The hashtag #gettingoffbirthcontrol has been gaining popularity among TikTok users in recent weeks. Women from different countries are using the platform to talk about the side effects experienced with the use of the contraceptive pill, suggesting that it be replaced by natural methods, such as the tablet.
Among the reports, there are women who claim to feel depressed, without libido, to have gained weight and with severe acne, making them feel ugly after starting to use the pill.
Doctors are concerned that the fashion will lead to an increase in the number of unwanted pregnancies and warn that, before abandoning birth control, women should seek the gynecologist for an individual assessment. Simply changing the method could contribute to symptom relief, for example.
“These currents against contraceptive methods are extremely dangerous, many women may have inadequate guidance. We have a rate of more than 60% of unwanted pregnancies in our country”, says the gynecologist Camille Vitória Risegato, member of the Association of Women, Science and Human Reproduction of Brazil (AMCR).
The doctor clarifies that women who do not adapt to hormonal contraceptive methods have the possibility to make other choices with the help of health professionals. “An unwanted or unplanned pregnancy is always the most serious. It is a social, economic and emotional problem. I often say that there is always a contraceptive method to call yours, ”she says.
unwanted effects
The adverse effects predicted in the package leaflet are related to the hormones present in the contraceptive, their combination and the dose. Gynecologist Rafael Lobo, from the Tivolly clinic, in Brasília, explains that the worsening of acne is more common among people who use progesterone methods, such as some pills, the Mirena intrauterine device (IUD) and contraceptive implant.
Weight gain is related only to women using the quarterly injectable. “The injection of progesterone every three months was the only way that, in a scientific study, led to a 20% increase in weight in patients who are already obese. In overweight or normal weight, this increase has not been demonstrated in research”, explains Lobo.
Weight gain would actually be related to fluid retention and some metabolic alterations resulting from hormonal changes. “It can happen, but it is not for everyone. It depends from case to case”, says Camille.
natural methods
Application table, assessment of cervical mucus and body temperature are some of the natural methods indicated on social networks.
Although the table is a good guideline method on the menstrual cycle, especially for women who have a regular cycle, it is not considered a safe method to avoid pregnancy. Studies indicate that it is related to an 85% risk of getting pregnant.
Lobo suggests that these methods should only be used by people who have mastered their own menstrual cycle “from end to end”. “The patient has to have an extremely regular cycle, which is the same every month – which is very rare. Even so, the failure rate is immensely higher than any other contraceptive method, ”he says.
“It is a practice that needs a lot of observation, care and association with other non-hormonal methods, such as condoms”, explains Camille.
I didn’t adapt. And now?
Contraceptive methods are divided into two large groups: short-term – birth control pills, patches, intravaginal rings – and long-term, including IUDs, implants and hormonal injections.
The choice depends on factors such as the patient’s history; menstrual cycle behavior (volume and flow); and if she manages to maintain the frequency of use, without forgetting. “The method needs to be adapted to the patient’s reality and take into account the contraindications”, says Lobo.
According to the doctor, a young woman who has migraine attacks increases by up to three times the chances of having a cerebrovascular accident (CVA) if she takes the estrogen pill, for example. Those over 35 years of age, smokers or those undergoing treatment for hypertension, cannot use the pill combined with estrogen. “The first step is to calculate the patient’s risk in relation to the method”, she says.
Women who do not adapt to hormonal contraceptives have the option of using non-hormonal methods, ranging from condoms to copper or silver IUDs.
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