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| By: Liz K - at February 18, 2013 |
Choosing Hormonal Birth Control
(What To Take Into Account When Choosing Hormonal Birth Control)
Introduction
 Many
women choose hormonal birth control as a reliable way to prevent pregnancies,
and also to regulate the menstrual cycle. It is highly effective as a
contraceptive and helps women who have other ovarian or medical issues.
Women need to be aware about potential, painful harmful side effects.
Women have to find the type of birth control that suits their personal
preference and body; although these don’t always match up.
Different Options And How They Work
There
are multiple types of birth control that are ultimately meant to prevent
unwanted pregnancy, but are also used to regulate hormones. There are oral
contraceptives which are most often used. They are synthetically made
female hormones (estrogen and progestin) which are the hormones normally
produced by the ovaries. These pills must be taken once every day at the
same time. Another type of birth control is by hormonal injections.
These shots are distributed every three months or thirteen weeks and provide
protection from pregnancy for that amount of time. Hormonal implants are
possible by implanting tiny rods the size of a matchstick under the skin.
This type of contraception lasts for three to five years, depending on the type.
There are also hormone patches and rings. The patches are just a normal
square that sit on the skin and distribute hormones. They can be placed
anywhere on the body, but must be changed every seven days and the location of
the patch must also be changed weekly. NuvaRings are rubber rings that are
two inches across and are as flexible as a rubber band. The ring is
inserted into the vagina just like a tampon and once the ring is in place it
remains there for three weeks at a time.
All of these types of birth control work by suppressing the pituitary gland
and stopping the development and releasing of eggs in the ovaries, otherwise
known as ovulation. The progestin helps prevent the sperm from reaching
the egg and changes the lining of the uterus. The mucus of the cervix is
also changed, which makes it more difficult for sperm to reach the egg.
Positive Effects of Hormonal Birth Control
 Some
of the obvious positive effects are the prevention of pregnancy, predictable
menstrual cycles, and lighter periods. This also results in less painful
menstrual cramps, which affect numerous teen girls and women. If you are
taking any of these hormonal contraceptives and use them correctly, they are
more than 99% effective. This means that if out of one hundred women that
use birth control perfectly, one or less women will become pregnant.
However, since perfect use is very difficult for both teens and adults the
actual effectiveness is given a 92%. At this rate eight out of every one
hundred women would become pregnant a year, which are still pretty low odds.
These types of contraceptives can also help other hormonal issues women may have
as well.
Birth control pills help women who deal with abdominal pain from ovarian
cysts and they stop their production. Girls who have extremely heavy
periods and excruciating menstrual cramps can receive some relief through a few
of these methods. Vaginal rings can be even be used to treat
endometriosis, a medical condition in which cells from the lining of the uterus
appear and flourish outside of the uterine cavity and symptoms become more acute
with the menstrual cycle.
Negative Effects of Hormonal Birth Control
However, with all of these positive breakthroughs also come a lot of side
effects and risks. Most of them are temporary and minor, but some can be
very threatening to a woman’s health. With hormonal contraceptives almost
all women will become nauseated, some worse than others, until the body adjusts
to the new hormone levels. Usually the nausea will disappear, but if not
another brand of birth control may be a better fit. One of the most common
side effects is called breakthrough bleeding, which is unexpected bleeding that
occurs in the middle of the menstrual cycle for the first four months of the use
of the pill. On the opposite side of the spectrum, birth control pills can
also make a period absent. Sometimes the uterine lining becomes so thin
that menstruation can disappear completely. Many women become
uncomfortable about this because they no longer have the monthly reassurance
that they are not pregnant. For some, this is the only reason
contraceptives are taken and this can be very disheartening.
Women can also experience weight gain and the production of acne, which is
something very hard to deal with for teenagers and young adults. The
weight gain that some women may see is usually not that severe, but it can
happen as a result of hormonal change. Also while birth control may cause
just a few temporary break outs here and there, it can be more serious than that
for some people. I have a friend that had clear skin her whole life.
She decided to get the Depo-Provera injection at the end of high school and she
received it every three months for about a year and a half. At about the
one year point she started to notice that her face was breaking out more than
usual. Her mom works at a gynecologist office and told her that because of
the hormone imbalance it may be causing her to break out so she stopped the
shots shortly after. She thought that because she wasn’t receiving the
hormone treatment anymore that her acne would instantly disappear and her
complexion would clear up. Two years later her face is still covered in
acne and scars. She has made multiple visits to the dermatologist and no
expensive medicinal facial wash, cream, or pills will help clear her face.
Keep in mind this is just one incident of a negative reaction to contraceptive.
Some women will also experience headaches and mood changes. While these
side effects seem harmless and more of a simple annoyance than an actual risk,
they are still painful, uncomfortable, and can interfere with daily life.
These symptoms can last for months and unless they realize it, women may not
know that their birth control is what is causing the problems.
Serious Health Risks
What a lot of women don’t know is that there are some very serious risks with
using birth control. These risks are rare, but should still not be taken
lightly. These risks include blood clots, strokes, heart attacks, liver
tumors, gallstones, and jaundice. Blood clots in the legs can cause pain,
break off and travel to the lungs where they can potentially be fatal.
Blood clots that travel to the brain can cause strokes and clots in the coronary
arteries can cause heart attacks. If blood clots go undetected they can be
deadly. NuvaRings can also cause vaginal infections and irritations.
Personal Experience
 From
a personal perspective, I currently take a pill every day that keeps me safe
from an unwanted pregnancy and takes away the pain of my ovarian cysts, which is
the first and foremost reason that I take this medication. My doctor never
really clarified the side effects of my birth control prescriptions.
Around the time I started to take my birth control pills I would get very sick
and nauseated in the early morning. At the time, however, I didn’t know it
was from my medication. I thought that I was just excessively tired and
waking up at six in the morning for school was taking a toll on me. It
progressed to the point where I would wake up and feel so dizzy the moment I
stood up that I began vomiting the bile from my stomach. As time passed by
though, I felt better.
My doctor and parents both thought I had vertigo because my symptoms seemed
to match and it runs in my family. I soon realized though that this was
not the case. I have an awful memory and for a short period of time I just
forgot to take my pills. My stomach felt fine and I thought to myself, “Oh
I’m feeling better, I don’t need to keep taking these.” About a month passed and
I started to get the severe pains again. I started up back on my medicine
and the very next morning I felt the same sickness that I had previously.
The medication was making me sick because my body wasn’t used to it, and because
I take it at night the effects hit me the hardest the following morning.
Even when the medication is fully in my system, missing a day and deciding to
take two pills to make up for it will make me feel ill. I become
disoriented; nauseas, dizzy, hot, and then I vomit even though there is nothing
in my stomach. It’s almost like my body rejects the medicine. I have to
deal with these side effects though because no other form of birth control like
the shots or rings will prevent my cysts from forming. It’s very stressful
at times, but I definitely remember to keep up with my pill schedule now.
Conclusion
While the pros tend to outweigh the cons for hormonal contraceptives,
it is still a prescription that must be well thought out. Many tend to
overlook the negative effects that thousands of women have to deal with on a
daily basis. Young girls need to really consider the risk that they are
putting their bodies up against instead of just believing birth control is fool
proof and that everyone should be taking it to prevent pregnancy. Birth
control is ultimately a woman’s decision but it is one that should be carefully
discussed with a physician. For many teen girls, instead of turning to
hormonal birth control as the first option they should really consider
abstinence because of the effects that certain types of birth control may have
on their bodies can be unpredictable. Women should always discus
contraceptive choices with a physician such as an OB-GYN or gynecologist.
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