Contraceptive care provides so much more than just effective pregnancy prevention, as any Raleigh OB-GYN will tell you. While that remains the primary function for many people who use birth control, there are numerous additional and sometimes overlooked benefits as well.
Regular Period Regulation
One of the most widely utilized benefits outside of pregnancy prevention is period regulation. Many birth control methods can help if you struggle with irregular, sporadic, or missing periods.
The hormones, in combination with birth control pills – containing both estrogen and progestin – work to regulate the menstrual cycle.
This helps establish a more predictable schedule, so you know when to expect your period. The pill also often shortens and lightens bleeding due to preventing ovulation and thinning the uterine lining.
Some newer birth control pill formulations now allow even more period control. Extended-cycle options provide just four periods per year by taking active hormone pills continuously for three months before taking a one-week break.
You also have the option to suppress your menstruation completely all year by staying on active pills every single day without any breaks.
Reduced Menstrual Pain and PMS
If you suffer from painful, heavy periods or severe PMS mood swings and cramping, contraceptive care can provide relief by balancing hormones throughout the cycle.
The hormones in birth control stop ovulation and thin the uterine lining. They prevent buildup and shedding, which results in lighter bleeding. Minimal menstruation also means fewer pulses of prostaglandins – inflammation-causing chemicals that induce cramping.
Fewer hormone fluctuations also prevent the peaks and valleys that can trigger premenstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms of bloating, breast tenderness, acne breakouts, fatigue, irritability, or depression in the weeks leading up to your period.
Lowered Anemia Risk
Heavy monthly bleeding raises the chance of iron deficiency anemia. This condition causes extreme fatigue and weakness from inadequate oxygen transport in the blood.
Using contraceptive care minimizes the amount of blood lost during your period by preventing ovulation and limiting the uterine lining thickness. The resulting lighter flow lowers your risk of developing anemia.
Clearer Skin
Many people realize contraception can reduce acne breakouts. But how exactly do specific birth control formulations clear your skin?
Combination pills, the patch, the vaginal ring, progestin implants, progestin-only pills, and some IUDs lower the amount of androgens – male hormones such as testosterone – produced by the ovaries.
Decreasing testosterone then reduces sebum production. With less oily secretions clogging pores, you end up with fewer pimples.
These methods also help prevent hormonal acne flares tied to menstrual cycles by keeping hormones steady instead of allowing estrogen/progestin levels to fluctuate. Within 3-6 months of starting contraception, many people experience significant clearing of their skin and reduced breakouts.
Endometriosis Symptom Relief
Endometriosis occurs when tissue similar to the uterine lining grows in other pelvic areas, such as the ovaries or fallopian tubes. The excess tissue thickens, breaks down, and bleeds monthly, causing inflammation, scarring, adhesions, and pain.
Because endometriosis feeds off the hormonal cycles of menstruation, stopping periods can ease related pelvic pain and cramping discomfort. By preventing the ups and downs that trigger spotting and tissue buildup, contraceptive care limits the internal irritation causing these symptoms.
Though not an endometriosis cure, contraception remains one of the main treatments for keeping the unpleasant symptoms in check.
Lower Cancer Risks
Contraception has also been shown to have beneficial effects on various cancers. These effects accumulate over years of use and last long, even after stopping.
Ovarian Cancer
Combination pills lower ovarian cancer risk by about 30% to 50% compared to people who have never taken contraception. The risk continues decreasing in direct proportion to the use duration and can last up to three decades after stopping. So, the longer you are on contraception, the more protected against this form of cancer you are.
Endometrial Cancer
Similar benefits emerge for endometrial cancer, with over 30% reduced odds of developing malignancies in the uterine lining. And the preventive impact again improves with extended consistent contraceptive treatment.
The mechanisms likely involve stopping ovulation and menstruation which limits inflammatory cycles that can damage DNA and spur abnormal tissue changes eventually leading to cancers.
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) Management
Characterized by irregular, infrequent periods, acne, excess hair growth, obesity, ovarian cysts, and reduced fertility, PCOS arises from an imbalance in reproductive hormones. The ovaries produce an overabundance of androgens, such as testosterone, which disrupt stability.
Contraception helps regain control over symptoms by overriding the ovaries’ malfunctioning regulation systems.
Oral, transdermal, intrauterine, implanted, or injected hormones take over, producing proper estrogen/progestin levels to potentially reverse issues such as menstrual abnormalities, provide clear skin, minimize hair growth, and prevent ovarian cysts.
Reduced PMS and Perimenopause Complaints
Premenstrual syndrome and approaching menopause share another unintended benefit from contraceptive care – blunting the ups and downs causing acute symptoms.
As estrogen and progesterone levels swing wildly during PMS and the variable transitional period preceding menopause, mood disorders, hot flashes, insomnia, headaches, palpitations, and more may plague you for weeks to months at a time.
Using oral contraception to regulate this hormonal often alleviates the intensity and frequency of these unpleasant episodes. Even lower dose formulations can reset your rhythm enough to rein in the radical highs and lows leading to problems.
While not equivalent to hormone replacement therapy, contraception may adequately control bothersome issues for those wishing to avoid daily medications during the fluctuating stages of perimenopause.
Discuss Preferences for Your Contraceptive Priorities with Raleigh Gynecology & Wellness
Raleigh Gynecology & Wellness offers personalized guidance, counseling, and care related to all contraceptive choices, whether your priorities lie with reliable pregnancy prevention or leveraging bonus health advantages.
Our Raleigh OB-GYN team takes the time to listen to your needs and tailor recommendations accordingly. Don’t struggle alone with painful heavy periods, skin flare-ups, raging PMS mood swings, or perimenopause miseries.
Contact Raleigh Gynecology & Wellness today at (919) 636-6670 or schedule a consultation online to explore how the right contraceptive match can better your life beyond simply forestalling parenthood if you’re not ready.