Oral pills, or more correctly, the oral contraceptive pills, are medications taken by mouth that are designed to prevent pregnancy in women. Their main job is to prevent pregnancy but have many other health benefits as well. World- wide oral contraceptives are the most popular form of birth control to date.
1) These pills come in a pack of 21 or 24 or 28 tablets. One tablet need to be taken every day, preferably at the same time after meals. If it is a 21 tablet pack, a gap of 7 days should be given before starting the next pack. In a 24 tablet pack the gap should be 4 days and in a 28 tablet pack no gap days are required before starting the next pack.
2) These pills are mostly used to prevent or plan a pregnancy at the right time but their other uses are to treat menstrual cramps, heavy period bleeding, and painful menstruation. Your doctor needs to prescribe the right combination and dosage of pill components. The pills should be taken on a regular basis for 2-3 months for the benefits to show completely.
3) Anytime these pills are started by a woman, the contraceptive efficacy starts only after the first 7 tablets have been consumed. Till that time, one needs to take another additional back-up protection from pregnancy. To be effective one pill needs to be taken preferably at the same hour each day. That is required for the pills to work. Missing the intake of a single pill increases the risk of pregnancy. If one misses two tablets consecutively, a back-up method for protection must be used along with continuation of pills.
4) The oral contraceptive pills may cause nausea, slight weight gain (up to 1-2 kg), frequent headaches, blood clots, irregular spotting, mood changes, and breast tenderness. Patients who are previously diagnosed with health conditions such as stroke, liver disease, heart attack, breast cancer, and diabetes are advised not to use these pills. Those who smoke or are over 35 years old should also take extra care when on them.
5) However, their health benefits are far more than the side effects and these include reducing the monthly blood loss during her periods and she becomes less prone to cramping. The chance of developing cancer of the uterus or of the ovaries is also decreased if oral pills are used for many years. The other diseases that it may regulate are ovarian cysts, anemia, endometriosis, and breast diseases.