Does Birth Control Make Your Period Lighter

Do I Get A Real Period On The Contraceptive Pill

Nope. The bleeding you get when youâre on the pill is not the same as a menstrual period.

Your period on the pill is technically called withdrawal bleeding, referring to the withdrawal of hormones in your pill, and in your body. The drop in hormone levels causes the lining of your uterus to shed . This bleeding may be slightly different than the period you had before taking the pill. It also may change over time while taking the pill.

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Are There Any Serious Side Effects Of Birth Control Pills That I Should Be Worried About

Most teens who take birth control pills have few or no problems. If you do have any of the following problems, call your health care provider right away.

Remember: ACHES

• Abdominal or stomach pain
• Chest pain , cough, shortness of breath
• Headache , dizziness, weakness, or numbness
• Eye problems , speech problems
• Severe leg pain

Blood clots: A blood clot in your leg or lung is a very rare but serious side effect. If you suddenly have pain or swelling in your leg and/or shortness of breath and/or chest pain, see your health care provider right away or go to the emergency room. If you have a history of blood clots, you should not take the Pill. Tell your health care provider if anyone in your family has ever had blood clots, especially when they were young. The Pill increases the risk of blood clots by three to fourfold, which is less than with pregnancy. Blood clots are more likely to develop if youre also a smoker, overweight, having surgery, or sitting on a plane for a long time. To lessen your chances of blood clots, dont smoke, and if youre on a long plane trip, get up, walk around, and drink lots of water. If you do smoke, it is important that your doctor knows about your smoking before you start the pill. If youre scheduled for surgery, and wont be able to move around much after surgery, ask your health care provider about stopping the Pill for 3-4 weeks before surgery and after the surgery until you are walking around normally.

Could I Develop A Blood Clot By Taking The Pill

A blood clot in your leg or lung is a very rare but serious side effect. If you suddenly have pain or swelling in your leg and/or shortness of breath and/or chest pain, see your health care provider right away or go to the emergency room. If you have a history of blood clots, you should not take the Pill. Tell your health care provider if anyone in your family has ever had blood clots, especially when they were young. The Pill increases the risk of blood clots by three to fourfold, which is less than with pregnancy. Blood clots are more likely to develop if youre also a smoker, overweight, having surgery, or sitting on a plane for a long time. To lessen your chances of blood clots, dont smoke, and if youre on a long plane trip, get up, walk around, and drink lots of water. If you do smoke, it is important that your doctor knows about your smoking before you start the pill. If youre scheduled for surgery, and wont be able to move around much after surgery, ask your health care provider about stopping the Pill for 3-4 weeks before surgery and after the surgery until you are walking around normally.

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Where Can I Get Birth Control Pills

You can get a prescription for birth control pills from your health care provider or a family planning clinic, Birth control pills are used for bad cramps, irregular periods, and contraception Your health care provider will check your blood pressure and weight, ask you about your medical history and your familys medical history, and ask whether you smoke. If you dont have any medical issues that would make taking birth control pills a problem, your health care provider will probably write you a prescription right then. Once you have a prescription, you can buy birth control pills at a pharmacy or by mail order depending on your insurance plan. In some countries, birth control pills dont require a prescription and can be purchased over the counter, Your birth control pill may be free if you have health insurance. Its normal to have a follow-up visit after you have been on the Pill for 3 months to check your weight and blood pressure. Make sure that you make an appointment long before you run out of pills so you never miss any.

Your Period Will Likely Go Back To What It Was Like Before

Think back: Whyd you go on the birth control in the first place? Maybe it was simply because you were having sex and did not want to get pregnant. But many women start using hormonal contraceptives to help regulate an otherwise irregular cycle or control a condition like polycystic ovary syndrome , which causes infrequent ovulation and an erratic cycle.

When coming off of birth control, Dr. Dweck says, your period will usually return to what it was pre-hormones. Did it come like clockwork every 28 days? Was it super irregular? You can likely expect that to return off of birth control, she says.

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Whats The Breast Cancer Risk From Birth Control Pills

Some women worry: Is there long-term risk of breast or other hormone-fueled cancers?

“The best data we have about birth control pills and breast cancer is that there is no link,” Estes says. “We have to extrapolate what we know about conventional birth control pills. But we have no reason to believe your risk of breast cancer will increase over your lifetime because of continuous-use birth control pills.”

While hormone replacement therapy has been linked to a slight increased risk of breast cancer, the hormones used in birth control pills are different. “These are different estrogens and progestins than are used in HRT, explains Ross. âThey have been studied since the 1960s, and good data suggests what’s good and not good about them. Breast cancer has never been one of the concerns with birth control pills.”

Also, there is no increased risk to the uterus or uterine lining , he says.

In fact, taking birth control pills has health advantages, Ross points out. There is evidence that birth control pills protect against cancers of the ovary and uterus, as well as against pelvic inflammatory disease and iron-deficiency anemia. The combination pill can reduce acne, the risk of an ectopic pregnancy, noncancerous breast cysts, and ovarian cysts.

“People don’t talk enough about the decreased risk of ovarian and uterine cancers, decreased acne, decreased formation of ovarian cysts,” says Ross.

Why Is My Bleeding Different On The Contraceptive Pill

The contraceptive pill prevents the lining of your uterus from growing thicker, as it would in a typical menstrual cycle . It also prevents ovulation and the typical cycling of reproductive hormones. When you have withdrawal bleeding, the bleeding tends to be lighter than normal menstrual bleeding.

Itâs also possible to have no withdrawal bleeding or only spotting during the days you take inactive pills . This is more common for people taking higher doses of estrogen, or a pill with a shorter hormone-free interval .

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What Kind Of Bleeding Is Considered Normal While On The Contraceptive Pill

• Unexpected spotting for the first few months while taking a new pill

• Withdrawal bleeding that is lighter, or shorter than your period before you were taking the pill

• Withdrawal bleeding that changes slightly over time while on the pill

• Having little or no bleeding during your placebo week after taking your pills correctly

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Tampons: Friend Or Foe

Whether you prefer pads, tampons, or menstrual cups, do your thing. But you should know tampons can make your period last longer. Menstrual blood is designed to flow down , and tampons can slow the process.

This is a major bummer if youre not on team sanitary napkin. But if youre really trying to move things along, skip the tampons and try an alternative.

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Why Do Most Pill Packs Have A Row Of Placebo Pills

One of the inventors of the birth control pill, Dr. John Rock wanted women to have a period every month. It wasnt until two of the co-founders questioned why this was necessary that skipping periods was even considered. However, Dr. Rock was insistent that those with uteri bleed every month because he believed that the Catholic Church would be more accepting if he kept it at status quo. He won the argument, and as a result, the placebo row is now included in most pill packs.

Thankfully, birth control pill users can simply skip the row of placebo pills and start their next pack as soon as they complete their current pack.

How Can I Find The Right Solution For Me

Different women experience their periods differently, and the amount of menstrual blood they lose can vary naturally from month to month. But the amount of stress caused by heavy periods can only be determined by the woman herself: Whereas some women who have heavy periods may not think its a big problem, others already feel very uncomfortable with less heavy periods.

Its important to first have a doctor look for possible causes of the heavy periods. In most cases you can then take your time to decide whether to start treatment and consider which of the treatment options is right for you. If you’re not sure, it may be a good idea to get a second medical opinion especially if a hysterectomy has been recommended. Our decision aid may help here. It briefly summarizes the main pros and cons of the different treatments.

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Number : When Do You Get Your Period On Birth Control

So the pill was designed so you’d get your period during the time you take the placebo or “sugar” pills, also called inactive pills. This commonly happens for a week at the end of a standard pill pack.

Though you may be supposed to get a period during the placebo week, it doesn’t always happen. You can be late or early, or never see it come at all. The UK National Health Service says that irregular bleeding, like bleeding between periods, is common when you’re first starting to take birth control.

That said, there are carefully designed times you’re supposed to get your period while on birth control. Note this varies depending on the type of birth control that you take. The combined oral contraceptive pill are the most common.

How Do Birth Control Pills Work

There are dozens of varieties of birth control pills available with a prescription from a healthcare provider. All birth control pills contain varying levels of hormones, which are released into a womans body to prevent pregnancy. The hormones in birth control pills stop ovulation, which prevents the release of an egg and thickens the mucus surrounding the cervix. By stopping the release of an egg, birth control pills usually make your period more predictable, and can affect the flow and side effects associated with your period each month.

No brand of birth control pills protects against sexually transmitted diseases , and thus you should use an appropriate barrier form of birth control to protect yourself against the spread of infections and diseases.

Birth control pills are taken on a daily basis to ensure the consistent release of hormones. Each birth control type and brand comes with different side effects. To know which pill is right for you, it is important to understand how the various kinds of birth control pills are designed to interact with your body.

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Understand The Normal Causes Of Heavy Periods

There are certain stages in life, which can make your periods to become heavier. But, there are cases where heavy periods are caused by genetic factors. Additionally, changes happening in your body or in your normal lifestyle can also be the cause of the heavy periods. Ensure you check the following factors, as they could be the reason why you are getting heavy periods:

Number : What’s Normal For A Period On Birth Control

The UK National Health Service says that irregular bleeding, like bleeding between periods, is common when you first start to take hormonal contraception like birth control pills, the patch, or the shot (Depo-Proveraâ¢.

Here are some facts about bleeding irregularities when you take birth control pills:

• Overall, birth control pills should decrease how much you bleed.

• Irregular bleeding is a common side effect during the first 3 to 6 months of taking the pill. It’s so common that 30-50% of women experience it.

• The good news is that irregular bleeding will lessen or go away with time, usually after 3 months, when only 10-30% of women experience unscheduled bleeding.

It may be helpful to describe what bothersome bleeding can look like when you’re on birth control:

• Spotting

• Unscheduled bleeding when you’re bleeding between periods or while taking active pills

• Short periods

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Is It Safe To Skip Periods With Birth Control

Health care providers have been prescribing birth control to stop periods for a long time. Some people on birth control choose to skip their period only for special occasions . Other people use birth control to stop their periods if they have conditions such as endometriosis or period-related anemia.

Scientific research has found that using birth control to skip your period is as safe as taking your pills normally. If youre interested in stopping your periods with birth control, though, its always a good idea to talk to your health care provider about it first.