Oral contraceptives are a large group of tablets designed to prevent unwanted conception. The effectiveness of this category of contraceptives is estimated at approximately 98%. The effectiveness of the drugs is due to synthetic hormonal compounds included in the composition of medicines.
general information
Oral contraceptives are drugs that provide multi-stage body protection and the prevention of uncontrolled conception. Under the influence of active compounds, ovulation slows down, that is, tablets affect the maturation of female germ cells. In addition, the viscosity of the mucous membrane in the uterus is adjusted, which prevents the attachment of a fertilized cell if conception occurs. Consequently, pregnancy becomes almost impossible.
Oral contraceptives are a convenient and modern method of planning for procreation. It is worth completing the current course of the drug, and soon the ability to become pregnant returns. As a rule, conception is possible already in the next menstrual cycle, somewhat less often in the next few months. Also, women taking such pills admit that during the course the quality of the skin becomes better, the nails get stronger, the hair gets a beautiful look. This is due to the regular supply of the necessary amount of hormonal compounds to the body.
Oral contraceptives are not only an effective method of controlling the fact of pregnancy, but also a way to treat a number of diseases. Drugs are prescribed by a doctor for some endocrine disorders associated with hormonal imbalances. Use of such tablets for diseases of the reproductive or endocrine system is possible only after instrumental examination, analysis of biological fluids and examination by a qualified gynecologist, endocrinologist.
Varieties: combination drugs
Oral hormonal contraceptives are of several types. The most popular are COCs, i.e. combined preparations. In their composition at the same time there are synthetic substitutes for progesterone, estradiol. Under the influence of the drug, the maturation of female germ cells slows down, and mucus in the cervical canal becomes more viscous. This prevents the penetration of the male reproductive cell into the uterine cavity. There are several types of COCs. The division into groups is due to the content of active compounds. Mono-, two-, three-phase medicines are isolated.
The list of oral contraceptives of monophasic type: "Diane-35", "Silest", "Regulon". The same drugs include the popular drugs Novinet, Femoden and Logest. Such tablets during the entire course of administration provide the body with a standard volume of a certain synthetic hormone.
Two-phase preparations are two types of tablets in one package. Some supply estrogen to the body, while others supply progestin. A good example is Anteovin. Finally, three-phase ones are medicines in which three substances are combined at once. Representatives of this group are Klayra and Tri-regol. This also includes drugs "Triquilar" and "Triziston." In some cases, the gynecologist recommends staying at the Trinum.
Types and categories: microdose
Sometimes the doctor recommends taking oral contraceptives from the microdosed category. Such medicines contain progestogens, ethinyl estradiol. For sale they are presented under the names:
- Chloe.
- "Minisiston 20 Fem."
- "Lindinet-20."
This format is best for girls who have not yet had delivery. Drugs are recommended for regular sexual intercourse. Choosing the first oral contraceptive for yourself, it is worth taking a closer look at this particular group of substances. She has minimal negative consequences. When choosing drugs for conception control for women over 35 years old, but before menopause, doctors also advise stopping at this class of medicines.
Low and high concentration
The use of low-dose type oral contraceptives is indicated during the active reproductive period. Sometimes they are prescribed for the correction of gynecological pathologies. On sale drugs are presented under the names:
- "Jeannine."
- "Yarina."
- "Femoden."
Finally, there are high-dosage options for release. These are single-phase drugs, each instance of which supplies a standard amount of hormonal substances to the body. On sale are presented under the names "Ovidon", "Non-Ovlon." To control conception, they are practically not used, but are sometimes prescribed as a therapeutic course in a number of pathological conditions.
Preparations: gestagen
These medicines are known as mini-drank. On sale, they are presented under the names "Charozetta", "Exluton", "Microlute". The influence of oral contraceptives of this category is the mildest, most gentle, but also the effectiveness is somewhat less than that characteristic of combined formulations. Synthetic progestogen, similar in structure to progesterone generated by female ovaries, is included in mini-dranks. Under the influence of mini-pills, viscous mucus in the cervical canal is corrected. The substance thickens, preventing the penetration of male reproductive cells into the reproductive female organs. Also, under the influence of the drug, the ability of the fallopian tubes to contract is reduced, therefore, even if the egg is fertilized, penetration into the uterine cavity is complicated for it. At the same time, the drugs control the quality of the uterine mucosa, preventing the fixation of the fertilized cell on the walls of the organ.
Can oral contraceptives in this category be ineffective? Studies show that the level of effectiveness is 95%, which is three percent less than that characteristic of combination drugs.
The nuances of using
As a rule, mini-pills are advised to be taken during breastfeeding and if it is impossible to use combined formulations. This category of contraceptives is indicated for women 35 years of age and older, as well as smoking ladies. For the drugs to be effective, you have to take them every day at exactly the same time. It is allowed to apply them in long courses.
The action of oral contraceptives of the “mini-pill” class is ensured by the regular intake of active compounds in the body. Violation of the schedule leads to the failure of the course as a whole. This, according to many, is a key flaw. Neglecting a strict scheme of use, violation of the regime can cause an unwanted pregnancy. In addition, the drug does not prevent infection with sexual infections, therefore, this type of contraception is applicable only if there is a permanent sexual partner.
They have the indicated oral contraceptives and side effects. The most common - spotting spotting. This does not signal pathologies and should not be scary, but the fact itself is evaluated extremely negatively by many women. In some, while taking mini-drinks, the mammary glands become coarser.
Birth control: when indicated?
Oral contraceptives containing estrogen are not only a means of preventing an unwanted pregnancy. Doctors often recommend taking these medications for menstrual irregularities and a number of pathological conditions that affect the reproductive organs. In particular, oral contraceptives are indicated for cysts, myomas and adenomyosis. They are taken if a woman suffers from a severe premenstrual syndrome, and the period of bleeding is accompanied by disturbing soreness. Oral contraceptives help relieve the condition with menalgia, algodismenorrhea.
The best oral contraceptives help alleviate the condition of anemia sufferers with a lack of iron in the body. Such drugs reduce the likelihood of an ectopic conception and prevent osteoporosis in middle-aged women. If a hormonal imbalance has caused acne or acne, hormone pills are also prescribed to correct this condition.
It is impossible!
Controlling monthly oral contraceptives are prohibited for women who smoke more than 15 cigarettes per day. It is unacceptable to use such drugs at the age of 35 and older without first consulting a doctor. Contraindications can be severe hypertension, a liver tumor, cirrhosis and hepatitis, as well as other liver pathologies. Severe diabetes mellitus, kidney disease, and ischemia are contraindications to the use of oral contraceptives.
Treatment with oral contraceptives is prohibited in detecting blood clots in the deep veins, after a stroke and a heart attack. If lupus erythematosus is detected in a systemic form, such drugs will have to be completely abandoned. Do not use them in the presence of endometriosis or tumor processes dependent on the hormonal background, as well as migraine, the causes of which cannot be identified. Contraceptives containing synthetic hormones are contraindicated for bleeding in the uterus if it is not possible to determine the factor provoking the phenomenon. Do not use such tablets before surgery or shortly after it, during the period of gestation.
Possible but neat
Hormonal birth control can be used strictly under the supervision of a doctor if a woman is overweight, tumors in the pelvic area. Certain limitations are associated with varicose veins and migraines, the presence of mental disorders and diseases, including depression and a tendency to epileptic seizures. Use caution with formulations with severe premenstrual syndrome. The control of a doctor requires taking the drug on a background of smoking.
Especially cautious should be women whose close relatives suffered from blood clots in deep veins. It is likely that the lady taking the pill is also prone to such a pathology.
Are there any downsides?
Most women, of course, care about whether it is possible to become pregnant after oral contraceptives. Although this group of drugs has a number of undesirable consequences, fertility usually does not apply to such. At the same time, you need to consider: there are some dangers, and they are associated more with the uncontrolled use of the compounds. Using pills without consulting a doctor, without going through special studies and not passing tests, it is more likely to disrupt the reproductive system with synthetic hormones, which in the future may cause difficulties with conception.
Of the more common side effects, it is worth noting bloody spotting. In some women, during the use of pills, menstruation becomes longer, more plentiful, or poorer. According to reviews, oral contraceptives provoke such phenomena only the first few months, after which the condition returns to normal.
There are cases when, during the period of using the tablets, women were bothered by discomfort in the mammary glands, a headache, nausea, and sexual activity decreased. Such phenomena in the predominant percentage of cases are temporary, soon disappear and indicate the body is getting used to the composition. If it drags on and the phenomena worry for a very long time, the doctor may recommend to refuse the remedy. Then the described phenomena should disappear after the abolition of oral contraceptives.
Hazards: what are?
The use of hormonal contraceptives is associated with the likelihood of gaining excess weight. The most modern formulations contain a minimum dosage of hormonal compounds, so the risks of such an undesirable effect are minimized. To avoid weight changes, while taking pills, you should review the diet in favor of a healthier diet, as well as dilute daily life with a reasonable amount of physical activity.
Quite rarely, against the background of the use of oral contraceptives in women, pressure rises briefly. For those suffering from hypertension, the frequency of occurrence of such an effect is estimated at 5%. With confirmed cholelithiasis, the likelihood of an attack of pathology increases.
How to start taking?
Before starting the course, you should see a doctor. The doctor will examine the client, examine the medical history, collect information on various health disorders that were previously transferred or are currently disturbing. The woman will be sent for oncocytology analysis, the condition of the mammary glands will be examined using an ultrasound device, an ultrasound of the reproductive system will be made and blood samples taken for biochemical examination. As a rule, a coagulogram is prescribed. Sometimes the doctor recommends a blood test to identify the specifics of the hormonal background.
In some cases, the appointment of additional examinations is possible. The choice in favor of a set of specific tests remains at the discretion of the doctor and depends on the nuances of the woman's condition. Prescribing hormonal birth control without a preliminary examination is strictly prohibited. It is also unacceptable to choose such drugs for yourself - this significantly increases the likelihood of developing unwanted effects. In addition, self-administration and withdrawal of oral contraceptives can cause fertility. This can be avoided by working with a qualified doctor.
Hormonal birth control: benefit
With a high level of effectiveness, such drugs have many other positive qualities, which made them so popular in modern society. If you start the start of taking the first six days of a new menstrual cycle, medications give an almost instant contraceptive effect. The process of their application is not associated with the adjustment of sexual intercourse, does not affect its features. Using tablets is easy and convenient, just as easy to stop taking them. In addition, combined formulations successfully fight against some of the causes of fertility.
Combined contraceptives for oral administration help to alleviate soreness of the menstrual cycle. Often, women note that the duration of bleeding is reduced, the volume of discharge decreases. The cycle itself acquires a clear regularity. Slowing ovulation helps prevent an ectopic pregnancy, which is especially important if a woman has previously had this phenomenon. The probability of malignant processes in the ovaries is reduced, the risk of degeneration of endometrial cells is less. It is proved that regular use of contraceptives reduces the risks of inflammatory processes in the pelvic region: this is due to a decrease in the amount of blood secreted during menstruation, which means that the volume of nutrient medium for pathological microflora becomes smaller. The thickening of mucous secretions in the cervical canal prevents the penetration of not only germ cells, but also pathological microbes into the uterine cavity. A number of drugs eliminate the causes of fertility and are prescribed if it is impossible to get pregnant: after a certain period of time, the drug is stopped taking, and in the next few months, the conception so desired for a woman usually comes.
How to use correctly?
The proper use of oral contraceptives is the daily use of one tablet is stable at the same time. Some drugs need to be used 21 days in a row, others - 28 days. After the 21st capsule, nothing is used for seven days, during this period withdrawal bleeding occurs. As a rule, the packaging of the drug is calendar, days of the week are marked. You must clearly follow this sequence.
Some drugs are available in the amount of 21 capsules per cycle. They begin to be taken on the first day of the cycle, every day using on the piece, after it takes a week break. During sexual contact during these seven days, additional protection is not required. If you choose the release option with 28 capsules in a pack, you must clearly follow the sequence indicated on the package, and start taking the next pack as soon as the first one ends. As a rule, the last seven tablets are the so-called pacifiers that do not contain hormonal components.
Maximum care!
An urgent call to the doctor requires a situation if taking the pills caused speech or visual disturbances or provoked severe pain in the abdomen. The abnormal reaction of the body is weakness, a feeling of numbness, soreness in the legs, chest, severe cough and impaired respiratory function. It is extremely rare that birth control pills provoke a nervous state, women feel dizzy and sore, nauseous. All these body reactions require contacting a doctor for qualified help.
Do I need it?
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