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8th Nov 2019
“I stopped taking the birth control pill after two years because it started to affect my mood.”
“I am not taking the pill because it decreases the possibilities of getting pregnant afterwards.”
“I don’t want to take the pill because it causes weight gain.”
These are just some of the commonly held beliefs about one of the most popular birth control methods – but how true are they? As is often the case with early sex education, much of the information we have about the contraceptive pill is inaccurate or insufficient. While it true that each woman’s experience of taking the pill is different, this is precisely why we should not presume that some of the so-called ‘facts’ are correct.
speaks to two specialists in the field, gynaecologists Dr José Terrón and Dr Sandra Ortega, to separate some widespread scientific fact from fiction. Read on as the top 10 myths about the contraceptive pill are debunked.
1. You need a rest period if you have been taking the pill for a long time
Thinking that the contraceptive pill can affect you negatively if you’ve been taking it for a long period of time is one of the most widely held disbeliefs – as long as it has been working properly from the outset, there is no reason for that to change. “One or two decades ago, the pill had a higher hormone dose, so the scarce secondary effects could appear more frequently,” says Terrón, “but that doesn’t mean they would nullify the ovarian function or the reproductive one. Ultimately, no rest period is needed; ovaries don’t get tired or irreversibly blocked.”
2. The pill makes you hungry and causes weight gain
Most of us have heard of people suddenly putting on weight when they start taking the pill, but Ortega refutes this link: “No research has proven the connection between the pill and weight gain – although it can cause slight water retention during the first three months, as your body adapts. There pills that, in contrast, cause weight loss due to their diuretic effect.” She also confirms that the pill doesn’t make you hungrier.
3. The pill causes lots of side effects
While side effects will vary from person to person, Terrón says that a large percentage of women who take the pill do not experience any. “As with any medication, in the information leaflet that comes with contraceptives we are informed about the approximate frequency of secondary effects. The most common ones are mood swings, irritability or some spotting between menstrual periods during the first few months. What we see as gynaecologists in our medical practice is that, after prescribing a birth control pill, approximately 80 or 90 per cent of women are comfortable with it and don’t suspend the treatment.”
4. The pill can help to reduce acne and balance hormones
Ortega confirms that the contraceptive pill is occasionally used to clear up skin and balance hormones, although it should always be prescribed by an expert. “During adolescence, severe acne can be relieved with oral contraceptives because they decrease testosterone. Many dermatologists suggest taking the pill to boost the effect of skin treatments by regulating hormone levels,” she says.
5. The pill causes skin spots
Sunscreen is essential for everyone, but it is even more important if you’re taking the pill. “For some patients, contraceptives boost melanin production in the skin, which means that they can become susceptible to melasma or pigmentation,” explains Ortega. “Darker patches can appear on the upper lip, forehead and cheeks, and can persist for several years after quitting birth control pills. So for those on the pill, SPF 15 at the very least is essential.”
6. The pill can decrease fertility, even after you’ve stopped taking it
Many women fear that their fertility will be compromised forever when they start taking the pill, hindering the possibility of being able to have children in the future. However, according to Terrón: “Contraceptives work by stopping ovulation midway through the menstrual cycle and halting natural hormone secretion. The periods you have on the pill are artificial, since the ovary is in a blocked or idle state. But, no matter how long you take the pill for, your natural ovulation cycle should return when you stop taking it. The pill doesn’t stop or decrease reproductive capacity. If, after suspending the treatment a woman experiences difficulties getting pregnant, we have to look for other reasons, rather than attributing it to the pill.”
7. The pill can improve your ability to get pregnant after you stop taking it
As with the belief that the pill can hinder fertility, the idea that it can boost reproductive capacity is also a myth. “This assertion is absolutely untrue. If that were the case, we would prescribe the contraceptive pill with the intention of facilitating pregnancy. It does not facilitate or impede it; it simply blocks hormone function and it is totally reversible after being suspended,” confirms Terrón.
8. The pill causes mood swings and irritability
We often link oversensitivity to the pill’s influence on our mood, and this is listed as one of its side effects. However, “It is very difficult to attribute mood swings and irritability to the contraceptive pill,” says Terrón, “because they are really subjective symptoms and can be attributed to many external factors.” Terrón refers to some studies “where participants taking the pill narrate subjectively whether they feel sadder, more cheerful or have the same mood as they had before taking it. But, are they actually considering external factors, which also affect our mood? Is it fair to lay all the blame on a hormonal treatment?” So, although we can’t completely rule it out, we also can’t verify that taking the pill does affect the mood. “Ideally, the patient who wants an effective and lasting contraception would see for herself how comfortable she is with it. However it affects her, or not, is something very individual and multifactorial.”
9. The pill causes cancer
Ortega says that another common myth, which she hears frequently in her practice, is that the pill causes cancer. In fact, it is quite the opposite. “For as long as the pill is being taken, the endometrium does not grow and the ovaries are at rest, which reduces the possibility of having an endometrium or ovary cancer,” she says.
10. Certain medicines cancel out the effect of the pill
This is one of the few widely held assumptions that is true. “Rifampin and rifabutin (both antibiotics) stop the efficacy of contraceptives. Meanwhile, others reduce its effect, such as azithromycin, ampicillin, nitrofurantoin, amoxicillin, clarithromycin, metronidazole, ciprofloxacin, doxycycline, penicillin, tetracycline, cefazolin, levofloxacin, clindamycin, erythromycin, fosfomycin and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole,” Ortega clarifies. If you are taking any of these medicines (check with your doctor if you’re not sure) – or St John’s wort, which many gynaecologists also add to this list – “you must use barrier methods of contraception, until you’ve completed the course of medication, to avoid pregnancy,” she advises.
This story was first published by