Laila Khan, a 16-year-old girl in England, took birth control pills and died within 20 days of a brain clot.
On November 25, 2023, Layla was experiencing severe period pain. Her friend advised her to start taking birth control pills. Layla started taking pills. On December 5, he developed a headache and by the end of the week began to vomit. Started vomiting every 30 minutes. He was admitted to the hospital in emergency. During the treatment, it was found that he had a blood clot in his brain. Layla died before the surgery.
Birth control pills are readily available at stores in more than 100 countries across the world, including India. This does not require a doctor's prescription. If taken at the right time each day, it is up to 99% effective in preventing pregnancy. But their side effects are equally terrifying. In some cases it can even prove fatal. Therefore, general information is required before using it.
today In 'health water' We will talk about birth control pills. You will also learn that-
- When and how can it be used?
- What are the side effects of birth control pills?
- When can this prove fatal?
- Do birth control pills affect fertility?
Birth control pills What is it and how does it work? Birth control pills are a type of oral contraceptive. Pregnancy is prevented by using hormones. These usually contain the hormones estrogen and progesterone. However, now pills containing different hormones of progesterone and estrogen are also available. To avoid pregnancy, it should be eaten regularly at the same time every day.
The hormones present in birth control pills cause the following changes in the uterus.
- Due to this, the release of eggs from the ovaries decreases or stops.
- Cervical mucus becomes so thick that it becomes very difficult for the sperm to reach the eggs.
- The lining of the uterus becomes so thin that fertilized eggs cannot develop there.
What should be considered before taking birth control pills?
- Never buy birth control pills from a medical store and consuming them without doctor's advice can prove harmful
- Birth control pills can be purchased directly from medical stores. Medical prescription is also not mandatory for these pills. But this does not mean that we should buy it ourselves without medical advice.
- Consult a doctor before taking these pills and keep consulting once in every 6 months.
- If a woman is taking birth control pills regularly and develops some health condition in between, it is necessary to consult a doctor to know how safe it is to take these pills.
- Apart from this, if problems like headache, dizziness, vomiting etc. occur continuously, stop taking the medicine and consult a doctor immediately.
When do doctors prescribe birth control pills?
- Dr. Birth control pills are usually given only for contraception, says Meenakshi.
- Apart from this, doctors may also prescribe it for certain health conditions, such as irregular periods, painful cramps during periods, acne due to hormonal reasons and to deal with unwanted hair growth, doctors may advise taking birth control pills.
- In addition, sometimes these pills are also prescribed to manage the symptoms of health conditions like polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) or endometriosis.
- It can also be recommended during hot flashes before menopause.
- These pills can also be prescribed for anemia caused by periods.
- Dr. Meenakshi often says to keep in mind that if any of these conditions develop, these pills should not be started without a doctor's advice. It can also have many side effects.
Can birth control pills be life-threatening? Dr. Meenakshi says that the presence of estrogen hormone in birth control pills can increase the risk of some serious health problems. Therefore, to reduce the side effects, different pills containing estrogen and progesterone hormones have started to be produced. These are given in a planned manner to reduce the risks.
The presence of estrogen can cause the following serious health problems:
- Blood clotting
- Gallbladder disease
- Heart attack
- High blood pressure
- Liver cancer
- stroke
What is the risk of blood clots from birth control pills? Doctors routinely prescribe these pills, so there is no significant risk. However, certain family histories and health conditions can increase the risk of blood clots. See graphic.
When and for whom can birth control pills prove dangerous? Birth control pills are not prescribed to women below 18 years of age and women above 40 years of age. At this age, their dangerous side effects may appear. Smoking and consuming alcohol along with birth control pills can cause complications. If a woman is a smoker, these tablets are not prescribed if she is above 35 years of age. If you don't smoke, you can usually use hormonal birth control pills until menopause.
How dangerous are the side effects of birth control pills? If you are not taking birth control pills for any health condition like PCOS and its purpose is only to prevent unwanted pregnancy, it is important to mention here that this should be the last option to prevent pregnancy as it has very dangerous effect on women. Other methods of health contraception such as condoms are safer and have no side effects.
Do birth control pills affect fertility? Dr. Meenakshi says that taking birth control pills does not affect fertility. The hormones released from them remain in the body for a short period of time. As soon as a person stops taking the pills, the effects of the hormones also wear off. After this the body returns to its normal cycle. It usually only takes a few months for the cycle to return to normal.
How long can you get pregnant after stopping birth control pills? Dr. Meenakshi Bansal says that pregnancy can occur in the next menstrual cycle after stopping birth control pills. Chances of conceiving in that month are more than other months.
Image Credit: (Divya-Bhaskar): Images/graphics belong to (Divya-Bhaskar).
