Is it true that KB pills relieve PMS symptoms?

Most women have experienced premenstrual syndrome (PMS) right before their period. Some have mild PMS, but some have more severe symptoms. One way that you may be able to help relieve PMS symptoms is to take birth control pills. Is it true that this can be done? Check out the following explanation.

Birth control pills to relieve PMS symptoms

Before knowing the benefits of birth control pills that have the possibility of relieving PMS symptoms, you should first understand what the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome are.

Premenstrual syndrome or PMS is a collection of physical and emotional symptoms experienced by a woman before her menstrual period every month. Generally, PMS is experienced 1-2 weeks before menstruation and will disappear by itself immediately after menstruation begins.

The most common symptoms of PMS include breast tenderness, flatulence, increased appetite, acne breakouts, irritability, mood swings or stress.

For most women, PMS symptoms are still relatively mild and go undetected. However, in some other women, there are also those who experience PMS symptoms that are already classified as severe and very clearly visible. In fact, often PMS symptoms can interfere with daily activities.

Actually, it is still not known exactly what causes PMS, but PMS is closely related to changes in hormone levels in the body. A week before menstruation begins, the amount of the hormones estrogen and progesterone in a woman's body will decrease quite drastically.

Meanwhile, during menstruation, the two hormones will actually increase. This significant hormonal change is at the root of the association with PMS. Among the many choices of drugs that you can use, it turns out that there are contraceptives that can help relieve PMS symptoms.

Yes, launching the Mayo Clinic, birth control pills can be an option to help relieve PMS symptoms. Then, how do birth control pills relieve PMS symptoms?

How birth control pills work in relieving PMS symptoms

Birth control pills are hormonal contraceptives that contain a synthetic version of the hormones estrogen and progesterone. Both hormones work to prevent pregnancy by inhibiting the ovulation process (the release of an egg during the monthly cycle).

In fact, women cannot get pregnant if they don't ovulate. This ovulation process causes many women to experience a series of PMS symptoms such as pain and discomfort before their menstrual period. Not only that, these two hormones work to stabilize the hormonal changes that occur drastically before PMS.

Birth control pills will help balance the hormones in your body, thereby helping you relieve PMS symptoms that occur due to hormonal changes. Here are some ways birth control pills can help relieve PMS symptoms:

1. Improve menstrual cycle

Birth control pills can relieve PMS symptoms by helping to correct irregular menstrual cycles. The reason is, many women experience messy menstrual cycles. Usually this happens because the body does not produce adequate progesterone hormone.

One of the things that might happen is that your periods are getting longer. However, if you use the contraceptive pill, you can relieve PMS symptoms so that your menstrual cycle returns to normal.

2. Prevent stomach cramps

Abdominal cramps are usually a symptom of PMS that many women experience. This usually occurs because the body produces too much prostaglandin hormone. Meanwhile, these hormones cause your uterus to contract, causing pain.

You can use birth control pills to help you relieve PMS symptoms on this one.

3. Reduce acne

Hormonal imbalances can also be the cause of many acne breakouts. In fact, acne that often appears just before menstruation is also considered hormonal acne. Hormonal acne is caused by male hormones called androgens. As with other premenstrual symptoms, the use of birth control pills can also relieve this one symptom.

4. Improve mood

Mood swings are also among the PMS symptoms that often bother you. Of course you don't want your mood to mess with your activities, right? Yes, you can use birth control pills to treat this one PMS symptom by neutralizing the hormone levels in your body. That way, your mood will improve.

5. Relieve PMDD symptoms

Usually, when you experience acute PMS symptoms, you will experience all possible PMS symptoms to a level that is already considered unusual for you.

Symptoms of acute PMS or more familiarly calledpremenstrual dysphoric disorder(PMDD) is actually still relatively rare for women. However, that does not mean that this is impossible. It's just that you don't need to worry too much about this condition. The reason is, you can relieve acute PMS symptoms with birth control pills.

Unfortunately, after you stop taking birth control pills, your body cycle will return to normal. Well, this is what makes PMS symptoms very likely to come back after you stop taking birth control pills.

Even so, you should understand that birth control pills work for different lengths of time, the dosage used varies depending on the product used. Consult your doctor first before you decide to use or stop using birth control pills, especially to relieve premenstrual symptoms.

Other health benefits of using birth control pills

Apart from preventing pregnancy and relieving PMS symptoms, here are a variety of other benefits of using birth control pills that you should know:

Will not interfere with sexual activity with a partner.
Does not affect fertility (could allow pregnancy after stopping taking birth control pills).
Make menstrual cycles more regular.
Prevent ectopic pregnancy.
Reducing the risk of endometriosis.
Managing symptoms of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS).
Reducing the risk of ovarian and endometrial cancer.

Not all women can take birth control pills. The reason is, birth control pills are not recommended for those of you who smoke or who are over 35 years of age. In addition, if you have certain medical conditions such as blood clotting disorders or have uncontrollable high blood pressure, it is also not recommended to use this type of contraception.

Always consult your doctor regarding the best contraception according to your needs. If you have any questions or need further information, please contact your doctor or midwife.