What are the side effects of birth control pills? and what are they for?

Question

I'm asking this because my doctor said I need to take them. My parents agreed..and well, I'm scared. I'm 13, and i'm not using them for sex or what ever, but i have to use them because of my really long periods. I have to take them for about 3/4 months. So what are the side effects? Will is change me mentally? What are they used for? Pleae n thanks!

No, she didn't do an ultrasound..... what is that?

But how long should you take them??? I have to take them once a day.. but do some people take them for years once a day???

Answer 1

The pills can be to regulate you, to alleviate you of PMS, and to help protect against pregnancy.

What brand are you on?

You could take them for the amount of time the doctor said to, or they could be taken for a undetermined amount of time.

Google your pill brand and look up the side affects.

Answer 2

There are other reasons for taking the pill other than for birth control. Many women take them to "regulate" their periods. Some take them for severe menstrual cramping. I take a certain pill (Yaz) strictly for treating my PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder).

That being said... there are some side effects that may come with taking the pill, most of which do go away within the first couple of months. Nausea and headache are two of the main ones. Keep in mind that not all women get side effects. Some get some, some get few, some don't get them at all. And, remember that all pills will effect people in different ways. What might affect you won't affect another.

I have to ask... did your doctor do an ultrasound of your uterus and ovaries to possibly find the cause of your long periods?

They shouldn't change you mentally, though some pills do cause some depression in women. If you find that you are getting depressed, then by all means tell the doctor.

The pill that you start out on won't necessarily be the pill that you end up with. I wish you all the best.

....
An ultrasound is an imaging technique used to diagnose certain conditions/disorders. It upsets me that your doctor just went ahead and presribed the pill for your long periods without trying to find out the cause of the long periods. Don't worry, ultrasounds are not painful. I've had many of them done myself to check for fibroids, polyps, cysts, and during my pregnancies.

The pill is taken by many women, some for a short time, some for a longer period of time, depending on their reasons for taking it.

Answer 3

I got on birth control pills at 15 because I hadn't had my period in a couple of years (I got it at 11 and then it stopped after awhile). My hormones were out of whack. I have taken bc pills for almost 15 years now with no side effects. However, when you get older, do not change to lighter dose pills. I did that and got pregnant. Having an abortion is not fun.

Answer 4

hey girl, im a medical assistant and i can tell u the pros and cons of birth control pills. i too get heavy, painful periods but i cant get on birth control because of my migraines. the good thing is they do help with periods and most important they avoid u from getting pregnant. these pills kill the sperm before it reaches the egg and not let it get fertilized. the bad thing is u might one day engage in sex and forget to take this pill and get pregnant. another disadvantage would be that these pills make u gain weight, in other words, u get bloated. your breasts and other parts of your body may get a little bigger. from time to time you may also get some headaches. if this info. is not helpful to you, you can also look up information on birth control on the internet.

u also asked about ultrasound. that is a non-painful technique that uses a machine which
involves exposing part of the body to high-frequency sound waves to produce pictures of the inside of the body, to look for any signs of swelling, pain and infections of the ovary, uterus, kidneys etc. its very helpful in diagnosing.