There is hardly any other contraceptive method as efficient as the birth control pill. Women take it daily, and thanks to the combination of hormones, it prevents ovulation and the release of eggs. And it works as follows:

-It contains a combination of estrogen and progesterone, both inhibitors of the ovulation. Without ovulation there is no chance of pregnancy.

-It thickens the cervical mucus preventing the sperm from entering the uterus.

-It modifies the lining in the uterus making it unsuitable for the implantation of the egg.

You need to administrate the birth control pill daily, at the same hour, twenty-one days per month. During the seven days when there is no hormonal administration, the period appears. The pills are available either in 21 or in 28 pill packages. The last seven pills in the 28-pill package are inactive as they contain no hormones.

Benefits of taking the birth control pill!

-The bleeding is consistently reduced.
-The pre-menstrual discomfort is seriously alleviated.
-There are no consequences on fertility following the use of the birth control pill.
-Hormonal imbalances may be treated.
-It prevents some forms of cancer.

There is one special kind of birth control pill that contains active hormones for 12 weeks and then inactive pills for a week. This means that you will have a bleeding once every three months.

Yet, another type of birth control pill is the mini-pill. It contains progesterone only, and it requires continuous administration daily, on the same hour, without the monthly break. The efficiency of the mini-pill is considered inferior to the combined birth control pill.

The efficiency range of the birth control pill is very high, although 8 out of 100 couples face an unexpected pregnancy yearly, despite the use of this treatment. When taking the pill at random hours or when forgetting to use it daily, the efficiency drops. Plus, the efficiency of the medication also depends on some individual factors too.

For example, the birth control pill may not work well if you follow some other herbal or medical treatment and there are interferences between the drugs. Moreover, the incidence of side effects should not be overlooked. Read carefully about the possible adverse reactions to the birth control pill, as well as the health conditions that make the use of the pill very risky. Only start a hormonal birth control treatment following doctor’s orders!

Tags : birth control pill, birth control pills, birth control tips

Many unplanned pregnancies occur because women lack information on the possible consequences of combining antibiotics and birth control pills. Myths have been created over the years and lots of stories now dominate the Internet with serious warnings about the inefficiency of birth control pills when administered in parallel with antibiotics. Scientific reality is nevertheless a bit different, and here are a few things that may help you better understand how things stand.

Clinical studies indicate that only one antibiotic is proved to impair the action of the hormonal pill: rifampin, yet exceptions do exist. Generally speaking, when antibiotics and birth control are used in parallel, the efficiency of the contraceptives gets lower in for a limited number of women. It is because of this incidence, even if small, that doctors recommend the use of a supplementary birth control solution such as condoms. It is impossible to tell who will experience decreased efficiency, until it is too late.

Modern hormonal products seem to be more affected by the interactions between antibiotics and birth control. The explanation for this inconvenience comes from the low concentration of ingredients used so as to minimize side effects. Besides rifamin, other medicines with a higher risk of interference include amoxacillin, ampicillin, tetracycline, minocycline, penicillin and sulfonamide.

Antibiotics and birth control pills do not make a good association because of the chemical reactions that take place in the liver. The antibiotics stimulate a more rapid breaking down of estrogens, and since these compounds are the main ingredients of birth control pills, the level of hormones in the blood will be lower. Although the situations when unplanned pregnancy appears in such conditions are not that numerous, caution is the best course of action.

So as to avoid future complications, drug manufacturers have developed the practice of specifying the potential problems of the antibiotics and birth control association in all usage instructions. Check with your physician about the importance of continuing the supplementary birth control use after the end of the treatment with antibiotics.

Some women choose to stop taking their birth control pills while following a treatment with antibiotics, but this is hardly a solution given how difficult it is for the body to adapt to these sudden hormonal changes. Talk to the doctor before taking any drug specifying the fact that you are on birth control pills. There are lots of other drugs that could impair the efficiency of birth control. It’s better to seek information than be sorry later.

Tags : birth control, birth control pills, condom, pregnancy