8 BONUS BENEFITS OF YOUR COMBINED ORAL CONTRACEPTIVE PILL

Millions of women all over the world , pop a pill out of its card every day and swallow it without even a second thought.

This combined contraceptive pill, affectionately known just as THE PILL, has changed many lives.

Just think….

THE PILL was only approved for contraception in 1960.

That is only 56 years ago!

Before that, in 1957, it was only approved for menstrual regulation…..contraception was illegal and frowned upon by major religions.

Women were quick to catch on though .….we soon realized that the side effect it had to stop ovulation or egg production would mean that we could benefit in so many other ways too….

We now had a way to control our fertility, and gain a sense of empowerment over our own lives.

So in the years before THE PILL was approved for contraception, many women had menstrual problems that required THE PILL for treatment..

WE HAD FOUND A WAY.

Millions of women now gained legal access to the birth control pill.

Thankfully, today THE PILL is widely available.

We have come a long way from the initial high dose problematic formulations.

Continuous research and development has made THE PILL safer and more effective than ever before.

THE PILL is prescribed today not only for contraception but for it’s many non-contraceptive benefits too.

I am the first to admit that THE PILL is not necessarily a good option for every woman and is far from perfect…

Just check with DR GOOGLE- you will find problems of irregular bleeding, blood clots and strokes linked to some women using the pill.

This blog focuses on THE BONUS BENEFITS OF THE PILL

( I promise to bring you other blogs too, highlighting some of the drawbacks and dangers)

8 BONUS BENEFITS OF THE PILL

 1.BETTER PERIODS:

THE PILL will make your period shorter and lighter. In general, the fewer the placebo tablets the lighter and shorter the bleed.

This feature has helped many women suffering from iron deficiency anaemia. Less bleeding means a better chance to build up iron stores and resolve anaemia.

Many hysterectomies have been avoided by treating heavy bleeding with THE PILL.

2.PREDICTABLE PERIODS:

It generally controls the day of the week your period starts , giving you predictability and allowing you to plan your life.

It can also be manipulated so that you can miss a period altogether if having a period is not convenient in your life at a particular time.

3.LESS PERIOD PAIN:

Pain with your period can become a thing of the past. Many young girls who have to miss school or university due to debilitating pain no longer have to do so. Less pain means less need for regular painkillers some of which can cause stomach ulcers.

4.BETTER SKIN:

THE PILL will decrease a hormone called testosterone (male hormone).It also increases a protein in the blood called SEX HORMONE BINDING GLOBULIN. The nett effect is reduced acne and clearer skin. Some pills will do this better than other pills because of the different progestogens they contain. Ask you doctor for more advise on this if you need.

5.FEWER OVARIAN CYSTS:

THE PILL works to prevent pregnancy by stopping ovulation or egg production. Most functional ovarian cysts occur because something goes wrong with ovulation. So no ovulation = no functional ovarian cysts.

6.OVARIAN CANCER PROTECTION:

THE PILL protects the user against ovarian cancer . This is probably linked to its effect on reducing the number of ovulation cycles. Cell division will be less in the absence of ovulation. Less cell division would mean less potential for cells to transform to cancer cells in the ovary.

As far back as 1992, in an analysis of 20 studies, researchers found that the longer a woman used THE PILL, the more her risk of ovarian cancer decreased. The risk decreased by 10 to 12 percent after 1 year of use and by approximately 50 percent after 5 years of use.

In 2009,another study found that women with BRCA1 mutations (giving a genetically higher risk of cancer) who took THE PILL had about half the risk of ovarian cancer as those who did not .

7.UTERINE CANCER PROTECTION:

This protective effect is more with longer use of THE PILL. It continues for many years even after THE PILL is stopped.

8.COLO-RECTAL CANCER PROTECTION:

Categorised in: Blog

This post was written by Sumayya Ebrahim