Birth control pill side effects.
Aside from its almost l00% effectiveness in preventing pregnancy, taking the Pill may also lead to less menstrual flow and cramping, a lower risk of infection of the uterus and ovaries, a decreased chance of developing ovarian cysts and non-cancerous breast cysts and tumors, less ovarian cancer and uterine cancer, less rheumatoid arthritis, and it may improve acne.
During the first three months of use about 40% of women who take birth control pills will have side effects of one kind or another. The vast majority of women have only minor, transient side effects. Some of these side effects are: light bleeding between menstrual periods, skipped periods, nausea, weight change, bloating, increase in vaginal infections. Although it is difficult to predict whether a woman will develop one of these minor problems, a problem can often be eliminated by changing your birth control pill.
Blood clots, stroke and heart attacks are the most serious side effects associated with birth control pills. These problems occur in only a small number of women who take the pill. Women who smoke, are over 35, have diabetes, high blood pressure, heart or vascular disease or blood cholesterol and triglyceride abnormalites have the most risk of developing these problems. Other serious side effects are worsening of migraine headaches, gall bladder disease, increase in blood pressure and an extremely rare liver tumor. Some birth control pills may cause changes in the levels of fatty substances in the blood. The long-term consequences of these changes are not known. Regular visits to your doctor are important for early detection of these health risks.
Certain drugs for epilepsy and tuberculosis, as well as certain antibiotics can reduce the effectiveness of your birth control pill. St. John's Wort has also been known to reduce the effectiveness of oral contraceptives. You should always ask your doctor about any possible effect on birth control effectiveness when another drug is prescribed.
BirthControlBuzz is a service company that provides birth control prices, birth control types (prescription required), health administrative services, and birth control statistics predominantly to US patients seeking to purchase birth control on-line.
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Labels: birth control, birth control pills, birth control prices, birth control types, breast cancer, menstrual periods, period, pregnancy, side effects
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Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Is it ok to take the Pill continuously?
While some women may see menstruation as a nuisance they would rather not have to deal with, others see it as a natural, healthy part of womanhood. The potential of new extended/continuous-use pills that would make periods optional has many people asking "is it really okay not to have a period?"
In the realm of medicine the idea of using birth control pills to eliminate periods is not a new concept. Doctors have long prescribed existing types of birth control pills, contraceptive patches and vaginal rings for this purpose, especially for women who experience difficulties with periods (for example, painful periods, heavy periods, menstrual migraines). It can also be used to improve the symptoms of endometriosis, and control side-effects of periods such as headaches, breast tenderness, bloating, cramps, and mood swings.
Do you need periods?
It is a common myth that menstruation is necessary to shed "toxins" from the body. In fact, the bleeding that women experience while on the pill isn't really a true period, but rather what is called a "withdrawal bleed". This is caused by the body's withdrawal from the hormones in the active pills during the pill-free week or the week on placebo pills.
Originally, birth control pills were developed this way to reassure women that they were still having a normal cycle, and so that women would still be able to use her "period" as a sign that she was not pregnant. Now, continuous-use birth control pills are being developed for women who would choose not to have periods for a variety of medical or quality of life reasons.
As an interesting side note, women now have more periods throughout their lives than ever before. The reason is that these days women tend to have fewer children, and women who are pregnant or regularly breastfeeding typically do not have periods.
Is menstrual suppression safe?
Current evidence suggests that the risks and benefits associated with taking bith control pills non-stop are similar to those of regular birth control pill users. These include a lowered risk of endometrial and ovarian cancers, but also a slight increase in the risk of blood clots. There may also be a slight increase in the risk of breast cancer, though this is uncertain. The risk, if any, associated with cervical cancer is also unknown.
Is there a birth control pill being marketed as continous-use?
Currently on the market is Seasonique. It is an extended-cycle birth control pill that gives women four periods per year instead of 12 (one per month). With Seasonique, women get a low dose of estrogen during their period, which may provide benefits including less breakthrough bleeding.
Like all birth control pills, Seasonique prevents pregnancy by providing hormones (estrogen and progestin) that suppress ovulation (the maturing and release of an egg) and other related changes your body goes through in preparation for a pregnancy.
If taken correctly on a daily basis, Seasonique is as much as 99% effective in preventing pregnancy, but there is still a 1% chance that you could get pregnant. Furthermore, missing a pill or taking a pill a few hours later than normal can decrease the effectiveness. Certain medications like antibiotics are also known to increase the chance of your birth control pill failing.
Try to avoid smoking cigarettes while taking Seasonique. Smoking greatly increases the risk of heart attack, stroke, and blood clot formation. Remember that birth control pills will not protect you from HIV, AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases. Always use a back-up method of birth control, like a condom.
BirthControlBuzz is a service company that provides birth control prices, birth control types (prescription required), health administrative services, and birth control statistics predominantly to US patients seeking to purchase birth control on-line.
For more information call 1-866-868-8850 or visit http://www.birthcontrolbuzz.com/.
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Thursday, March 22, 2007
Femcon Fe chewable birth control pill.
Femcon Fe is a spearmint-flavored birth control pill that can be swallowed or chewed. It combines 2 different hormones - progestin and estrogen. Together, these 2 hormones suppress ovulation and other related changes your body goes through. That means an egg is not released from your ovary and therefore cannot be fertilized by sperm. Birth control pills also thicken your cervical mucus (making it difficult for sperm to enter the uterus) and change the lining of your uterus (making it difficult for a fertilized egg to implant itself in the uterine wall).
Using Femcon Fe, or other oral contraceptives, is one of the most effective methods of birth control available. If taken correctly on a daily basis, birth control pills are as much as 99% effective in preventing pregnancy, meaning there is still a 1% chance that you could get pregnant.
What are some advantages to using Femcon Fe?
- Chewability - Femcon Fe is the only oral contraceptive to offer chewability. Perfect for women who have difficulty swallowing even the tiniest pill.
- Cycle control - There is low incidence of spotting or bleeding between periods.
- Low-dose - Most available birth control pills contain the same type of estrogen as Femcon Fe but in different amounts. Femcon Fe is considered a low-dose pill because it contains 35 micrograms (mcg) of estrogen.
- Menstrual relief - Femcon Fe can help reduce menstrual cramps, regulate irregular periods, and lighten menstrual flow.
Does Femcon Fe offer any health benefits?
- Your menstrual cycles may become more regular.
- Blood flow during your period may be lighter and less iron may be lost.
- Pain or other symptoms, like menstrual cramps, may decrease.
- Lesser chance of ovarian cysts occuring.
- Ectopic pregnancy may occur less frequently.
- Noncancerous cysts or lumps in the breast may occur less often.
- Lesser chance of acute pelvic inflammatory disease occuring.
- Using birth control pills may provide some protection against developing two forms of cancer: cancer of the ovaries and cancer of the lining of the uterus.
Does Femcon Fe have any side effects?
Birth control pill side effects are generally not serious. The most common side effects include breast tenderness, nausea, vomiting, and spotting or bleeding between periods. These side effects often go away within the first 3 months. While more serious side effects occur infrequently, some medical conditions have been associated with Pill use, including:
- Blood clots, blockage of blood vessels
- Gallbladder disease
- Liver tumors (extremely rare)
- High blood pressure, which returns to normal when you stop taking the Pill
Is there anything else I should know about Femcon Fe?
Cigarette smoking while using the Pill increases the risk of serious adverse effects on the heart and blood vessels. This risk increases if you are a heavy smoker (15 or more cigarettes a day) and with age (especially if you are over 35). Women who use birth control should not smoke.
You should not take the Pill if you have or have had blood clots, certain cancers, a history of heart attack or stroke, or are pregnant.
Femcon Fe does not protect against HIV/AIDS or sexually transmitted diseases. Always use a nonhormonal backup contraceptive like a condom for extra protection.
Missing a pill or taking a pill a few hours later than normal can decrease the effectiveness. Certain medications like antibiotics are also known to increase the chance of your birth control pill failing.
BirthControlBuzz is a service company that provides birth control prices, birth control types (prescription required), health administrative services, and birth control statistics predominantly to US patients seeking to purchase birth control on-line.
For more information call 1-866-868-8850 or visit http://www.birthcontrolbuzz.com/.
Labels: birth control, birth control pills, birth control prices, birth control types, breast cancer, estrogen, femcon fe, hormones, pregnancy, pregnant, progestin
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Tuesday, March 13, 2007
What is tubal ligation?
Tubal ligation is a surgical procedure that makes a woman infertile. This procedure closes the fallopian tubes, and stops the egg from traveling to the uterus from the ovary. The surgery is effective immediately. Tubal ligations are 99.5% effective as birth control. About ten percent of North American women rely on this method of birth control. There are two ways of performing the surgery.
A tubal ligation is a relatively simple out-patient surgery done in a clinic, doctor's office, or hospital. It can be performed under local or general anesthesia. Mini-laparotomies and laparoscopies are the most common techniques for female sterilization. Other procedures include laparotomy, culpotomy, culdoscopy, hysteroscopy, and hysterectomy. Each procedure carries different risks and benefits. Be sure the clinic discusses surgical options with you, describes the risks, and answers all of your questions before the surgery.
Laparoscopy procedure - the abdomen is filled with carbon dioxide gas so that the abdominal wall balloons away from the uterus and tubes. The surgeon makes a small incision just below the navel and inserts a laparoscope, a small telescope-like instrument. A second incision is made just above the pubic hairline to allow the entrance of the instrument that will cut, sew or burn the tubes. The surgery takes about half an hour.
After surgery, it is recommended that you take 2 to 3 days off and only perform light activities for a week. Sexual activity can start again when you feel comfortable, usually after a week. Women who have surgery performed through their vagina are advised not to put anything into their vagina for 2 weeks to avoid infection.
There may be up to several months delay between your request for surgery and the day it is performed. You may want to consider other birth control methods in the meantime. Young women with no children may have difficulty finding a surgeon to perform the procedure.
What are the advantages of having a tubal ligation?
- One-time procedure.
- Very effective.
- No need to remember birth control method.
- You don't have to interrupt sex.
- Cost effective in the long run.
Are there disadvantages?
- Reversal is expensive, difficult and sometimes impossible.
- Provides no protection against sexual transmitted infections.
- Although a tubal ligation dramatically decreases the risk of any pregnancy, if the procedure fails and a pregnancy results, there is an increased risk of it being an ectopic pregnancy. An ectopic pregnancy occurs when a fertilized egg attaches and grows outside the uterus - requires immediate medical attention.
- Possible regret.
- Has risks associated with surgery.
Tubal ligation is considered permanent sterilization. Your decision should not be made lightly. Think about it and ask yourself: Would you change your mind if major changes in your life occurred, including a separation, or even the death of a partner or child? Consider as many possibilities as you can before making your decision.
BirthControlBuzz is a service company that provides birth control prices, birth control types (prescription required), health administrative services, and birth control statistics predominantly to US patients seeking to purchase birth control on-line.
For more information call 1-866-868-8850 or visit http://www.birthcontrolbuzz.com/.
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Saturday, March 03, 2007
What are monophasic, biphasic and triphasic birth control pills?
The early forms of birth control pills had a good deal of estrogen in them. Today's birth control pills have a lot less hormone in them than even 10 years ago. That's because we have learned that they work at much lower doses than we originally thought.
Most birth control pills contain the hormones estrogen and progestin. They are categorized as monophasic, biphasic, or triphasic pills depending on whether the level of hormones stays the same during the first three weeks of the menstrual cycle or changes. Pills for the fourth week, when included, are usually "reminder" pills. They contain no active drug and are there to keep you on a daily schedule.
Monophasic pills contain the same amount of estrogen and progestin in all of the active pills in a pack. Examples of monophasic pills include Brevicon, Loestrin, Alesse, and Ortho-Cept. Because of the uniform hormone level in all the pills, monophasics are least likely to cause side effects, such as mood changes, that can result from fluctuating hormone levels in the body.
Biphasic and triphasic pills contain different dosages of progestin or estrogen throughout the pill pack. Compared with monophasics, these pills reduce the total hormone dosage a woman receives and are thought to better match the body’s natural menstrual cycle. Biphasic pills change the level of hormones once during the menstrual cycle. Examples of biphasic pills include Ortho-Novum 10/11, Mircette and Necon 10/11.
Triphasic pills contain three different doses of hormones in the active pills (changing every seven days during the first three weeks of pills). Triphasic pills include Ortho-Novum 7/7/7, Ortho Tri-Cyclen, Triphasil, Tri-Levlen, and Tri-Norinyl.
When taken regularly and according to the directions, birth control pills are 98% to 99% effective in preventing pregnancy, depending on how much estrogen they contain. The most common reason for pregnancy in a woman taking birth control pills is a failure to take them as directed. You should be familiar with the instructions that come with the dispenser for what to do if you miss a dose. It is a good idea to use a second method such as a condom or diaphragm for the rest of the month, even if you miss only one dose.
Despite the differences, no single pill or pill type rates as the "best" one. Experts consider all combination pills equally effective in preventing pregnancy, provided the pills are used appropriately. Your doctor can help you choose a birth control pill based on your age, medical history, and lifestyle, and cost.
BirthControlBuzz is a service company that provides birth control prices, birth control types (prescription required), health administrative services, and birth control statistics predominantly to US patients seeking to purchase birth control on-line.
For more information call 1-866-868-8850 or visit http://www.birthcontrolbuzz.com/.
Labels: biphasic pills, birth control pills, birth control prices, birth control types, estrogen, hormones, monophasic pills, pregnancy, pregnant, progestin, triphasic pills
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