Should i use contraception

Gray cares for transgender male patients who may still be menstruating. These methods can also be used for a cisgender woman who might want to stop her period.

There can come a time, especially for some women, where dark chocolate and heating pads cannot decrease the debilitating pain they experience during their periods.

Dysmenorrhea, also known as painful periods, is the most common menstrual disorder, with over 50 percent of women experiencing pain during at least days of their period, according to the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Dysmenorrhea is often caused largely by high levels of prostaglandins, chemicals in the body with hormone-like qualities. As their level increases in the lining of the uterus, pain tends to occur; however, as the lining is shed, the pain decreases.

Birth control methods, such as the pill and the IUD, that contain estrogen and progestin hormones can help treat dysmenorrhea. These medicines can be taken in a continuous way where there is no withdrawal bleed - so you may not get your period - if you take that way under the supervision of a physician.

However, the pill has different effects on every user. Your pain may be more severe. Endometriosis occurs when the endometrium, a layer of tissue that covers the inside of the uterus, grows outside of the uterus.

This leads to pain, especially during menstruation. Gray says. The effectiveness of each method is worked out by calculating how many women get pregnant if women use the method for a year. This is because people who use these methods have to use them every time they have sex, or remember to take or apply them every day, week or month. If you're a well-organised person with a reasonably regular routine, you have a wide choice of contraception.

This is because you're less likely to forget about your contraception by forgetting to take a pill or reapply a patch, for example. You may want to use a method that you only need to use when you have sex, such as the male or female condom, or you may prefer a method that you need to take every day, such as the pill. Or you may want to consider methods like the patch, injection or implant, which you do not need to use every day or each time you have sex.

Once you have looked at the list, ask your GP or a doctor or nurse at your local clinic for more details. The contraceptive injection can be given 1 of 2 ways: either by an intramuscular injection into the buttock, or as a subcutaneous injection into the thigh or abdomen. The subcutaneous injection can be given by a health professional, or you can be shown how to inject it yourself. If you'd like a method that's longer term and you do not mind a health professional putting a contraceptive into your uterus through your vagina, you could consider using:.

Some contraceptives can affect your periods. Some may make your periods lighter or more infrequent. Others may make your periods heavier or more irregular. Smokers can use most types of contraception. But if you're a smoker and over 35 years old, some contraceptives such as the combined pill, patch or the vaginal ring might not be suitable for you.

Find out how to stop smoking. Your weight will not affect most types of contraception, and most contraception will not make you put on weight. But the contraceptive injection has been linked to a small amount of weight gain if used for 2 years or more. Find out how to lose weight.

Some contraceptives work by using hormones that are similar to the hormones women produce naturally. These hormones are oestrogen and progestogen. Contraceptives that contain these hormones aren't suitable for some women, such as those who have medical conditions like breast cancer. If you cannot use contraceptives that contain oestrogen, there are plenty of other options, including:. Some contraceptives can be affected if you're taking other medicines, but there are plenty of options.

All methods of contraception can be stopped if you want to have a baby. You can get pregnant as soon as you stop using contraception. A woman's fertility usually returns to normal within the first month after stopping the combined pill , vaginal ring or contraceptive patch.

If you want your fertility to return to normal quickly after you stop using contraception, consider these methods:. Most women's fertility will return in a few months, but it can take up to a year for fertility to return to normal.

Page last reviewed: 3 January Next review due: 3 January Which method of contraception suits me? Talk to your healthcare provider if you are still experiencing side effects from your birth control pills after three months—this may mean that your birth control pill brand may need to be changed. Serious problems do not occur very often with the pill. Typically, birth control pills are much safer than pregnancy and childbirth. Women who use combination birth control pills may have a slightly greater chance of certain medical issues than nonusers.

The risk increases:. The most serious complication of combination birth control pill use has to do with developing a blood clot in your heart, lungs, brain, or legs. If you are planning to have a major operation, you should inform your surgeon that you are using combination birth control pills. If you have a history of depression, you may not be able to continue to take birth control pills if your depression worsens.

When deciding whether or not to use the pill, you and your healthcare provider should discuss the pros and cons as they relate specifically to you. Be sure you also discuss possible interactions with other medications you might be taking if you both feel that the pros outweigh the cons, and you are a good candidate for the pill. Most women who stop using the pill do so for reasons that are unrelated to side effects.

That being said, keep in mind that it may take some trial and error with various pill brands until you find the brand that works best with your body. Research shows that birth control pills do not cause weight loss or gain. But remember that birth control pills do not protect against STDs, so another method should be used to prevent disease. It is safe but combination birth control pills may decrease your milk supply.

The alternative is a progestin-only pill as those do not decrease milk production in breastfeeding women. Birth control pills start preventing pregnancy up to 7 days into your first cycle. Sign up for our Health Tip of the Day newsletter, and receive daily tips that will help you live your healthiest life. Office on Women's Health.

Birth control methods. Updated April 24, The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Obstet Gynecol. National Cancer Institute. Oral contraceptives and cancer risk. Updated February 22, Oral contraceptive discontinuation: do side effects matter? Am J Obstet Gynecol. Committee on Gynecolic Practice. Cherala G, Edelman A.

How can we improve oral contraceptive success in obese women? Expert Rev Clin Pharmacol. Lee CR.