Are you interested in learning about the benefits of birth control? While there can be many side effects to hormonal birth control, there are also many benefits of birth control and reasons women take the pill for more than just preventing pregnancy.
5 Other Benefits of Birth Control Besides Preventing Pregnancy
Whether it’s a NuvaRing commercial on TV, a post on social media about IUDs, or chit chat with a girlfriend about the Pill, birth control is less and less of a topic that’s kept hush-hush.
But – did you know there are several other potential benefits of birth control aside from preventing pregnancy? Here are a few we’d like to mention:
Regulating your period
When you first hit puberty, your mama might have told you that your menstrual cycle would take a while to even out in terms of timing. While this rings true for some people, others may never experience a predictable cycle naturally. With any kind of hormonal birth control, there’s a built-in time span that’s meant for your period to occur. The length of your period (or even how frequently you get your period) can change depending on what method you use, so be sure to talk to your doctor about what to expect with any particular type. Something that many women appreciate with hormonal birth control is that they can very reliably and accurately know when their period will occur and plan accordingly.
Treating acne
For those of you out there with stubborn breakouts that coincide with the fluctuations in your hormone levels, one benefit of birth control is that it may help! The hormones in many forms of birth control help to regulate the ones that your body creates on its own (sometimes in imbalance) that lead to aforementioned acne troubles. If your skin is an issue you have interest in addressing and you are also curious about beginning a birth control regimen for other reasons, it’s possible you’ll be able to kill two or more birds with one stone.
Lessening cramps and adjusting your flow
Those cramps in the lower part of your abdomen and your lower back are, arguably, one of the most widely-dreaded parts of getting your period. Menstrual cramps (known as dysmenorrhea) are caused by the uterus contracting in order to shed the lining that builds during your menstrual cycle. This squeezing, while necessary, can be painful – especially for those with heavy flows. Hormonal birth control can effectively thin your uterine lining, allowing for less cramps and less worry of “Is today gonna be the day I accidentally bleed through this pad?”
Easing PMS
Premenstrual syndrome, or PMS, can essentially be described as the cluster of symptoms that often flare up right before you’re due for your period: mood swings, bloating, fatigue, headaches, tenderness in the breasts, you name it. Like many other of the decidedly less-pleasant aspects of having your period, your PMS symptoms can be blamed by changes in your hormone levels. As with acne, smoothing out your changes in hormone levels can be effective in reducing the severity of your PMS.
Combatting other disorders
For women who have been diagnosed with disorders like PCOS or endometriosis, birth control can be a useful tool in helping to manage their condition. For example, many women with PCOS may skip their period for months at a time, and their androgen levels can be responsible for problems with acne and excessive hair growth. Hormonal birth control, as such, has become a relatively standard aspect of treatment for PCOS since it helps to balance your sex hormones.
While there are many benefits of birth control, just like pretty much anything in life, your own experience with birth control may not end up being the same as the experience of one of your sisters, your BFF, or your significant other.
If you are curious about starting birth control, whether specifically to prevent pregnancy or otherwise, don’t hesitate to schedule an appointment with one of our professionals. We’ll talk with you about what you want in a birth control regimen, what side effects you can expect with each method, and work with you make a plan that works best for your lifestyle and needs. Make an appointment today!
