What are the Side Effects of Birth Control Pills: Know its Long-Term Side Effects

About 60 percent of women in the United States take hormonal birth control and experience the risk of cardiovascular problems like blood clots, deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a clot in the lungs, a stroke or heart attack in rare cases. Also, birth control pills have been associated with an upsurge in blood pressure, benign liver tumors, and a few types of cancer.

What Are Birth Control Pills?

The birth control pills or (oral contraceptives) are medications that stop the pregnancy. Being a method of birth control, these are hormonal measures that may comprise amalgamations of the hormones estrogen and progestin or progestin alone. These mixtures of estrogen and progestin avoid pregnancy by impeding the release of the hormones Luteinizing hormone (LH) and Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) from the pituitary gland in the brain.

The hormones like LH and FSH play significant roles in the growth of the egg and groundwork of the lining of the uterus for the establishment of the embryo. Besides, progestin also makes the uterine mucus that environs the egg harder for sperm to penetrate and, therefore, for fertilization to take place.

The combination of birth control pills that contain estrogen and progestin are of three kinds, which are:

• Monophasic birth control pills– These release the equal estrogen and progestin every day.
• Biphasic birth control pills– They release the equal amount of estrogen every day for the first 21 days of the cycle. During the second half of the cycle, the progestin/estrogen ratio is increased.
• Triphasic birth control pills– These have relentless or changing estrogen concentrations and changing progestin absorption throughout the cycle.

Side Effects Of Stopping Birth Control

You possibly felt some changes when you started the birth control pills. So, similarly, when you stop taking birth control pills, you may feel different again. Body resistance varies from one person to another, and some of the birth control pill side effects may be different. But a few changes are common, which are:

1. The risk of pregnancy again

You might think it takes a long time to conceive after you stop the pill, but research shows that pregnancy rates are about the same as those for women who had used barricade methods (like condoms). Also, up to 96% of earlier pill-users got pregnant within a year.

2. Your cycle may get weird

Your cycle will keep moving before settling down perfectly after stopping birth control pills. Also, if your periods stopped altogether, it may take a few months for them to jerk up again.

3. Your weight may go down

Women who used a progestin may have added a few pounds, so the scale might go down when they stop using them.

4. Acne and unwanted hair

The pill can reduce the hormone imbalance that leads to acne and grow hair in unwanted places but this will be temporary. Once you stop the birth control, your hormones can get off-kilter over, bringing back those problems again.

5. You might feel friskier

Some women find that the birth control pill drives their libido down, particularly if they take some very low-dose pills. So, a study shows that 15% of women may find themselves in the mood more often after they stop their birth control pills.

6. Protection from some cancers

The long-term use of birth control can lead to hazardous diseases like cancer. So, stopping the birth control pills can lower your risk for ovarian and endometrial cancer.

Long-term Side Effects Of Birth Control

Nearly all types of birth control relating estrogen can upsurge your risk of certain health problems. More solemn potential side effects of birth control pills comprise:

• Blood clots
• Gallbladder disease
• Heart attack
• High blood pressure
• Liver cancer
• Stroke

According to the American Cancer Society, taking birth control pills may raise your risk of breast cancer or cervical cancer over time. The longer time you use these contraceptive pills, the more complex the risk.

If you are concerned about your risk of firm types of cancer, talk to the doctor today. They can assist you to weigh any other aspects that might grow your risk and help you select an option you are comfortable with.

You can have a conversation with Dr Anita Nichal, a GYN via WHP Wellness.

Does Melatonin cancel out birth control?

The birth control pills enhance the natural melatonin present in our body. When we consume these birth control pills, the levels of melatonin may become too high in the body. The blend of birth control and melatonin may alter the efficiency of birth control pills.

Melatonin is a certainly occurring hormone in the body and helps you fall asleep or stay asleep at night. Melatonin is produced by the pineal gland, a small gland above the middle of your brain.

Birth Control Side Effects

The birth control pills are oral contraceptives that comprise estrogen and a progestin. The birth control pills keep your ovaries from releasing an egg and can lead to changes in the cervical mucus and the lining of the uterus (endometrium) to retain sperm from joining the egg.

The diverse types of birth control pills cover dissimilar doses of estrogen and progestin and the continuous-dosing or extended-cycle pills permit you to decrease the number of periods you have each year.

Yes, depression and mood swings are generally described side effects of birth control pills.

It will take two to three months for the body to adjust to the hormones in a new birth control pill. Also, in the beginning, you may experience nausea, weight gain, acne and many others.

Yes, fatigue and drowsiness are listed as a possible side effect of birth control pills.

Like all medications, birth control pills can have side effects for 2 or 3 months. Apart from this, the long-term side effects of birth control are heart problems and different types of cancers.