|
Oral Contraceptive Pills and Teens
If your daughter has recently started
taking oral contraceptive pills or is thinking about taking them,
you probably have some questions and worries of your own. You may
have heard some things about oral contraceptives that seem risky
or unsafe. Hopefully, the following information can answer some of
your questions and help relieve your mind.
Adolescent girls and
young women are frequently prescribed oral contraceptive pills for
irregular menstrual periods, menstrual cramps, acne, PMS,
endometriosis, and hormone replacement therapy. For examples,
girls diagnosed with
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)(a
hormone imbalance which causes irregular menstrual periods), acne,
and excess hair growth, are prescribed oral contraceptives to
lower their hormone levels back to normal and regulate menstrual
periods. Girls with acne that is not responding to simple measures
are often prescribed hormone pills. Girls whose ovaries are not
producing enough estrogen (because of anorexia nervosa, excessive
exercise, or damage to the ovaries from radiation or chemotherapy)
often take oral contraceptive pills to replace estrogen. Girls
with
endometriosis are also often prescribed oral contraceptives,
in cycles or continuously, to suppress the condition. And last but
not least, oral contraceptives are used for birth control.
Does the birth control pill have
health benefits?
The birth control pill is very safe
and has only a few minor side effects. The pill also has lots of
health benefits for teens such as:
-
regulation
of menstrual periods
-
decrease in
menstrual cramps
-
treatment
for acne
-
treatment
for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
-
lowers risk
of anemia
-
lowers risk
for some cancers
-
protects
against Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
-
lowers risk
of pregnancy outside of the uterus
Does the birth control pill cause
cancer?
The truth is that the Pill actually
protects against cancer of the ovaries and cancer of the lining of
the uterus. A woman is half as likely to get cancer of the uterus
or ovaries if she takes the pill. Most experts believe that taking
the pill does not cause any increased risk of getting breast
cancer. Even girls with a family history of breast cancer can take
the pill.
Does the birth control pill cause
birth defects?
The Pill does not cause birth defects
or affect the health of future children that your daughter may
have.
Does the birth control pill cause
heart attacks, strokes, or blood clots?
There is no increase in the risk of
heart attack or stroke in healthy women who take the birth control
pill and don't smoke. If your daughter is a smoker, encourage her
to quit smoking. She can still take the pill if she smokes, but if
she quits smoking, she'll be healthier for life.
There is a very slight risk of
developing blood clots in the legs, but much less than the risk
during pregnancy. Among women who do not take the pill, 5 per
100,000 women per year develop blood clots. Among women who do
take the pill, the risk slightly increases to 15-20 per 100,000
women per year. For women who are pregnant, the risk of developing
blood clots is 60 per 100,000 women per year. So you may be
surprised to learn that having a child is twice as dangerous as
using the birth control pill. Make sure you let your daughter know
if any of her blood relatives have had blood clots, especially
when they were young (in their 20s, 30s, or 40s).
Is there any trouble getting pregnant
after using the birth control pill?
There is no change in fertility with
using the birth control pill. Regular periods and ovulation
usually start up again right away. However, girls who were very
irregular before starting the pill may be irregular after they
stop the pill. Girls who have PCOS or lose weight on the pill are
particularly likely to be irregular, not because of the pill but
because of their medical condition.
If your daughter was using the pill
for birth control, she should use another birth control method
right away if she doesn't want to get pregnant. She should talk to
her health care provider before she actually stops taking the
birth control pill.
How long is it safe for my daughter
to be on the pill?
It is safe for your daughter to be on
the pill for years, whether she is on it for regulation of
menstrual cycles, cramps, hormone replacement, or birth control.
Does my daughter need to take a break
from the pill?
There is no medical reason that your
daughter would need to take a "break" from the pill. There are no
medical benefits from taking a break. If your daughter were to
stop taking the pill and then go on it again, she could go through
the same side effects that she already went through during the
first few months of pill use. Also, your daughter would not
experience the many medical (non-contraceptive) benefits that the
pill offers.
Will my daughter gain weight from the
pill?
It is unlikely that your daughter
will gain weight on the pill. Some teens gain weight, some lose
weight, but most teens stay exactly the same when they are taking
the birth control pill. Many times a young woman thinks she has
gained 5-10 pounds, but when weight is actually measured, there is
no change. If your daughter thinks she may have gained weight due
to the Pill, she should see her health care provider and get her
weight measured. Encourage your daughter to eat a healthy diet.
Suggest that she eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day and
avoid fast foods. Also, encourage her to get enough exercise.
Will the birth control pill have any
negative effects on my daughter's growth?
No, the birth control pill will not
affect or hinder your daughter's growth. By the time she has her
first period, she is already 95% of her final height. A girl grows
about 2 inches in the 2 years after her first menstrual period.
Will the pill make my daughter's
cramps better?
For girls who experience
severe menstrual cramps and over-the-counter medications do not
help, birth control pills may be the solution. Birth control pills
can help to decrease menstrual cramps. Because the combined birth
control pills prevent ovulation, they also get rid of pain that
your daughter may experience with ovulation in the middle of your
menstrual cycle.
Will the pill make my daughter's
menstrual periods more regular?
For girls whose menstrual periods are
irregular (too often or too late), birth control pills can help to
regulate the menstrual cycle to every 28 days. Birth control pills
also can reduce the amount and length of menstrual bleeding.
Will the pill make my daughter's acne
better?
Birth control pills usually improve
acne. For moderate to severe acne, which over-the-counter and
prescription medications can't cure, birth control pills may be
prescribed. The hormones in the birth control pill can help stop
acne from forming. It doesn't usually matter which type of birth
control pills your daughter takes, since most of them can be use
to treat acne. Encourage your daughter to be patient though, since
it takes several months for the birth control pills to work.
What if my daughter has PCOS? How
does the pill help?
As you probably know if your daughter
has PCOS, PCOS can cause irregular menstrual cycles, excess hair
growth, and acne. One of the treatments prescribed for PCOS is
oral contraceptives, because the hormones (estrogen and
progesterone) in the pill regulate menstrual cycles. Oral
contraceptives allow the endometrial lining to be shed every four
weeks so your daughter's menstrual period will be regular. Because
oral contraceptives cause women to menstruate regularly and shed
the endometrial lining on time, they also reduce the risk of
endometrial cancer. Oral contraceptives also improve acne and
lessen excess hair growth, which is another reason they are used
to treat PCOS.
What other medical benefits does the
pill have?
Because there is less menstrual
bleeding with the use of birth control pills, your daughter is
less likely to get anemia (low number of red bloods, which carry
oxygen from the lungs to the tissues). Birth control pills
decrease the chance of getting endometrial (lining of the uterus)
cancer and ovarian cancer, ovarian cysts, and breast lumps. The
birth control pill also protects against infections of the
fallopian tubes (Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID)) that would
need hospitalization. It also protects against pregnancies that
occur outside the uterus (called tubal or ectopic pregnancy).
Will my daughter start
haveing sex if she goes on the pill for acne or any other reason
besides birth control?
Your daughter will most likely
not start having sex if she goes on the pill for
reasons other than birth control. If she goes on the pill for
these other reasons, she is probably just thinking about treating
whatever the problem is. Her decision to have sex will likely be
completely independent from her decision to go on the pill at this
time. Your daughter will choose to start having sex when she is
ready, which involves much more than just when birth control is
available. |