication, see a healthcare professional. Pregnancy testing and choices for emergency contraception might be discussed with your doctor.
Do I need to refrain from taking any drugs when I take the pill?
Prior to beginning any new drugs or herbal supplements, consult your doctor. Some medications may reduce the pill’s effectiveness, which raises your risk of becoming pregnant. These consist of:
- anti-epileptic drugs.
- supplements made from plants, like St. John’s wort.
- HIV-treating medications.
Is it safe to take the tablet while nursing?
If you are breastfed (chestfeed), your doctor may advise using the progestin-only tablet. Estrogen, a hormone that may reduce milk supply, is a component of the combination birth control pill.
Once your milk has completely swelled, though, you may switch to a combo tablet that contains estrogen.
Which solution is best for you should be determined by your healthcare practitioner.
What advantages come from taking the medicine?
One of the most often used types of birth control is the pill. Because: People take the pill to avoid becoming pregnant.
- It’s practical. You only swallow a tablet every day.
- It is successful. When taken properly, it prevents pregnancy 99% of the time.
- It doesn’t interfere with sex’s natural spontaneity. Finding birth control is not required at the same moment when things are heating up.
- A short time after discontinuing the pill, you might get pregnant. The majority of women who choose to try for a child get pregnant a year after discontinuing the pill. For those who haven’t used the pill but are attempting to become pregnant, this timeframe applies.
In addition to preventing conception, birth control tablets may have health advantages.
The tablet may:
- Lighten or regularize your menstrual cycle (periods).
- (By lightening your cycles) Avoid anemia.
- Menstrual migraines and cramps may be lessened.
- Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) symptoms should be lessened.
- Reduce hot flashes during the perimenopause, the period before menopause.
- Medicate PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome).
- Treat uterine fibroids or endometriosis.
- Reduce your likelihood of developing colon, uterine, and ovarian cancer.
- Stop the development of extra hair (hirsutism) and get rid of acne.
Does the pill guard against STDs (sexually transmitted infections)?
No, taking the pill won’t protect you against STIs or other sexually transmitted illnesses. STIs, including genital herpes, chlamydia, and the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), are spread via anal sex, oral sex, and direct sexual contact as well as the exchange of bodily fluids. Skin-to-skin contact is the main method of transmission for the human papillomavirus (HPV).
Based on your sexual behavior, talk to your healthcare professional about the best ways to prevent STIs.
Does taking the tablet have any negative side effects?
When you initially begin taking the medication, you can suffer adverse effects. After a few months, side symptoms normally disappear (or become better). Possible negative consequences include:
- Nausea.
- Headaches.
- Easily irritated or depressed.
- Swelling or soreness in the breasts (chest).
- Between-period spotting (abnormal menstruation).
If you have adverse effects that don’t go away, let your doctor know. It’s possible that you’ll have to change birth control brands.
Are birth control medications associated with weight gain?
No. This is a common query before beginning a medication. Numerous studies have shown that using birth control tablets won’t cause you to put on or lose weight.
Is taking the medication harmful to your health?
Most individuals may safely use birth control tablets. It is the birth control method that is most often prescribed. Since the pill has been available for more than 60 years, many individuals have used it successfully to avoid becoming pregnant.
Those who use the combined (estrogen-containing) birth control pill have a little increased risk of these uncommon side effects:
- DVT, or deep vein thrombosis.
- embolism in the lungs.
- elevated blood pressure.
- chest pains.
- Stroke.
Any worries you have will be discussed with your healthcare professional. Based on your medical history, they will discuss any risk of problems with you. Fortunately, the majority of those who cannot take the estrogen-containing tablet may use progestin-only pills without risk.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Which birth control pill works the best?
Depending on your medical history, your doctor will recommend either a combination pill or a progestin-only tablet for you to take. Only medications that are safe for you will be prescribed.
The birth control pill that you remember to take is ultimately the finest. When someone uses the pill and becomes pregnant, it’s often because they don’t take their medication as prescribed. Choose the birth control pill that fits into your schedule the best, and take it regularly.
What other options are there for pills?
Ask your doctor about these alternative birth control methods if you’re not sure you can remember to take a daily pill:
- Implants containing etogestrel (Nexplanon® and ImplanonTM).
- Intrauterine device (IUD) (available in a variety of hormonal and nonhormonal versions).
- Removable vaginal ring with a contraceptive implant (monthly and yearly choices are available).
- (Xulane® and Twirla®) Skin patches for birth control.
- Progesterone injection Depo-Provera® (commonly known as Depo).