Emergency Contraception is the use of large doses of estrogen to prevent implantation. It is an important option for women and should be considered when condoms break or get misplaced, when sexual assault occurs, or when diaphragms or cervical caps dislodge.
Side effects vary from person to person. Some women experience little, if any side effects, while others have significant side effects. Keep in mind that there are many hormonal combinations of the pill and if you did not tolerate one there might be a better one for you.
The most common reason women become pregnant on the Pill is improper usage. Pregnancies usually occur because initiation of the next cycle (the next pack of pills) is delayed or forgotten allowing for ovulation to take place. If you do become pregnant while taking the pill, immediately stop taking them.
Women using the Pill decrease their risk of uterine cancer by 50%, ovarian cancer by 40%, and benign breast disease by approximately 40%.
This is an area of controversy and there is no definitive answer for this question. There have been studies that show no increase risk of breast cancer in birth control pill users and there have been studies that demonstrate the converse. From a review of all of these studies the conclusion that can be drawn is that birth control pills do not initiate breast cancer in women.
The pill can be used for many years safely. Long term non-contraception benefits of the Pill include regulated menstrual cycle with less blood flow, reduced risk of iron deficiency anemia, and less painful periods.
Infertility is not increased by use of the Pill. Women who have taken the pill have no higher rate of spontaneous miscarriages, and do not have higher rates of bearing children with abnormalities. For more information on how to plan for a pregnancy, please see Dr. Deeley’s Preconceptual Planning article.
A UTI, or urinary tract infection, is an infection anywhere in the urinary tract. UTI’s are caused by bacteria, and they have many different causes.
Genital HPV infection is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) that is caused by human papillomavirus (HPV). Human papillomavirys is the name of a group of viruses that includes more than 100 different strains or types. More than 30 of these viruses are sexually transmitted, and they can infect the genital area of men and women including the skin of the penis, vulva (area outside the vagina), or anus, and the linings of the vagina, cervix, or rectum.