Insight on Birth Control Pills, A Functional Medicine View Point

by Saqib Afzal Marketing Executive

Contraceptive pills or birth control pills are also known as the pill. It contain hormones that prevents pregnancy. Hormones are basically chemical substances that change the way a body works by controlling the functions of the body. Birth control pills control the ovaries and uterus by preventing pregnancy.

Birth control pills are used as combination of pills that contains a progesterone and estrogen to prevent ovulation. It prevents the egg from being fertilized by thickening the mucus around the cervix which stops the whole process. These contraceptives turn out to be very effective means of birth control. However, they do not prevent AIDS or any other sexually transmitted diseases.

There are also other reasons to use contraceptive pills such as to treat acne. They treat acne by reducing the amount of certain substances in the body that can cause breakouts on skin. The chemical substances present in the pills also helps to relieve physical and emotional symptoms during menstrual period every month. However there are more benefits for contraceptive pills as they are used to treat irregular or heavy menstruation. Before starting any medication, it is advised to discuss all the risks of the drugs to treat any condition.

How do the Pills Work?

Oral contraceptives come in packets of 21, 28, or 91 tablets to take by mouth once a day, every day to form a regular cycle. To avoid nausea, take oral contraceptives with food or milk. The oral contraceptive should be taken at the same time every day. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand.

Take your oral contraceptive exactly as directed. Do not take more or less of it, take it more often, or take it for a longer time than prescribed by your doctor. Another combination of pill decreases the frequency of menstruation if taken for 12 weeks and inactive pills for a week. It decreases the regularity of periods to once in every six months.

Mini Pill

There is another type pill known as the mini pill. It is a low dose of progesterone. Unlike other birth control pills, this has only one type of a hormone rather than a combination of two hormones. Due to this, it is less effective in preventing pregnancy as compared to combination pills.

It is taken every day at the same time to work effectively. Not only mini pill but all contraceptive pills work if they are taken every day without missing a single dose. Also, the time of taking the drug should also be the same.

How to begin taking Pills?

Seek doctor’s advice before starting the dose. If you are in the menstruation phase and asked to start the medication, take it right away. The next period will take place after 25 days from the day you start taking the medicine.

A new pack of birth control pills should be started on the same day when it was initially taken. Birth control pills are usually effective in the first month when taken as directed. Just to be on the safe side, some doctors recommend using other forms of birth control. After the first month, patients are advised to start contraceptive pills.

Side Effects

Contraceptive pills changes the organ functions in the body. Thus, it has some side effects but most of them are not serious. These side effects include nausea, swollen breasts, weight gain, mood changes, spotting and light periods. They are some common side effects but in case of some less common side effects, one should consult a doctor right away. Serious symptoms that can cause a serious disorder include liver disease, gallbladder disease, stroke, blood clots, high blood pressure, or heart diseases. However, the side effects can be abdominal pain, chest pain, headaches, eye problem and swelling in legs and thighs.

Precautions

Women who take birth control pills are at a potential risk of blood clots. Two in every 10,000 women experience clots as compared to one in 10,000 women who don’t use contraceptives. You should avoid the pill if there is a family history of heart attack, blood clots, stroke, breast cancer, liver disease. Women at the age of 35 years and smoke should not use birth control pills.

High blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetic patients should consult a doctor about birth control pills.

Effectiveness of Birth Control Pills

The result and effectiveness of contraceptive pills are inconsistent. Some studies show huge risks and side effects while some show no increased risk at all. The drugs are still available widely on prescription.

Author Bio:

Saqib Afzal, is an inquisitive blogger and loves to spread his knowledge. With a penchant for medical innovations and developments, Saqib’s new field of interest is herbal medicines. He is currently associated with top online medical pharmacy in Pakistan offering variety of Pathological, Herbal Medicines & general products like Online Baby Wipes in Pakistan