Understand the adverse effects of birth control pills

　　But there are many female A friend asked that although there are many benefits to taking birth control pills, they are "three parts poisonous". Do birth control pills have any adverse reactions? What situations are they not suitable for? What should I pay attention to when using them?

　　Short-acting contraceptive pills are currently the most commonly used and widely used contraceptive pills. They take a short time to work in the human body, so they must be taken on time every day. They must be taken for 22 days in a menstrual cycle to have a contraceptive effect. Short-acting contraceptive pills are formulated with synthetic estrogen and progesterone. For some women, the content of the two may not be just right, resulting in adverse reactions. At this time, women taking the pill should pay attention to it and take necessary measures to avoid harm to the body. The following are the 5 most common adverse reactions, and we have also proposed some solutions for your reference.

　　1. Vaginal bleeding

　　Many women will experience persistent spotting or breakthrough bleeding similar to menstrual flow while taking the medicine. This is related to missing a dose, taking the contraceptive pill late, or the contraceptive pill is not effective enough. If vaginal bleeding occurs in the first half of the menstrual cycle, it often indicates that the dose of estrogen is too small; if it occurs in the second half of the cycle, it indicates that the dose of progesterone is not enough to maintain Uterus Intima.

　　How to solve it? When bleeding occurs in the first half of the cycle, 5 to 10 micrograms of ethinyl estradiol can be added daily until the end of the cycle; when bleeding occurs in the second half of the cycle, 1 contraceptive pill can be added daily; if the bleeding time is close to the menstrual period or the bleeding volume is as heavy as menstruation, the medication can be stopped and the next cycle of medication can be taken on the 5th day of bleeding.

　　2. Early pregnancy-like reaction

　　Early pregnancy-like reactions are more common, accounting for about 50% of people taking medication. Most of the symptoms are severe at first, then mild, and then gradually disappear, which may be related to the body's gradual adaptation. It manifests as loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, even fatigue, dizziness and other reactions similar to those in early pregnancy. It often occurs during the 1st to 2nd week of taking the medicine. This reaction is related to stimulation of the gastric mucosa by the estrogen in the contraceptive pill.

　　In fact, you don’t need to be too anxious if early pregnancy-like reactions occur. As long as you change the time of taking the medicine after dinner or before going to bed, the stomach discomfort reaction can be well relieved; for those with severe reactions, you can take vitamin B6, 20 mg each time, 3 times a day. If there is still no relief, you can consider changing contraceptive pills and choose drugs with less estrogen content.

　　3. Oligomenorrhea or amenorrhea

　　Many female friends will report that after taking birth control pills, the menstrual flow becomes less, or even amenorrhea occurs. What's going on? It turns out that birth control pills can cause underdevelopment of the endometrium and insufficient glandular secretion. Therefore, the endometrium cannot grow normally and becomes thinner, resulting in reduced menstrual flow. Due to the excessive inhibitory effect of birth control pills, some women do not experience withdrawal bleeding after stopping the drug and experience amenorrhea.

　　Solution: This is not a good thing for women with heavy menstrual flow, and generally does not require special treatment. If the urine pregnancy test is negative, you can continue to take the next cycle of drugs after stopping the drug for 7 days. If amenorrhea continues for 2 months, the medication should be stopped immediately and observed. In most people, menstruation will return after stopping the medication.

　　4. Facial Pigmentation

　　Some women who take the drug for a longer period of time may develop butterfly spots on their cheeks, similar to those seen during pregnancy, which are pigmentation caused by estrogen. People who have pigmentation during pregnancy are more likely to develop it after using birth control pills, and it is related to sun exposure.

　　To avoid facial pigmentation, you can add some fresh vegetables and fruits rich in vitamin C to your diet, such as tomatoes, oranges, kiwis, etc.; avoid exposure to strong light and apply sunscreen when going out; people with a tendency to pigmentation can choose contraceptives with relatively low estrogen content, such as progesterone-only preparations.

　　5. Weight gain

　　Some women are reluctant to take birth control pills out of fear that the pills will cause weight gain. Indeed, some ingredients in birth control pills can cause weight gain: androgens can cause increased appetite or Acne etc., especially within the first 3 months of taking oral contraceptives; increased estrogen levels cause water and sodium retention, thus leading to weight gain in the second half of the menstrual cycle; progesterone promotes anabolism, leading to weight gain. It is worth mentioning that the incidence of weight gain is only about 15%.