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Continuous Hormone Pills
Birth Control Pills may be prescribed
to be taken in cycles (21 days on, 7 days off) or continuously.
Pills may be prescribed continuously for girls with endometriosis,
bad cramps, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), or other reasons.
Continuously means that you will be taking one pill that contains
the female hormones, estrogen and progesterone, every day. Taking
the pill this way helps keep the lining of the uterus very thin.
The goal is for you to have no periods.
You will not take a week of placebo
pills (pills without hormones) and will not have a regular monthly
menstrual period. You may have some irregular spotting or bleeding
as your body gets adjusted to this new medication, especially in
the first six months.
How do I take them?
Take one pill at the same time every
day.
When you finish one pack of the hormone pills, begin another pack
of pills the following day.
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If
you buy 21-day packs of pills,
start a new pack the day after you finish all the pills in your
current pack.
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If
you buy 28-day packs of pills,
take the three weeks of hormone pills but not the week of placebo
pills (the last seven pills that are a different color). When you
finish the hormone pills, throw the pack away and start a new pack
the next day.
What if I am bleeding with the
continuous pills?
If you are bleeding heavily (soaking
a large pad or super tampon more than every 2 hours) and it does
not slow down with 4 hours of bedrest or if you are experiencing a
heavy menstrual flow (a soaked pad or tampon every 2 or 3 hours)
for more than 7 days, you need to call your health care provider.
Am I protected from pregnancy?
Taking the birth control pill
continuously does protect you from pregnancy if you are sexually
active. Birth control pills do not protect a woman from getting a
sexually transmitted disease. So it is very important to also use
a condom when having sexual intercourse.
What else do these pills do?
Birth control pills not only prevent
pregnancy, but they also have quite a few medical benefits. Many
teen girls take the birth control pill just for its medical
benefits and not for its protection against pregnancy.
Oral contraceptive pills can help to
decrease menstrual cramps. Because oral contraceptive pills
prevent ovulation, they also get rid of pain that you experience
with ovulation in the middle of your menstrual cycle. Oral
contraceptive pills can provide the body normal amounts of
estrogen to help protect the bones. Oral contraceptive pills also
can reduce the amount and length of menstrual bleeding. Oral
contraceptive pills may be prescribed to treat moderate to severe
acne, which over-the-counter and prescription medications can't
cure.
Because there is less menstrual
bleeding with the use of oral contraceptive pills, you are less
likely to get anemia (low number of red bloods, which carry oxygen
from the lungs to the tissues). Oral contraceptive pills decrease
your chance of getting endometrial (lining of the uterus) cancer
and ovarian cancer, ovarian cysts, and osteoporosis. The oral
contraceptive pill also protects against infections of your
fallopian tubes (Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID)) that would
need hospitalization. So the pill has lots of health benefits!
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