Over 150 million women around the world use birth control pills, yet while they are convenient there are also health risks attached to them. These side effects can be fluctuating weight, breast cancer, irregular periods and mood swings. What’s more, the longer you use the pills, the higher this risk is. Knowing about the risks is important so that you’re prepared and can be better equipped to make a decision about whether birth control pills are right for you.
Cancer issues
Studies suggest that birth control pills could lead to serious conditions such as cancer. It’s thought that this form of contraceptive could lead to breast, cervical or liver cancer. If you have a family history of cancer, this can increase the risk even higher. This is because women who have a history of the disease could carry an 11 percent higher risk of breast cancer – you should check with your GP before taking these pills if this is the case.
Disturbed mensuration
Regular menstruation is important, but birth control pills can affect this – some face disturbed periods and others suffer with no periods at all, or spotting for months. It can take around tow to six months for your periods to resume normality when you stop taking this form of contraception. You should consult your gynaecologist if your menstruation hasn’t started returning as normal after two months. They may be able to suggest a way to solve this issue.
Mood swings
Based on your hormones, its no surprise that these pills can cause mood swings – this means irritability, anxiety, sleepless nights, excessive sweating and restlessness. These side effects can even lead to depression in some women. It’s vital that you speak to your GP about this before you take these pills, particularly if you already suffer with these problems.
Heart at risk
Your risk of pregnancy may be lowered, but these pills also affect your heart. If you use birth control pills for a long time, you may face a higher risk of heart related diseases, such as high cholesterol and blood pressure. This is because these pills form a type of plaque in the arteries, which hardens and makes it more difficult for blood to travel through. To avoid this happening, you should use safe alternatives to these contraceptives such as condoms, so that you don’t need to use the pills all the time.
Loss of interest in sex
Birth control pills have another way of avoiding unwanted pregnancies, by making you less interested in sex. The hormones present in the pills can lead to you losing interest in the act itself, as it can bar the exposure to the male hormone testosterone, prevents the ovaries from releasing eggs and thickens your cervical mucus to stop sperm entering the vagina. The longer you use them, the less sexually active you feel.
Weighty issues
As with many hormonal treatments, weight gain or loss is a risk of these contraceptives. It may be the case that you lose your appetite because of them, or that you become very restless. The alteration in your weight is most likely when you stop taking the pills, as your body tries to adjust to a normal routine. If your weight doesn’t return to normal, speak to your GP who may be able to advise of a way to resolve this. Other side effects that women complain of include a swelling or heaviness in the breasts, headaches in the morning, change in the hair structure such as it becoming more brittle, vomiting or dizziness, vaginal infections and acne.
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