Oral contraception — commonly known as “the pill” — first received FDA approval in 1960. Within two years, over one million women were taking this daily hormonal birth control medication, and “the pill” was transforming lives and giving women unprecedented family planning control and reproductive freedom.
The pill may have marked the beginning of the contraception revolution, but it remains a popular birth control choice today; sexually active women of all ages rely on it to avoid unintended pregnancy every day.
As women’s wellness experts who offer a full scope of contraceptive care services at New Beginnings OB/GYN in Shenandoah, Texas, Dr. Christina Parmar and Dr. Rania Ibrahim want to ensure that anytime you get started with a new form of birth control, it works well for you.
Oral contraception, aka the pill, is a hormonal birth control medication that uses female reproductive hormones (estrogen and progestin) to stop monthly ovulation.
There are two types of birth control pills. A combined oral contraceptive (COC), or combination pill, contains estrogen and progestin. Most women who use oral contraceptives take COCs. A progestin-only pill (POP), also known as the “mini-pill,” just contains progestin.
If you don’t ovulate, there’s no egg available for sperm to fertilize — and you can’t get pregnant. When taken exactly as directed, the pill is 99% effective at preventing unintended pregnancy. This means that with perfect use, one in 100 pill users gets pregnant each year.
Given that people aren’t perfect, however, the pill is 93% effective in reality. Not taking the pill at the same time each day or forgetting to take it from time to time are the two main reasons that seven in 100 women who take the pill become pregnant each year.
The pill has been around for over six decades, and in that time, millions of women have safely used it to prevent unintended pregnancy. But as a hormonal medication, oral birth control can cause negative side effects — and provide added benefits, too. Let’s take a closer look:
In the first few months of oral contraceptive use, you might experience temporary side effects as your body adjusts to your changing hormone levels.
After starting the combination pill, some women experience:
The progestin-only pill can cause the above side effects, too, as well as:
It’s important to note that not everyone who takes the pill experiences adverse side effects. Many women use the pill with no problems right from the start.
Beyond effective pregnancy prevention, oral contraceptives come with some positive side effects for their duration of use. Many women choose the pill as their main form of birth control so they can benefit from these side effects.
For example, the pill can help with painful or heavy periods. It can also alleviate menstrual cramping, reduce PMS symptoms, and make your period lighter and more regular. You can also use the combination pill to skip a period if desired safely.
Certain types of oral contraceptives help prevent acne, iron deficiency anemia, bone loss, and ovarian cysts. If any of these secondary benefits interest you, our team can help you choose the pill that best meets your needs.
It’s a common misconception that there’s some way you can reduce your risk of experiencing side effects from the pill. Some people get them, and some people don’t; whether or not you have them comes down to how your body adjusts to the hormonal medication.
One of the biggest myths about oral contraceptive side effects is that taking the pill can lead to weight gain. Fortunately, extensive research shows that the pill doesn’t cause weight gain (or weight loss); neither do most other hormonal birth control methods, including the ring, the patch, and the progestin-releasing IUD.
The only hormonal contraceptives that have been shown to cause weight gain in some people are the birth control shot and the contraceptive implant.
Luckily, the negative side effects associated with taking the pill typically go away within two or three months. For most women who experience side effects, simply sticking with the pill through this initial phase gives their bodies time to adjust, and side effects disappear.
Still, oral contraception shouldn’t make you feel ill or uncomfortable. If you don’t like how the pill makes you feel after a few months, let us know. We may prescribe a different type of pill — or suggest another contraceptive method altogether.
Have questions about the pill? We have answers. Call or click online to schedule a visit at New Beginnings OB/GYN in Shenandoah, Texas, today.