Are birth control pills needed after 40? Yes, and even necessary, because at this age life does not end, and the intimate component can be bright and colorful. But late pregnancy is unlikely to give you feelings of happiness, because by this time usually in the family already has the planned number of children. In addition, childbirth after 35 years is dangerous for the health of the mother and child and undesirable if there are no special circumstances (long-term treatment for infertility).
The body of a woman after forty years
Everyone knows the concept of a woman's reproductive age. This is a crucial point in family planning. Today, it’s no surprise to surprise anyone with a late pregnancy, more and more mature women who become mothers again meet. However, the fact that the fertility of women at this age is declining cannot be denied. This is nothing but a sign of extinction of the ovaries. That is, at first the ability to bear children is lost, and then ovulation ceases altogether. By the age of 45, part of the menstruation already passes without ovulation, so the risk of pregnancy is reduced, but not completely excluded. Birth control pills after 40 years allow you to be sure that an unwanted pregnancy will not occur, which means you can be more calm and confident.
Some statistics
There is reliable evidence that up to 30% of women aged 40 to 54 years have regular menstruation and are able to conceive. Pregnancy at this age can lead to severe pathologies, a child can be born with a variety of abnormalities. But late abortion is not a panacea. Doctors give figures that confirm that an abortion made during such a period entails a severe course of menopause. This in turn leads to the development of tumor processes in the uterus and mammary glands.
Thus, we conclude that birth control pills after 40 years are an excellent alternative to unwanted pregnancy. However, this is not the only option. By this age, women usually have some kind of preference in choosing contraceptives. It can be vaginal preparations or an intrauterine device, special injections or barrier methods (condoms).
How to choose a method of contraception
Birth control pills after 40 years can be very different. To make the right choice, focus on personal preferences, as well as the recommendations of a doctor. First of all, you must consider the effectiveness of contraception, as well as the possible risks and side effects. Based on your history, ask your doctor to evaluate your sexual function, personal preferences, and the presence of chronic diseases.
Why do many doctors oppose hormonal contraceptives
Birth control pills after 40 are actually prescribed much less frequently, this is due to the fact that at this age a number of chronic diseases develop, each of which is a contraindication to taking hormonal drugs. Therefore, doctors must look at the patient’s card and prescribe an additional examination. You can not use COCs for cardiovascular pathologies, severe forms of diabetes and malignant neoplasms of the reproductive system.
If the examination did not reveal such diseases, then the use of hormonal drugs is not prohibited. However, now you need to return to the low-dose products that your young daughters use. These are such drugs as Logest, Novinet, Lendinet and some others. But three-phase contraceptives at this age are no longer suitable.
Hormone replacement therapy
Since you need to protect yourself from pregnancy for quite some time, you can consider the most popular option, which is used by very young girls. These are tools such as mini-drank. They are allowed to be used by nursing women. These include drugs such as Exluton, Continuin, and several others. Their feature is that they do not contain estrogen. They have one big plus - it is the drugs of this series that can protect against endometrial hyperplasia, a disease that is very common among women of mature age.
So, we examined how to prevent pregnancy, now we need to decide at what stage it is possible to switch to contraceptives with hormone replacement therapy. These are special drugs that help maintain youth, beauty and health during menopause. However, do not rush to go on your own, you need to correctly determine the time when you can replace one drug with another. After all, the possibility of pregnancy can still persist even when the woman decided that menopause has already come.
If there is no longer any need for contraception (religious motives, the death of a spouse), then you can safely switch to "hormones of youth." Reaching the age of menopause of your mother, you can also independently decide on a change of drugs. But more precisely, the onset of this period can be determined only by hormonal analysis.
In the presence of contraindications
If hormonal contraceptives cannot be taken due to certain medical indications, then you can resort to one of the alternative methods. Contact your doctor and he will tell you which method is the most suitable. These can be special injections that are given once every three months. A very convenient way of contraception is the intrauterine device. Any copper spiral introduced to a woman after 40 years can remain in the uterus until menopause. If intimate relationships are not regular, you can use barrier methods: condoms, spermicides and caps. Remember that natural methods of contraception (calendar method, measuring basal temperature) are ineffective at this age, since the menstrual cycle loses its regularity.
Finally, if you have definitely decided that giving birth to you is a closed topic, then you can go through the sterilization procedure. This process is irreversible, but you can not worry at all about the possibility of becoming pregnant. It should be noted that this operation is not done for those who have not reached the age of 35 years or have no three children.
How to take birth control
Once again, we focus on the fact that tablets should be recommended by a doctor. Do not self-designate - these are far from vitamins. First of all, make an appointment with a gynecologist and take tests. Each drug has its own regimen. Since multiphase contraceptives are not recommended for mature women, it means that the doctor will select a monophasic drug for you. All tablets in the package contain the same amount of hormones, so the most important thing is to take one pill daily, preferably at the same time or with a slight deviation. For example, take one tablet daily before breakfast. Delay up to 12 hours does not reduce the effectiveness of the active substance.
The specifics of taking hormonal contraceptives
However, not everything is so simple, therefore we will open a little more detail the question of how to take birth control. First of all, you need to pay attention that the package contains 21 tablets. With their regular intake, a convenient cycle of 28 days is formed. You take all the pills from the package one by one, then take a break for seven days, and on the 29th day you start a new package. During the break, periods must pass, but even if they have not occurred, you need to start a new package, but you should consult a doctor to find the reasons for what is happening. If you forgot to take the pill, but were late for no more than 12 hours, then this does not reduce the protective effect. If the delay was more than 12 hours, then you need to continue taking the tablets, but before the start of the next package it is better to be protected additionally by barrier methods.
What contraceptives can be taken without a break for a long time? There is a persistent myth that a year or two after the start of using the drug, you need to take a break so that the body can "rest". In fact, such a break can only bring down the hormonal background and bring more harm than good, especially if then you plan to start taking birth control again. Gynecologists refute this myth. You can stop taking the drug only in case of severe deterioration in well-being, as well as when planning pregnancy.
If vomiting or severe indigestion occurs while taking the tablets, the contraceptive effect can be greatly reduced. On this and the next day you need to use condoms. In addition, it is recommended that you consult a doctor if you are prescribed antibiotics. Most of them greatly reduce the effect of contraception.
Benefit or harm
Only a doctor can prescribe you birth control, the price here is not a determining factor. Cheap drugs may work just as well as the most expensive ones. Hormone pills can be considered the most reliable means to protect against unwanted pregnancy. A huge number of women use them every day. The mechanism of exposure is very simple: they are able to stop the maturation of the egg, and therefore ovulation. However, despite the convenience and effectiveness, women after forty do not always risk using them, as the following undesirable side effects occur.
- Headache. This is the most common complaint of women taking hormone pills. The reason is the hormone estrogen, it causes migraine, bloating and other unpleasant sensations.
- Change in neuropsychic state, imbalance, weight gain, the appearance of a large number of acne. All this causes another hormone - progestin. It is included in a very large number of hormonal drugs.
- While taking contraceptives, the appetite increases slightly, so weight gain is not the fault of the pills, you just start eating more than expected.
- You should not take hormonal drugs if you smoke. This can cause heart attacks or strokes. Moreover, any contraceptive can lead to this. The price of these drugs varies from 150 to 2500 rubles per package, calculated per month.
In order to protect yourself from an unwanted pregnancy, it is not necessary to take hormonal drugs. Now we will consider another large group of contraceptives, the potential harm from which is practically reduced to zero. These are precisely the contraceptives from which they do not grow fat. They have their drawbacks, but this is everyone’s choice. Let's look at what they are.
Non-hormonal birth control
There is a big difference between them and hormonal drugs, however, none of them gives absolute protection against pregnancy. The first and most significant difference is that hormones are taken every day, and non-hormonal ones just before sexual intercourse. These drugs are especially suitable for those who do not live a regular sexual life. It is enough to drink a pill immediately before sexual intercourse, and you will be protected for several hours. Non-hormonal contraceptives are not only in the form of tablets, but also in the form of vaginal suppositories, ointments or creams. Their active components are able to destroy spermicide, preventing it from reaching the uterus.
Pros of non-hormonal contraception
Almost all of them have anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects. This is very important if a woman does not have a permanent partner. You can not only protect yourself from irritation, but also from a number of infections that are transmitted sexually. Since after 40 years already has a rich life experience, you can easily choose for yourself the most suitable birth control. Reviews of most women suggest that well-selected hormonal drugs, despite the obvious disadvantages, are the most reliable.
To summarize
As you can see, on the market today there are a variety of contraceptives. Which is better to choose, should tell your gynecologist. Do not forget that what is suitable for your girlfriend can seriously undermine your own health. Do not take drugs without a doctor’s prescription. Even non-hormonal contraceptives have some contraindications, as they can cause irritation and an allergic reaction. Therefore, in any case, before the appointment of personal protective equipment against unwanted pregnancy, it is necessary to undergo an examination.
It includes a consultation with a gynecologist and a mammologist, as well as a smear for oncocytology. In addition, you need to take a biochemical blood test, the doctor should note your lipid profile, AST, ALT, glucose. And finally, it is least often prescribed, but ultrasound of the pelvis should be done, and this needs to be done on the 5-7 day of the cycle. The specialist should report the height and weight, the presence of chronic diseases, abortion, the duration and abundance of menstrual flow. Also, the doctor should note a tendency to fullness, the presence of skin rashes. Only on the basis of all this can we conclude which contraceptives for women can be used. Take care of yourself and be healthy!