There are short-acting contraceptives, long-acting contraceptives and emergency contraceptives, how should I take them? Do you know?
1.Short-acting contraceptive pill
Short-acting contraceptive pills are recommended clinically because of their small side effects and relatively good contraceptive effect. It usually takes 28 days as a cycle, and there are two kinds of medication programs as follows.
① “21 + 7”: Generally, the first time you take it, you start from the 1st to 5th day of your period, and take 1 tablet a day for 21 consecutive days of hormone-containing pills, followed by 7 days of placebo tablets (no drug ingredients), when you take the placebo, withdrawal bleeding will occur, and then you can take the next box after you finish.
②”24 + 4″: i.e., 24 days of continuous hormone-containing tablets followed by 4 days of placebo tablets, or low-dose estrogen tablets, with retreat bleeding occurring while taking the placebo or low-dose estrogen tablets, followed by the next box after 28 days.
It should be noted that the adverse effects and risks of short-acting oral contraceptives are most obvious at the beginning of use, and the longer the use time, the better the body adapts and the lower the risk. Therefore, it is not recommended to “take and stop”. If you miss one pill during the use, you should make up for it within the shortest possible time, or take two pills on the second day to make up for it in time, and it is better not to miss more than 7 days in a row to avoid not being able to guarantee the effectiveness of contraception. It is recommended that it can be taken at bedtime to reduce the occurrence of side effects.
2, long-acting contraceptive pills
Long-acting contraceptive pill due to strong and large amount of drugs, easy to affect the women’s menstruation and weight, not suitable for women who have not had children to eat, so, at present, the clinical is not commonly used.
Long-acting contraceptive pills do not need to be taken every day, just once or twice a month, and the drug will last for a month. Generally take 1 tablet on the first day of menstruation, take the second tablet on the 5th day, and then repeat every 28 days according to the date of the first dose; or take 1 tablet on the 5th day of menstruation and the 25th day of the menstrual cycle, and then take 1 tablet on the 25th day of the monthly menstrual cycle.
3.Emergency contraceptive pill
Emergency contraceptive pills not only have a high failure rate, and safety problems, therefore, it is not recommended to take them often.
(e.g. levonorgestrel tablets) requires 1 tablet within 72 hours of unprotected sex (preferably within 12 hours), and the earlier it is taken, the better the contraceptive effect. An additional tablet taken after 12 hours will be more effective, while (e.g. mifepristone tablets) can be taken within 5 days after sexual intercourse, but requires a doctor’s prescription.
If vomiting occurs within 2 hours after taking the pill, 1 additional dose should be taken as soon as possible. Usually, it is recommended to use emergency contraceptive pills no more than 1 time in 1 month and no more than 3 times in 1 year to avoid endocrine disorders and menstrual disorders.
In conclusion, different birth control pills are used in different ways. It is best to consult a doctor before using them to clarify whether there are any contraindications to the drug, and to take them according to medical advice or in strict accordance with the instructions. Blindly taking them indiscriminately will not only be ineffective, but also increase the side effects of the medication.
References.
[1] Hu Rong. The “long” and “short” of contraceptives [J]. Health Expo, 2021(5):2.
[2]Leng Mei. The very unreliable methods of contraception [J]. Health care literature, 2020(6):1.
[3]Cheng Linan. The safety of emergency contraceptive pills[J]. Journal of Practical Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2014, 30(7):3.
[4] Ma Peiqi. Development and selection of emergency contraceptive pills. Shanghai Medicine, 2013,34(3):52-54.