Are there any side effects from birth control?

Question

My girlfriend would like to know if there are any side effects from taking the birth control pill? Does it cause you any depression? Are there any side effects?

Answer 1

For the birth control pill, my pamphlet lists the following as possible side effects:

- irregular bleeding or spotting
- nausea
- breast tenderness
- weight gain and/or water retention (bloating)
- spotty darkening of the skin (melasma)
- mood changes

Then it goes on to list other side effects: change in appetite, headache, nervousness, depression, dizziness, loss of scalp hair, rash, and vaginal infections.

You can ask a doctor or pharmacist about any side effects. There may be different side effects for different methods of birth control used.

Answer 2

You'll most likely stop having the random emotional outbursts after another month or so on the pill. Your body is just confused with all of the extra hormones from the pills. It will probably sort them out soon. If you're still having issues in a month or so, call up the doctor that prescribed the pills. They could put you on a different birth control pill that might not give you these side-effects.

Answer 3

The possible side effects differ for each woman. You can have mood swings, increased risk of blood clots, irregular bleeding, headaches, nauseau. You should have your girlfriend to to the doctor to discuss all of the possibilities.

However, i have been on the pill for 8 years and have never had any adverse side effects. They just need to warn you of the possibilities that are there. But your gf should definitely see her doctor.

Answer 4

About 40% of women who take birth-control pills will have side effects of one kind or another during the first three months of use. The vast majority of women have only minor, transient side effects. Some of these side effects are: light bleeding between menstrual periods, skipped periods, nausea, weight change, bloating, increase in vaginal infections. Although it is difficult to predict whether a woman will develop one of these minor problems, a problem can often be eliminated by changing to a different birth-control pill. A spotty darkening of the skin on the face may appear and may be permanent.

The most serious side effect associated with the birth-control pill is a greater chance of blood clots, stroke and heart attack. These problems occur in only a small number of women who take the pill. Women who have the most risk of developing these problems are women who smoke, are over thirty-five and women with other health problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart or vascular disease or blood cholesterol and triglyceride abnormalities. Other serious side effects are worsening of migraine headaches, gall bladder disease, increase in blood pressure and an extremely rare liver tumor. Some birth-control pills may cause changes in the levels of fatty substances in the blood. The long-term consequences of these changes are not known. Regular check-ups are important for early detection of these problems.

A good acronym for remembering danger signs is ACHES:
A -for severe abdominal pain
C -for severe chest pain or shortness of breath
H -for severe throbbing headache
E -for eye problems, such as flashing lights or vision disturbance
S -for severe leg pains

Certain drugs for epilepsy and tuberculosis, as well as certain antibiotics can reduce the effectiveness of the birth-control pill. St. John's Wort has also been known to reduce the effectiveness of oral contraceptives. A woman taking birth-control pills should always ask her healthcare provider about any possible effect on birth-control pill effectiveness when another drug is prescribed so that she can use an additional backup method of birth-control.
Taking birth-control pills does not seem to increase a woman's chances of developing cervical cancer or skin cancer. A few months after stopping birth-control pills, women who have taken pills become pregnant just as often as those who have not.
Birth-control pills alone provide no protection against the transmission of AIDS or other sexually transmitted diseases. It is advisable to use condoms with the birth-control pill to help prevent these infections.

UNM students may call the Women's Health Service of the UNM Student Health Center at 277-3136 for information about contraception, sexuality and relationships

Answer 5

When I first started the pills my major side effects were durning the first week of a new pack I was very angry and irritable. I got mad at the smallest things and would cry over something so stupid. It has stopped now, thank goodness. I hated the white pills, they drove me crazy.

Answer 6

You know birth control are pills. Be sure all medicines ( as those are combination of diff. ingredients/materials) have side effects if know or don't know but the side effect is always there.

Answer 7

If she looks at the book included with her pack of birthcontrol pills, it should give you a list of all the side effects, and symptoms that her certain pill can show. Hope this helps :)

Answer 8

There are many like mood swings irregular periods or no periods at all a very rare side effect is cancer. Your girlfriend needs to speak to her doctor about all of this if she is worried.

Answer 9

Yes. It depends on the individual. Symptoms can be spotting, weight gain, acne, hair loss, hair growth, heavy bleeding, mood swing irritability,anything can be considered side effects, since women are all different.

Answer 10

it may make her fatter,increase her menstrual flow the effect varies from one individual to another