Does Birth Control Help Your Period

Does The Birth Control Pill Cause Heart Attacks Or Strokes

There is no increase in the risk of heart attack or stroke in healthy young women who take birth control pills and dont smoke. If your daughter is a smoker, encourage her to quit smoking. She can still take the Pill if she smokes, but if she quits smoking, shell be healthier for life and her risks from taking the Pill will be less.

Does The Birth Control Pill Cause Blood Clots

There is a very slight risk of developing blood clots in the legs, but much less than the risk during pregnancy. Among adolescent girls who do not take the Pill, 1-10 in 100,000 will develop blood clots each year. Among girls who take combined oral contraceptive pills, the risk increases 3-5 fold or to 5-50 per 100,000 per year. For women who are pregnant, the risk of developing blood clots is twice as high as Pill users and 4-10 fold compared to nonusers.

Who Can Take Birth Control Pills

Birth control pills can be taken safely by most women. They are not recommended, though, for those over age 35 who smoke. If you dont smoke, you can use hormonal contraceptives until menopause. You shouldnât take hormonal contraceptives if you have had:

• Migraines with aura

There are other conditions that may raise your level of risk that comes with taking birth control pills. If youâre not sure if youâre affected by one of these conditions, ask your doctor. Also, tell them if you have a first-degree relative who has had blood clots in the legs or lungs.

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What Your Period Says About Your Health And Why It’s Important

When doctors encourage women to suppress their menstrual cycles, theyre also concealing important symptoms that give us clues about deeper underlying conditions. This is a dangerous game that can raise the risks of women developing even more debilitating conditions in the future.

As a doctor, I ask every woman in my clinical practice about her menstrual cycle as part of her complete health screening. It is truly that important.

Womens periods are not just a monthly nuisance they provide incredible insights about hormones, nutritional status and overall health.

For example, brown discharge at the beginning of menses is a sign of of low progesterone levels and left over blood from the period before. When there are clots in the menstrual blood estrogen levels may be too high. Conversely, low estrogen creates short, scanty periods. As you can see, there is a lot your period can reveal about your health.

Your period provides a great deal of insight about your hormones and the rest of your body. When it is suppressed, we run the risk of missing vital clues about your health.

As an example, menorrhagia, or heavy periods, which are commonly treated with oral contraceptives, can be a sign of iron deficiency anemia.

Sure, some would argue that stopping this patients menses would prevent iron loss and is therefore a treatment. But what if the iron deficiency is due to intestinal malabsorption, which can occur in those with celiac disease?

Recap: Your Period On Birth Control

We get it: We’ve been taught that getting your period is a natural sign of femininity and means that everything is working normally for having babies. But the truth is that having your period on birth control is not the same thing as natural menstruation. Instead, it’s a different beast altogether.

*Editor’s Note: If you’re having irregular periods or spotting and you’re NOT taking birth control, then you should follow up with your doctor.

You should know that:

As always, if you have bothersome irregular bleeding, don’t hesitate to ask your doctor. There may be a way to change your method, or they can let you know if it’s something that will go away anytime soon. It’s super helpful to track what’s going so you can present that to your doctor. Believe us, they like data, so record the dates it’s happening and what it looks/feels like. You’ve got this!

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Using The Pill To Regulate Periods: How It Works

More than half of all birth control pill users in the U.S. take the pill for purposes other than or in addition to contraception. Doctors often prescribe hormonal contraceptives to manage menstrual cramps or regulate periods.

Lets look at the science behind these uses of hormonal contraception, together with the European Board and College of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Birth Control Pills And Mini

Birth control pills are hormonal contraceptives. They contain either a combination of estrogen and progestin , or just progestin .

Women whose main reason for taking birth control pills is to manage heavy periods often choose to take the mini-pill. The low-dose progestin-only mini-pill is taken every day, without any breaks. This usually causes menstrual bleeding to become irregular, and sometimes women may even stop getting their period.

Combination pills are mainly used as contraceptives. Most women take the combination pill for 21 days per cycle. The bleeding starts during the seven-day break that follows. Low-dose combination pills can be taken continuously too. Then the woman usually stops getting her period completely, and only has light spotting at the most.

But combination pills have not yet been approved for continuous use in Germany. So if they are used in this way it is considered to be off-label use . Its important to discuss the possible consequences of this type of use with your doctor.

The possible side effects of birth control pills include fluid retention, headaches and breast tenderness. The combination pill in particular increases the likelihood of blood clots , so women who have a greater risk of thrombosis are advised not to take it.

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Birth Control Pills And Period: Your Questions Answered

Laurel Klafehn

Laurel Klafehn

Laurel is a linguist at heart and studying to become a Certified Spanish Interpreter and Translator. She believes in making quality healthcare accessible, and is proud of PlushCare’s mission to do so.

Birth control pills, also known as oral contraceptives or the pill, are one of the most common forms of hormonal birth control. Birth control pills have been studied for over 50 years, and were approved by the FDA for contraceptive use in 1960. Your menstrual cycle will change depending on the type of birth control pill you choose because each variety contains different quantities and types of hormones that work together to prevent pregnancy.

Understanding your options will help you determine the nature of your period while on birth control pills.

The Pill Is An Effective Way To Prevent Pregnancy

If you follow the instructions and use the birth control pill correctly, it gives you great protection against pregnancy.

All you have to do is stick to your daily pill schedule, and make sure you start your new packs on time thats it. But if you miss or forget pills, it wont work as well. You can use our birth control reminder app to keep you on track.

You can use condoms along with your birth control pills to get extra protection from pregnancy. Bonus: condoms also help protect against STDs.

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What Are The Symptoms Of Perimenopause

Although menopause is a normal, healthy part of life for individuals with a uterus, it typically entails symptoms that can become unpleasant. Some individuals may not notice any significant changes, but many will likely experience one or more of the following:

• Hot flashes and night sweats = a sudden feeling of warmth that spreads over the body
• Breakthrough bleeding and spotting = bleeding when not on your period
• Irregular periods = inconsistent timing and heaviness of periods
• Headaches and/or migraines = pain that occurs in one or more regions of your head
• Mood swings = intense and sudden changes in mood
• Insomnia = persistent difficulty falling or staying asleep
• Urine urgency and/or leakage = constantly feeling the need to go pee
• Vaginal dryness = lack of lubrication in the vagina
• Acne = blemishes that pop up on the skin
• Fatigue = feeling more tired than usual
• Breast tenderness = sore and/or swollen breasts
• Lower sex drive = lack of desire to have sex and/or pain during sex

Sometimes, the symptoms of perimenopause can cause significant problems in day-to-day functioning. Fortunately, there are various treatments that can be implemented to help provide some relief.

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Can The Depo Shot Stop Your Period

The Depo Provera shot only contains progestin and no estrogen. Thus, its not uncommon for women on this shot to experience irregular periods or spotting, especially in the first two to three months.

However, according to AAFP, up to 50 percent of women experience amenorrhea, after the first year of use. In case youre unfamiliar with the term, amenorrhea is the absence of your period. Furthermore, this number can jump to 80% with increasing duration of use.

So, can the Depo shot stop your period? Much like the IUD, it depends. As mentioned in Planned Parenthoods article, many women who get the shot stop getting their period after approximately a year of use. However, theres no guarantee as everyone has a different experience with it.

With this in mind, remember that Depo Provera might not be suitable for everyone. So, be sure to have a chat with your doctor to see if this is the right method for you.

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How Could Birth Control Affect My Period

Details

Birth control can be very helpful for women who are sexually active and who do not want to become pregnant. However, certain forms of birth control can affect a womans body in different ways. This includes potential effects to the menstrual cycle. Since some of these effects can be positive in nature, certain forms of birth control may be prescribed to women experiencing issues with their period. Still, many women select their preferred method of birth control without even considering the impact it can have on their periods. Thats why our board-certified gynecologists have provided some details on how the most common types of hormonal birth control can affect a womans menstruation.

Birth Control Pills

The most common form of birth control, birth control pills are made up of the hormones progestin and estrogen. Although taking The Pill can have different effects depending on each person taking it, it is somewhat common for women on birth control pills to experience shorter or lighter periods. This can mean a cycle that normally lasts 5 7 days being cut down to 3 4 days. Birth control pills can also be used to help women who experience irregular bleeding, endometriosis pain, and more.

IUDs

Do Other Medicines Interfere With The Contraceptive Patch

Some medicines can interfere with it and make it less effective. You should always discuss all other medication that you are taking with the person prescribing the patch. This includes over-the-counter medications which may also interfere with the contraceptive patch. If you are starting a new medication, make sure that you tell the person prescribing it that you are using the contraceptive patch. You may need to use extra contraceptive precautions while you are taking the other medication and for a period of time after it is finished.

Some commonly encountered medicines that can interfere with the contraceptive patch include certain antibiotics , some medicines used to treat epilepsy , some medicines used for HIV infection, and, as mentioned above, St Johns wort .

Note: antibiotics which are commonly used do not interfere with the effectiveness of the contraceptive patch.

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Number : Is It Normal To Bleed At All While On Birth Control Pills

The answer is yes scientists designed the pill so you’d bleed during the placebo week. This was the one feature of combined oral contraceptives that scientists let remain unchanged over the decades.

That said, you will probably have unpredictable bleeding patterns during the first few months of taking any birth control method. The National Institutes of Health says that irregular bleeding can happen when you take hormonal birth control like birth control pills or IUDs.

Here are 3 ways to describe how unpredictable periods can be on birth control pills:

• You may have your period on birth control during active pills .

• You may have spotting, also called breakthrough bleeding, during the first few months. Doctors say this is the most common symptom when taking any brand.

• You may have a missed period on birth control. But that doesn’t automatically mean your pregnant.

This unpredictability is usually not forever. As your body adjusts to birth control pills, you’ll probably just have bleeding during the regularly scheduled programming when you take those “sugar pills” that have no hormones in them. But if you’re unsure, it’s always a good idea to check with your health care provider about it.

But get this. It’s not medically necessary for you to have this scheduled week of bleeding. We’ll explain more later.

Will My Daughter Start Having Sex If She Goes On Birth Control Pills For Acne Or Any Other Medical Reason

Your daughter will most likely not start having sex if she goes on the Pill for reasons other than birth control. If she goes on the Pill for one of the medical reasons, she is probably just thinking about treating whatever the problem is. Her decision to have sex will likely be completely independent from her decision to go on the Pill at this time. Your daughter will choose to start having sex when she is ready, which involves much more than just when birth control is available.

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Does Birth Control Affect Fertility

In my clinical practice, Ive worked with countless women who were given the pill to treat symptoms like acne, irregular periods, migraines, PMS, amenorrhea only to find themselves infertile later in life.

How does this happen? The symptoms that arise early in life are pointing to greater imbalances. Underlying conditions, such as PCOS, can go missed for decades!

When a doctor hands a woman a pill for symptom relief, there should be at minimum an acknowledgment that the pill is meant to treat only her symptoms.