There used to be only one way not to get pregnant:not having sex † You could take the plunge (or out, rather) and try “out of church before singing.” Not a good idea. Then came the first condom. Or something like that, because a pig's bladder can't really be compared with a condom. In 2017, the possibilities are -almost- endless. In this blog we discuss the contraceptive pill † There are many advantages for women (and certainly also for men). But this form of contraception also has its list of side effects.
Read also :No quickie – talk to your child about (unprotected) sex
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In the Netherlands we have been boss in our own belly since the 1960s † In 1962, the first contraceptive pill came on the market here. And not without a fight; in a religious Netherlands, contraceptives were still a big issue. The first pill was therefore produced with the message that it was intended to help women with their irregular cycles † Because the pill not only prevents you from getting pregnant, it also makes your periods more regular. Two years later, the pill really came on the market, although it was until 1969 to buy contraceptives in public † That's what I call an exciting foreplay!
In 2017, the contraceptive pill is generally accepted in the Netherlands. It is indeed also prescribed to get the menstrual cycle a bit more regular, or to reduce complaints around your period † Or even if you have a lot of pimples during your puberty † But of course the main purpose of the contraceptive pill remains the prevention of pregnancies † And it works very well for that, if you stick to the regulations.
The contraceptive pill is currently only available for women, although work is being done on a variant for men. I hope they don't have to take it every day, otherwise I can see it going wrong with my own guy within a week. That is a condition of the contraceptive pill. If you forget it once, you already have a chance that you are pregnant. That depends on at what point in your cycle you forget the pill. It is also recommended to take it at the same time every day. That not only ensures regularity so that you forget it less quickly † It also optimizes the effect of the contraceptive pill because there is always the same time between two pills. With most contraceptive pills you have a stop week after 3 weeks † In that week you don't take the pill, and you get your period.
The great thing about the contraceptive pill is that it allows you to plan your menstruation † Are you going on vacation? Are you planning a festival or your wedding? Then you swallow your pill. This will delay your period. This can't hurt, but you shouldn't make a habit of it either. Your period is a way to 'clean' your body. If you swallow the pill too often, old blood will accumulate in your body. This in turn can lead to annoying and sometimes harmful complaints, such as cysts.
The contraceptive pill comes in two forms. Namely pills with
The hormone estrogen ensures predictable menstruation † The progestogen hormone prevents you from getting pregnant † The combination pill is by far the most prescribed. You should not use it if you are breast-feeding. This is allowed with the pill without oestrogens. That is why this pill is often used by women who have just given birth.
If you're breastfeeding, you don't go for the combination pill † If not, then this pill is probably a good option. But there are still so many possibilities. First, you can look at which contraceptive pill is reimbursed by your health insurer, if that is the case at all. Personally, I'm not in favor of that (anymore). Your health insurer cannot determine which contraceptive pill is best for you. Unfortunately, there is only one way to find out for yourself:be your own guinea pig. That sounds a bit creepy, but fortunately it can't hurt. Just like the price tag. For most contraceptive pills you pay about €8 to €14 for 3 months. Thank you dear health insurer, but for that amount I prefer to choose myself. But how?
Most birth control pills contain the same active ingredients. Handy, because this way your health insurer can work with a new (cheaper) supplier every year. And the pharmacy will tell you not to worry. After all, there are the same active ingredients in your new pill as in your old pill. That's true. But there are different excipients in all those different contraceptive pills. And your body can react very violently to that. Suffering from vague complaints? Please read our leaflet at the bottom.
Apart from the side effects you read about in our leaflet, the contraceptive pill is of course a godsend. Especially with the combination pill, where you have the 'luxury' to schedule your period yourself. Not much luxury about menstruation, but then you have that anyway 😉 . This pill also comes in many forms. For example, there is the single-phase pill, which is by far the most prescribed. You take the same pill for 3 weeks. Multi-phase pills try to mimic the woman's cycle as naturally as possible. That is why you take your pills in three or four phases. Each phase then has its own type of pill.
The best known one phase pills combination pills are:
There are also one-phase, no-week combination pills such as Seasonique, Yaz, and Zoely † Yaz and Zoely are single-phase contraceptive pills and contain 24 pills plus 4 placebos, pills that do not contain an active ingredient. While you take those 4 pills you have your period. At Seasonique you take 3 x 28 pills and 1 x 7 pills. While taking the last 7 pills, your menstrual period will occur. So this is only once every 3 months.
The most famous multi-phase pills are:
To complicate matters, many of the above pills are also available under the active ingredient names. Then you get a box at the pharmacy with an unpronounceable name on it. Something like Ethinylestradiol/Levonorgestrel. Are you still there? Happy. You have not read our leaflet yet!
I don't even want to know how many children I would have had if the birth control pill didn't exist. So yes, I'm incredibly grateful to science for inventing it. But I'm also concerned. The contraceptive pill has been associated with all kinds of unpleasant stories for years. And I myself have not only had pleasant experiences with it.
Since a few years I have been suffering from menstrual complaints † From the moment I was prescribed another pill. And a new one the following year. I admit:I took that for far too long. From now on I can decide for myself which contraceptive pill I buy from the pharmacy. If I get strange complaints, I switch. Because it is certain that you can experience all kinds of side effects from the pill.
That you do not get pregnant if you use the pill correctly is fantastic. But if you are sensitive to certain components of the contraceptive pill that you take, you can also suffer a lot from them. Do you suffer from any of the following complaints? Then go to your GP or pharmacy. Switching to another pill may help. And of course you can also consider other methods of contraception. If you leave the church after singing but skips 😉
Although the pill is also widely prescribed to reduce menstrual complaints, it sometimes causes more complaints. Extreme mood swings or unbearable menstrual cramps † What did you not experience before using your current contraceptive pill? Then alarm bells should start ringing!
Another side effect of the pill can be extreme fatigue to be. Still tired after a good night's sleep? It could be because of your birth control pill. Of course you can wonder which woman is not tired in 2017. But you should not think too lightly about it. Many women suffer from severe fatigue from their pill. A waste of the (perhaps already scarce) energy, because you can of course spend your time between the sheets in a different way 😉 .
As if the average woman isn't having it hard enough with her battle against the pounds… The drug that helps us not to get pregnant can make us fatter. When you take the pill you ingest a lot of hormones. These can have an effect on your body weight † But this also differs per contraceptive pill. If you feel that you are gaining weight because of your new pill (is it really not because of all that chocolate?), then you can also consider switching to another one.
Also a common complaint among women who take the contraceptive pill:headache † And especially during the off week. In that regard, it might work out well… At least it doesn't get in the way of your love life. But sex actually helps against headaches. And it's still annoying:that hammering thump in your head while you already have stomach cramps. Changing birth control pills could help.
Do you ever fake him? The headache then, because your hubby doesn't want to refuse brutally again? Scientific research has shown that the contraceptive pill a lower libido could get. In Dutch:no (or much less) sex drive. On average, the man already makes more sense. But that the contraceptive pill would work so literally was of course not the intention 😉 . We wrote a blog about it before:without the pill, your sex life could improve considerably. Experience? Then we would of course like to hear from you!
Do you also use the pill after any pregnancies until the moment your body enters the menopause? Then it may be the case that the menopausal symptoms hit even harder than if your body has been 'clean' for a number of years
Do you have certain experiences with the contraceptive pill that you would like to share? And it doesn't just have to be about your sex life. Good! We can only learn from each other's stories. And although we are all different, we should not just take the stories that the pharmacy and our insurer present us. Then we rather your story! So email us if you'd like to tell your story.
Read also :The morning after pill (for emergencies)
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