Myths about Low Dose Birth Control
It’s a while since I posted information about a couple of myths associated with low dose birth control so I thought it would be useful to add a couple more posts on the more common ones :
MYTH 3. The Pill works because it kills sperm
No, a low dose bith control pill causes several changes in the body but the main changes:
a) prevent an egg from being released from an ovary so that it cannot be fertilised
b) thicken the mucus at the neck of the uterus which ’slows down’ the sperm and makes it harder for him to reach the uterus
c) thin the tissue which lines the wall of the uterus to make implantation of a fertilised egg difficult
MYTH 4. It doesn’t matter if I miss a pill at the end of my pack because I’m going to get my period anyway
Yes it does matter. To prevent ovulation from happening, a pack of low dose birth control pills releases a measured dosage of estrogen/progestin which your body absorbs each month. Pills you may have missed just before the ‘dummy pill’ days or at the beginning of the next pack, will extend the hormone free period so your body may not have absorbed a sufficient monthly dose of hormones to prevent ovulation in the NEXT month.
MYTH 5. The Pill makes you fat
Not necessarily. Some women lose weight. on the pill. 60% of women see little change (+/- 2 kgs.) While estrogen can cause fluid retention which accounts for some increase in weight, there are some women whose unique metabolism reacts to even low dose birth control pills, causing them to gain more than 2 kilos. *A change of pill type may be the answer. Most women increase their weight in the latter half of their cycle due anyway, due to a change in hormone levels.
Check before you blame your low dose birth control pill for your weight gain, unless you feel that your appetite has increased significantly, that other meds are not the culprit and that your anxiety over the issue is causing you to ’snack’ more! *Use the lowest possible estrogen containing birth control pill - this should minimize weight gain and swelling from water retention. Two of the current 20 mcgm pills which are the lowest estrogen doses available are: Alesse and Mircette.
Further information about this popular myth
Tomorrow - a few more myths about low dose birth control - come back and test your contraception knowledge. Also, I have a new book to show you which may not be to everyone’s taste but is REMARKABLE!
