Contraceptive methods

Did you know that the pill can help with treating acne, help with PMS and with endometriosis?

Well, it can. We kind of take the pill for granted now, but it hasn't always been legal in the Republic. It has so many other medical uses, including treating heavy periods. One of the main ways that women in the 70's asked for the prescription, and it just happened to prevent pregnancy too.

 

The most common version of the contraceptive pill contains oestrogen and progesterone and prevents ovulation. By the ovaries not releasing an egg, there is nothing for the sperm to fertilize. Its constant cyclical dosage of hormone also helps to regulate periods, and makes them lighter. Thanks to this the pill can therefore help premenopausal women with heavy bleeding and hence anaemia. Likewise with women who experience sever Premenstrual syndrome with discomfort and anxiety not disimilar to a brief spout of clinical depression and can be disabling. Bloating, fatigue, breast tenderness and irritability can all be helped with the pill by controlling hormone levels.

 

Something less commonly known is that is is widely used for the treatment of acne in women. One formulation is well known for reducing oily skin and has anti-androgen properties making it a good acne treatment. Some research also suggests that the combined pill is as effective as antibiotics in treating the skin condition, especially with not wanting to overprescribe antibiotics.

 

It can also help with endometriosis, a condition when tissue lining implants itself outside the uterus. It can be unpleasant and painful and can even cause fertility problems. The pill can't cure the women that suffer from this but by making their periods shorter and lighter can ease their suffering.

 

There are also rumours about its role in the prevention of endometrial cancer. A study from Oxford University analysing 36 studies of 140 thousand women from all over the world found that it appeared that there was a 24% reduction in the risk of this cancer for every 5 years that a woman took the contraceptive pill. Its preventative effects also continued apparently for up to 30 years after the woman stops using the contraceptive.