Benefits
Many find that menstruation is usually lighter, shorter and less painful. Most women can even control when they start their menstrual cycle once you have been useing burth control pils for a few months by stopping before the end of a package or adding pills to the end. Please consult your physician before you attempt to change the day your period starts.
Women who use birth control pills seem to have a decreased risk in developing anemia, pelvic inflammatory disease and cancer of the uterus and ovaries and it seems to help with problems such as cysts of the breasts or ovaries, acne, irregular bleeding and endometriosis.
Drawbacks
Unfortunately we do not know all of the side effects that can be caused by the pill and as always would recommend you Consult your physician if you experience any negative effects while using a birth control pill. Also oral contreceptives Will Not Stop STD's/STI's
Short-term effects
Short term side effects can include headaches, mood changes, breast tenderness, fatigue, and breakthrough bleeding in the first few months of using any birth control pill. As your body finds it self with an over abundance of the hormones you are eating, it has to change its own hormonal production. Bleeding normally stops without the need for treatment, but if bleeding does continue, your physician will likely recommend that you change to a different brand, otherwise these effects will usually go away after a few months on the pill.
IMPORTANT -If you have been on the pill for several years and experience spotting, see your physician immediately to determine the cause.
Long-term effects
If you have had any of the following problems, ask your doctor about whether birth control pills are right for you.
A personal or family history of circulatory disorders/disease may be at serious risk, especially if you have had a pulmonary embolism and heart attack or stroke.
Do you suffer from migraines, tell your doctor and if your migraines get worse when your on the pill then you should try a different method of birth control.
Do you have cancer or a family history of cancer? Adding hormones to the body can cause certain tumors to grow, so if you have a history with cancer do not take the pill.
Did you just have a child? The extra hormones will increase breast size but decrease the amount of breast milk produced. These hormones will also then be passed on to your child through your milk, much as the hormones in cows are passed on to the people who eat their meat and drink their milk. If you want to take the pill during breast-feeding we would discourage it, but if its that important you should consult your doctor.
If you have/had liver damage you should not use birth control pills unless your doctor tells your otherwise. For diabetic women, the use of the pill can change your insulin needs and/or may also change the results of the glucose tolerance test.
Birth control pills can cause emotional issues such as depression, irritability and/or tiredness in some women, so if you think this is an issue stop taking the pill for a month and you will know right away if the pill is at fault.
The pill can affect any of the prescription drugs that you may be required to take, and will increase the affect of some drugs (such as alcohol) and decrease the affects of other drugs (such as certain painkillers).
Birth Control pills can also cause water retention, bloating, leg cramps and nausea. If you suspect that this is a problem, you should ask your physician about changing the brand of pill that you use. Some women may have dark rings around their eyes due to the increased estrogen levels. A weaker brand of pill will normally correct these problems. Some women experience weight gain and an increased appetite that can be controlled by switching to a pill with a weaker progesterone level.
