Over use of contraception can be harmful

Many contraceptive methods produce changes in the menstrual cycle. Most of these health changes may vary across individuals due to the methods and duration of use.

Saturday, March 10, 2012
Dr. Joseph Kamugisha

Many contraceptive methods produce changes in the menstrual cycle. Most of these health changes may vary across individuals due to the methods and duration of use. However, there are other medical procedures that may produce changes. Most of the implantation methods, injection of semen or other means of reproduction can bring about irregularity in the menstrual cycle and extended periods of light bleeding.People need to know that use of contraceptives may bring about menstruation related side effects. Therefore, care should be taken when taking the contraceptive. Health experts need to help women and couples to decide the appropriate method for use in the due course of their reproductive life.One of the most common side effects of use of contraceptive pills is prolonged bleeding.  Bleeding commonly experienced in our society is the atrophic bleeding due to a low number of estrogen. Most of the commonly used pills contain progestin, a hormone that depresses development of the embryo and ovulation.For adults or married women, contraceptive pills play a major role in family planning as it helps mothers who want to prevent or discontinue giving birth. There is an ongoing scientific research to reveal the relationship between early use of contraceptives and primary infertility in some women.This scientific evidence will high light challenges young girls may face in future due to use of contraceptives before marriage. Normally sexual intercourse is legal for married people and therefore use of contraceptives is not forbidden in this group of people.In some societies, it was proved that infertility in some women was commonly associated with use of high doses of oral contraceptive pills during their childhood lives. In another group of the population, it was found out that early exposure to contraceptive chemical compounds led to production of malformed children with some neurological problems and sometimes with low intelligent quotient.For some women, high doses of oral contraceptives at early stages in life may lead to miscarriage during pregnancy. Fear of such major health consequences should lead mothers to discourage young girls from early involvement in sexual affairs.This is why abstinence is highly recommendable in young people or else use of condoms should be the last option to those dating or opting for marriage.However contraceptives have various health benefits especially to the adult women.   The risk of endometrial cancer is largely diminished when oral contraceptives are used and this effect may last up to 20 years after discontinuing the use of pills. Ovarian cancer is the most lethal of the female reproductive malignancies, but oral contraceptives can significantly reduce the incidence of its occurrence.It appears that the benefit of oral contraceptives has something to do with inhibiting ovulation of the ovary each month because pregnancy and lactation, both of which reduce ovulations are also factors which lower risk. On the other side, ovulation induction medicines such as clomiphene citrate, which is used to cause ovulation in infertility patients, is suspected of slightly increasing the risk of ovarian cancer.Just as other health conditions and behaviours, oral contraceptive users may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease such as hypertension. Also, the health status of a country determines whether there will be more deaths prevented or caused by oral contraceptive use in the country.On the contrary, cervical cancer is present more often in contraceptive pill users than non users. It is important to understand that cervical cancer is a sexually transmitted disease that is increased by having multiple sexual partners and is decreased by using barrier contraceptives such as condoms. Many medical experts have showed that the excess risk for cervical cancer due to pills merely represents its comparison to non-pill users who predominantly use barrier contraceptives.