Is Birth Control Used Only To Prevent Pregnancy?

Birth control has a beneficial effect on women other than pregnancy that some don’t know about. Hormonal birth control has been very useful to many women in the area of preventing unwanted pregnancy. Some women cannot do without it, and to some, it has shaped their lifestyle in the way they want to live.

Most of the birth control methods, the non-hormonal, the hormonal, the pill, IUDs, implants, and patches, offer a range of benefits apart from pregnancy control.

These benefits of birth control don’t even need to be involved with sex. Women who know what they want to achieve embrace the use of it with confidence. The type of birth control methods you are using does not matter in this case. Whether short term or long term birth control, there are always many options to choose from other than the pill.

All these methods have potential benefits of using birth control other than preventing pregnancy. The beauty of current contraceptive pills is that estrogens now have low content value.

Birth Control Methods

The 10 Benefits of Using Birth Control Other Than Pregnancy Are:-

  1. Birth control Helps To Regulate The Menstrual Cycle:-

The use of hormonal birth control methods might balance the hormonal fluctuations which happen throughout your cycle. Dr. B. Gray who is a professor of Obstetrics and gynecology at Duke University Medical Center in conjunction with his colleagues found that the main reasons women use birth control for non-contraceptive purposes is due to problematic menstrual cycles.

Most women with irregular menstrual cycles might not be ovulating normally. But when they start using birth control pills, their menstrual cycles could be regulated to function normally again.

The normal average menstrual cycle is 28 days.  To some, it can range from 21-35 days. In case your menstrual cycle is shortened to 21 days, that is considered irregular. The function of birth control is to stop ovulation. That means all the symptoms associated with normal ovulation when taking birth control are circumvented. Thus, the proper use of birth control methods help women in regulating or stabilizing their menstrual cycle.

2. Birth Control Stops Your Flow:-

Depending on the birth control of choice, most birth control methods used to stop blood flow during periods are the hormonal IUD and Depo- Provera. Though some school of thought says that birth control affects fertility and cause weight gain. Weight gained using birth control at the onset is minimal, which will be shed off with time. There are no proven facts that confirm that birth control affects fertility. But the truth of it is no medication that does not have its advantages and disadvantages. The best advice on any issue of health is to confide with your doctor.

3. Birth Control Reduces Menstrual Pains:-

Painful menstrual pain is also known as dysmenorrhea and is the most common menstrual disorder in women. Almost half populations of women experience this type of pain especially during their first two days of the period. Birth control pills and the IUD which contain Estrogen and Progestin can be used in conquering the effects of dysmenorrhea.

Dysmenorrhea occurs when the levels of prostaglandins (a chemical in the body with hormone-like qualities) are high. As the level of prostaglandins increases in the lining of the uterus, pain tends to occur. However, as the lining is shed, pain decreases. So the use of birth control prevents this to happen.

4. Birth Control Takes Care Of Acne And Small Body Hair Growth:-

Acne caused by the hormone-related activity of androgen triggers oil glands in the skin to buildup. According to the American Academy of a dermatologist, birth control pill can be a useful tool in combating hormonal acne.  Androgen is a male sex hormone. And pills which decreased androgenic activity help decreased the level of androgen in the woman system, which tends to improve acne.

This is not a guaranteed way of treating acne. Ladies should be aware that not all birth control methods are effective for treating acne. The use of a complementary combination of one or two brings a good result. You still need the advice of your doctor to achieve the best result.

5. Birth Control Helps In Alleviating PCOS, PMS, & PMDD Conditions:-

PCOS which means Polycstic Ovary Syndrome, is a condition that’s diagnosed for women with (1) irregular menstrual cycles, (2) a lack of menstrual cycles, (3) signs of excess male hormones (Androgen).  PCOS can be managed by the use of birth control if there are no other underlying causes of it.  

PMS, on the other hand, occurs when mood changes in women during menstrual periods. PMDD which is an extreme version of PMS is both caused by hormonal fluctuations before or during the menstrual week. The majority of the birth control methods used to stop ovulation serve as a beneficial factor. Either you use the pill, the patch, the ring, and injections, they all point to the same benefit. They all help to alleviate both the PMS and PMDD symptoms.

6. Birth Control Reduces The Risk Of Uterine Cancer

Hormonal birth control also has some long-term benefits. Statistics revealed that women who take combination birth control pills were 50 percent less likely to get uterine cancer. The combination of the birth control hormone tends to balance the side effect of each other, making the uterine wall viable. These effects can last for a very long time even if you have stopped using the pill.

7. Birth Control Reduces The Risk Of Ovarian Cyst.

Ovarian cysts are small, fluid-filled sacs that are formed in your ovaries during ovulation. You can’t have any serious complications through them, but they can be painful at times. Some women with PCOS have a large number of small cysts in their ovaries, thereby preventing ovulation. Hormonal birth control can prevent these cysts from forming inside the ovaries. Sometimes they also stop former cysts from re-growing.

8. Birth Control Helps In Endometriosis

Endometriosis is a condition where the tissue lining the uterus grows in other places apart from the uterus. It is a painful condition and it might result in bleeding during your period. When the tissue bleeds in places where blood can’t easily get out of the body, it causes pain and inflammation. Because hormonal birth control helps in skipping this process, it can be added as a benefit of using birth control.

9. Birth control Reduce The Risk Of Anemia

During the menstrual flow period, some women experience very heavy bleeding. Any time you have heavy bleeding; there is always the loss of blood. This can result in what is called anemia. This is a condition when you have low red blood cells in your system.

Red blood cells it the transport medium of the body. When it is low, oxygen and digested food can’t be carried to their required destinations in the body.  This can lead to weakness and fatigue. The cases of anemia can adequately be prevented by the use of hormonal birth control methods. It enables you to stay strong, healthy without any symptoms of menstrual disorder.

10. Birth Control Helps In managing Migraines

Migraine is an intense type of headache that affects most people especially women. Hormonal changes might be the major trigger cause for migraines in some women. Experts in the field of gynecologists think menstrual migraines are linked to a drop in estrogen and progesterone. Because you’re on birth control methods either as a continuous pill, implant, or IUD, or injection, it can help to avoid this drop.

With the other benefits of using birth control listed above, is it only used to prevent pregnancy? I believed the questions have been answered.

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