People with a history of depression are recommended to discuss this with their medical provider, as some people do experience depression or other emotional changes while taking the pill. However, many people taking the pill report experiencing some fluid retention, especially in the breast and hip areas.įat cells can also be affected by the estrogen in birth control pills, although the hormone causes the cells to become larger rather than more numerous. Weight gainĬlinical studies have found no consistent association between the use of birth control pills and weight fluctuations. Anyone who experiences new onset of headaches when taking the pill should seek medical attention. Headache symptoms are likely to improve over time. Some studies have previously suggested that headaches are least likely to occur with pills that contain low doses of hormones. Pills with different types and doses of hormone may result in different headache symptoms. The sex hormones have an effect on the development of headaches and migraine. Reducing caffeine and salt intake can decrease breast tenderness, as can wearing a supportive bra. This side effect tends to improve a few weeks after starting the pill, but anyone who finds a lump in the breast or who has persistent pain or tenderness or severe breast pain should seek medical help. Breast tendernessīirth control pills may cause breast enlargement or tenderness. Some people experience mild nausea when first taking the pill, but symptoms usually subside after a short period of time. Taking the pill with food or at bedtime can help lower the likelihood of nausea. Anyone experiencing persistent or severe nausea should seek medical guidance from our office. Inter-menstrual spotting may occur due to the uterus adjusting to having a thinner endometrial lining, or maybe due to the body adjusting to having different levels of hormones. People who experience 5 or more days of bleeding while on active pills or heavy bleeding for 3 or more days should contact our office for advice. Generally, this resolves in over 90% of cases by the third pill pack.ĭuring spotting, the pill is still effective as long as it has been taken correctly and no doses were missed. Intermenstrual spottingĪpproximately 50% of people using the pill experience vaginal bleeding between expected periods – also known as breakthrough bleeding – most commonly within the first 3 months of starting to take the pill. Let’s look at each of these birth control pill side effects in detail below: 1.
#Common side effect of birth control professional#
Leaving women's bodies out of research creates holes in the science and professional community's understanding of how women's bodies work and should be treated in the medical world - and research on birth control and depression is no exception.Common side effects of oral contraceptives include: intermenstrual spotting, nausea, breast tenderness, headaches, weight gain, mood changes, missed periods, decreased libido, vaginal discharge and visual changes with contact lenses. For example, in 1977, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended that women of "childbearing age" be left out of clinical research in the wake of a scandal involving a drug that turned out to cause birth defects. Even by the late 20th century as researchers began to recognize the stark differences between medical interventions for men and women, they often chose not to forgo using women participants due to a lack of understanding of the menstrual cycle and how it may impact results in scientific research, per the NWHN. This is largely due to doctors' incorrect belief that women and men were the same on a cellular level, according to the National Women's Health Network (NWHN), and thus experts overwhelmingly chose to conduct research on men.
All of this iffy research stems from the historical underrepresentation of women in medical research, particularly women of color.
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