The birth control pills, also known as oral contraceptives or in the simplest way: “the pill” are medicines containing natural hormones that are swallowed every day, which are able to change the way the body of a woman basically works and are at the same time extremely effective when it comes to preventing pregnancy.

How do they work?

There is one kind of pills which is based only on one single type of female hormones. You may have heard about them as “the progestin-only pill” or “the Mini-pill”. These pills work by suppressing the process of ovulation and by helping to prevent the sperm of reaching the egg. Somehow, “mini-pills” are pickier as they are slightly less effective than the most common type of oral contraceptives and also as they have to be always taken at the same exact hour in order to make sure of the result. Most types of pills contain two different kinds of synthetic (produced in laboratories) female hormones, (estrogen and progestin) which represent the regular product of the ovaries of a woman. That’s the reason why they are called “combination oral contraceptives” and come to us on a large array, preventing pregnancy by suppressing the pituitary gland situated at the base of the brain. This process immediately stops the development of the egg which ends by not being released at all. In this case one cannot mention a pregnancy as there is no egg to be fertilized.

What kind of pill is suitable for me?

Although it is not necessary to have a pelvic exam before going on taking the pill, you should firstly ask your doctor or at least a nurse consultant because they will check your medical history and will provide you the best answer. Women are distinct and unique and so are the indefinite ways of reacting of their bodies. It has been proven that there are cases when the “combined contraceptives” are not indicated although they are supposed to be more secure. Women can even joke and say “Birth control pills are like shoes. You have to try them out first to see which one suits best”.

Anyway, birth control pills also have medical benefits and there are seldom cases when they are prescribed only for these matters. In addition, we will expose you some benefic features together with their downsides (if any) so as you may find one on your own expectations:

Pills against Acne: Combined Birth Control Pills increase the amount of a special molecule which clears out traces of free testosterone, responsible for producing acne. Pills such as Estrostep, Ortho Tri-Cyclen and Yaz are the most considered to producing this effect but basically any other combined pill will reduce the testosterone in the body. On the other hand, there are some presuppositions which say that you will face a lower libido in the absence of the hormone high mentioned, but they have not been proven yet and are most likely false.

Pill against PMSs: Preventing premenstrual mood disturbances with their well-known states of moodiness and irritability combined with crucial headaches and muscle aches, has been since the beginning of the world a major task. However Yaz is the only pill considered to have visible effect although any other contraceptive helps as they keep under control hormonal swings. It depends only on the subject.

Pills for shorter periods: Generally all pills which come in a 24 days of hormones format, such as Loestrin 24 Fe and Yaz would lead your way to lighter, headache relieved and shorter periods. These pills also make for a good choice for those of us who forget to take the pill on time, which I have to admit, it is also my case. They represent a very safe way of preventing a pregnancy. Sadly, these pills are not recommended for women who suffer from heart diseases as they increase the level of potassium in your body.

What are the risks when taking the pill?

There are faint chances to get pregnant when using combined pills (that means 2 out of 100 women/year are left pregnant) and slightly more in case you are using the micro-pill (5 out of 100 women/year). These data apply for women who take their pills as they should, without skipping any of them and without major differences between the hours of swallowing the contraceptive. Always read fully the packet information and immediately ask your doctor if you face side effects such as spotting, nausea, weight gaining or blood clot. You should also take into account before starting using birth controlled pills that they are not effective against sexual transmitted diseases. Ovaries and uterus cancer does not appear more often to women who use birth controlled pills, although it has been proven that breast cancer may be vaguely seldom encountered at women who have been long time on contraceptives. Apparently, smoking may play a role when using pills as it reduces the power of the medicines but not in a dose that you should be worried about.

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