3. “Are there any other reasons to go on the Pill?”
Believe it or not, the reasons why many women begin taking birth control has nothing at all to do with sex. “Even when birth control is not the desired outcome, there are reasons that women could benefit from birth control,” Dr. Oyeyipo says. “We use birth control pills to regulate the menstrual cycle and reduce the menstrual flow for women with heavy periods.”
Breast cyst and ovarian cyst management and acne control are some of the other non-sex related reasons why some women may be prescribed birth control.
4. “What’s the best method?”
From the Pill to the patch to the ring to hormone shots, there are so many birth control methods out there, but it goes without saying that every woman has to decide for herself what works best for her and her lifestyle.
“The best birth control method is usually the one you can use consistently with little or no side effects to you,” Dr. Oyeyipo explains. “If you can’t form a routine of taking a pill around the same time every day, birth control pills might not be right for you. You would want to explore other formulations of birth control, such as the Depo-Provera injections every three months, intra-uterine device (IUD) or the implantable progesterone.”
5. “What else should I know about birth control?”
It’s important to know all of the risks before taking any new medication and birth control is certainly no exception. “The estrogen-progesterone combination birth control pills are not recommended if you have liver disease, migraines, a history of blood clots, or if you’re a smoker over the age of 35,” Dr. Oyeyipo says. Furthermore, women who were on the Pill had a higher risk of breast, ovarian and endometrial cancer.
5 Questions You Should Ask Your Doctor Before Taking Birth Control was originally published on blackdoctor.org
