Oral Contraceptives: Side Effects
Once you want to prevent pregnancy by using oral contraceptives, you need to learn detailed information about the drug beforehand. First of all, birth control pills belong to a hormone-based way of pregnancy prevention. It means the medications restrict ovulation. If no eggs are produced, no fertilization may happen, so pregnancy becomes impossible.
Following the statistics, over 16% of women at the age of 16-44 use oral contraceptives. However, a considerable number of females forget about all the contraindications and precautions. Feeling fatigued and depressed is not the worst abnormality triggered by these drugs. Improper medication use can launch a range of severe health disorders and complications.
Adverse Reactions Triggered by Contraceptives
Some people use birth control tablets to prevent unwanted pregnancy, others warn sexually-transmitted diseases, while others have their own reasons. In fact, an oral contraceptive cannot eliminate the risk of STD occurrence, while misuse or overuse of the pill can completely block a positive effect.
Instead, the most common and frequently occurring side effects launched by contraceptives include:
- Mood changes;
- Headache;
- Nausea;
- Missed periods;
- Reasonless weight gain;
- Intermenstrual spotting;
- Abnormal vaginal discharge;
- Decreased libido and others.
Cardiovascular disorders, including the risk of stroke, heart attack, blood clots or deep vein thrombosis can increase during the use of pills. Additionally, some oral contraceptives are associated with enhanced blood pressure, the risk of benign liver tumor and specific cancer types.
Learn the list of precautions and contraindications before you start the treatment course. Females, who have any of the following conditions or disorders, are not approved for the intake of contraceptives:
- Pregnant;
- Smokers over 35 years old;
- People with abdominal pain;
- Overweight women;
- Those, who suffer from a headache, eye problems, diabetes, breast cancer and a range of other health complications.
