6 adverse reactions to birth control pills tell you what to do

With the open-mindedness of the times, more and more female friends need to take contraceptives. However, sometimes improper usage and dosage or different personal constitutions may cause imbalance or disorder in the body's own hormonal regulation, leading to adverse reactions. Therefore, we must pay enough attention to the adverse reactions caused by contraceptives and take necessary measures to prevent and treat them.

Short-acting contraceptives are the most widely used contraceptives at present. They are made of artificially synthesized estrogen and progesterone. For some women, the content of both may not be just right, leading to adverse reactions. At this time, women taking the medicine should pay attention and take necessary measures to try to avoid harm to the body caused by the drug. Let’s take a look at the 6 most common adverse reactions to birth control pills!

1. Early pregnancy reaction

Pregnancy-like reactions are common, accounting for about 50% of the number of people taking the medicine. Symptoms are usually severe at first, then become mild and gradually disappear, which may be related to the body's gradual adaptation. A small number of people experience mild early pregnancy-like reactions in the early stages of taking the medication, such as nausea, dizziness, weakness, loss of appetite, fatigue, vomiting, etc.

It usually occurs within 1-2 weeks of taking the medicine. The reason is related to the temporary excess of estrogen levels, which causes gastrointestinal dysfunction in the body. Generally, after taking the medication for 2-3 months, the reaction will disappear naturally or be alleviated. In addition, taking the medicine at night before going to bed can make the daytime reaction lighter. For those with more severe reactions, vitamin B6 can be taken, 20 mg each time, 3 times a day. If there is still no relief, you can consider changing your contraceptive pill and choose one with lower estrogen content.

2. Increased leucorrhea

It is mostly caused by long-acting oral contraceptives. Because this type of medicine has a high estrogen content, excessive estrogen affects the secretory cells of the cervical endometrium, causing them to secrete more vigorously and causing an increase in leucorrhea.

3. Breast pain

The cause of breast swelling and pain is the stimulation of estrogen on the breast. For severe cases of this adverse reaction, aspirin or other painkillers can be used for symptomatic treatment.

4. Oligomenorrhea or amenorrhea

Many female friends have reported that their menstrual flow has decreased or even amenorrhea has occurred after taking birth control pills. What is going on? It turns out that birth control pills can cause incomplete development of the endometrium and insufficient glandular secretion. As a result, the endometrium cannot grow normally and becomes thinner, resulting in a decrease in menstrual flow. Some women experience amenorrhea due to excessive inhibitory effects of contraceptives, which results in no withdrawal bleeding after stopping the medication.

This is a good thing for women who already have heavy menstrual flow and generally does not require any special treatment. If the urine pregnancy test is negative, you can continue to take the next cycle of medication after stopping the medication for 7 days. If amenorrhea occurs for 2 consecutive months, the medication should be stopped immediately and the patient should be observed. For most people, menstruation will resume after stopping the medication.

5. Weight Gain

Some women are reluctant to take birth control pills because they are afraid that the pills will cause them to gain weight. Indeed, some ingredients in contraceptives can cause weight gain. Androgens can cause increased appetite or acne, especially in the first three 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%.

For those with hyperphagia and acne, they can go on a proper diet and change their contraceptive pills; those who gain weight in the second half of their period should reduce their salt intake; if they gain too much weight in a short period of time, they should stop taking the medication.

6. Pigmentation

A few people develop pigmentation on their forehead and facial skin after taking the medicine. This is the result of the effects of estrogen and progesterone, and generally recovers naturally after stopping the medicine.