Basics About Birth Control Pills
One of the most popular female contraceptive methods amongst women worldwide, the birth control pill is a highly reliable way of avoiding unplanned pregnancies. However, you need to ensure that you don’t skip a dose and take the family planning pills perfectly every time. Or else, the chances of accidental pregnancies will remain. As long as your doctor confirms that you are not pregnant already, you can get on the pill at any time, at any age. If you are nearing menopause, consult your gynecologist if you should go for the “minipill”, which has one hormone instead of two as is the case with regular pills, and the amount is also lesser.
However, you should avoid the pill under the following circumstances:
- You have high blood pressure that is not under control
- Your age is above 35
- You smoke
- You have a history of stroke, heart disease, circulation problems, or breast cancer
- You started breastfeeding within the past month
- You suffer from migraine headaches
- You have diabetes-related complications such as nephropathy, retinopathy, or neuropathy
- If you have recently undergone surgery
- If you have liver disease
- If you suffer from undiagnosed uterine bleeding
How to take the pill
The pregnancy control tablet should be taken at the same time every day. This is more crucial if you are taking the progestin-only minipill, whose margin for error is comparatively lesser as compared to regular pills with both estrogen and progestin. You can set an alarm on your phone or post a reminder on your fridge. To block conception, it is extremely important to stick to your pill schedule so that your hormone levels are just where they need to be.
How to quit
You can discontinue birth control pills at any point of time. You may notice some bleeding or spotting, and your periods can be irregular for a while. In 2 weeks, your ovulation is likely to start again, so you can try for a baby.
Side effects
If you have recently started taking the pill, you may feel some sort of sickness, especially if you take the pill on an empty stomach. Besides, you can also experience sore breasts and unexpected vaginal bleeding. These usually get better with time, but if you are worried, you can consult your gynecologist. You period is also likely to be lighter than usual, but if you miss your period, keep taking the pill and seek medical opinion.