Being a parent is one of the most difficult tasks entrusted to mankind. It is a life changing event that can be wonderful, very interesting and rewarding but can also be very difficult and unpleasant. Parenting is filled with many surprises that no amount of books, journals and articles you have read can prepare you for; you can be having fun this minute and then feel overwhelmed the next. That is why couples are advised to plan appropriately so that they won’t have to deal with pregnancies they are not prepared for. Teenagers and unmarried youths are also admonished to always protect themselves from accidental babies so they won’t be saddled with a life long unpleasant surprise from their recklessness.
In order to protect yourself from unwanted pregnancies, there are different things you can do or use to ward of un-needed babies and one of them is using the birth control pills. The birth control pill is said to be one of safest way of not getting pregnant and also cost effective and when it comes to birth control pill as a preventive measure against accidental babies, these are some of the things you need to know:
WHAT IS A BIRTH CONTROL PILL?
The birth control pill also known as contraceptives or simply as the pill, according to plannedparenthood.com, is a kind of medication that women take daily to prevent pregnancy. The pills contain hormones that changes the body functions in order to prevent the user from taking in.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Most birth control pills contain two hormones; estrogen and progesterone that stops a woman from releasing an egg during her monthly cycle. She will stop ovulating and a woman who does not ovulate cannot get pregnant because there is no egg to be fertilized by the sperm. The hormones present in the pills makes it difficult for the eggs to attach itself to the uterus.The contraceptives also work by thickening the mucus around the cervix called cervical mucus, which makes it difficult for the sperm to penetrate the uterus to reach the egg that may have been released. Most of the pills come in a 21-day pack or a 28-day pack. For the 21-day pack, it is used everyday for 21 days and then stopped for 7 days so she can have her menstrual period while for the 28-day pack, she has to use the 7 pills that contains no hormone for 7 days. A woman will have her period once she stops taking the pills with no hormone. There is also a pill that decreases a woman’s menstrual cycle to once every three months. It has hormone pills for 12 weeks and inactive pills for 7 days. There is also a type of birth control pill that has just one hormone which is the progesterone that is slightly less effective when preventing unwanted pregnancies.
There are so many other type of contraceptives like the emergency pill that must be used within 72 hours of unprotected sex like the Postinor. This type of birth control pill is to be used daily. It should only be used when you’ve just had sex without your consent, unplanned sex. When choosing the pill to use, it best to consult a medical practitioner so that the one best for your body can be prescribed for you. The birth control pill only prevents you from getting pregnant, it doesn’t protect you from sexually transmitted diseases. Other forms of protection like condoms should be used to protect yourself from STDs.
HOW EFFECTIVE IS THE PILL?
The birth control pill is an effective way of staying safe. Whether or not it works depends on if you use your pills regularly. If you miss just a dose, your chances of getting pregnant increases. There are also factors that will determine the effectiveness of the drugs like using herbal supplements or taking any other medication that may interfere with the efficacy of the pills. Health conditions like being excessively overweight can also prevent the pills from working as it is supposed to work. If the drug or method chosen is not suitable for the body type, it also will not work.
WHO USES THE DRUG?
The drug is for every sexually active young woman who can remember to use their pills at the appropriate time. Married people can also use it for family planning. However, women with issues like unexplained vaginal bleeding, some cancers, migraine headaches or suspect they are pregnant should not use the pills.
WHAT ARE THE POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS?
The birth control pill is safe and women who use it have little to no side effects. However, some women will experience these side effects in the first there months of using the pills:
-Irregular menstrual cycle,
-Nausea
-Dizziness
-Breast tenderness
-Mood swings
-Blood clots which will be rare in women under 35 who do not smoke.
WILL I HAVE COMPLICATIONS LATER WHEN I STOP USING IT?
Once you feel it is time you want to stop the pill, consult your doctor for advice. Unlike the myth that it will make one infertile, the pill doesn’t hinder a woman’s fertility. It only makes it inactive for the period of time you don’t want babies.
The birth control is a safe method of preventing accidental babies. It is cheap and you can easily get it, although it is advisable to meet a medical doctor to help you decide the best method for you. Never use the pill that belongs to someone else. Take your medication at the right time and appropriately. Always remember that is better to be safe than to be sorry