Birth Control Side Effects: Are They Permanent?

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birthcontrolTaking any type of hormonal birth control brings an inherent risk of side effects.  While some may fade over time, others are clear indicators that you should investigate other options.  Below are some common side effects of hormonal birth control and information on which could be cause for alarm.

  • Headache, dizziness, and breast tenderness- These side effects should fade over time.  If they remain at the same intensity after three months, consult with your doctor about alternatives.
  • Breakthrough bleeding- This symptom may never go away, even if you diligently take your birth control pill at the same time daily.  While it is not cause for concern, it is most definitely frustrating and inconvenient.
  • Decreased libido- For some women, synthetic estrogen increases their levels of sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG). This protein binds to testosterone and makes it less available for the body’s use.  The result is lowered sexual desire, subdued orgasms, and possibly pain during sex.  Even worse, SHBG levels can remain high in the bloodstream for months after going off the pill.
  • Mood swings- The hormones in birth control pills can cause some to become clinically depressed.  In fact, those with a history of depression would be advised to avoid hormonal birth control completely.
  • Your body composition-While the pill will not make you gain weight, a 2009 study conducted at Texas A&M University showed that it can decrease your muscle tissue.  Comparing a group of 73 women on a weight training program, researchers found those on the pill built 60 percent less lean muscle, had lower levels of muscle building hormones, and had higher levels of hormones that break down muscle tissue.

Those seeking an alternative to hormonal birth control should consider Lady-Comp, an easy-to-use system that can predict your fertile days based on your daily morning body temperature and information you input.  To learn more about Lady-Comp, please call 1-877-925-LADY.

Birth Control Options When Breastfeeding

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It has been six weeks since your new bundle of joy arrived, and you are more than ready to resume your sex life.  However, if you are breastfeeding, you will find your birth control options are limited.

There are actually only a small handful of hormonal birth control methods that have been approved by the American Academy of Pediatrics for use while breastfeeding.  Even among those, birth control pills containing estrogen have been shown to decrease milk supply, so it’s recommended you avoid them until your baby is at least six months old and is getting most nutrients through solid foods instead.  Progestin-only contraceptives have been found to impact both milk supply and nutrient content.  If you had gestational diabetes during pregnancy, there is something else to take into account.   A 1998 study conducted at the University of Southern California School of medicine showed that women with gestational diabetes who took the mini birth control pill while breastfeeding tripled their risk of developing permanent type II diabetes within a year.  Therefore, taking hormonal birth control while breastfeeding is truly a risk to the health of your baby, and possibly to your own health as well.

You may wish to explore some common non-hormonal methods of birth control during this time.  Examples are male and female condoms, diaphragms, cervical caps, vaginal sponges, and spermicides.  However, you can easily unintentionally use any of these methods improperly, which increases their failure rate.  Luckily, you do have the option of using Lady-Comp, which is a great way to prevent pregnancy without subjecting your body to artificial methods.

Lady-Comp is an intelligent fertility monitor which learns, analyzes, and predicts your ovulation with 99.3% accuracy, primarily based on your basal body temperature.  It is easy to use and free of hormones and side-effects.  If you would like to learn more about how Lady-Comp can help you, please call 1-877-925-LADY.

 

What is a “Normal” Menstrual Cycle and Can Vitamins Help Support One?

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The menstrual cycle is essentially a sequence of changes a woman’s body goes through in order to prepare for pregnancy.  During this process, the uterus grows a new lining in preparation to receive a fertilized egg.  If there is no fertilized egg to begin pregnancy, the uterus sheds its lining, causing menstrual bleeding.  Women usually begin experiencing menstrual periods between the ages of 11 and 14, and will notice them begin to slow down between the ages of 39 and 51.  The length of the menstrual cycle is counted from the first day of bleeding until the last day before the next bleeding occurs.  On average, this is 28 days, but can vary by up to 7 days each time.  It is not uncommon to have greater variance as a teenager or after you reach your 40’s.  However, if you experience a variance of 8 days or more while you are in your 20’s and 30’s, your period is considered irregular by medical standards.

There is evidence that vitamins can assist in regulating your cycle under some limited circumstances:

  • Irregular periods can be caused by malnourishment.  In this case, supplying the body with proper nutritional needs can make a difference.
  • Researchers at the Yale University School of Medicine found that women who were struggling with infertility due to Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome had extremely low levels of Vitamin D and therefore could be assisted by adding Vitamin D supplements.
  • Folic acid, a major component of prenatal vitamins, is considered to be a fertility enhancer.
  • It can be helpful to increase your intake of Vitamin B6, as a lack of it is known to cause hormonal imbalance.
  • Vitamin E is also used to helped regulate the menstrual cycle.
  • Monk’s pepper, also known as chaste berry or Vitex, is an herbal supplement known to help regulate ovulation and menstruation by restoring the natural balance of estrogen and progesterone in the body.

If you are trying to conceive and are frustrated by your irregular cycle, Lady-Comp can help.  Lady-Comp is an easy-to use fertility computer that can predict when you will ovulate with 99.3% accuracy, based on the information you provide it and its daily reading of your basal body temperature.  If you would like to learn more about Lady-Comp’s proven track record with helping couples conceive, please call us at 1-877-925-LADY.

 

The Impact of an Irregular Menstrual Cycle for Women Trying to Conceive

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A normal menstrual cycle can vary.  For the average woman, it is 28 days in length.  Medically speaking, a variance of 7 days or less each month is considered to be normal.  A variance of 8 to 20 days is moderately irregular, and 21 days or more is very irregular.

If you are trying to conceive a baby, any variance in cycle can be frustrating, as it makes it much more difficult to predict when you will be ovulating.  In a given month, the average couple trying to conceive has a 15-25% chance of becoming pregnant.  However, if you have an irregular cycle, your chances are decreased.  Strictly mathematically speaking, if you tend to have longer cycles, you have fewer opportunities over time to conceive than someone with a perfect 28 day cycle.

If you have an irregular cycle and are trying to conceive, there are two methods that can assist you in predicting when you will ovulate.  One is tracking your basal body temperature on a daily basis over a period of months.  A woman’s body temperature rises after ovulation, so charting yours can help you predict when you will ovulate next.  The other is by charting your cervical mucus.  You will find the amount and consistency of your mucus changes throughout the month.  When you are nearing ovulation, it will become clear and slippery, similar to raw egg white, and you will have more of it.

Of course, you may be reticent to try either of these methods on your own. After all, if you are not a medical professional yourself, how can you really know for sure?  Luckily, you can remove the guesswork with Lady-Comp, an easy-to use fertility computer that can predict when you will ovulate with 99.3% accuracy, based on the information you provide it and its daily reading of your basal body temperature.  If you would like to learn more about how Lady-Comp can help you conceive, please call us at 1-877-925-LADY.

Contraception for Women in Perimenopause

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All too often, women in their 40’s and 50’s abandon the use of birth control before their periods stop completely, due to an assumption that the risk of pregnancy is much lower with age.  A rule of thumb to follow regarding birth control is that you should continue to use it for one year following your last period if you are 50 or over, and two years following your last period of you are under 50 years old.

One reason women in their 40’s and 50’s may be eager to stop hormonal birth control is that the health risks associated with hormonal birth control increase as a woman gets older.  Examples of this include:

  • Nutrient Absorption- Hormonal birth control can impact the rate at which your body absorbs and utilizes B vitamins, zinc, and beta-carotene, which can cause changes to glucose tolerance, liver function, and insulin sensitivity.
  • Risk of Stroke- The chance of stroke occurring in birth control pill users increases over the age of 35, particularly if the woman is a smoker or a migraine sufferer.
  • Cholesterol Levels- Oral contraceptives can increase total serum cholesterol levels in perimenopausal women.
  • Breast Cancer Risk- Studies have found that women on oral contraceptives have an elevated risk for breast cancer, and that hormones contained in the pill can actually accelerate the growth of malignant cells in the body.
  • Blood Clots- While hormonal birth control increases the risk of blood clots at any age, the risk is higher for women over 50 years old.  Blood clots are frightening in that they can be asymptomatic, meaning you may not know you are developing one, and they can be deadly if they travel to a major organ, such as the lungs or heart.

If you would like to avoid the inherent risks of hormonal birth control, you do have other options, one of which is Lady-Comp.  The Lady-Comp system is a safe, natural way to determine your fertile days based on your previous cycles and morning body temperature.  For more information, please give us a call at 1-877-925-LADY.

What Happens to Your Body After Conception?

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Your pregnancy journey begins when a sperm has penetrated one of your eggs.  It takes somewhere between 10 and 30 hours for their respective nuclei to merge and combine genetic material. At this point, the egg is officially fertilized and will need three to four days to move from your Fallopian tube to your uterus, all the while dividing into 16 identical cells.  Once it reaches the uterus, your rapidly developing baby has evolved into a mass of cells that scientists refer to as a blastocyst.  The inside of the blastocyst will become the embryo and the outside will form the placenta.  The placenta protects the baby, delivers oxygen and nutrients, and carries waste products away.

During this time, your hormones are starting to change.  The developing placenta increases your levels of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG).  When this hormone reaches a high enough level, it can be detected in blood and urine tests to verify your pregnancy.  Typically, levels are high enough by two days after you have missed your period, but this can vary.

Hormonal changes will possibly cause you to experience the following symptoms as early as two weeks after fertilization:

  • Rising progesterone levels cause fatigue as well as constipation.
  • The increase in estrogen levels triggers nausea, which may be accompanied by vomiting.
  • Flooding hormones in general will cause breast tenderness, food aversions, food cravings, headaches, and mood swings.

You may also experience dizziness due to changes in your circulatory system brought on by the increased blood supply needed to sustain your baby in-utero.

If you desire to become pregnant, Lady-Comp Baby can help you turn your dream into reality.

With its integrated cycle and planning-statistics Lady-Comp Baby displays further
useful information necessary to successfully plan a child:

  • forecasts your most fertile days.
  • recognizes if you don’t ovulate or if you have a hormonal imbalance (CLI).
  • can be used by women with irregular cycles.
  • indicates monophasic cycles (cycles without ovulation) and ovulation fluctuation.
  • recognizes a Corpus Luteum Deficiency.
  • contains an Integrated Pregnancy Test.
  • keeps track of all your data. No graphs needed. You can access your own data easily at any time. A free Clinical Print-Out and Analysis can also be obtained upon request.

It does so much more

  • provides you with an accurate Expected Delivery Date.
  • can be used for safe natural pregnancy prevention after birth (99.3% reliability).

 

This easy-to use fertility computer can predict when you will ovulate with 99.3% accuracy, based on the information you provide it and its daily reading of your basal body temperature.  If you would like to learn more about how Lady-Comp can help you conceive, please call us at 1-877-925-LADY.

IUD Birth Control: Is it safe?

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Nearly 10 percent of American women who use prescription birth control choose an intrauterine device (IUD), which is implanted in the uterus and functions by releasing hormones over several years. It’s an easy alternative to taking a pill every day.

Mirena is one of two IUD products approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It hit the market in 2000 and is manufactured by Bayer.

Unfortunately, Mirena can put women at serious risk of side effects such as migration in the body, device expulsion, pelvic inflammatory disease and ectopic pregnancy. Bayer is dealing with lawsuits over Mirena, as well as lawsuits over its birth control pills Yaz and Yasmin, which have been linked to risks like blood clots.

The Risk of Device Migration

Women using Mirena have reported a frightening malfunction: device migration. Device migration occurs after the device has been implanted, when it spontaneously moves out of its original placement in the uterus.

The device can puncture the wall of the uterus and damage surrounding organs. The bladder, blood vessels, pelvis, fallopian tubes and abdominal cavity are all vulnerable to damage from the device.

Once Mirena has migrated, a physician must locate and surgically remove the device to prevent organ damage, increased pain and infections. For women who have recently experienced childbirth, the risk of perforation of the uterus is increased. It is recommended that mothers wait at least six months after delivery to use Mirena.

The Risk of Device Expulsion

Device expulsion is the most commonly reported side effect of Mirena. With device expulsion, the device spontaneously leaves the body through the vagina, negatively affecting the user’s health and allowing pregnancy. If the device is expelled, users may experience cramping, bleeding and pain during sex.

Once the device is no longer in place, Mirena is no longer effective at preventing pregnancy. That means women need to use alternative forms of birth control until a new IUD is inserted.

The Risk of Pelvic Inflammatory Disease and Ectopic Pregnancy

As soon as three weeks after women begin using the device, they may experience pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), a painful condition that can cause harm to the ovaries, uterus and fallopian tubes. Another possible negative side effect of PID is infertility. The FDA has warned health professionals that women with a history of PID should refrain from using Mirena.

Mirena has also been associated with an increased risk of ectopic pregnancy, which happens when an egg is fertilized outside the uterus, often in the fallopian tubes. A pregnancy cannot survive outside the uterus, and it will endanger the mother. Surgery is required to remove the fertilized egg, and this surgery could prevent future fertility.

 

While Mirena is a convenient birth control opinion, women should thoroughly examine the risks and benefits before deciding to use an IUD.

 

Alanna Ritchie is a content writer for Drugwatch.com, specializing in news about prescription drugs, medical devices and consumer safety.

Birth Control Pills Increase Risk of Breast Cancer

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The World Health Organization officially labels combined oral contraceptives as a Group 1 Carcinogen, on the same list as other more publicized causes of cancer such as asbestos, tobacco, and tanning booths.  Yet, the medical community continues to prescribe the birth control pill for everything from acne to mood swings, with the thought that the benefits outweigh the risks.  At Lady- Comp, we urge you to ask questions and be informed of all of your options before starting a regimen of hormonal contraceptives.

According to the World Health Organization, years of scientific research data has shown the following:

  • The incidents of breast cancer increase proportionately with the length of use of combined oral contraceptives prior to the birth of the first child.
  • Users of combined oral contraceptives have a higher rate of breast cancer prior to age 35 as well as prior to age 45.
  • Women who have used combined oral contraceptives within the previous 5 to 10 years have a higher risk of breast cancer.

Further supporting the World Health Organization’s classification, a 2006 study by the Mayo Clinic revealed that breast cancer risk increases 50% for women taking oral contraceptives four or more years before a full-term pregnancy.  Additionally, a 2009 study by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center found women starting the pill before age 18 nearly quadruple their risk of breast cancer.

Why is this the case?  As it turns out, the combination of estrogen and progesterone in the birth control pill functions as a genotoxin in the body.  It encourages the multiplication of breast tissue, and can actually irreparably damage the DNA contained within that tissue.  An increased number of cells in the breasts lead to a greater likelihood of mutations in cell division, which can ultimately result in cancer.  Even more frightening, estrogen will cause any cells in the breast tissue that are already cancerous to develop and multiply more rapidly.

If you would like to read more about the oral contraceptive/breast cancer link, you can view the World Health Organization’s full report online at http://monographs.iarc.fr/ENG/Monographs/vol72/index.php.

Harmful Side Effects of NuvaRing

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The NuvaRing has been available in the United States since 2001 and has quickly become a very popular birth control option for thousands of women across the country mostly because of its ease of use. This form of birth control slowly releases estrogen and progestin over the course of three weeks, eliminating the need to take a pill at the same time every day. Unfortunately, there are a number of harmful and potentially fatal side effects that have been linked to NuvaRing use.

Side effects are present in a number of prescription drugs, but those associated with NuvaRing are very serious and in some instances, could jeopardize the life of a NuvaRing user. And while many women may experience vaginal infections or irritation, headaches, weight gain, and nausea because of NuvaRing use, some of the more serious side effects of NuvaRing include the following:

  • Blood clots – The hormones in NuvaRing can disrupt your body’s blood clotting system, causing it to clot more easily than normal. Clots can form in one’s legs and then travel to the lungs causing devastating consequences. Blood clots can also lead to deep vein thrombosis and also pulmonary embolism.
  • Strokes – NuvaRing can increase one’s risk of suffering a stroke. This is when blood flow to the brain is blocked. Patients on NuvaRing could also suffer from heart attacks.
  • High blood pressure – Hormonal contraceptives can magnify symptoms of high blood pressure or even diabetes

If you are taking NuvaRing, you need to be aware of the possible signs of problems so you can stop taking the drug and seek medical help as quickly as possible. Call your doctor immediately if you begin experiencing any of the following:

  • Chest pains, shortness of breath, or coughing up blood
  • Signs of possible leg clots such as pain in the calf or the back of the leg
  • Trouble with vision or speech, numbness in arms or legs, or any other signs of a possible stroke
  • Complete or partial loss of vision

Although NuvaRing is a convenient way to administer birth control, you should talk with your doctor about other options, especially if you are concerned about any of the above potential side effects.

Matthew Norman is a full-time blogger who writes for a number of tech, legal, and medical sites. Matthew covers a number of topics dealing with harmful drugs like NuvaRing and options available to victims, such as filing a NuvaRing lawsuit.

Anovulation

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Anovulation is the term used for a menstrual cycle in which there is no ovulation.  In other words, you still experience bleeding even though you did not release an egg or ovulate.  It is normal for these cycles to occur occasionally throughout your childbearing years.  However, when experienced on a frequent basis, the result is difficulty conceiving.

The number one cause of anovulation is hormonal imbalance.  This can be brought on by a prolonged and strenuous exercise program, emotional stress, and/or eating disorders.  There are also several medical issues that result in hormonal imbalance, including polycystic ovary syndrome, hypothalamic dysfunction, and tumors of the pituitary gland, adrenal gland, or ovaries.

Additionally, it has been found that certain medications cause anovulation.  For example, because they work by intentionally disrupting the interaction between the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and ovaries, hormonal birth control is often the culprit.  It appears that the longer a woman is on hormonal contraceptives, the more likely she will experience anovulation when she stops taking them.

Because many women will continue to have what appears to be normal periods even if they do not ovulate, anovulation can be difficult to detect without extensive testing.  This could include blood tests, CT or MRI scans of the pituitary gland and hypothalamus, and endometrial or ovarian biopsies.  However, there is one way you can potentially detect this issue yourself at home, and that is with Lady-Comp.  Lady-Comp is a personal fertility monitor which learns and adjusts to your individual cycle regardless of irregularities or cycle length.  It is programmed with a database of more than 900,000 cycles and uses bio-mathematical forecasting calculations and computer techniques to predict your fertile days, primarily based on your morning body temperature.   Research shows that Lady-Comp is 99.3% accurate.  If you are experiencing bleeding without the indication of any fertile days, you will know something is amiss and can follow up with your doctor for further testing.

Once anovulation is detected, there are treatments available, including medication, nutritional adjustments, stress reduction, and surgery.  What is recommended for you will vary depending on the cause of your condition, your age, and your medical history.

If you are interested to learn more about how Lady-Comp can help you, please feel free to call us at 1-877-925-LADY.  We are looking forward to speaking with you.