Board-certified OB/GYN Lisa M. Jukes M.D. and her team at Modern Women’s Health provide state-of-the-art medical treatment in a compassionate, confidential, and comfortable atmosphere.
Contraceptives
Birth Control Pills
- Preventing unintended pregnancy
- Decreasing cramping pain with periods
- Decreasing blood flow and clots during periods
- Decreasing risk for uterine and colon cancer
- Decreasing risk for ovarian cancer by up to 75%
- Helping with mood changes during the menstrual cycle
- Controlling the timing of cycles
- Decreasing facial and body acne
Risks of Birth Control Pills
- Increased risk of blood clots and stroke
Birth Control Pills
- Do not cause or increase the risk for breast cancer
- Do not cause abortion
- Prevent ovulation, when taken correctly
- Do not prevent all cyst formation on ovaries
- Do not encourage sexual activity
All birth control pills are similar. All do the same job, but different formulations may work better for some individuals. When starting birth control pills, you may experience nausea or abnormal bleeding during the first 3-6 months of use until your body gets used to the medication. If these symptoms do not resolve after six months, call our office and we can consider a different pill that will work better for you. If you skip a pill or take a pill late, you may experience breakthrough bleeding or bleeding in the middle of your cycle. This does not indicate an underlying problem, and can be resolved by taking your pill at the same time each day.
Some women will not experience any periods at all during pill use. This is also very safe and represents a good balance of estrogen and progesterone to prevent period bleeding. However, if you have bled on a pill before and suddenly stop having periods, it is usually recommended you take a pregnancy test. All birth control pills can be safely used in a continuous manner for 3-4 months. This method of use would therefore produce a period only every 3-4 months.
To use the pill in a continuous manner do the following:
- Start pill pack on day 1-3 of menses.
- When you reach the green or inactive pills, do not take these pills.
- Instead, start a new pack with an active pill.
- You can do this for 3-4 months, thus inhibiting a period for that time.
- After 3-4 months, then take the green pills for 5 days to stimulate a period.
- Then restart the process all over again.
Please note that there can be risks associated with taking any kind of hormone. For this reason, if we start you on a birth control prescription, the initial script will be for 3-4 cycles. We require a follow-up visit towards the end of this trial period to ensure that the hormones we have prescribed are not having any adverse effect on your body, (ie: elevated blood pressure, headaches, etc). Once we verify your health and satisfaction, we will provide the script for the remainder of the year. If you are unhappy with your current pill, we can schedule you to come in and discuss all options available.