Combined oral contraceptives or birth control pills are medications containing two hormones – estrogen and progestin in various combinations, which are close to the natural sex hormones produced in the ovary of each woman. In contraceptive pills it is used estrogen component – ethinyl estradiol and progestin component – levonorgestrel or norethindrone (a synthetic analogue of progesterone). Alesse Birth Control, for example in its composition has ethinyl estradiol and levonorgestrel.
Birth control pills effectiveness is explained by presence of several mechanisms of action.
How Do Combined Birth Control Pills Work?
As an example, Canadian Health&Care Mall will take Alesse Birth Control. This contraceptive performs in the following way:
- suppressing ovulation ( maturation of ovum and egg release);
- contributing to mucus thickening in cervix, making it impenetrable to sperm;
- altering uterine lining, making it impossible for fertilized egg to attach;
- reducing locomotor ability of sperm in fallopian tubes.
- The combination of all these factors makes combined oral birth control pills the most effective method of preventing unwanted pregnancy.
Combined oral contraceptives are of three types:
- monophasic comprises 21 birth control pills with the same amount of estrogen and progestin.
- biphasic comprises 21 pills with two different combinations of estrogen and progestin Alesse Birth Control is included in this list.
- Three phase contain 21 pills with three different combinations of estrogen and progestin and such pills of birth control differ in color. Their reception completely imitates secretion of estrogen and progestogen during a normal menstrual cycle.
Since estrogen and progestogen content varies in three phases during the menstrual cycle, which are taken into account when taking three phase contraceptive.
To a lesser extent, biphasic birth control pills are physiological, monophasic contraceptives – much more lesser. However, it does not mean that the best contraceptive pills are three-phase. Every woman is individual, so that birth control medication should be selected individually. Some women take generic Alesse Birth Control pills, some – Mircette. In general case, Canadian Pharmacy Mall points out that monophasic pills are more suitable for young women.
For women in middle age (after 27 years), three-phase birth control pills are selection variant. Package of monophasic contraceptive pills usually contains 21 (sometimes 28 pills, 7 of which – “placebo”), three-phase – 28. Alesse obtains packages with 21 and 28 pills simultaneously.
Furthermore pills differ in dosage of estrogen and progestin.
Hormonal contraceptive pills advantages:
- high efficiency;
- immediate effect, if you start taking contraceptives up to 7 day of cycle;
- very few risk factors;
- few side effects;
- have no effect on sexual intercourse;
- convenient and easy to use;
- easy to discontinue;
- large number of positive effects;
- combined birth control pills prevent some infertility causes.
Useful Properties of Combined Birth Control Pills
In addition to effective protection against unwanted pregnancy, this method has many positive impact on women’s health.
Using birth control pills:
- a woman may feel less pain during menstruation;
- menstruation may themselves become less abundant and shorter.
- menstrual cycle becomes regular;
- this method is recommended for women with irregular menstrual cycles.
Inhibiting ovulation, oral contraceptives prevent ectopic pregnancy and if a woman has had an ectopic pregnancy, it makes sense to take combined birth control pill (an ectopic pregnancy is cause of a large number of deaths among women). Combined oral contraceptive significantly reduces risk of ovarian cancer and endometrial (uterus lining).
In addition, use of this method protects against some of factors that cause pelvic inflammatory disease, as when using combined pill, amount of menstrual blood reduces, which is a good digest medium for bacteria.
Besides pills thicken cervical mucus and for microorganisms it is difficult to overcome this barrier. It should be noted that birth control pill of combined origin prevents some of causes of infertility and increase likelihood of pregnancy after discontinuation. Taking pills reduce osteoporosis risk.
Disadvantages of birth control pills:
- self-discipline and self-control for the daily administration;
- each missed pill increases the risk of pregnancy;
- you need to constantly buy birth control pills but it is easy to do with Canadian Health&Care Mall: healthcaremall4you.com;
- effectiveness of this method can be reduced when taking certain medications;
- if you want to have a baby, then ability to get pregnant can not get back to you immediately (usually 2-3 months after expected time);
- But remember that this is not necessarily, and if you do not want to have a child, but stopped taking tablets for some reason, pregnancy can occur at once;
- possible serious side effects: heart attack, stroke, venous thrombosis;
- it does not protect against sexually transmitted diseases and AIDS.
Absolute birth control pills contraindications are:
- existing or potential pregnancy;
- lactation period;
- liver disease;
- cardio-vascular system (thrombosis, stroke, heart attack, etc.);
- active smoking;
- age – 35 years and old;
- diabetes (progressive or long-started);
- expressed headache (migraine);
- high blood pressure (hypertension);
- breast cancer (now or in the past);
- liver tumors.
Combined oral contraceptives (Generic Alesse Birth Control as well) are recommended for intake:
- sexually active young women;
- couples wishing to have a highly effective method of preventing unintended pregnancy;
- nulliparous women;
- sexually active adolescents;
- non-breastfeeding postpartum women;
- women who want to prevent pregnancy immediately after abortion;
- women with painful menstruation and irregular menstrual cycles;
- girls with acne;
- women with anemia;
- women with an ectopic pregnancy in the past;
- women with recurrent functional ovarian cysts or with a family history of ovarian cancer.