Tshwane Women Clinic

Birth Control Pill after Abortion: Side Effects and Effectiveness | Tshwane women's clinic - 0127723033/0724877066

Birth control pill is a common oral contraception method used by women worldwide. It has been estimated that around 100 million women worldwide use these pills to prevent any unwanted pregnancies.

 

Benefits of Contraceptive Pills

 

Birth control pill is a reliable contraceptive method, which have been available since 1960. It protects women from unwanted pregnancies in 99% of the time. However, contraceptive pills also have a number of other potential benefits as well as a number of side effects and contraindications.

 

Other well – known benefits of contraceptive pills are:

 

Reduction of the risk of ovarian cancer – it is known that taking the pill for more than five years reduces the risk of ovarian cancer by 50%. The protection against ovarian cancer continues even after stopping the contraceptive pill (Read also: Cancer Prevention Top 5 Tips).

Reduction of dysmenorrhea – taking the birth control pill regularly will reduce the painful cramps which women usually suffer from.

Stabilization of PMS – the severity of PMS depends from one woman to another. Taking contraceptive pills regularly reduces the mood swings and other signs and symptoms of PMS.

Ease of endometriosis – endometriosis is a medical condition which is characterized by painful, severe and heavy menstrual periods. Contraceptive pills relive the signs and symptoms of endometriosis by balancing the hormones.

Help against acne – contraceptive pills help you get rid of the acne by balancing the hormones and reducing the amount of male hormones in a women’s body. It is well known that male hormones are the one that cause acne.

Preventing migraines that are related to hormones – migraine attacks are known to be triggered by a drop of estrogen levels. Taking contraceptive pills regularly will help reduce the migraine attacks, by balancing the hormones and preventing the sudden drop of estrogen levels.

Common Birth Control Pill Side Effects

 

Thrombosis – is the most serious side effect of contraceptive pills, which could also be fatal. Thrombosis is a medical condition characterized by a formation of blood clots that could lead to deep vein thrombosis, stroke or a heart attack. Thrombosis is more likely to occur in women who are over the age of 35, who smoke, who are obese and suffer from high blood pressure. However, every woman could develop thrombosis, if she uses contraceptive pills.

 

Other side effects of contraceptive pills, which tend to resolve on their own, include:

 

Mood changes,

Lighter periods,

Spotting between periods,

Nausea,

Weight gain,

Sore and swollen breasts, etc.

Less Common Side Effects of Contraceptive Pills

 

Acne – it is kind of ironic! While for some women birth control pill helps control acne, for others contraceptive pills cause acne.

Migraines – for some women estrogen exacerbates migraine attacks.

Hirsutism – contraceptive pills can cause growth of thick hair in the abdomen, back or face

Amenorrhoea – a total lack of menstruation

Increased blood pressure – which also increases the risk for thrombosis

Increased risk of liver tumors – both benign and cancerous

Lack of sex drive, etc.