The Pill And Side Effects Continued

Common Side Effects

These side effects are commonly experienced by women taking the Pill:

• Weight gain (sorry ladies!)
• Nausea
• Sore or swollen breasts
• Lighter periods
• Spotting (small amounts of blood) between periods
• Mood changes

These side effects are usually minor and may go away over time.

Less Common (and Simply Ironic) Side-Effects of the Pill

In addition to these side effects, there is the potential for other side effects that are less common (and for some which are simply ironic). Not everyone will have all of these side effects, but they can be unpleasant:

• Acne: While, for some women, the pill helps to control acne, for others, the Pill gives them acne
• Hirsutism: The Pill causes thick hair to grow on some women's faces, backs and abdomens
• Migraines: For some women, oestrogen will exacerbate migraines
• Amenorrhea: Absent menstruation
• Lack of sex drive: The most ironic side effect of all; the Pill you take to ensure you can enjoy sex free from the risk of pregnancy kills the sex drive in one-quarter of all women who take it.
• Increase blood pressure: This increase makes thrombosis more likely, so have your blood pressure checked regularly while you're taking the Pill.
• Increased risk of tumours on the liver: Both benign and cancerous
• Increased risk of reoccurrence of gallstones: If you've had gallstones before, watch out for pain in your side, vomiting, yellowing of the skin and whites of your eyes (jaundice), and dark urine.

The Pill has its benefits and its side effects, but what of the worst claim levelled against the oral contraceptive Pill? What of the claim that taking the Pill is linked to an increased risk of breast cancer?

The Pill and Breast Cancer

The traditional claim has been that the Pill causes breast cancer. In 2010, refuting research by the Royal College of General Practitioners was released. Hannaford et al followed more than 46000 women in the United Kingdom for up to 39 years. Some of the women took the contraceptive Pill, some had never taken it. It was found that those who had never the Pill were not at higher risk of death by Breast Cancer compared to those who had never used the Pill. It's also worth noting that the Pill users' (or former Pill users') risk of death by Ovarian and Uterine Cancers was considerably lower.

Should I Take the Pill?

The Pill is not suitable for everyone. If you have had a previous Thrombosis, or suffer from a blood-clotting condition called Hughes Syndrome (or Anti-Phospholipid Syndrome, APLS), you should not take the Pill. Some migraine sufferers should also avoid the Pill, as it could raise the risk of having a stroke.

Viable alternatives to the Pill could include condoms, the Mini-Pill, the Mirena coil, and the Depo-Provera injection (depending on your health and other circumstances). Always seek advice.

However, if you are physically healthy, and especially if you want to control your periods, the Pill could still be a viable form of contraception, allowing you to take charge of your sex-life.

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What Pill Should I Ask For

When you go see your doctor, or prescribing nurse, ask for a low-dose hormone from the second-generation of contraceptives. Some of the third-generation (such as Yasmin) have recently been linked to a higher risk of Thrombosis. If you experience any of the side-effects discussed, or are feeling ill in a way you didn't expect, see your doctor.

Remember: It's your body. And you must feel happy with the choices you make for your own body.