Many are protected with tablets, but they know about drugs still not enough.
What is contraceptive tablets?
Birth control pills are one of the most effective contraceptive means, really reliable and affordable, known for many decades. These are hormonal drugs that contain progestins or progestins along with estrogens. All these are analogues of female hormones. Progestins suppress ovulation, without which you cannot get pregnant.
How they work?
For a woman to get pregnant, she needs a ripened egg. In the first half of the menstrual cycle, under the influence of hormones, the egg matures and enters the ovaries into the fallopian tube. After that – in theory – the female sexual cage should meet with a sperm and go to the uterus in order to attach to the wall of the organ. This requires progesterone – a hormone that prepares the uterus. If the conception does not happen, the level of progesterone falls and the bleeding begins from which a new cycle starts.
All this time, the level of estrogen and progesterone fluctuates as it should be for conception.
Contraceptive tablets create their hormonal background in the body.
At the same time, they suppress ovulation, that is, there is simply nothing to fertilize.
The tablets have other properties that resist conception. For example, they make mucus in the cervix of the uterus of thick, so that the spermatozoa can not reach the egg, and the inner layer of the uterus is thin so that the egg did not have to attach to it.
What are the contraceptives?
There are two types of tablets:
- Progestin with estrogens, or combined. If there are a lot of estrogen, they can suppress ovulation. But in such doses, they have a lot of side effects, so they themselves are not used for contraception, but added to pills to simulate a full cycle.
- Progestin, which are called mini-saws. They are prescribed when you can not use ordinary tablets: if a woman is breastfeeding, gets sick with migraines or she forms blood clots in the vessels.
They say that such contraceptives have many side effects. This is true?
Indeed, contraceptive tablets have an impressive list of contraindications and side effects. It is enough to open the instructions for any such drug and make sure of this yourself.
There are four generations of oral contraceptives. The newer the drug, the less hormones are there, and therefore side effects.
Unfortunately, many gynecologists like to prescribe old drugs: such tablets are cheaper and “tested by time”. Therefore, just in case, find out from the doctor what generation the medicine that he prescribes belongs to, and whether it is possible to find a milder remedy.
Feel free to ask why the gynecologist believes that these pills are suitable for you than they are better than analogues.
And what threatens the reception of contraceptives?
The most severe side effects that are found in oral contraceptives:
- Thrombosis. There are many studies that show that the risk of thrombosis is increased against the background of tablets increases.
- Cardiovascular diseases.
- Glaucoma.
These are rare phenomena that met when oral contraceptives only appeared and there were many hormones in them. More often nausea, dizziness, mood changes, breakthrough bleeding appear. Typically, symptoms pass in a couple of months, but you need to tell the doctor about them and, if there is no dynamics, change the drug.
Due to contraceptive tablets, weight increases?
No one will say that it will be with your w8. Different studies provide different information, but show that in general, women who take hormonal contraceptives are a little hollow.
Average weight gain when taking mini-saws is not more than 2 kg per year. However, these data are not based on the most accurate research.
Different types of hormonal contraceptives are approximately equally affected by w8.
They lead to cancer?
Some studies show that oral contraceptives, especially if they are used for a long time, on the contrary, reduce the risk of getting ovarian cancer. In women who drink contraceptives for more than five years, the risk of getting this type of cancer is 50% lower than in women who have never accepted pills.
But the risk of detecting breast cancer or neck cancer, as well as neoplasms in the liver, increases, albeit slightly. In some cases (if you take tablets for a long time) such dynamics is not at all traced.
Contraceptive tablets are so terrible. They can be used in general?
Can. They were invented just in order to use them. Of course, if there are no contraindications.
As already mentioned, modern drugs become safer, they are checked more thoroughly.
And what about contraindications?
Each drug has its own list, but there are general contraindications:
- Smoking and age for more than 35 years (if you do not smoke, age is not considered).
- Tendency to form blood clots.
- Estrogen -dependent tumors.
- Bleeding from the uterus, the causes of which are not clarified.
- Migraine.
- Diabetes with complications from the heart and blood vessels.
The main thing is not to smoke if you decide to take oral contraceptives. Smoking in itself does not bring to good, and in combination with hormonal contraceptives increases the risk of side effects.
What tests should be taken to get a recipe?
Usually no. Hormonal contraceptives for that came up with them to be available, and tons of tests reduce this most accessibility.
At the consultation, the doctor mainly focuses on what the woman herself tells about her lifestyle, health problems, about drugs that she constantly takes. Based on this, he decides which progestin component is more suitable, and appoints it.
To check whether the woman is contraindicated or not, you really need to pass a number of tests.
My friend took pills. I can also?
In no case.
Only a doctor can prescribe pills after consultation. Suddenly you have contraindications that a friend does not have, and you are at risk? Suddenly a friend of a friend prescribed her an old -generation drug or a friend generally bought a medicine on the advice of a neighbor?
You will risk your health, not a girlfriend. Do not do it this way.
Oral contraceptives allow the ovaries to relax?
The ovaries do not know how to relax and go on vacation, they work most of the woman’s life until menopause comes.
Hormonal contraceptives do not suit the holidays for organs, but create an artificial hormonal background and suppress ovulation.
This is in no way connected with the rejuvenation, longevity and other wonderful properties that they like to attribute to hormones.
They are needed to align the cycle?
Hormonal contraceptives create their own, special cycle. The main thing does not happen in it – ovulation of a ripened egg. In this case, menstruation does not come because the egg has not been fertilized, but because the reception of the pills provides for a break.
Such an artificial cycle is really even, it is easier to carry, so oral contraceptives are prescribed to cope with painful menstruation.
After the cancellation of the drugs, your native cycle will return. How it will be depends on many factors.
Contraceptives will help prepare for pregnancy?
These are contraceptives. They are needed so as not to get pregnant. They do not prepare for pregnancy.
Although folic acid is added to some drugs in case you decide to cancel the tablets, immediately get pregnant and provide this vitamin for the future child.
And from acne will help?
Can help. Hormonal means have such an action, they help to cope with acne. Only you must always remember that this effect is an additional, side, not the main. In addition, sometimes something goes wrong and acne, on the contrary, appear or become more noticeable.
How to accept, so as not to harm yourself?
Everything is simple: take it only as prescribed by the doctor and strictly according to the instructions.