7 health benefits of kb pills, in addition to preventing pregnancy

The main benefit of birth control pills, of course, is to prevent pregnancy. The birth control pill is one of the most widely used contraceptive methods, at least 20% of Indonesian women. However, did you know that there are actually benefits of birth control pills to treat certain health problems? Is that true and what are the health benefits of taking birth control pills apart from preventing pregnancy?

Overview of birth control pills

You may be curious about the health benefits of birth control pills. However, before discussing that, let's have a brief look at what birth control pills are. Birth control pills are a type of female contraception that works by affecting hormones. Most birth control pills contain synthetic female hormones, which are a combination of the hormones estrogen and progestin. Both, are made similar to the original estrogen and progesterone hormones in the female body.

There are two types of birth control pills with different benefits. The first type contains both synthetic hormones, namely the hormones estrogen and progestin. The second type is a pill that contains only the progestin in it, called a minipill.This second type is usually recommended for use by women who are not suitable when consuming or increasing the level of estrogen in their body.

Therefore, to choose which type of birth control pill is best for you, of course you are advised to consult with your doctor first, which pill suits your conditions and needs. It is important to know which pill type is right for you, at what dosage, and know the side effects. So, what are the other health benefits of birth control pills?

Health benefits of birth control pills

An article published in Planned Parenthood stated that the use of birth control pills is not only for preventing pregnancy. The good news is that the birth control pill also has various health benefits for its users. Here are some of the other health benefits you can get if you take birth control pills:

1. Helping menstruation more regularly

One of the benefits of taking birth control pills that you can feel apart from preventing pregnancy is that your periods become more regular. For those of you who are often irritable because of their unclear menstrual schedule, maybe you can try taking birth control pills. Sometimes, doctors will also prescribe this oral medication to patients who have irregular menstrual schedules.

Irregular menstruation is mostly caused by reproductive hormone disorders. Now, by taking birth control pills, you can help repair these hormones. Usually the doctor will give the active ingredient birth control pills to be taken for three consecutive weeks.

Then, the last week you have to take inactive ingredient birth control pills. The active ingredients in these birth control pills contain hormones that can help overcome your hormonal disturbances at that time.

2. Prevent stomach cramps and migraines during menstruation

Are you always in a lot of pain every month when you have your period? Yes, most women often experience abdominal pain, migraines, and even pain in the back on the first and second days of menstruation. This is usually caused by hormones that are not stable. However, you can try taking birth control pills to make menstrual symptoms less painful and less disruptive to activities.

One of the health benefits of taking birth control pills is that it inhibits the growth of the uterine lining (endometrium) in women. So when a woman taking birth control pills is menstruating, the uterine wall shedding does not feel heavy because the uterine wall is thinner. This condition is likely to reduce the pain that women usually feel when menstruating.

3. Overcoming acne problems

Now, here are the health benefits of other birth control pills that you may not know. It turns out, taking birth control pills helps treat acne. You could say that acne is the enemy of women, especially when you are in PMS, then not only one or two appear on the face.

Acne occurs due to excessive sebum production. Meanwhile, sebum is the oil released by the glands and its production is regulated by hormones. Well, unfortunately when you have your period, your hormones are a little messy and unstable. This then makes acne tend to a lot when PMS.

So, you can use birth control pills to treat acne problems. Birth control pills have been approved by the Food and Drugs Association (US FDA) to be used as an acne drug choice. So, you no longer need to worry about acne problems every time you have your period.

To find out more about these birth control pills, consult your doctor further.

4. Relieve symptoms of endometriosis

One of the benefits of using other birth control pills is to relieve symptoms of endometriosis. Endometriosis is a health problem that occurs when the uterine wall grows and thickens abnormally.

Some women may not experience certain symptoms, but most complain of abdominal cramps, back pain, and heavy menstrual bleeding.

Therefore, as mentioned earlier, one of the health benefits of birth control pills is that it can reduce these symptoms by slowing down the growth of the uterine lining, so that they will not appear.

5. Increase appetite

Another benefit of using birth control pills is that your appetite also changes. Usually, a person's appetite becomes increasingly high when using birth control pills.

Of course, higher appetite makes food intake increase and causes weight gain when taking birth control pills. Birth control pills with high doses of estrogen are a type of birth control pill that will trigger a higher appetite.

But take it easy, not all birth control pills are like that. Now there are many types of birth control pills that contain lower hormones so they don't change your appetite too much. Increasing body weight will be more controlled. It should be noted, discuss the right choice of birth control pills with your doctor.

6. Reducing the risk of several types of cancer

One of the health benefits of using birth control pills is that it provides extra protection from uterine cancer and ovarian cancer. Currently, it has been proven that the risk of ovarian cancer and uterine cancer can be lowered by taking birth control pills. Especially if the longer you take this type of birth control pill, the protective effect will be even stronger.

This is thought to be because the reduction in ovulation (release of eggs) is associated with a reduced risk of uterine and ovarian cancer. The nature of this birth control pill will reduce the occurrence of the ovulation period. Of course the benefits of this one birth control pill are worth considering, right?

Consult your obstetrician about the use of birth control pills and the non-contraceptive effects involved in using birth control pills. If you need further information, you should immediately contact your doctor, midwife, or health practitioner.

7. Reducing migraines during PMS

One of the benefits of using birth control pills is that it has the potential to relieve migraines before menstruation. Yes, this is also caused by the hormone levels contained in the birth control pills you are taking. A drop in estrogen levels can trigger a migraine. This is why some women experience hormonal headaches just before menstruation, because estrogen levels are decreasing.

If this is your condition, birth control pills can help prevent headaches by keeping estrogen levels stable throughout the menstrual cycle. However, some women also feel headaches when taking birth control pills that contain estrogen. Or, they have to take birth control pills for a few months before the headaches will go away.

So that you can get a clearer explanation about the benefits of using birth control pills, you are advised to consult with your doctor about choosing and using birth control pills in the right way.