Birth control pill: Who should not use hormonal contraception

Birth control pills, hormone coils or contraceptives: contraception is still done by women in most couples. Most popular: the pill. However, this poses dangers.

Swallow the small pill once a day and the risk of pregnancy is practically eliminated: Many women choose this convenient method of contraception. In gynecologists' offices it is raining prescriptions, some doctors also recommend hormonal contraception against bad skin. However, you should not take the birth control pill lightly: it is a medication that can have drastic side effects.

Mini pill and micro pill: This is the difference

There are various types of birth control pills, all of which contain different active ingredients. These include:

• Combination preparations with the hormones estrogen and progestogen
• Micro pill with estrogen and progestogen, whereby the estrogen content is extremely low
• Mini pill or progestogen pill with the active ingredient progestogen

The combination pill is considered a "classic pill". Due to the combination of active ingredients, it should ensure particularly high security. It contains estrogen, which prevents egg cells from maturing. The progestin contained changes the consistency of the uterine lining, which means that sperm are less able to get to the egg . The hormone progestogen also prevents ovulation. However, classic combination products are hardly used anymore.

The micro pill also uses progestin and estrogen , with the former being dosed much lower. It is considered to be significantly better tolerated than other combination products, which is why it is the most commonly prescribed contraceptive pill. It is characterized by fewer estrogen-related side effects such as headache *, nausea and vomiting.

The mini pill and the progestogen pill contain no estrogen. It is mainly prescribed for women who are not allowed to take the micropill, for example because they smoke, are overweight or have high blood pressure * .

Read also : Contraception with pill: health insurance companies pay longer .

Survey on the subject

Family background stress plays an important role in choosing the method of contraception

Anyone who wants to use the contraceptive pill should always be informed about possible risks by the gynecologist . After a conversation about underlying illnesses and family history, for example due to many cancer cases and thromboses in the immediate family, the doctor will decide which contraceptive method is suitable. Possible side effects of the most common birth control pills are listed below.

Possible side effects of the micro pill:

• Menstrual bleeding, nausea, breast tenderness, headache, mood swings, water retention, weight gain
• Thromboses that result in a stroke * or pulmonary embolism and can be fatal (risk factors such as family history, smoking, being overweight *, high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus or long-distance flights increase the risk of thrombosis and speak against taking the micropill)
• Breast cancer and cervical cancer risk may increase if you take the pill

More on the topic : Birth control pill for men passes the test phase - will it be available from us soon ?

Possible side effects of the mini pill:

• Menstrual disorders such as spotting or breakthrough bleeding
• Cycles can be very short or very long
• If pregnancy occurs despite taking it *, the risk of ectopic pregnancy is increased

There are also side effect-free alternatives to the contraceptive pill. This includes contraception using a contraceptive computer and the temperature method.

Sources : www.tk.de ; www.frauenaerzte-im-netz.de

In the video: This happens to your body when you stop taking the pill

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* merkur.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network .