Abortion Debate Draws Attention To Severe Shortage Of Ob
“It will increase access and decrease barriers for people who need contraception in this state,” said Ashley Lidow, a lobbyist with the Women’s Rights and Empowerment Network, or WREN.
The law does not affect cost of the contraceptives themselves or how much insurers cover.
Where the option is or will be available is not yet determined. Many pharmacists must first get certified to participate. And there is no database, online or otherwise, that women can search to learn which, if any, pharmacies near them are willing and able to dole out the contraceptives, according to spokespeople for the state Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation.
They confirmed women may need to ask around to find out. Otherwise, “we anticipate that the pharmacies themselves will heavily advertise these additional services,” spokeswoman Lesia Kudelka told The Post and Courier on Nov. 29.
The Legislature tasked the state regulatory boards for pharmacists and medical examiners with jointly writing the protocols for pharmacists who want to participate. The bipartisan law set a six-month deadline. Final approval came Nov. 16.
Nothing in the law requires a state database or a registration process for pharmacists.
The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Tom Davis, said he hopes the agency creates a user-friendly search tool.
As for when the option should be widespread across the state, he said, “the sooner the better.”
According to its website, the four-hour accredited course costs $250 to enroll.
How Do You Get It
A doctor or a nurse practitioner must prescribe the Pill. They’ll ask about a girl’s health and family medical history, and will do an exam, which may include a pelvic exam. If the doctor or NP prescribes birth control pills, they’ll explain when to begin taking the Pill and what to do if pills are missed.
The doctor or NP might want to do a blood pressure check a few months later and make sure there are no other problems. After that, girls who are having sex should get routine exams every 6 months to a year, or as recommended.
How Do I Begin Birth Control Pills
Ask your doctor when you should start birth control pills. If youâre still having your period on the day youâve been told to start your pill pack, start it anyway. Youâll get your next period about 25 days after starting the pill pack.
It’s best to take the pills at the same time every day. You can take them at any time during the day, but taking it either before breakfast or at bedtime will help make it easier to remember.
Extended-cycle pills work in a similar way. You start taking the pill the first Sunday after your period starts. If your period starts on a Sunday, start it that day. You take one active tablet a day for 84 consecutive days. Then, depending on the type of pill you’re taking, you have 7 days of taking one placebo or estrogen-only pill per day.
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Effectiveness Of Emergency Contraception
The effectiveness of the morning after pill varies depending on how quickly you take it after having unprotected sex. For example, if you take Plan B One-Step within 24 hours, it is about 95% effective, however if taken within three days of unprotected sex, the morning after pill can reduce the chance of pregnancy by 75-89%
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Side Effects Of Hormonal Birth Control
Its important to note that while hormonal birth control can help prevent pregnancy, it cannot prevent sexually transmitted infections , so its important to take steps to protect yourself by using condoms as well.
Hormonal birth control is generally considered safe, effective, and well-toleratedmost people dont experience side effects when they take it.
However, some people may experience physical or emotional side effects such as:
You may experience side effects when you first go on hormonal birth control, but they generally improve after the first few months. Report any side effects you experience to your healthcare provider.
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How Does Nonhormonal Birth Control Work
Hormonal birth control options such as the pill use estrogen and a synthetic form of progesterone called progestin to help prevent pregnancy.
Conversely, nonhormonal birth control uses other methods, including physical methods, to stop a mans sperm from fertilizing a womans egg.
Current nonhormonal birth control options include:
Some nonhormonal methods offer greater protection than others.
For example, male condoms have a 98% effectiveness rate at stopping pregnancy, and copper IUDs are 99% effective. However, a diaphragm provides between 92% to 96% effectiveness. And the withdrawal method is only about 78% successful at stopping pregnancy.
According to Dr. Thomas Crouzier, a biopolymers researcher in the Division of Glycoscience at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden, and senior author of this study, women today wish that their contraceptives would not contain hormones.
In large part, because they fear or experience side effects, especially mental side effects , he told Medical News Today.
onhormonal alternatives ask women to compromise for lower efficacy than hormonal contraception or for other side effects. There is thus a consensus that more nonhormonal options are needed, and ideally, contraceptive methods that provide the same efficacy as hormonal contraceptives but without the side effects. Dr. Thomas Crouzier
Crouzier is also co-founder and CSO of Cirqle Biomedical a startup company developing a new nonhormonal contraceptive for women.
How Effective Are Combined Hormonal Birth Control Pills
The pill is a very effective method of birth control. The pill is about 93% effective at preventing pregnancy in typical use, which means that around 7 out of 100 people who use it as their only form of birth control will get pregnant in one year. With consistent and correct use as described in this fact sheet, it can be over 99% effective.
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How Hormonal Birth Control Works
Hormones are chemical messengers in the body that affect several bodily functions, including reproduction, mood, growth, and metabolism.
Hormonal birth control methods use hormones like estrogen and progesterone to prevent pregnancy. Some people also take hormonal birth control for other health reasons.
Hormonal birth control methods include:
Hormonal birth control methods work by:
- Preventing the ovaries from releasing eggs
- Blocking sperm from entering the uterus by making the mucus in the cervix thick and sticky
- Making it difficult for a fertilized egg to attach itself to the uterus by thinning the uterus lining
Who Can Use The Combined Pill
If there are no medical reasons why you cannot take the pill, and you do not smoke, you can take the pill until your menopause. However, the pill is not suitable for everyone. To find out whether the pill is right for you, talk to a GP, nurse or pharmacist.
The pill may not be right for you if you:
- smoke and are 35 or older
- stopped smoking less than a year ago and are 35 or older
- are very overweight
The pill may also not be right for you if you have :
- blood clots in a vein, for example in your leg or lungs
- stroke or any other disease that narrows the arteries
- anyone in your close family having a blood clot under the age of 45
- a heart abnormality or heart disease, including high blood pressure
- severe migraines, especially with aura
- disease of the gallbladder or liver
- diabetes with complications or diabetes for the past 20 years
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How Effective Is The Birth Control Pill
The birth control pill is a popular and highly effective method of birth control if taken correctly. The pill has a less than a 1 percent failure rate – meaning less than 1 out of 100 women unintentionally become pregnant – when the pill is used correctly. However, for women who miss taking their pills, the failure rate goes up to roughly 8%, or 8 out of 100 women become pregnant unintentionally.
Roughly 85% of women who do not use birth control and are trying to get pregnant will conceive within one year. If you do not want to become pregnant, and if you are not likely to remember to take a pill each day, you probably should consider a longer-acting form of birth control, such as the injection, patch, implant, vaginal ring or IUD.
After A Miscarriage Or Abortion
If you have had a miscarriage or abortion, you can start the pill up to 5 days after this and you will be protected from pregnancy straight away. If you start the pill more than 5 days after the miscarriage or abortion, you’ll need to use additional contraception until you have taken the pill for 7 days.
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How Can I Get Combined Birth Hormonal Control Pills
You can visit a clinic to get birth control pills or a prescription for them and talk with a healthcare provider about whether they are right for you.
Disadvantages of Combined Hormonal Birth Control Pills
- Must remember to take a pill every day
- Some users may experience mild side effects such as: spotting, nausea, breast tenderness, headaches or dizziness
- Possibility of high blood pressure
- No protection against sexually transmitted Infections
- Rare but serious complications of using the birth control pill include: blood clots, heart attack, stroke, liver tumours
- Risks increase with age when accompanied by certain other risk factors such as smoking, especially more than 15 cigarettes a day
- Some people cannot use the combined birth control pill such as people who cannot have estrogen. Be sure to let your health care provider know if you have any other medical conditions
The Contraceptive Skin Patch
The contraceptive skin patch is about 5 cm by 5 cm in size, and very thin. It can be placed on the womans behind, belly, the outside of her upper arm or anywhere on her upper body with the exception of her breasts. Its important to make sure that it sticks to the skin properly and doesnt rub against clothing too much. Activities like having a shower, a bath or swimming usually dont make it come off. In the first three weeks of the cycle, the patch is replaced once a week. No patch is used in the fourth week. The woman then gets her period. A new patch is stuck onto the skin seven days after removing the old patch. If it is stuck on 24 hours too late, it is no longer a reliable form of contraception.
Just like most birth control pills, the patch contains a combination of the hormones estrogen and progestin. Whereas the hormones in the pill enter the bloodstream through the digestive system, the hormones in the skin patch are absorbed by the skin and enter the bloodstream in that way. More estrogen enters the body through the patch, so the patch can have more side effects than the pill and the vaginal ring. Research has shown that women who use the skin patch are more likely to stop using it because of side effects than those who are on the pill.
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Why A Delayed Return To Fertility After Birth Control Matters
For a variety of reasons, women are waiting longer than ever to start their families than in the past. Case in point: in 1970, the average age at first child birth was 22 . Today, it has risen to 26.4 years old. In addition, more women are delaying their first pregnancy past age 30. The percentage of first birth to women over 30 went from just one in ten in 1970, to almost one in three in 2014 . This late start to childbearing is significant, because on average, a womans ability to get pregnant takes a sharp decline after age 35, and is practically nil by the time she reaches her mid-forties.
If a woman waits until her fertility is already in a natural state of age-related decline to try to get pregnantand especially if she has been on birth control for several years prior, possibly depleting her S crypts and chronically thinning her endometrial liningshe may face even more obstacles to conceiving. If a womans issues with fertility lie in a problem with proper cervical mucus production, and she is placed on Clomid, it could further thwart her chances of conception: a known side effect of this drug is to reduce the production of cervical fluid .
Are There Side Effects Of Birth Control Pills
There are side effects of birth control pills, although most are not serious. Side effects include:
- Swelling or aching in the legs and thighs
Birth control pills that have drospirenone, including Yaz and Yasmin, have been investigated by the FDA because of the possibility that they cause a higher risk for blood clots. Drospirenone is a human-made version of the hormone progesterone. Other brands with drospirenone include Beyaz, Gianvi, Loryna, Ocella, Safyral, Syeda, and Zarah.
The results of the investigation are inconsistent. Some studies showed a higher risk, but others didnât. The drugs are still available. A summary of the findings is on the packaging label. If youâre taking a pill with drospirenone, talk with your doctor about your risk.
The pill is not linked with an overall increased risk of cancer. Its use was tied to a lower risk of colorectal, endometrial, and ovarian cancers. A higher risk of breast and cervical cancers was seen in current and recent birth control pill users, but the risk went away within 5 years.
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How Soon Do Birth Control Pills Work
When taken as directed, birth control pills are usually effective the first month you begin taking them. To be safe, some doctors recommend the use of another form of birth control, such as condoms and foam, during the first month. After the first month, you can just rely on the pill for birth control.
Things To Keep In Mind When Taking Birth Control Pills
- Keep another form of birth control, like spermicidal foam and condoms, on hand in case you forget to take a pill.
- Carry your pills with you if you don’t always sleep at the same place.
- Take your pill at the same time every day.
- Get your refills soon after you start the last prescription. Don’t wait until the last minute.
- Birth control pills are medications. Always tell your doctor or pharmacist you are on the pill if you see them for any reason.
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Clear Up Skin And Prevent Unwanted Hair Growth
Birth control pills can improve acne and hair growth in the midline of your body by reducing the levels of male hormones your ovaries make. If you have higher than normal levels of these hormones, or if youâre sensitive to them, you may start to grow hair above your lip, under your chin, between your breasts, between your belly button and pubic bone, or down your inner thigh. You should see less unwanted hair within 6 months.
The hormones in birth control pills can also help stop acne from forming, but it may take several months to see a difference.
When Do I Start My Pills And When Are They Effective
It is recommended you start your pill right away. The pill is effective in preventing pregnancy after one week of use, so you need to use a backup method of birth control such as condoms, or not have sex for 7 days. You do not have to wait for your period to start, but if you happen to start on the first day of your period you dont need to use a backup method as the pill is considered effective immediately.
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What Are The Main Types Of Birth Control Pills
Most people in the U.S. who are on the pill take whatâs called the combination pill. Estrogen and progesterone stop your ovaries from releasing eggs, and they make changes in your cervix and uterus that lower your chance of a pregnancy.
The minipill uses only progesterone. It works mostly by causing changes that keep sperm from reaching eggs.
People who have unprotected sex or who think their birth control method may have failed can use levonorgestrel or ulipristal, which are emergency birth control pills that work with or without hormones to prevent pregnancy.
The Combined Pill With Other Medicines
Some medicines interact with the combined pill and it does not work properly. Some interactions are listed on this page, but it is not a complete list. If you want to check your medicines are safe to take with the combined pill, you can:
- ask a GP, practice nurse or pharmacist
- read the patient information leaflet that comes with your medicine
Antibiotics
The antibiotics rifampicin and rifabutin can reduce the effectiveness of the combined pill. Other antibiotics do not have this effect.
If you are prescribed rifampicin or rifabutin, you may be advised to change to an alternative contraceptive. If not, you will need to use additional contraception while taking the antibiotic and for a short time after. Speak to a doctor or nurse for advice.
Epilepsy and HIV medicines, and St John’s wort
The combined pill can interact with medicines called enzyme inducers. These speed up the breakdown of hormones by your liver, reducing the effectiveness of the pill.
Examples of enzyme inducers are:
- the epilepsy drugs carbamazepine, oxcarbazepine, phenytoin, phenobarbital, primidone and topiramate
- antiretroviral medicines used to treat HIV
A GP or nurse may advise you to use an alternative or additional form of contraception while taking any of these medicines.
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