Oral contraceptives are used by many women , especially in high-income countries
Whichever brand is taken , the oral contraceptive pill is acknowledged as having an increased risk of blood clots . It ’ s also not suitable for everyone , especially those who are 35 years or older and smoke , who are very overweight , or who take certain other medications .
There are progesterone-only contraceptives that are also safe to use while breast feeding . However , the problem with these is more in their application since they can lead to problems such as very irregular bleeds , sometimes resulting in prolonged periods without bleeding or very frequent bleeds .
“ It may not be convenient to use that type of contraception , though it ’ s still used for patients who are contraindicated for oestrogen , which means that progesterone is an alternative available ,” said Dr Haris .
Another form of oral contraception , the so-called morning-after pill , is a form of progesterone-only medication . Given as a single dose , it changes the mucous in the cervix , making it more impenetrable .
It also changes the environment in the endometrial lining , making it impossible for an embryo to implant . It has to be given within a certain timeframe after sex � three or five days , depending on the brand � to be effective and should be used only once in a cycle .
It ’ s important to note that the morning-after pill does not continue to protect against pregnancy ; if there ’ s unprotected sex at any time after taking it , there ’ s a chance of conception .
Neither is it intended to be used as a regular form of contraception , although Dr Haris says this can happen but could lead to side effects .
“ Some patients get carried away with it and use it often , so they might take it once every week because they ’ re more sexually active , for example , but then they may find they have no periods for quite a while because it suppresses you after frequent use of it . Either you get very suppressed , or you start to get
GlobalHealthAsiaPacific . com AUGUST 2021
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