Birth Control Pills: Cycle Regulation & Side Effects

Birth control pills are used for cycle regulation and PCOS management, though they can impact liver enzymes, cholesterol, and cause weight gain.

Birth Control Pills & Elevated Liver Enzymes

Many women choose oral contraception because it effectively prevents unplanned conceptions and otherwise fits well with their lives. Some women do experience side effects, including elevated liver enzymes.

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Amenorrhea & Birth Control Pills

Amenorrhea can be a scary experience for some women and welcomed by others. This is a normal event that happens in a woman's life due to pregnancy or menopause. At times in the menstrual cycle, women may experience cycles of amenorrhea.

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close-up of a strip of pills

Side Effects of Birth Control Pills While Breastfeeding

When a nursing mother is evaluating medications for herself, she must consider how possible side effects will impact her as well as her child. Many medications, including hormonal birth control pills, can pass through her breast milk to her child.

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List of Birth Control Pill Brands

Birth control pills are a popular way for women to prevent an unwanted pregnancy. All types of birth control pills contain synthetic forms of the hormones estrogen and progesterone, though some pills may only contain one type of hormone.

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Benefits of Yasmin

Yasmin is a birth control medication approved for the prevention of pregnancy. It is composed of two hormones -- drospirenone and ethinyl estradiol -- which work in combination to prevent pregnancy through different mechanisms.

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Acne & Levonorgestrel

Dermatologists believe hormones cause acne, and teenagers who get acne as their hormones awaken in puberty probably would agree. But teens aren't the only ones to suffer from pimples--adult women often see breakouts prior to their menstrual periods or when they get pregnant, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

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Ferrous Sulfate & Birth Control Pills

Iron deficiency frequently occurs in women of childbearing age. Women of reproductive age have higher iron requirements than post-menopausal women or men, because they lose blood every month during their menstrual periods.

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Birth Control Pills

List of Generic Brands of Birth Control

Birth control pills, or oral contraceptives, contain female hormones that suppress ovulation--the monthly release of an egg from the ovary. Suppressing ovulation prevents pregnancy because without an egg, conception cannot occur.

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How to Get Birth Control Pills Without Insurance

Birth control pills can be obtained easily without insurance, but the cost may be high. Having health insurance can reduce the cost of the cervical exam that is performed once per year before a prescription for birth control is provided. Health insurance can also reduce the cost of the pills themselves.

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close-up of a strip of birth control pills

How to Take Yaz Birth Control Pills

Yaz is a prescription birth control pill containing drospirenone and ethinyl estradiol. The medication works to prevent the ovary from releasing an egg during the menstrual cycle and changes the lining of the cervix and uterus so a fertilized egg will experience difficulty implanting in the uterus.

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Side Effects of Using Birth Control Pills to Delay Your Period

Approximately 99 percent of obstetricians and gynecologists believe that suppressing a menstrual period through the use of birth control pills is safe, according to a 2003 Gallop survey conducted by the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

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Ways to Change Your Monthly Period Without Birth Control Pills

The average length of your menstrual cycle, defined as the first day of menstrual bleeding to the first day of the next menstrual period, is 28 days. But the University of Michigan Health System says that the length of a cycle can vary from 21 to 35 or even 45 days.

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Elevated view of pills in a blister pack

Caffeine & Birth Control Pills

The combination of caffeine and birth control pills may generate a few mild side effects, including headaches, jitteriness and insomnia. Caffeine and birth control pills may also interact with other prescribed medications.

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How to Know If You Need to Switch Birth Control Pills

Knowing when to switch birth control pills can be fairly obvious for some women. Other women may not realize the effect her pills are having on her and continue taking them. Annual appointments with a health-care professional are important in helping a woman identify potential reasons to change birth control pills.

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Woman hand pulling a contraceptive pills blister from a handbag

Is Progesterone Supplementation With Birth Control Pills Safe?

Progesterone, one of the most important hormones for pregnancy and for regulating menstrual periods, is normally found in synthetic form in birth control pills. Some alternative practitioners advocate taking natural progesterone in addition to birth control pills to counteract some of the common side effects.

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How to Stop Your Period for a Few Days

Sometimes your period falls at an inconvenient time in your life, and it may become necessary to stop your period for a few days. According to Dr. Rosalinda Abboud, a gynecologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, no side effects come with stopping or delaying your period.

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