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Birth Control Pills: How to Recognize Side Effects

Admin — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 10:58:45 +0000

With so many different methods of hormonal birth control on the market today, it can be overwhelming trying to figure out which is the right one for you. There’s the patch, the pill, the ring, etc. For most women it boils down to lifestyle and side effects.

Lifestyle is easy. Can you remember to take a pill every day, or do you prefer to only think about birth control once a month? Side effects can be trickier. So make informed decisions. Be aware of the possible side effects before you start any form of hormonal birth control.

The most popular form of hormonal birth control is an oral pill like Yasmin. These typically can cause headache, dizziness, and big breast tenderness. The good news is that these symptoms will probably be temporary as your body adjusts to the pill. Be patient, but if you don’t feel any relief after a month or two, or if these symptoms become more then just a little nuisance, speak to your doctor. Nausea is another common side effect. It can take a couple months to subside. You can try taking the pill with food, but if you are on the ring or the patch, you may want to think about switching methods.

Other common side effects include breakthrough bleeding, decreased libido, and mood swings. These symptoms are less likely to subside. You may want to consider switching to a different pill or a different form of birth control.

While some of these side effects will taper off the longer you are on the pill, it is also possible to experience a gradual increase in side effects. If you experience any unexplained symptoms a few months after starting a new method of hormonal birth control, discuss them with your doctor. You may want to think about switching to a different pill.

Six Popular Misconceptions about Conception

Admin — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 13:56:14 +0000

• You can’t get pregnant while you have your period. FALSE-It’s highly unlikely that you will, but it is completely possible! If you plan on having sex and don’t want to get pregnant, use protection EVERY time you make love!
• If you want to get pregnant, you should lie on your back during sex (missionary style) and remain on your back after intercourse is over. FALSE-Couples can conceive from any sexual position and you do not need to stay on your back when you’re done. There are millions of sperm during a single ejaculation, some will stay up there even if you get up quickly.
• You can’t get pregnant the first time you have sex. FALSE-and not only false, but the younger you are the most fertile you are and the MORE likely you are to get pregnant, whether it’s your first, tenth, or millionth time.
• Pulling out is a valid form of birth control-FALSE-Not only can STDs pass from one partner to another pre-ejaculation, but a woman can get pregnant if even the smallest amount of pre-cum goes into her vagina.
• If you’re using birth control, you won’t get pregnant. FALSE-Oral contraceptives are only 99% effective and condoms and other barrier forms of birth control are even less than that. If you’re going to have sex, you need to accept that there’s a chance, even if it’s ever so slight, that you may conceive. Even the morning after pill is not 100% effective.
• Everybody ovulates at the same time so it’s easy to know when you’re fertile. FALSE-everybody’s bodies work at different paces, and while a 28-day cycle with ovulation on day 14 is standard, the actual range of “normal” spans a few weeks long. Unless you’ve taken specific tests that indicated if and when you ovulated, all other methods of guessing may not be foolproof.

Coming Soon: Male Contraceptives

Admin — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 12:15:53 +0000

The days of birth control being only a woman’s responsibility may be coming to an end! For the first time, scientists have developed what may be a safe and effective contraceptive solution that is administered to the male, instead of the female. Several types of male contraceptives may be hitting the market soon. Here’s everything you need to know to discover if male birth control is for you.

Men will soon have a daily contraceptive pill option, similar to women’s birth control pill sin that they will have to be taken on a regular schedule. Options like a gel or a patch to be applied to the skin are being explored as well, as are monthly or quarterly injections. One possible future for male contraception involves an implant placed under the skin and replaced on a yearly basis. All these options represent the first time a reversible, non-intrusive male contraceptive option has ever been available. All male birth control options until now have always been irreversible and involving surgery.

Most male birth control that is currently being developed involves testosterone being released in the body, lowering sperm count. It is not supposed to alter sexual ability or performance, and anticipated side effects are projected to be minor.

Many men, however, are resistant to the idea, being used to it being something of a women’s business for so long. Some men are scared of the idea of altering their sperm count, fearing results could be permanent. Researchers allayed these fear, claiming that similar concerns had been voiced in the 1960’s when the female birth control pill was introduced, and turned out to be baseless.

We may be entering a new era of social responsibility, where birth control is no longer solely the woman’s problem, and can now be a burden shared jointly by couples.