Is Birth Control Worth It?

Birth control has been around since 1960. It became a hit in 1962, three years later in 1963 the use doubled by American women. Birth control has one major benefit no pregnancies, but there are also lots of downfalls to the pill and other birth control methods.

The side effects that the pill is caused by extra hormones that is in it. Ovaries produce Estrogen and Progestin but they can be synthetically made and used in oral contraptions, that's exactly what the pill is. Having a higher level of these hormones stop the ovaries from producing eggs. Without an egg, sperm has nothing to fertilize. Progestin changes the the thickness of the cervical mucus, making it harder for sperm to get to the egg. Therefore you're almost off the baby train, although birth control is not 100 percent protection against pregnancies it's pretty close to 100. The effectiveness depends on which method you decide on. For more protection and preventing STDs you could also use condoms if you're sexually active.

Some people don't just get on birth control just for preventing pregnancies some do it for stopping bad stuff that their body is doing. For example some get on it to minimize acne and the oiliness some people get. The hormones also can reduce menstrual cramps, and lighten the periods they get.

With the extra hormones you are taking it changes your body and the way it does things, some minor changes and some major health risks. The minor ones effect some women in a big way, and some could handle it.

Birth control has said to make you gain weight but studies showed birth control doesn't have anything to do with weight some women say they picked up since starting the pill. Some of the weight gain could be the increased appetite the pill gives you. Women could barely eat before the pill and after they get on it they crave everything. Women and doctors argue that the weight gain is from all the hormones your body is getting from the pill.

Same for depression: based on research of women using birth control, some get depressed and some women even came out of a depression. On average for those thousands of women, there is not a good relationship between weight gain or depression and birth control.

The pill could cause a lot of spotting or breakthrough bleeding, but it depends on what form of birth control you're taking. The hormone imbalance throws off how your cycle goes, that's why some women take it to normalize their periods. If you have a heavy flow the pill could either make it even heavier or light, sometimes making it go away completely. All of that depends on how long you're on birth control.

While on the pill some women experienced their acne clearing up. Some women reported they're face getting worse or really oily. People take it to get rid of acne when it's really bad.

Some people experience nausea when taking the pill, but symptoms usually go away after a while. Taking the pill with food may help. Also birth control may cause breast enlargement or make them feel uncomfortable. This goes away a few weeks after starting birth control.

The hormones in birth control pills can make the chance greater of headaches and migraines.Using a low-dose pill may reduce the incidence of headaches. Some medication with different doses and types of hormones may depend on what kind of symptoms you get.

The hormones in the birth control can affect a woman's sex drive or libido. If decreased libido persists and is bothersome. In some cases, the birth control can increase sex drive for some people. Changes in the amount of vaginal discharge you have or what it looks like may occur when taking the birth control. This may be a change in vaginal lubrication or a change in the nature of the discharge. If vaginal dryness happens, added synthetic lubrication can help make intercourse more comfortable for you. These changes are harmful, but changes in color or odor could indicate an infection or something is wrong.

Birth control can increase the risk of heart problems, such as blood clots, clots on the lung, a stroke or heart attack. Birth control have also been connected with an higher in blood pressure, and some types of cancer.

The pill should not be taken by women who are pregnant, anyone with obesity, those who are taking certain medications, anyone who has or has had a stroke, or a heart problem, anyone with a close relative who had a blood clot before the age of 40. People who have bad migraines, anyone who has or had a disease of the liver or gallbladder, or breast cancer. Anyone who has had diabetes.

Use of birth control may higher the risk of long-term health problems. Birth control can slightly higher the risk of heart side effects, such as heart attack, stroke, and blood clots. These can all be really bad, the risk is higher with some medications people take. Anyone who has high blood pressure or family history of blood clots, heart attack, or stroke should ask their doctor about different methods.

Female hormones that are naturally in the body, such as estrogen are said to affect the chances of women developing some types of cancer. It is possible that using a hormone based method of birth control could have the same effect.

Ovarian cancer. This appears to be less likely among women who use the birth control. Also breast cancer, there appears to be a higher chance of breast cancer developing in women who have recently been using birth control, and if they started using birth control during their teen years. After 10 years of not using the pill the risks appears to be the same exact risks as for someone who has never used.

Although birth control isn't 100 percent some people think its worth it to completely change their body to prevent pregnancy. Many of side effects could affect what women think and make them second guess their decision.

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