Female birth control can involve several forms: (1) surgical, (2) barrier, (3) spermicidal and (4) hormonal. Surgical birth control is, for the most part, permanent and involves having a tubal ligation or having one’s tubes tied. In some cases, it can be reversed but the possibility of the reversal being successful is less than 100%.
Barrier methods include the male and female condom. The success rates are limited by the fact that these barriers can break and fail to function. The male condom is worn as a sheath on the penis. The female condom is worn by putting both feet into loops of elastic material. The female condom is pushed up into the vagina and provides a barrier to sperm and sometimes, to sexually-transmitted diseases.
Spermicidal jellies and foams are often used with barrier methods. The spermicides, including nonoxynol-9, can increase toxicity to the female and result in an increase in yeast infections and local irritation. Spermicidal jellies, even when used with barrier methods, don’t provide 100% protection against pregnancy.
Hormonal methods for birth control are more common and work better than most other birth controls. Hormonal birth control can be in the form of pills or injections or the patch. Because the patch involves a greater amount of estrogen, there have been serious side effects and death from heart disease, stroke and blood clots in the lungs.
Birth control pills make use of synthetic estrogen and progesterone in a cyclic fashion that block the ability of the ovaries to ovulate normally. The pills normally contain two weeks of mostly estrogen, followed by two weeks of pills that contain synthetic estrogen and synthetic progesterone. The pills are taken every day and result in effectiveness that approaches 99%. The side effects of these pills include a risk for blood clots, including strokes, because of the estrogen component of the pills.
The “mini-pill” is a birth control pill that contains only progesterone. The progesterone suppresses the thickness of the endometrial lining and interferes somewhat with ovarian function. The side effects are spotting, especially in the first months of taking it, as well as a loss of periods when the progesterone shrinks the endometrial lining until it’s very thin.
Synthetic progesterone can be given as a long-acting injection, given every three months. The side effects are similar to the mini-pill. After a time, ovulation can resume; however, any eggs that are fertilized will be unable to implant in the thinned lining of the uterus. If a woman takes the injectable progestin form of birth control for a long time, it may take a long time until the lining of the uterus builds back to a normal level. Up to two years may pass until normal fertility resumes.
The type of birth control a woman uses depends on the side effects she’s willing to put up with and on the convenience of various forms of birth control. The tubal ligation is a permanent form of birth control and should be reserved for women who are certain that they never want children.
The birth control pill will cause deficiencies in certain vitamins such as vitamin B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, vitamin C, folic acid, magnesium and zinc. You may benefit from vitamin supplementation when you take the birth control pill. In addition, taking folic acid and vitamin B6 will reduce the side effects of the birth control pill. Lastly, the birth control pill may desensitize the hypothalamus –pituitary feedback loop. Make sure you consult with your physician to discuss your options and instruct you how to properly wean you off the pill if you so desire. This is for information purposes only and should not replace the advice of your physician.