Birth Control Pills; Questions to Ask

NWHRC Health Center - Birth Control Pills, Dec 13, 2005

Review the following Questions To Ask about birth control pills so you're prepared to discuss this important health issue with your health care professional:

Am I a good candidate for birth control pills?

Which birth control pill would you prescribe for me? What about generic pills?

When should I start taking the pills?

What side effects have other women experienced when they take this pill?

When is a side effect serious enough for me to call your office and schedule a visit with you?

Do I still need to ask my partner to use condoms?

What should I do if I forget to take a pill? What if I forget to take two in a row?

If I have to take antibiotics, will I need to use a backup method of birth control?

Can I use these particular pills for emergency contraception? If so, how many should I take?

How soon after I stop taking the pill can I get pregnant?

I'm close to menopause. Do you recommend very-low-dose birth control pills for me? Why or why not?

I've had problems with regular pills making me nauseous. Do you think the mini-pill would be better? Why or why not?

References

Curtis KM, Chrisman CE, Peterson HB. "Contraception for women in selected circumstances." Obstet Gynecol 2002;99:1100-1112.

"The Emergency Contraception Website." Princeton University Office of Population Research/Association of Reproductive Health Professionals. http://ec.princeton.edu. Last updated August 2005. Date accessed: August 2005.

"Estimates of the Risk of Cardiovascular Death Attributable to Low-Dose Oral Contraceptives in the United States." American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Vol. 180, pp. 241-249, Jan. 1999

"European evaluation concludes third generation pills are associated with a small increase in risk of venous thromboembolism" British Medical Journal. 323:828. October 13, 2001. http://bmj.bmjjournals.com. Accessed August 2005.

"FDA Approves Seasonale Oral Contraceptive" FDA Talk Paper/Press release. Sept. 5, 2003. http://www.fda.gov. Accessed August 2005.

Marchbanks, P.A, et al. "Oral Contraceptives and the Risk of Breast Cancer" NEJM 2002. Vol. 346:2025-2032, No. 26.

"Oral Contraceptives and Cancer Risk." National Cancer Institute. http://cis.nci.nih.gov. Last updated: Nov. 3, 2003. Accessed August 2005.

"Parity, Oral Contraceptives, and the Risk of Ovarian Cancer among Carriers and Noncarriers of a BRCA1 or BRCA2 Mutation." New England Journal of Medicine 345(4): 235-240. July 26, 2001. http://content.nejm.org Accessed: August 2005.

"Oral Contraceptives-?An Update." Population Reports/The Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Center for Communication Programs. http://www.infoforhealth.org. Date created: Spring 2000. Accessed August 2005.

"Risk of venous thromboembolism with cyproterone or levonorgestrel contraceptives." The Lancet 2001;358:1427-1429.

Schless, J.J. and Farley, T.M.M. Risk of cardiovascular disease in relation to oral contraception use with and without blood-pressure screening. Draft, Feb. 2000. Presented to meeting on Improving Access and Quality of Care in Family Planning: Medical Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive Use, World Health Organization, Geneva, Mar. 8E10, 2000. 27 p.

"Stroke and Use of Low-Dose Oral Contraceptives in Young Women: A Pooled Analysis of Two US Studies." Stroke/American Heart Association. http://stroke.ahajournals.org. Date created: August 28, 1990. Accessed August 2005.

"Women in the Know." Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, Inc. 2001. http://www.womenintheknow.com

"FDA Takes Action on Plan B: Statement by FDA Commissioner Lester M. Crawford." FDA press release. http://www.fda.gov. Date created: August 26, 2005. Date Accessed August 2005.

"What Is Thrombosis?" INvestigators Against ThromboEmbolism. http://www.inate.org. Date Accessed September 2005

"Pelvic Inflammatory Disease - CDC Fact Sheet." Centers for Disease Control. http://www.cdc.gov. Date reviewed May 2004. Accessed September 2005.

Petitti, DB. "Clinical practice. Combination Estrogen-progestin Oral Contraceptives." N Engl J Med 2003 Oct 9;349(15):1443-50.

"Choosing the Right Birth Control for Your Patients." The American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians. 2004. Available at: http://www.acofp.org. Accessed October 2005.

"Emergency Contraception: History." Contraception Online. July 2004. Available online at http://www.contraceptiononline.org. Accessed October 2005.

Smith, JS et al. Cervical cancer and use of hormonal contraceptives: a systematic review. Lancet 2003 Apr 5;361(9364):1159-67).

Dickinson, BD et al. Drug interactions between oral contraceptives and antibiotics. Obstet Gynecol 2001 Nov;98(5 Pt 1):853-60)

Keywords: birth control pills, forget to take a pill, side effects