Hormonal Contraceptives are the "preferred" choice of contraceptive in North America. Hormonal contraceptives, which include various brands of "the pill" Depro-Privera, and Norplant (which is no longer available in the US) , are synthetic hormones that work in three ways: they thicken the cervical mucus to act as a barrier between sperm and the uterus, they thin the lining of the uterine wall to prevent implantation( debatable whether homonal contraceptives are really effiective at preventing implantation once an egg is fertilized), and lastly but most importantly, they prevent ovulation by "tricking" your body into thinking you are already pregnant with the use of progesterone and/or estrogen.
Today, many young girls and women are told about the possible alleged benefits of using hormonal contraceptives and the effectivness of their use in preventing pregnancy, yet most are totally unaware of the possible and and in some cases probable side affects of synthetic hormones which inclue the following:
- Common Side Effects for Combination Contraceptives
- Weight gain
- Increase or decrease in acne
- Nausea and vomiting (particularly for the first few cycles)
- Dizziness
- Headaches
- Depression
- Vaginal infections
- High blood pressure
- Loss of libido
- Blood clots in legs, lungs, heart or brain
- Stroke
- Liver tumors (rare)
- Heart attacks
- Gallstones (rare)
- Jaundice (rare)
- Possibly cervical cancer
- Spotting and irregular vaginal bleeding
- Longer periods
- Amenorrhea for extend periods
- Headaches
- Anxiety and nervousness
- Pain in lower abdominals
- Dizziness
- Loss of libido
- Depression
- Increase or decrease in acne
- Skin rash or darkened patches of skin
- Appetite changes
- Weight gain
- Tender breasts
- Increase or decrease in facial and body hair
- Possibly hair loss
- Vaginal discharge
- Bone density loss
- Enlarged ovarian follicles
- Pain or itching (usually for a brief period of time)
- Norplant users: infection at the site of implantation
- Ectopic pregnancy
- Certain cancers
About 15 years after the introduction of hormonal contraceptives, there was a significant rise in the occurance of breast cancer, bone density loss, as well as a significant rise in infertillity after ending use of the pill.
If these things dont worry you even just a little, understand that weight gain people who use"the pill" gain an average of 10lbs in the first year of use and that people using Depo-Privera gain an average of 5.4lbs in the first year and 8.llbs in the second year of use. It should be mentioned also, that Depo-Privera should not be used for more than two years.
If you are concerned about taking hormonal contraceptives or cannot take them due to pre-existing conditions such as high blood presure, consider natural family planning (NFP) which, when done correctly, is arguable equally effective or more so as hormonal contraceptives.
Because a woman is only fertile for approximatly 100-120 hours in a month on certain days of her cycle, pregnacy can be avoided if sex is abstained from or condoms used( or another form of contraceptive used) within that time frame. This "window of fertility" can be estimated with high very high probability with the monitoring of cervical changes, menstral charting, mucus, and body temperature to name a few. One method of particular interest to me, although I have never used it myself but plan to try it is the the use of minimicroscopes such as the Ovu-Tec fertility dectector or the Arbor fertility tester. They are both mini microscopes which you spit into. This detector is similar to a pregnancy test as it detects levels of certain hormones and show a window which will indicate wether you are likelihood to become pregnant on that particular day.
Whatever you choose, make your decision an informed one.
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