Most (not all) women of college age are already sexually active, and therefore require adequate knowledge about contraceptive methods. Though teenage (ages 15-19) pregnancy rates are at an all-time-low in the United States, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention believes that the reason behind this is increased knowledge and use of birth control.
Not all birth control methods are the same. It’s important to understand the pros and cons of a method before making a decision concerning your body.
It is also important to decide what kind of birth control method you feel comfortable with. Maybe you don’t feel comfortable with birth control at all. That’s okay, too. There are other methods that prevent pregnancy, such as using condoms or abstaining from sex altogether.
The most well known form of birth control is often simply called “the pill,” a daily oral pill that has been used since the 60s. You don’t need a gynecological exam to go on the pill, but you do need a prescription.
The pill works by stopping ovulation, the process in which an egg is released into the fallopian tube, ready to collide with a sperm for fertilization. Birth control pills contain some levels of estrogen and progestin, two hormones naturally produced in women’s bodies.
These hormones are often to blame when women gain weight after starting the pill. Weight gain is usually temporary, as the progestin can cause the body to retain water. Pills that contain an especially high level of progestin, however, can increase your appetite, causing more permanent weight gain. A positive effect of these hormones is that they can reduce acne. The primarily birth control pill Ortho Tri-Cyclen has even been FDA approved to treat acne.
Not all pills contain both hormones. There are also progestin-only pills. While combined, progestin and estrogen pills’ main objective is to stop eggs from being released, progestin-only pills cause the cervical mucus to thicken and the uterine lining to thin, making it harder for sperm to meet an egg. It’s a good idea to take either kind of pill at the same time every day to keep a consistent schedule, but with the progestin-only pill, it’s essential.
Most birth control pills even come in packaging designed to help you keep track of your pill schedule, with numbers above each pill, and placebo pills to take while you have your period. The placebo pills don’t contain any hormones. They’re just there to help you stay on your regimen.
There are some types of birth control pills that reduce or eliminate your period. They’re known as extended-cycle or continuous-cycle, and they’re often requested by girls and women with especially heavy or frequent menstrual bleeding. With this method, you take real birth control pills continuously, uninterrupted by placebos.
One important downside to consider with extended-cycle or continuous-cycle pills is the importance of your period every month to let you know you’re not pregnant. Birth control can fail, and if it does, it’s best to know as soon as possible in order to provide pre-natal care.
A downside to all birth control pills, and most methods of birth control in general, is that they cannot prevent the spread of STDs. Only condoms can do that, so it’s important to always use condoms in addition to birth control unless you and your partner have been tested and found free of sexually transmitted diseases