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I have been on the birth control pill (ortho tricyclen lo) for 6 years and I've heard that it's bad to be on it for so long, is it normal to be on it for this long?
I heard that if you take it for to long it will kill your sex drive, but I don't really know.
Grumpybarbie the pill only decreases the amount of testosterone your body produces to mature an egg in your body. It is safe to take for many years. My mother was on different forms of birth control from the time I was born to menopause which was about 18 years. The only real side effects I have ever heard with birth control pills is blod clotts, but as long as you don't smoke and move around regularly that is a small possiblity. And I believe on the particular pill you are on it is even lower of a risk. I used to take that pill and it was the safest my doctor thought was avaliable for me, but I switched to seasonique last year and I love it. I don't see why it would be nessacary to stop taking the pill for a break for the body. Especially when there are pills for having only four periods a year.
The pill isn't safe for everyone and let's face it, there is nothing natural about not having a period or using a pill to prevent pregnancy. The pill stops your body from doing something it was made to do, reproduce! It effects every person in a different way, there are risks to taking it and the bottom line is that you need to talk to your doctor about your concerns.
The pill is a natural hormone found in your body. You go off the pill for one week a month (the period week of pills are just sugar pills made so that you keep taking a pill as habit and don't forget when it's the new pack).
There are different hormones, hormones that build up uterine lining, hormones that cause it to shed, and hormones that cause the lining to not build up, all found in your body. The last one is the one in the pill. So it's totally natural, it's just like you decide when what hormone gets used.
I'm on the 4 periods a year pill, it's exactly the same as any other pill, only you go three months without having a period. The same amount of hormones just over a longer period of time. You can do this with the pill if you want, skip a period or have it earlier/later.
I'm 19 and have been on the pill for 3 years, and will continue for many years to come. The pill isn't what it was in the 70s, where the amount of hormones was something like 10 times the amount of the pill now. It's totally safe, and you should continue to use it for as long as you want.
Yep but some docs will suggest you stop the pill for three months every few years to let your body do what it does naturally. Talk to your doctor, everyone is different. Age is a factor etc.