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Birth Control Methods and Side Effects

Written by Jonathan Green

Birth control is a method of medication by which pregnancy is prevented deliberately or reduces the likelihood of pregnancy. Birth control is nothing but a part of family planning. Contraception is a term often related to birth control and it refers to methods that are used to reduce the likelihood of an egg getting fertilized by a sperm cell.  Earlier different methods like coitus interruptus, ingestion of herbs and pessaries were used as contraceptive methods. In modern days different methods of birth control are introduced and it has been proved to be successful though one needs to be cautious about birth control side effects . Egyptian women used one of the oldest methods of birth control. It is called Barrier method in which they used vaginal suppositories. Today women use either cervical cap or traditional diaphragm or lea’s shield to prevent pregnancy. The periodic abstinence or natural method is a method in which a woman abstains from sex on fertile days. This method requires no medicine or internal devices. This method uses charts like symptothermal method, ovulation method and calendar methods like rhythm method and standard days method. The most common birth control method is hormonal contraceptives in which synthetic female hormone are used. In this method women take hormonal pills daily, which contains hormones that controls the functioning of the body organs and thus prevent pregnancy. These pills control the functioning of uterus and ovaries. General side effects: There are many side effects coupled with these hormonal contraceptives. Many women may experience nausea, sore or swollen breasts, lighter periods, mood changes and spotting in between two periods. But these side effects are not very serious. There are some side effects, which really needs physician’s attention. Abdominal pain, severe headache, chest pain, blurred vision, swelling in the legs and thighs are some side effects that may indicate heart disease, gallbladder disease, blood cots, liver disease, high blood pressure. Women with some medical conditions like liver tumor, heart disease, breast cancer, reproductive cancer, blood clotting and high blood pressure are advised to use birth control methods that are very safe and do not have any side effects. It is very important for women suffering from above medical conditions to consult physician before adopting any birth control method. Serious side effects: Apart from the usual side effects of hormonal contraceptives there are other risks involved, which are generally long-term complications. The risk involved in taking hormonal pills are embolism, chances of heart attack, suppression of immune system, chances of certain cancers like cervical cancer, breast cancer, liver cancer are high, jaundice, disease related to gallbladder, experience blood cots in legs, lungs, heart and brain. Some women have even suffered from ectopic pregnancies due to these hormonal pills. The above-mentioned side effects are rare and research has been conducted to find out the link between hormonal contraceptives and their side effects on women body. Depression: Depression is yet another common side effect that are faced by many women using hormonal birth control methods. But the depression caused by these hormonal contraceptive are generally very mild. If an individual have a family history of depression or already experienced bouts of depression then it is necessary to consult a physician before taking hormonal contraceptives. Emotional side effects: The hormonal birth control method being one of the most popular birth control methods for the past 45 years still is associated with some emotional side effects. There are many new hormonal methods like hormonal patches, hormone injections and implants to replace hormonal pills. In these modern methods the synthetic estrogens and progestins are combined with some few changes to dosage strengths and different methods of administration. In spite of these newer methods women still experience negative emotional side effects like mood swings, anxiety, irritation, nervousness. Weight gain and weight loss: Weight gain is usually associated with hormonal contraceptive. Generally birth control pills cause fluid retention and increased appetite that results in weight gain. Women using contraceptive pills for nearly one year is tend to gain on an average weight of 6.6 lbs. The amount of estrogen in the hormonal pill is directly related to the weight gain. More estrogen in a pill results in more weight gain. The estrogen level in the pills also stimulates the kidney substances called renin angiotensin. This results in water retention and subsequently causes sodium retention. These ends in fluid retention causing weight gain.  So it is quite obvious that the ratio of weight gain in taking contraceptive pills is directly related to the amount of estrogen in the pills. There are cases of weight loss experience due to hormonal pills. Weight loss is due to the nausea feeling experience by the individual because of hormonal pills . A physician can guide you in using proper birth control methods based on your lifestyle and medical conditions.

 

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