Is birth control safe for our bodies?

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As technology continues to advance there are more options available to women to prevent  unwanted pregnancies . Birth control is used for two main reasons which include regulating the menstrual cycle and preventing pregnancy. There are five popular forms of  birth control contraceptives which include pills, needle injection , IUDs, a patch on the skin and implantation of the preventative under the skin. Women have the option to choice between any of these methods. The only truly safe form of birth control is abstinence which is not a likely option because of human nature.

The birth control pill that allows women to have a regular cycle is called the combination pill. A common risk with this is an increased chance of forming blood clots because of estrogen levels. Women could also experience frequent migraines if they  were affected by them before taking the pill. Another option is the extended cycle pill which allows women to have 4 short cycles per year or no cycle at all. This pill carries the same side effects as the combination pill but there is a increased chance of spotting between cycles. There has been no indication that women need a cycle every month however by reducing the cycles it becomes harder to determine if a woman is pregnant.

IUDs or intrauterine devices are inserted into the vagina and release the hormone progestin  into the body to prevent pregnancy for up to 10 years. If pregnancy occurs while using the device there is 50% higher chance of having a miscarriage. A woman could contract pelvic inflammatory disease and there is a higher chance of getting a sexually transmitted disease if there are multiple partners. An alternative option is the birth control patch that lasts for a week but this form releases 60 % more of estrogen into the body than the pills which significantly increases the risk of a blood clot. The needle form of birth control is injected every three months. The effects are excessive bleeding and possible bone density loss if taken at a young age. The last form of birth control is the implantation of a small plastic stick under the skin in your arm. This lasts for 3 years and the cost ranges from $400-$800. The effects of this could be pain at insertion site, heavy bleeding and yellowing of the skin or eyes.

All medications come with side effects or unlikely complications. If the contraceptive methods discussed above are not used and maintained properly then yes birth control is not healthy for the body. However if the forms are taken as directed and monitored by a doctor regularly then there is no reason not to use birth control. People say that unnecessary hormones are released into the body but there has not been a study discouraging the release of these hormones. I personally believe that decision should be left to the individual. If a woman is willing to accept possible side effects and complications to prevent pregnancy then that is her personal choice. I have had a bad experience with birth control in the past but it effects everyone differently . There are several options to test out to see which one works the best for each individual.

References:

http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20354669_5,00.html

http://www.emedicinehealth.com/birth_control_intrauterine_devices_iuds/page7_em.htm#benefits_and_drawbacks_of_an_iud

http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-info/birth-control

4 thoughts on “Is birth control safe for our bodies?

  1. Natalie Michelle Soltero Cabrera

    My dad works at a pharmaceutical company and they have all kids of birth control. I asked him about the under the skin birth control and its safe, the only bad thing is that the menstrual cycles are going to be crazy. But, you’re protected for three years, I find that even though they are not so healthy it has a lot good things. Here is the website to know more about it. http://www.implanon-usa.com/en/consumer/index.xhtml

  2. Autumn Dugger Post author

    Personally I would be skeptical of anything that would go inside the body to stay or if were injected into the blood stream. I think the safest option is the pill because there is a lower chance of contracting other infections, diseases and side effects.

  3. Elizabeth Ann Dixon

    I agree that everyone should decide whether or not they want to take a contraceptive or not and they risk is left up to them. If one decides to use a contraceptive method to prevent pregnancy or regulate their menstrual cycle there’s always the possibility that something can go wrong but now-a-days, they’re generally a positive outcome. A women’s health article shows the amount of pregnancies per different type of contraceptive and the most common ones result in one or less pregnancy. Also, the health risk are much lower now they use much less hormones in the contraceptives to make them safer. In my opinion, if you’re trying to prevent pregnancy or just regulate your menstrual cycle, for the most part, birth control is a good and safe option.

  4. Danielle Parisi

    I heard that the rings are prone to infection so maybe thats not a good choice. I also heard that people who do the injection have a very hard time getting pregnant once they have stopped the shot process.

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