Birth control pills today have been designed to contain much lower doses of synthetic hormones than in the 1960s, when ‘the pill’ (with 50 micrograms of estrogen) was first on the market. The reason for this is to reduce the side effects of hormonal contraceptives. “That still hasn’t helped me much,” you may be told, but here’s some information about low dosage birth control pills that can help you live a productive life (no pun intended!) Discuss with your doctor if you are not satisfied with your current morning after pill. Trial and error with different types of pills this one is worth following keep in mind that oral contraceptives are not yet the perfect method of birth control for everyone. If you are on the ‘right birth control pill’ to suit your body, you should feel exactly the same way as you normally do, if not a little better.
Some women can not tolerate estrogen in combined pills low, so pills are prescribed only progestogen. Estrogen appeared to be the main culprit of side effects, so “low-dose birth control pills” were developed to minimize them. Pills containing 0.02 mg to 0.035 mg of estrogen pills are classified as “low dose”.
Here are some brands of “low dose” birth control pills:
LoOvral contains 0.03 mg ethinyl estradiol and 0.3 mg nogestrel
Nordette contains 0.03 mg ethinylestradiol and 0.15 mg levognogestrel.
Ortho-Cept (Reclipsen, Solia) contains 0.03 mg ethinylestradiol and 0.15 mg desogestrel
Desogen contains 0.03 mg ethinyl estradiol and 0.15 mg desogestrel.
Levlen21 contains 0.03 mg of ethinyl estradiol and 0.15 mg of levonorgestrel
Seasonale/Seasonique contains 0.03 mg ethinylestradiol and 0.15 mg levonorgestrel
YASMIN and YAZ are two other low-dose birth control pills that contain 0.03 mg and 0.02 mg respectively of estrogen, but have a different type of progestogen than the other pills called drospirenone (3.0 mg). Yasmin may not be right for you if you also take other over-the-counter pain relievers, potassium-sparing diuretics, potassium supplements, or specific medications, so you MUST discuss this with a doctor first.
Changing hormone levels within your body can cause side effects that vary for each individual. Keeping hormones at a constant level in your body is the job of oral contraceptives so you don’t ovulate, the uterine lining thins, and the cervical mucus thickens. These three events work together to prevent pregnancy.
Pills like ALESSE and MIRCETTE are called “ultra-low-dose” pills because they contain only 0.02 mg of estrogen. These oral contraceptives are effective in preventing pregnancy, but some women find that they have more spotting and breakthrough bleeding with them than with pills containing 0.03 mg or 0.035 mg. (considered the norm today) of estrogen. Spotting and breakthrough bleeding often go away after a few months on a low-dose birth control pill.
0.02 mg of estrogen is sufficient for contraception, but side effects of spotting and breakthrough bleeding are more common with this type of ultra-low-dose birth control pill than with low-dose birth control pills containing 0.030 mg or 0.035 mg of estrogen . Women who prefer ALESSE ((Aviane,Lessina,Lutera,Sronyx) and MIRCETTE say they reduce headaches, mood swings, breast tenderness, and bloating. These two brands may also be better for ‘users’. pill first-timers’ as a ‘low-estrogen start’ to introduce synthetic hormones into their bodies.
You’ve probably heard of progestin-only pills, or “mini-pills.”
These oral contraceptives have an efficiency of 90 to 95% to prevent pregnancy compared to the rate of effectiveness of 99% of the combined pills. However, they do not cause the side effects of estrogen pills such as nausea, breast tenderness and cramps. The risk of developing deep vein thrombosis and cardiovascular disease is lower with progestogen-only pills. Nursing mothers can use progestogen-only pills a few weeks after giving birth, since progestogen does not affect milk supply as does estrogen.
The ‘minipills’ must be taken every day at the same time without interruption. If you miss a single pill or take it more than three hours after the usual time, you should use a backup method of birth control for 48 hours after taking the last pill. The downside of the ‘mini-pill’, apart from irregular spotting and breakthrough bleeding, is that it can increase the risk of ovarian cysts and ectopic pregnancy.
last update
Low-dose birth control pills can increase the risk of heart attack or stroke, especially in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) or a metabolic disorder. However, this risk disappears when you stop taking the low-dose birth control pill (according to a Virginia Commonwealth University study published in the July issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism). PCOS is a condition that can affect a woman’s menstrual cycle, fertility, hormones, insulin production, heart, blood vessels, and appearance. “Despite the doubling of risk associated with the pill, the absolute risk of a cardiovascular event in an individual woman on the pill is low: women on the pill will not automatically have a heart attack,“ says John Nestler, MD, professor and chair of the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism at the VCU School of Medicine. “However, our findings raise the question of whether oral contraceptives are the optimal therapy for certain groups of women who are at initial risk or who take the pill for a longer time, such as women with PCOS.”
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So if you have PCOS and believes that a low-dose contraceptive pill may be more suitable for you, read more about ALESSE and Mircette before asking your doctor what brand would be “appropriate” for their own medical history. Do not forget to tell you what other medicines you are also taking. Online providers have recommended are accredited and offer the best prices. . Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Elizabeth Silverman, an obstetrician and gynecologist at the Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla. Dra. Pamela Deak, an obstetrician and gynecologist at the Medical Center of the University of California at San Diego.