Contraceptives

If you use low dose birth control did you consciously PLAN it as part of your ‘CONTRACEPTION CAREER’ (which could last 30 years or more) or are you just living month to month and automatically getting those prescriptions filled? Whether or not to bring another human being into this world is a huge decision for anyone, regardless of age and can often be one that is forced upon you when the timing really couldn’t be worse. If babies are not definitely NOT part your agenda for several years yet, it’s a good plan to consider long term contraception methods now and find out which are the best for you. There are several ‘low dose’ options and some that do not contain hormones at all.

Low dose birth control pills, IUD’s, patches, injections or implants are used for long term contraception. Which should you choose? Several factors will determine if long term contraceptives will be suitable for YOU and other factors may influence IF you wish to use them at all. See my post on patches.

Low Dose birth control pills are also prescribed for the treatment of some medical conditions, apart from preventing pregnancy and if this applies to you it is really important that you give your health care provider (who may not be the doctor who prescribed your ‘pill’) all the details before discussing long term contraceptive alternatives.

Answer the following questions before you talk to your GP (and if you have a long time sexual partner, involve him or her too) then you’ll be armed with the basic information to help you to choose the best long term contraceptive ‘mix’:

• do you have any religious restrictions on the type of birth control you use?
• do you have any serious health problems? Your personal medical history and lifestyle will affect which long term contraceptive options (if any) are suitable for you. Low dose birth control types contain synthetic hormones, including IUDs, may be a ‘No No’
• will expense be a major factor in which contraceptive method you choose? eg. low dose birth control pills will take a bigger chunk out of your budget over a 5 year period than a low dose Mirena IUD
• do you have multiple sexual partners? Protection from STD’s (condoms)may also be needed alongside a ‘no worries’, long term contraceptive. Pelvic inflammatory disease should be explained to you in the same conversation as IUD’s
• how long do you wish to delay having children, one year, 3 years, 5 years or longer? If you already have one child and intend having more, how far apart would you like them to be spaced?
• do you want a reversible or an irreversible method of contraception? Your family may be complete yet you may still have many fertile years ahead of you
• do you want a ‘no care’ /low maintenance contraceptive? Hormone injections need to be given every 3 months. IUD’s and implants do not require this attention by the user and stay in place for years.
• can you tolerate estrogen in a synthetic form? Some long term contraceptives, such as injections, (Depo) implants and the Mirena IUD- do not contain estrogen but release a low dose birth control hormone, levonorgestrel daily (about 12- 20mcg) The recommended dose of depo provera for effective contraception is 150 mg every three months. The contraceptive protection of depo provera starts as soon as you have the first injection.
• is vasectomy an option? Vasectomy is currently a long term contraceptive option for men and definitely a ‘NO dose hormone method of birth control for both of you! Vasectomy is generally irreversible. How does you partner feel about this? It’s a good idea to talk this over as rationally and calmly as you can before you go to the doctor.

Like vasectomy, tubal ligation for women and insertion of the Essure device are two permanent contraceptive methods that should be ‘counselled’ before being selected. Neither of these methods are low dose birth control as no hormones are involved. Essure is a non surgical form of long term contraceptive that comprises a fine coil which is inserted into a woman’s fallopian tube. The coil causes natural scarring to occur and the resulting tissue subsequently blocks the tube. Obviously there are far fewer ‘operative’ risks with this method than with tubal ligation and you can watch the procedure being performed on a monitor. Side effects are associated with long term contraceptives, even low dose birth control types - some women may notice no change at all, others end up trialling several different contraceptives in a quest to find one that suits them. We all respond to medications in different ways, even vitamins, so thorough investigation, education and consultation with a physician about long term contraceptives is a must.

There is no ‘perfect’ contraceptive.

I bet you go to great lengths when it comes to choosing other things that impact on your life, like your house, your job or even a holiday destination, well…this is your one and only living, changing and ageing BODY we are affecting here, not to mention the future of your entire life (and of those you love) so….surely a bit of research (like you’re doing now) and a good chat with a medical professional is a small investment when the pay off is years worth of great sex and ideal family planning? (many experts recommend 21/2- 3 years between each child) Short spacing can take its toll on a mother’s health and adversely affect other siblings.

There is great joy in ‘making babies’ together when both partners are ready to bring up children. While rearing another human being is without doubt the hardest job in the world, nothing else comes close to the rewards it brings. An unplanned, unwanted pregnancy can bring great distress and sadly, children often end up paying a very high price for their ‘parents’ mistake.

Depending on which country you live in and which study you read, unplanned pregnancies are as high as 50-60%, even with the use of contraceptives. Forgetting to take a pill or using contraceptives improperly is common practise and can lead to unwanted pregnancies, strained relationships and emotional anxiety. Long term contraceptives reduce the likelihood of user error, afford peace of mind and relieve anxiety for longer periods - you just have to be sure they are right for you. There’s a video you can watch HERE from an earlier post.

If you hand in your prescription for Yaz at the pharmacy and are offered a ‘generic’ alternative such as Janya, how secure do you feel in accepting the cheaper product- after all this is your family planning at stake here, not some hay fever trial!

Often the doctor will indicate on your script that a generic product is optional too, if one is available but what if you wish to buy online for convenience and save a few dollars in the process? I’m not taking a legal or scientific stance here, just explaining simply for the average consumer, what the term ‘generic’ means so that you can confidently make a decision about this option for your contraceptive pill if one is available.

Generic options may not be offered to you for all contraceptives but when they are, they are usually cheaper than the original, patented drug and for an item that can occupy a regular spot on your shopping list for YEARS, those significant dollars you save may well relieve the budget elsewhere.

First, a bit about what a ‘drug’ is…

Any drug that requires a doctor’s prescription is made up of chemical compounds. Compounds are made up of molecules containing atoms that are joined together in various configurations or patterns, depending on the type of compound. When a drug company comes up with a chemical substance they wish to market as a drug, they know the configuration of the atoms in the molecule and that configuration usually dictates what the name of the substance should be.

How is the Janya contraceptive pill classified as being the ‘generic’ equivalent of Yaz/Yasmin?

I reluctantly take a drug to lower my high cholesterol (yes I’ve tried all the other non chemical, detox, diet related solutions in vain!) -its chemical name is atorvastatin which the company Pfizer patented so that no one else could make or sell it for the term of the patent ‘life’. Pfizer called the drug Lipitor, which they registered as a trademark so again, no one else can use this name.
When we use the term, ‘generic’ we are usually talking about an alternative drug that is cheaper than the brand but does the same thing. While the patent is in force, for any particular drug, there will be no generic alternative. You can check the patent expiration date on line for a drug you are interested in. Patents are country specific too so if your drug is not registered in another country, you may find its generic equivalent is available in that country. Janya is the generic form of Yasmin (or Yaz)

Costs to develop new contraceptive pills are high and a company that manufactures that same contraceptive pill after a patent expires does not incur these costs so can produce the same contraceptive pill cheaper and therefore sell it on at a lower price than the original. Most of us call these cheaper products ‘generic’ and they are often made by the same company as the patented version.

No doubt you’ve bought ‘generic’ baked beans at your supermarket and been disappointed with the quality, especially if you’re a Heinz fan but when the term ‘generic’ is applied to a drug used in such an important product as a contraceptive pill, ingredients and quality are much more regulated. These medicines act on the body in the same way as the patented ones and are required by law to contain ‘comparable’ or identical active ingredients and be functionally equivalent to the original. For this reason generics are generally accepted to have exactly the same medicinal or contraceptive effectiveness as the original brand name drug. Janya for example, acts in the same way as Yasmin/Yaz (containing active compounds -3 mg of drospirenone and 0.02 mg of ethinyl estradiol)

Next time you have a prescription to fill, you can confidently speak to your pharmacist (yes, even for on line orders) about generic options that may be available for your contraceptive pill. If you happen to be using Yasmin or Yaz, check out the prices for the generic product, Janya HERE as I believe this supplier has the best on line price and you may get volume discount.

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