Treating Medical Conditions with Oral Contraceptives
The birth control pill - is it good for period pain or acne?
Oral contraceptives (the “birth control pill”) and their synthetic hormone cocktail of estrogen and progestin have many health 'benefits' beyond just preventing pregnancy. Whether to use them for this purpose or not though, can be a dilemma, especially for some teenagers who are not sexually active. To be able to function 'comfortably' without taking days off work or school due to severe period pain is often the clincher for any women when her physician suggests a course of oral contraceptives for treating medical conditions such as:
- painful periods/cramps
- heavy or irregular periods
- acne (“zits” or “breaking out”) - more likely to occur in teenagers
- too much hair growth- caused by producing too many male hormones. Oral contraceptives may prevent new hair growth but will not get rid of existing hair growth
- ovarian cysts
- PMS, mood changes or migraine headaches
What do I need to know if I’m taking the pill for something other than birth control?
The active ingredients, estrogen and progestin come in different types, with different side effects, depending on which oral contraceptive is prescribed. Some pills contain lower doses of these hormones than others and some medical conditions require a pill containing higher doses to be effective.You may be told to take the pills in a different way from 'normal' (as they were initially designed to be used only for birth control and taken one pill each day) which may mean taking more than one pill each day -so depending on the medical condition being treated, you should always follow your doctor's instructions regarding the dose and not those printed on the package leaflet.
YAZ (generic Yasmin) is a low dose contraceptive pill that has followers for its beneficial effect on skin and hair and also it seems to reduce bloating and weight gain due to water retention because it contains a different type of progestin to the other birth control pills.
For treating the medical conditions listed above with oral contraceptives, see more detailed information HERE.
Carole Pemberton brings you up to date with the latest information on contraceptives including ultra low dose contraceptive pills like Alesse and Mircette to empower you to enjoy your sexuality while successfully managing your birth control.
For a FREE E-BOOK on birth control, lighthearted videos and a 'no nonsense' website that tells it like it is, visit:www.contraceptivereviewer.com
