Among the birth control pills list, the three most common types are: the ‘progestin-only pills’, also known as the POP or the ‘mini-pill’; the ‘combination pills’ because they contain both estrogen and progestin; and the ‘emergency contraceptive pills’, which are basically to prevent pregnancy following unprotected sex. The emergency pill has been suggested not to be used as a regular contraceptive. These emergency pills are also referred to as ‘morning after’ pills.
The progestin-only pills (POP) are safe for women who are breastfeeding and women who are above age 35 and smoke. The pill works by thickening the cervical mucus and preventing sperm from entering the uterus and must be taken at the scheduled time each day. Nevertheless, they are not as effective as combination pills. In the birth control pills list, the combination pills are the actual ‘BCPs’ embodied by oral contraception. In this category, there are three types:
1.) Monophasic pills – packets containing 21 pills of estrogen and progestin plus 7 of plain placebos. Common problems are it effects the menstrual cycle to once every three months.
2.) Multiphasic pills – these contain varied amounts of hormones, taken throughout the schedule and have a reduced ratio of side effects.
3.) Continuous use pill – known as multiphasic pills, contains a total of 28 pills. Common problem is that it prevents menstruation all together.
The emergency contraceptive pills (ECP) are meant for an emergency situation only. The two-dose regimen requires the first dose taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex, and the second dose within 12 hours.
The Relationship between Uterine Fibroids and Breasts Uterine fibroids are simply overgrowths of cells on the uterine wall. Fibrocystic breasts are breasts that develop lumpy, thick nodules. While both of these conditions hit women primarily in their pre-menopausal years, they are not related in the sense that one causes the other. Just because you might get one of them does not mean you will get the other one.
Both conditions are associated, at times, with an overabundance of estrogen and/or progesterone because both usually strike in the “high-estrogen” years of a woman’s life. These are usually the years preceding the onset of menopause. The uterus and the breasts both share common hormones because the hormones which prepare the breasts to secrete milk (during pregnancy) are the same as the ones that promote cell growth in the uterus. However, the two conditions, fibroids and fibrocystic breasts, have not been found to be related.
Fibroid Tumors
Fibroids are present in a large percentage of women and range in size from tiny (pinpoint) to huge (as big as a full-term pregnancy). Most women do not have any major symptoms with small fibroids but, if they should grow large, they can cause a number of problems, such as heavy menstrual periods, back pain, cramps, and bladder pressure. Fibroids start shrinking after menopause but if they grow large enough to cause problems, they are usually removed by having either a surgical hysterectomy or myomectomy. Hysterectomies involve removing the uterus while myomectomies take just the fibroid tumor itself.
Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) is most often used for women undergoing menopause, either natural or surgical-induced. It is used to improve the symptoms associated with menopause, such as hot flashes, mood swings, dry vagina, and urinary problems.
Women undergoing menopause experience these symptoms due to the lack of estrogen and/or progesterone. Women who have had hysterectomies usually take estrogen while women who still have their uterus need to take a combination of estrogen and progesterone.
Research
HRT was widely used until 2002, when research indicated that it could be harmful and cause women to be at higher risk of certain diseases, such as heart attack, stroke, and breast cancer. Most of the research, however, was done on women in their 60’s instead of in their 40’s and 50’s. It is thought that the younger groups of women are at lower risk of getting these diseases than the older group. On a brighter note, however, women’s risk levels for the other diseases go back down once they have been off of HRT for 4 to 5 years.
Fibroid tumors are non-cancerous cell overgrowths of the uterus. They can form on the inside, outside, or wall of the uterus and can be as small as a pinpoint or as large as a well-developed pregnancy. Fibroids occur during a woman’s childbearing years but once menopause starts, they often diminish in size.
What makes fibroids grow?
Both estrogen and progesterone must be present in order for fibroid tumors to grow in size. Once women enter menopause, they stop making estrogen and progesterone, which is why fibroids become less of a problem at that time.
Birth control pills are thought to play a role in the growth of fibroid tumors, though not the actual cause of them. It appears that the tumors grow when birth control pills are present in the system and slow down or stop if the pills are discontinued.
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