A lot of people are on birth control pills, but sometimes the education about them is lacking. For some, the pill can seem almost mysterious – something that is prescribed to you but that is not always thoroughly explained to you. This has caused many myths to arise, partly because of this perceived obscurity, but there are also some old truths circulating that applied to the early versions of contraceptive pills but that isn’t true for the drugs available on the market today. In this article, we will explore some of the most common myths that are still widely believed, of which some now can be buried so that we can get the most out of the use of birth control.
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Myths and misleading facts about the contraceptive pill
How does birth control work? The birth control contains hormones that, through their mechanism of action, prevent pregnancy, with the success rate as high as 99% when used properly. The reliability and effectiveness of contraceptive pills is the root of the immense popularity of this form of contraception.
The pill gives a great protection, but there are some flaws in the system. The majority of unwanted pregnancies that occur whilst using the pill are caused by some external factors that caused diminished protection – for example, having diarrhoea, vomiting or forgetting to take the pill (especially if it happens for several days in a row). If you’re in a situation like that, it is better to use extra protection, such as a condom until you’re certain the pills are at their full effectiveness again.
Below you will find some facts about birth control that will help you get your most out of your contraception.
Weight gain
There is a widespread belief that contraceptive pills cause weight gain, and many times it is even listed as a possible side effect of many birth control pills. But, in fact, there is little evidence that it is the pills in themselves that cause weight gain – some people even lose weight when starting the treatment. If anything, it might alter your appetite, but not your metabolism.
Studies have shown that there seem to be no correlation between weight and contraceptive pills, not only when starting the treatment but also no significant change in body mass index when coming off the pill.1 This is often true if you are using contraceptive injections, where you can gain as much as 3.4% extra body fat.2
Some effects that might take place is it you are on the progesterone only pill. Some people will experience a bigger appetite, but as long as you manage your diet, as usual, you should experience no change in weight.
Also, some people might experience oedema, or water retention, which might be perceived as weight gain. Changing to a pill with a lower dose of hormones often does the trick to alleviate this symptom. Make sure to have a thorough discussion with your doctor about what you are expecting from your contraception to find the best form for you.
The pill can damage your fertility
Do you remember being told by the medic that prescribed your pill that you might become pregnant if you forget a pill or two? This is because the reproductive system always will be ready to jump back into the game as soon as the hormones you are taking are withdrawn. Your fertility remains intact, no matter under how long a period you are using the pill.
A possible reason this myth has been established might be because a lot of women use contraceptive pills up to a point in their lives when the reproduction will naturally start to fade. If you are then trying to conceive, the bodily function might not be as apt as they would have been earlier in life or you might first then realize having fertility issues that were there from the start but only discovered by trying to become pregnant.
It is important to take breaks from the pill every now and then
This myth might stem from the idea that the pill can damage your fertility, but since there is no reason to worry about this you will not have to take any breaks from the pill. You should make sure to take the monthly break or the sugar pills in your pill package, but you should not take a break from the treatment itself. Coming off and on the pill might cause you to once again experience the side effects that come with starting a hormonal treatment, so if you want stable hormonal levels it is a good idea to stick to your contraceptives.
One should stop taking birth control a few months before trying to get pregnant
Since you can become pregnant from forgetting to take a few pills, it might seem logical that you will not need months on end for your body to be able to conceive. The body might take a few weeks to be back to normal, but this does not necessarily mean that ovulation will not occur anyways. This holds true for most hormonal contraceptives, but not if you are doing injections since they can take a few months to get out of the system.
You can find more about contraception and pregnancy here.
The pill can cause birth defects if you have a baby
There has been no evidence found suggesting that the pill could cause any defects of a fetus or by birth of a child. This also accounts for if you would accidentally continue to take contraceptive pills during before you realize that you are pregnant, but you should stop as soon as you learn this since any medicine or drug that you would be taking is transferred to your child.3
The pill is only used for contraception
Some doctors might only prescribe the pill for contraceptive purposes, but it actually has quite a few areas of use. Some of these are:
- Control of period regularity and timing
- Symptoms of premenstrual syndrome can be relieved
- Lighter periods can minimize the risk of anaemia caused by blood loss
- Can alleviate hormonal acne
- Other hormone related
More about contraception and acne, here.
Women over 35 years cannot use the pill
Women over 35 can very much use the pill, as long as one is having regular controls for blood pressure and doesn’t smoke. If you are over the age of 35, you will probably have a lower dose of hormones prescribed to you. In some cases, you can have contraceptive pills given to you during your menopause to alleviate.
The pill causes cancer
This is both true and false. There are actually some forms of cancer that can occur in a lesser extent in women using contraceptive pills, such as ovarian, endometrial, and colorectal cancers. But there are others that on the other hand will be of greater risk when using the pills, such as breast, cervical, and liver cancers. Once you stop using the pill the likelihood of these cancer forms will decrease over time.
Other myths about contraception
Not only birth control pills are prone to raise questions. We are exploring some other myths regarding family planning below.
You can only use an IUD if you have had children
The IUD is just as good for someone who has not had children as for someone who has been childbearing. The reason for this misconception is that after birth, the place where you insert the IUD is slightly larger, which can make insertion more comfortable. But as a contraceptive measure, it is very safe and gives high success rates.
Pulling out is an efficient form of contraception
This can be efficient to a certain extent but is definitely not reliable enough to be a method that you should use regularly. You should pull out before ejaculation, but this can be hard to exactly manage. Adding to that, there are often pre-ejaculations that contain sperms, which can get you pregnant to the same extent as the main ejaculation. You should thus use a condom if you don’t use other forms of contraception.
I can’t get pregnant whilst breastfeeding
To a certain extent, the hormones emitted within your body during breastfeeding can suppress the hormones that would cause ovulation. This is not always the case, so be sure to still use barrier protection such as condoms to make sure that you are not getting a surprise pregnancy.
To see the full overview of contraception, jump here.
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