Are there any side effects of oral contraceptives?

Many people take some contraceptive measures because they don't want to have children too early. For example, wearing condoms, placing contraceptive rings in the uterus, taking oral contraceptives for women, etc. Oral contraceptives are the simplest and most convenient contraceptive measures, so many people will take this measure. However, long-term use of birth control pills can have some adverse effects on women. So, what are the side effects of oral contraceptives?

1. Early pregnancy-like reactions: A small number of people may experience nausea, vomiting, dizziness, loss of appetite, drowsiness and other reactions similar to early pregnancy after taking the medicine. The short-acting effects are milder, while the incidence of long-acting effects is higher in the first 2 to 3 months of medication. These reactions are due to the effects of estrogen in contraceptives and usually occur 5 to 6 hours after taking short-acting oral contraceptives or 12 hours after taking long-acting oral contraceptives.

2. Brown spots on the skin: Some women who have taken the medicine for a long time may develop butterfly spots on their cheeks like those during pregnancy. This is pigmentation caused by estrogen and progesterone. It is more likely to occur in people who already have pigmentation during pregnancy after taking birth control pills, and it is related to sun exposure.

3. Increased vaginal discharge: Generally, the incidence rate increases 2 to 3 months after taking the medication. This is because the estrogen in the medication increases the secretion of cervical glands. Leucorrhea is a colorless, transparent, thin watery liquid. It has no effect on your health and generally does not require treatment. You can take leucorrhea-stopping tablets, Bazhen Decoction, etc., which have certain therapeutic effects.

4. Depression: Because contraceptives interfere with tryptophan metabolism, a small number of people may experience depression while taking the medication. The medication should be stopped for observation and appropriate antidepressant treatment should be used.

5. Drug-induced rash: It may manifest as nodular erythematous papules, scar rash or simple rash, which may be itchy.

6. Increased blood pressure: This is more common with long-acting contraceptives. Among people with normal blood pressure, only a few (about 4%) had increased blood pressure after taking the medicine; among people with existing hypertension, about 20% had further increased blood pressure after taking the medicine. If high blood pressure is found, stop taking the medicine immediately.

Frequent use of oral contraceptives will not only cause irregular menstruation and abnormal leucorrhea in women, but also cause symptoms such as obesity and depression in women. and

If a person who is taking birth control pills wants to get pregnant, they must wait six months after stopping the pills, because a shorter period of time may cause the fetus to be harmed by the drugs.