Pill 08

De biorousso
Aller à la navigation Aller à la recherche

--XiaoranY 27 janvier 2009 à 16:38 (MET)--AdeleS 27 janvier 2009 à 16:39 (MET)

What is a pill?

The Combined Oral Contraceptive Pill (COCP) is also known as the birth-control pill, or simply "the Pill". It consists of a combination of two female hormones: estrogen (oestrogen) and progestin (progestogen). These hormones will stop (if used correctly, this goes without saying!) the female user from ovulating (producing an egg each month)and since no egg will be produced, fertilization by the contact of sperm will not happen, and there will be no risk of pregnancy.

Do different sorts of pill exist?

Yes! Three different sorts of pills exist: the Combination Pill, the Progestin-only Pill (POP) and the Emergency Contraceptive Pill (ECP).

Let's begin with the combination pill, which, as it's name indicates, consists of an oral contraceptive containing a combination of two female hormones: estrogen and progestin. The term Birth control pill often refers to this type of pill. The advantages and disadvantages of this type of pill will be spoken of later on.

The second type of pill is the progestin-only pill, or mini-pill. This different sort of pill contains no estrogen. This makes it milder and reduces it's side-effects, but it also makes it less effective. The progestin-only pill is ideal for women who are breastfeeding, because estrogen reduces milk production, and the mini-pill is estrogen-free. This type of pill is also the best choice for women who cannot take estrogen. It is also known that as the years go by, the safest choice for ageing women is to switch to the mini-pill. This is due to the fact that the risk factors increase (ex: thrombosis, we will speak about this situation in the advantages/disadvantages of the Pill) with age, and the regular combination pill can become riskier to take. This pill can also be taken by women smoking, because the cigarette causes a breakdown of estrogen, so it is unuseful to take a combination pill containing estrogen.But smoking is dangerous anyway!

The third type of pill is the emergency contraceptive pill. The important fact to know about this sort of pill is that it is not intended to be used as a regular contraceptive method. They are designed for emergency situations, like the prevention of pregnancy after unprotected sex.

How does the pill function?

Most birth control pills are "combination pills" containing a combination of the hormones estrogen and progesterone to prevent ovulation. When you take the Pill, the artificial hormones contained in it will trick your body into thinking it is already pregnant. Ovulation usually occurs at mid-cycle, but if you are using the Pill as a contraceptive method, nothing will happen. No egg will be released from the ovaries, so no fertilization will be able to occur. No fertilization means no risk of pregnancy. When a woman takes the Pill, her menstrual cycle will not function as it would naturally. The natural menstrual cycle will stop but hormone withdrawl bleeds will still take place. This means that during the week when the woman takes a break from the Pill, the input of artificial hormones will stop, and this resulting in the shedding of the uterine's lining. A shorter and lighter period will then take place. The pill also works by thickening the mucus around the cervix, which makes it difficult for sperm to enter the uterus and reach any eggs that may have been released. The hormones in the Pill can also sometimes affect the lining of the uterus, making it thinner and beacuse of this, it is more difficult for an egg to attach to the wall of the uterus.

Does the Emergency Pill work the same way?

Since this specific type of Pill, also known as the morning-after pill, is taken after sexual intercourse, it's way of preventing pregnancy is different than the combined Pill, or mini-pill.

First of all, the emergency pill is not meant to be used as a regular method of contraception. It was designed for the use of women who have just had an unprotected sexual relationship. (failure of other mean of contraception, rape...)

Another useful fact to know is that the morning-after pill does not contain exactly the same hormones as the combined Pill. The most effective ones only contain progestogen. (this is the same hormone that women naturally produce in their ovaries)

The Emergency Pill is different from the combined Pill and mini-pill in another way: the woman who will ask for it in a pharmacy will not get a box of 21-22 tablets, but only one pill. This pill must be taken whithin 3 days (72 hours) after having had unprotected sex. It also seems obvious that the sooner it is taken, the more effective it will be.

This method of contraception will also act differently than the combined pill or mini-pill. If used correctly (taken in the 3 day time delay), it is most likely to:- prevent ovulation (stop an egg being released) - delay ovulation or even - stop a fertilised egg from implanting in the user's uterus (womb)

This last point ( -stop a fertilised egg from implanting in the user's uterus (womb))is a reason why some pro-life thinking groups consider this type of emergency contraception as unethical. This brings us to the whole dilemma of when life begins...the pro-life groups against this method of contraception believe that life begins when the egg is fertilised, and this explains their strong ideas against the emergency pill. If you want to go a bit deeper in this ethical/unethical debate, we strongly advise you to have a look at our fellow collegues wiki:http://edutechwiki.unige.ch/biorousso/Contraception_Ethics_08

When and how should the user take it?

When a woman asks for the Pill( combination or mini-pill) in a pharmacy, she is given a pack of 21 or 22 Pills, and one of them must be taken every day for three weeks. At the end of those three weeks, she takes a one-week break and stops taking it. It is during those seven days that her period will happen. This is due to the fact that she has stopped taking the Pill. After those seven days, she can start the whole process again with a different pack.

Some packs of pills exist with 28 pills, 21 regular pills containing the two female hormones, and 7 placebo pills. These placebo pills, sometimes containing iron, are useful if the female user is afraid of forgetting to start taking the Pill again, after the seven-day break. They permit the woman to take a pill everyday, reducing the chances of forgetting pills and skipping days, which is the main reason why the Pill is sometimes not completly effective.

Where can women get it and how much does it cost?

Women can find all types of Pills in a pharmacy if they have a doctor's agreement. Seeing a doctor before going on the Pill is safer because he will prescribe the pill that is the most appropriate to the patient's body/recations. The futur Pill-user will also be warned of the different risks etc. The pills are reimbursed by the insurence. If a woman needs to take an emergency pill, she has to be at least 16 years old, or be accompagnied by her parents. A teenage girl can get a pill without her parents knowing if she goes to the familial planning. It costs between 15 and 26 francs.

Advantages?

The Pill is known to have the following health advantages:

- It reduces considerably (even abolishes) period pains.

- It makes periods shorter and lighter.

- These two advantages result in smaller chance of becoming anaemic.

- The Pill also improves acne.

- The pill also permits women to avoid having their periods at inconvinient times. (this is due to the fact that with the Pill, they can plan when they will have their period.)

Disadvantages?

Along with the advantages, several disadvantages, or side-effects also accompagny the use of the Pill as a contraceptive method. The side-effects that are stated below usually occur during the first few packs of pills, and then disappear. If not, an easy solution to get rid of these side effects is to switch to another brand of pills.

- headaches

- nausea

- breast tenderness

- slight weight gain

- light spotting of blood between the periods.

Serious side effects are more rare, but they can occasionally happen, and knowing about them is already a way of preventing them...here is a list of the more serious side-effects:

- Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) or clotting. This is a rare condition, and when it occurs, it is usually within more mature women. This is due to the fact that the risk factors that can lead to this problem increase with age.

- heart attacks

- strokes

The good news is that these events are very rare. But a woman is more likely to have one of these problems if she has some of the following risk factors:

- being a smoker

- having a past family history of thrombosis, heart attacks, or similar illnesses

- being diabetic

- having high blood pressure

- having a high cholesterol level

Can every woman use the Pill?

The pill is for the women who want an excellent protection from pregnancy or who experience painful vaginal bleeding . Unfortunately, not every women can — or should — use the Pill. In some cases, medical or other conditions make the use of the Pill less effective or more risky. For example, it is not recommended for women who have certain types of cancers, or certain types of migraine headaches. This is why it is important to have a medical check-up before starting to use the Pill. This way you can be prescribed to the Pill that suits you the best. (ex: a smoker may not be prescribed to the same pill as a non-smoker or a woman with diabetes etc..)

Does age influence the means of contraception?

It has been shown (source: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=326) that women use different means of contraception according to their age. Women aged under 30 years are more likely to use the Pill or use the male condom as a method of contraception. The percent of women using the Pill in their late teens (18-19 years old) goes up to 55%. 38% of women in the same age rely on the use of the male condom. Statistics also show that only one third of women use the contraceptive pill in their early thirties (30-34 years old). And a mere one fifth of the women use the male condom. It has been shown (same source as above!) that sterilisation becomes a popular means of contraception in women aged 30 and more.

The Pill and STD's

The pill only prevents women from pregnancy, but it doesn't have any effect against Sexually Transmitted Diseases! This is why this method of contraception is best used for women who are in a monogamous relationship. And for the women who are into polygamous relationships, it is important to consider a second method of contraception in addition to the Pill. (ex: the male condom, which is very effective against STD's)

See STDs_08

The Pill: A controversial subject

The birth control Pill is considered today,by many women all around the world, as a successful method of contraception they can trust. But some pro-life groups disagree on this. Their arguments will be stated later on, but in summary, they consider the Pill as unethical, some groups even using the term of murder. Their main argument is the following: when a woman takes the Pill, she normaly does not ovulate..but if by any chance, she should release an egg, and during sexual intercourse it was fertilised by a sperm cell, the hormones contained in the Pill would kill the fertilised egg. (it would not be able to implant itself to the wall of the uterus, and would not survive.)If usual mainstream medecine does not consider this event as a pregnancy, some pro-life groups who have strong ideas against abortion do. Here is a quote from a family doctor, Dr. Cynthia Jones-Nosacek, on the subject of the Pill:It's called chemical abortion. This pro-life family doctor now refuses to prescribe the Pill to her patients, because her opinion is that it is a form of abortion. Her belief is that there are other ways to prevent the being from surviving (she is maybe referring to barrier methods such as the male condom) and that women should not rely on the Pill, beacuse it acts as an abortion. The Pill would kill the fertilised egg just as an abortion would kill a foetus. This is an example of an extreme pro-life point of view.

Pro-choice groups have reacted to these attacks by saying that the new objection of the Pill (leading to some doctors not prescribing it anymore etc) could lead to a larger number of unwanted pregnancies, the Pill being one of the most trusted and efficient means of contraception. This larger number of unwanted preganancies would eventualy lead to more abortions. Another essentiel pro-choice argument (that is more general because it could apply for all means of contraception, but still very efficient), is that the Pill promotes gender equality between men and women. In other words, women have the right to have some control over their body and possible pregnancies. This argument leads us to more general pro-life vs pro-choice debates over contraception, and permits us to make the link with the wiki page on Contraception Ethics. If this subject interests you, you will find much more information by clicking on the link below!


link with Contraception_Ethics_08

Can the Pill be taken in another form?

Our report focalises on the use of the Pill in form of a tablet, where the hormones contained in the Pill are ingested by the woman. But it is useful to know that this is, fortunately, not the only way to take the Pill. This method of contraception can also be found in the form of a patch or an implant. The implant is actually placed under the skin, from where it will release the exact same hormones as the tablet-like Pill. We have chosen to give a few more information on the contraceptive patch in the following article.

Using a contraceptive Pill as a contraceptive method is very similar to using a contraceptive patch. Let us say a few words on contraceptive patches and make a quick comparaison between the two means of contraception.

What is a contraceptive patch?

As the name indicates it, it is a contraceptive method in the form of a patch, that is stuck on to the female user's skin.

How does it work?

The patch, once stuck correctly on the woman's skin, will start releasing a daily dose of hormones through the skin, into the bloodstream. (this is why we say it is called a transdermal method of contraception.)Then, it works the same way as the contraceptive combined Pill. It's main function is to stop the ovaries from releasing an egg each month, this process is also known as ovulation. It will also, like the Pill, thicken the mucus from the cervix (this will make it tougher for the sperm to travel across it and reach an egg)and make the lining from the uterus thinner so it is less propice to accept a fertilized egg.

Advantages

- unlike the Pill, you do not have to remember to take it every day. You must just remember to replace the patch once a week. - It is easy to use and doesn't interupt sexual intercourse. - Since the Pill is absorbed by stomach, it can be a problem if it is rejected. This can not occur with the contraceptive patch, since the hormones reach the bloodstream by the skin. - Same as with the contraceptive pill, it makes, in most cases, your periods lighter, more regular and less painful. It also helps with PMS (prementrual syndrome)

Disadvantages

- It can be seen. - It can cause skin irritations in some women. - It may cause an increase in blood pressure. - Then a few temporaryside effects can appear when you first start using the contraceptive patch. THey include headaches, nausea, breast tenderness, and mood changes. - Breakthrough bleeding and spotting. - An important disadvantage, is that as the Pil, it does not protect against STD's! (so user's of the contraceptive patch can consider using a male condom as well.)

How do I use the contraceptive patch?

The idea is to apply a new patch once a week, during three weeks(21 days). Then there is a 7 day break where you do not apply the patch ( patch-free week). The patch cycle starts again after the seven day break.

It is very important to keep the patch stuck on, and to remember to replace it immediatly on change day, which is the the day you change your patch after seven day's use. If it falls off, or if you forget to change it, you can follow the detailed advice found in the contraceptive patch reference link. Detailed information is given for the different cases, ex: you had it off during 48 hours, or more etc.

Is the Contraceptive Patch effective?

The patch is as effcetive as the contraceptive Pill if used correctly and accordingly to instructions. This means for example not forgetting to re-apply a patch on change day and to keep it stuck on during the week. But the effectivness of the patch also depends on the user's personnal reaction to it. This is why it is again, like with the Pill, useful and safer to have a doctor prescribe it.

References

If you want more information on the Contraceptive Pill:

Further details on the Emergency Pill: http://www.fpa.org.uk/information/leaflets/documents_and_pdfs/detail.cfm?contentid=141

And for further facts on Contraceptive Patches:

Want to learn more on Pill ethics? This article can help:

back to Pregnancy_and_Contraception_3BIbDF02-03-04
back to Accueil

Récupérée de « https://edutechwiki.unige.ch/bioroussowiki/index.php?title=Pill_08&oldid=30296 »