Nevertheless, all the information shared here is provided in a general sense and is intended to educate on the subject. Only a doctor who has the opportunity to examine and assess your health based on your medical history and other factors is the best person to talk to about your specific needs and requirements in any area, so always talk to them before making any decisions about your health.
Your future.
Your choice.
Your contraception.
Nowadays, it is very good and necessary to focus on enabling young people to think ahead and incorporate contraception into their plans to prevent unplanned pregnancies. Thanks to protected sexual intercourse, the number of abortions has also fallen, and so we can rejoice that nowadays abortions are mostly for medical reasons, but unfortunately also for sadder reasons, such as sexual abuse. There is a minimum percentage of women who undergo abortion due to unplanned pregnancy. And that's great news for the company.
Countries and regions around the world even organise annual events to mark
World Contraception Day (26 September)
. The aim of the event is to raise awareness about contraception, to fully educate on reproductive and sexual health, and to raise awareness of all contraceptive methods so that young people around the world can make informed decisions about their sexual and reproductive health.
The most effective prevention method in general is to think ahead. For an unplanned pregnancy, this means considering the best contraceptive option. Knowing where to access accurate and unbiased information about contraception is an important part of planning for the future. The best form is always a doctor - a gynaecologist who can determine the most appropriate form of contraception based on medical history and health examinations. In our short series on contraception, we will take a look at all the possible questions, myths and facts about contraception. We hope this will help you at least in part.
We need to talk about the pill and your hormones
The creation of the contraceptive pill in the 1950s was a revolutionary upheaval and represented a form of freedom for women. For the first time in history, there was a reliable and convenient way to have sex without the"side effect " - pregnancy. This freedom meant open possibilities for women. More women could go to university, have professional careers but most importantly she could choose the time when she wanted to have children, when she was ready for them.
Oral contraceptives are still one of the most commonly used forms of hormonal contraception. It is estimated that about 26.3% of women aged 16 to 49 years are currently taking the tablet form of HAC. How much do we really know about how the pill works and how it affects our hormones?
Contraception is a personal choice and the best person to discuss the right option for you is your gynaecologist. The same is true with contraception as with anything - what is right for one person is not right for everyone.
What is that pill?
When people talk about"the pill", they usually mean oral contraceptives. It contains a synthetic form of estrogen, called ethinylestradiol, and one of a number of different forms of synthetic progesterone, known as progestin. The pill has come a long way in the last 70 years and there are now a number of different products on the market, each with varying levels of synthetic estrogen and different forms of progestin (such as levonorgestrel, desogestrel, and drospirenone). Less common are progestin-only pills (sometimes called'mini pills'), which do not contain synthetic oestrogen and are used by women who are breastfeeding or who find them poorly tolerated.
Why don't you get pregnant?
Combined HAK works in three ways to prevent pregnancy:
- ovulation prevention: HAK disrupts the communication between your brain and ovaries and prevents ovulation every month
- changing the lining of the uterus: making it thinner and much less hospitable to implantation of a potential embryo
- change in cervical mucus: increased mucus density in the cervix impairs sperm penetration behind the egg
A progestin-only pill works in much the same way, but some women will continue to ovulate while taking it.
HAK and hormones?
When our hormones naturally cycle, the brain and ovaries communicate with each other.
How? That's right:
The hypothalamus produces gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), which signals the pituitary gland to release follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH).
Follicle-stimulating hormone, as you might have guessed, stimulates and matures the follicles on your ovaries, which produce estrogen as they grow.
Once estrogen reaches a peak, luteinizing hormone (LH) increases, releasing the egg from the ovary within 10-12 hours. We call this ovulation - the main event of the menstrual cycle, which is necessary for fertilization.
However, when you take HAK, the addition of synthetic hormones to your brain signals that there are already plenty of hormones in your body, so there is no need to create more. Basically, your ovaries sleep until they are needed.
This disrupts the chain of communication between your brain and your ovaries and stops your body from producing its own natural estrogen and progesterone.
HAK also increases a protein called sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), which binds to specific sex hormones and removes them from direct circulation in the body. This lowers the levels of testosterone and other androgens in the body and is part of the reason why the pill can lead to improvements in acne and changes in libido in some women. This is also why many women are also prescribed HAK for various diseases such as PCOS (a metabolic condition characterized by elevated androgens).
How does it affect you?
There are various studies being conducted by leading researchers in the field of women's health that talk about the importance of our natural hormones and ovulation cycles to our overall health. Because like most systems in the body, reproduction is not the only reason this cycle happens, and it is indeed very important - whether we think of children or not. The hormones produced in the natural ovulatory cycle benefit our mood, energy levels, skin, brain and bone health, metabolism, libido... The synthetic versions found in the pill are similar enough to bind to our hormone receptors, but are structurally different and lack many of the same benefits as their natural versions. That's why it's important to be aware of how the pill can affect how you feel, both in your mind and in your body, and to watch out for any changes that are too big.
And the use?
The reasons for taking contraceptives vary:
- prevents pregnancy
- protects against ectopic pregnancy
- intense pain during menstruation
- heavy cycles that put you at risk of anaemia
- dysfunctional bleeding (regulates the regularity of the menstrual cycle)
- prevents the formation of cysts on the ovaries
- reduces the incidence of certain cancers
- reduces the intensity of menstrual bleeding
- reduces the appearance of acne, improves hair quality, regulates pubic hair
Before making any conclusion that you want to take HAK for any reason other than unwanted pregnancy, it is important to understand that HAK is more of a"tool" than a treatment. If you don't work on eliminating the root cause of the problems, they will come back to you over time, and often with interest, especially when you stop taking the pills. In many cases, the underlying cause of these symptoms is a hormonal imbalance, and thereforeby "turning off" the hormones, they disappear. We recommend hormone testing to find out what's really going on, followed by appropriate treatment accompanied by diet and lifestyle adjustments to bring your hormones into balance.
Which HAK is the best and which do we recommend?
A question we get quite often, even through messages on social networks, is what method of contraception is recommended. Contraception is a very individual matter and so the common knowledge applies here - what is right for one person is not right for all.
When deciding which option might be right for you, it's most important that you understand how it works in your body and the potential risks and benefits it brings with it. Because when deciding which option is best for you, it's important to know exactly how it works and how it can affect you in addition to preventing pregnancy.
Understanding your body will give you a better understanding of the doctor and what he/she is recommending and why, but it does not mean that you can indicate the treatment yourself. There are actually a number of products on the market and you need to undergo blood tests and a detailed medical history, in addition to understanding your body, to choose the most suitable one. Consult your gynecologist before starting or stopping any form of birth control.
If you are interested, we also recommend the following file prepared by SUKL: Questions and answers about combined hormonal contraception
You can also make an appointment with our gynaecologist for advice on hormonal contraception:
02 / 52 444 022
0911 108 741
info@frais.sk
online chat 09:00-16:00
Wishing you a beautiful day
Ivana Bartosova,
Marketing Manager of the FRAIS Health and Beauty Institute
