Excessive menstruation can be treated with these 4 hormonal contraceptives

Reporting from Very Well Health, about 10 percent of women of childbearing age experience excessive bleeding during menstruation. In medical terms, this condition is called menorrhagia or excessive menstruation. If not treated promptly, excessive menstruation can lead to iron deficiency anemia. Apart from surgery, you can actually relieve symptoms by using hormonal contraception. So, what types of hormonal contraceptives are safe to use? Here's the explanation.

Is this hormonal contraceptive safe to use?

The menstrual cycle is influenced by various hormones, including the hormones estrogen and progesterone. The hormone estrogen plays an important role to ripen one egg every month. While the hormone estrogen is in charge of preparing the lining of the uterus in case of conception.

Starting from here, hormonal contraceptives are believed to help control the amount of hormones involved in the menstrual cycle. This includes reducing the amount of blood that is lost during menstruation.

Relax, this hormonal contraceptive is safe to use, really. Compared to other types of birth control, hormonal birth control has even fewer side effects and is easy to use. So, this method not only protects you from pregnancy, but also helps relieve excessive menstruation.

Types of hormonal contraception for excessive menstruation

The following are various types of hormonal contraceptives that can help you deal with excessive menstruation:

1. Combination birth control pills

There are two types of contraceptive pills, namely combination pills (containing progestin and estrogen) and mini-pills (progestin only). Now, to relieve excessive menstruation, choose a combination pill.

The reason is, combination birth control pills are known to reduce the amount of menstrual blood by 40-50 percent each month. One study found that taking triphasic birth control pills, which are pills that contain amounts of estrogen and progestin similar to the menstrual cycle, can reduce the amount of bleeding from menorrhagia.

2. Continuous birth control pills

Apart from combination pills, there are also continuous birth control pills or also called extended cycle pills (extended cycle birth control pill). Continuous birth control pills are a type of contraceptive pill that can reduce the number of menstrual cycles each year.

Women who take continuous birth control pills tend to have fewer menstrual cycles, usually only four times per year. Indirectly, this type of birth control pill can help reduce bleeding during menstruation.

3. Contraception with the hormone progestin

These hormonal contraceptives can be a good choice when you are unable to use birth control that contains estrogen. One example of a contraceptive that contains progestin hormones is the mini pill.

This type of contraception can help thin the lining of the uterus so that menstrual bleeding is less. For those of you who often experience stomach cramps during menstruation, mini pills can also help relieve it.

4. IUD

The IUD is a T-shaped contraceptive that is inserted into the uterus. In addition to copper-coated IUDs, there are also IUDs that contain hormones.

Now, to prevent excessive menstruation every month, choose an IUD that contains a progestin hormone. A study revealed that the hormonal IUD can reduce the amount of blood that is lost during menstruation.

By using a hormonal IUD, the amount of bleeding during menstruation can be reduced by 86 percent within 3 months. If its use is continued for up to 12 months, the bleeding can even be reduced by 97 percent.

However, it should be noted that not all women are immediately compatible with the same types of hormonal birth control. Some women may tend to feel fine after using combination birth control pills, but others experience annoying side effects.

Most importantly, consult your doctor first before you use hormonal contraception to treat excessive menstruation. If possible, your doctor will recommend hormonal birth control according to your health condition.