Table of contents:
- How do birth control pills affect the menstrual cycle?
- What will happen when we stop taking birth control pills?
- What if the menstrual cycle doesn't return to normal either?
For the last dozen years, the “two children only” program is being promoted by the government. You often hear that program with the name Family Planning (KB). There are campaigns that have been carried out so that married couples join the program. To reduce the birth rate, various choices of contraceptives are provided. There are also various types of birth control, some in the form of pills, injections, and rings. However, taking birth control pills will make your hormones change too. Then, is there an impact on the menstrual cycle?
How do birth control pills affect the menstrual cycle?
Birth control pills function to prevent pregnancy by changing the menstrual cycle. The content in the pill is in the form of hormones that can stop ovulation. Birth control pills can also reduce symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). When you stop taking birth control pills, your body cycle will return to normal.
These oral contraceptives involve the hormones estrogen and progestin (synthetic progesterone hormone) in order to work. Apart from stopping ovulation, contraception also works by changing the lining of the uterus and cervical mucus to prevent the sperm from fertilizing the egg. Fertilization occurs when sperm can pass through the fallopian tube and reach the egg.
Birth control pills work with different durations, the dosage used varies depending on the product used. When you go through weeks without birth control pills, the hormones in the body return to normal and trigger the uterus to shed its lining, resulting in menstruation. The dosage of this birth control pill is actually low, so it is light to take, has a short period of time, and is common to use.
What will happen when we stop taking birth control pills?
As mentioned above, once you stop taking birth control pills, your menstrual cycle will return to normal, and you will have the possibility of getting pregnant. Pregnancy can occur in just a few days after you stop taking the pill or you have to wait about 2 to 4 weeks. However, there are also those who experience it can take up to months for ovulation to occur and the body returns to a normal menstrual cycle. In women who have abnormal menstrual cycles before taking birth control pills, there will usually be a delay in the cycle until it returns to normal.
There is a myth that taking birth control pills for a certain period of time can cause infertility, but this information is not proven, because there are many women who get pregnant immediately after stopping taking birth control pills.
There is also another opinion that states that you can take birth control pills to help your menstrual cycle run regularly. When you stop consuming it, you may return to an irregular cycle or vice versa, the cycle becomes more consistent. If you want your cycle to return to normal, but don't want to take birth control pills and don't want to get pregnant, you can use other contraceptives such as condoms.
What if the menstrual cycle doesn't return to normal either?
You can go see a doctor. If your menstrual cycle doesn't return to normal after a few months, your doctor may order your hormone levels, including human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) - a hormone produced during pregnancy - to check for pregnancy. Checking the amount of hormones in the body can also help you find out if there are problems with the endocrine glands - which secrete hormones into the blood.
Apart from the problem of postponement of pregnancy, if menstruation does not return to normal, there may be other conditions that cause it, including:
- Ovarian dysfunction, including premature menopause - although we mentioned above that it is less likely to occur during fertility, there is always a risk in some people.
- The high level of stress becomes high
- Experiencing chronic anxiety
- Extreme changes in body weight
When you want to stop taking birth control pills, you should talk to your doctor first, whatever the reason, whether it's planning to become pregnant or deciding to change to another contraceptive. This is because each birth control pill has a different dosage, type and way of working. Discussing with the doctor, you will get information about what exactly will happen to your body, especially the reproductive system.
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