Birth Control Pill

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• QWhat are the long-term benefits of the contraceptive pill?

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  A Los Robles Hospital & Medical Center answered

  Scientific evidence shows that the longer a woman uses the birth control pill, the lower her risk for developing endometrial and ovarian cancer later in life, up to 20 years after discontinuing use. The pill also seems to offer some short-term protection against colorectal cancer among current or recent users.
  
  Women using the Pill for non-contraceptive benefits, generally return to fertility soon after discontinuing the medication. On the opposite side of the coin, women who have completed child bearing and may be entering the perimenopausal state can benefit from the hormone balance the combined pill provides.
• QCan the contraceptive pill treat period problems?

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  A Los Robles Hospital & Medical Center answered

  For many women, periods interfere with school, life and/or social activities. Whether a woman suffers from heavy bleeding, painful periods, fatigue due to chronic anemia (because of heavy bleeding), headaches or mood changes, the pill can often help alleviate those symptoms.
  
  Pelvic pain, either because of painful periods or other conditions, such as endometriosis or fibroids, is one of the leading causes of women missing school and work. Many women who are treated with the pill are able to function at the level they were accustomed to prior to the pain. Continuous use of the Pill can resolve the symptoms of pre-menstrual dysphoric disorder for many women.
• QWhich hormones are used in the contraceptive pill?

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  A Los Robles Hospital & Medical Center answered

  The Pill was the first medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for long-term use in healthy women, and it still functions as a go-to drug for many different clinical situations. The Pill works primarily through influencing estrogen and progesterone, the hormones that cycle in women naturally.
  
  There is a progesterone-only pill that works somewhat differently than the combined hormone pills and is an appropriate clinical choice for women unable to take estrogen.
  
  Estrogen stabilizes the uterine lining, reducing breakthrough bleeding and significantly reduces bleeding for each month that women are on the pill. Estrogen also inhibits the development of eggs and helps to prevent ovulation. This combination of effects helps treat menstrual disorders as well as provides contraception.
  
  Today, there are many different combinations of the amount of estrogen as well as the amount and type of progesterone available in different medications, including a combination transdermal patch and a removable vaginal ring.

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• QIs it safe to take active contraceptive pills continuously?

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  A Dr. Catherine Bagley, DO , OBGYN (Obstetrics & Gynecology), answered on behalf of Henrico Doctors' Hospital - HCA Virginia

  Doctors are often asked about the safety of continuous dosing of active contraceptive pills -- avoiding the week of inactive pills built into a typical four-week pill pack. Historically, that week of bleeding was considered normal, but continuous dosing is very safe and is an excellent option for many women. Some of the newest versions of combined pills are designed to minimize bleeding, representing a shift toward recognizing not only the safety of continuous use, but the importance of giving women more control over their cycles.
• QWill I have periods if I'm on the pill?

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  A Dr. Catherine Bagley, DO , OBGYN (Obstetrics & Gynecology), answered on behalf of Henrico Doctors' Hospital - HCA Virginia

  In the development of the contraceptive pill, a hormone-free week was built into each month in order to provide the women with reassurance that she was not pregnant. During this week, a woman may take placebo pills or no pills at all. Typically, she will bleed during this week. Some women will mistake this for a period, but it is not. The hormones in the pill prevented ovulation and stabilized the lining of the uterus; the bleeding that may occur is merely the uterus responding to the withdrawal of the hormones.
• QWhat are some benefits of monophasic birth control pills?

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  A Dr. Eva B. Cwynar, MD , Internal Medicine, answered

  

  Monophasic birth control pills provides the same amount of hormones throughout the cycle, which means there are fewer mood swings; women bleed for a maximum of four days a month, which is a lifestyle benefit; and it causes less weight gain than other types of pills. In addition, monophasic birth control decreases libido less than biphasic or triphasic pills (in which levels of estrogen and progestin vary during each cycle). Monophasic pills don't affect sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) as much as the others do, which means it has less binding potential with testosterone -- in other words, one stays hornier when taking monophasic birth control.

  

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• QCan the birth control pill help relieve perimenopausal symptoms?

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  A Dr. Mehmet Oz, MD , Cardiology (Cardiovascular Disease), answered

  

  For many women, taking the Pill in their late 40s and early 50s can help relieve hot flashes and other unpleasant symptoms of perimenopause, gynecologist Dr. Carolyn Westhoff tells Dr. Oz. In this video, she explains how the birth control pill differs from hormone replacement therapy.

  
  
• QIs it unhealthy to prevent ovulation with the Pill?

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  A Dr. Mehmet Oz, MD , Cardiology (Cardiovascular Disease), answered

  

  Do you shy away from the birth control pill because you don't want to interfere with your natural cycle? In this video, gynecologic oncologist Dr. Judith Wolfe tells Dr. Oz why ovulating less often is actually more natural.

  
  
• QCan the birth control pill increase my risk of cervical cancer?

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  A Dr. Mehmet Oz, MD , Cardiology (Cardiovascular Disease), answered

  

  Studies suggest that taking the Pill can increase the risk of cervical cancer, but  gynecologist Dr. Carolyn Westhoff tells Dr. Oz that the benefits outweigh that danger for most women. In this video, she explains what you can do to lower your risk of cervical cancer if you take the Pill.

  
  
• QCan the birth control pill prevent colon cancer?

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  A Dr. Mehmet Oz, MD , Cardiology (Cardiovascular Disease), answered

  

  Experts now believe that the birth control pill can cut the risk of colon cancer by as much as 20 percent. In this video, gynecologic oncologist Dr. Judith Wolfe tells Dr. Oz how the Pill may help protect against this common killer.