High- and Low-Dose Birth Control: How They Differ

Mixture contraception drugs comprise each estrogen and progesterone. The hormones stop being pregnant by stopping ovulation and altering the liner of your uterus (womb) and your vaginal discharge to forestall sperm from coming into your physique.

Some folks have unwanted side effects when taking contraception drugs with estrogen. Low-dose drugs comprise much less estrogen than high-dose drugs, which can assist scale back undesirable unwanted side effects.

There is not one birth control pill that is proper for everybody. In case you’re experiencing unwanted side effects out of your contraception, your healthcare supplier can focus on potential adjustments to your sort or dosage of contraception.

Mixture contraception drugs comprise each progesterone and estrogen. Whereas the quantity of progesterone in these drugs stays the identical, the quantity of estrogen can fluctuate. The kind of estrogen together drugs is normally ethinyl estradiol.

Excessive Dose

Excessive-dose mixture contraception drugs comprise 50 micrograms of estrogen or much less. These are prescribed much less steadily than contraception drugs with decrease doses of estrogen as they’re extra prone to produce unfavourable unwanted side effects.

Low Dose

Low-dose mixture contraception drugs normally comprise 20-35 micrograms of estrogen. Tablets with 20-25 micrograms of estrogen are greatest for individuals who expertise unfavourable side effects at doses of 30-35 micrograms of estrogen.

For instance, 20-microgram doses could also be much less prone to trigger irregular bleeding for some people.

Extremely Low Dose

Extremely-low-dose contraception drugs have between 10-20 micrograms of estrogen. These are greatest for people who find themselves very delicate to unfavourable unwanted side effects when taking mixture contraception drugs.

You would possibly assume {that a} decrease dose contraception capsule could not work as effectively to forestall being pregnant. Nonetheless, analysis has discovered that each high- and low-dose contraception drugs work simply as effectively to forestall being pregnant.

One evaluation of 13 research discovered that contraception drugs containing 20 micrograms of estrogen had been simply as efficient at stopping being pregnant as contraception drugs containing lower than 20 micrograms.

All contraception capsule varieties have comparable effectiveness charges for preventing pregnancy. While you use contraception drugs completely (taking the drugs precisely as instructed by your healthcare supplier), you’ve a 0.3% likelihood of getting pregnant in a single yr of use. In case you use contraception much less persistently, you’ll have a few 9% likelihood of getting pregnant in a single yr of use.

No matter dose of contraception capsule you employ, it is vital to make use of the drugs in keeping with the directions your healthcare supplier gave you.

Appropriate contraception use can look totally different relying on the sort. For instance:

• Month-to-month dosing: Some contraception drugs require you to take an “energetic capsule” containing estrogen and progestin for 21-24 days after which take a placebo capsule (no hormones) or no drugs for 4-7 days.
• Three-month dosing: Different varieties require you to take the identical capsule for longer durations, corresponding to 84 days in a row, adopted by a placebo capsule for seven days.
• Yr-long dosing: Some varieties require you to take an energetic capsule each day for a yr.

There are two fundamental varieties of contraception drugs prescribed by docs and healthcare suppliers:

• Mixture drugs, which comprise estrogen and progesterone
• Progestin-only drugs (mini drugs)

All mixture drugs comprise progesterone and estrogen, although the kind of progestin could fluctuate. The kind of estrogen is similar throughout all drugs, however the quantity can differ. Mixture drugs could comprise wherever from 10-50 micrograms of estrogen.

Progestin-only drugs solely comprise the hormone progesterone. On this approach, they’re a “low dose” capsule as a result of they comprise zero estrogen. These are good decisions for individuals who can not take estrogen for medical causes or are involved concerning the unwanted side effects and dangers of taking estrogen.

There are at the moment solely two progestin-only drugs out there for contraception, they usually comprise totally different progestins.

The primary out there mixture contraception drugs contained 50 micrograms of estrogen. Nonetheless, these drugs had been quickly linked to blood clots in veins. This well being danger is partly why lower-estrogen mixture contraception drugs grew to become out there and are actually beneficial for most individuals.

Past extra critical dangers like blood clots, contraception drugs can have uncomfortable unwanted side effects for some folks, and taking a lower-dose capsule could scale back a few of these unwanted side effects, corresponding to:

Signs of decreased intercourse drive don’t normally enhance after taking a decrease dose of contraception drugs. In case you expertise extreme interval ache, an extended-release contraception capsule could also be higher. If breakthrough bleeding is extreme, switching to a better dose of estrogen could scale back this symptom.

There isn’t any precise dose that may decrease these results, because it’s specific to the person. Folks normally work with their healthcare supplier to discover a dose that produces the fewest unwanted side effects.

Excessive- and low-dose contraception drugs have comparable advantages and drawbacks. Taking a lower-dose mixture capsule could scale back unwanted side effects like complications, nausea, and breast soreness.

The general advantages of mixture contraception drugs embrace:

• Shorter durations or lack of durations
• Lowered premenstrual syndrome (PMS) signs
• Lowered danger of ovarian most cancers, uterine most cancers, and colon most cancers
• Therapy of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)
• Fewer ovarian cysts and ovarian tumors
• Decrease danger of anemia (low iron)

Some potential disadvantages of mixed contraception drugs embrace:

• Uncomfortable side effects like breast soreness, nausea, and complications
• Irregular bleeding and breakthrough bleeding
• Potential improve in blood strain
• Elevated danger of deep venous thrombosis (a blood clot forming in a vein), particularly with larger estrogen doses

Whereas most individuals can safely take mixture contraception drugs, some populations ought to keep away from them. This contains individuals who:

• Have given beginning inside the previous 21 days
• Have a historical past or elevated danger of blood clots of their veins
• Have a present most cancers analysis
• Have a present breast most cancers analysis
• Are recovering from main surgical procedure and are at the moment motionless (unable to get round simply)
• Have a historical past of migraines with aura (imaginative and prescient adjustments and different sensory adjustments)
• Are over the age of 35 and smoke
• Have high blood pressure (even when managed with medicine)
• Have a historical past of coronary heart illness or stroke
• Have a historical past of diabetes (with sure problems)

Mixture contraception drugs comprise each estrogen and progesterone. Contraception drugs containing estrogen could trigger disagreeable unwanted side effects, like nausea, complications, and sore breasts.

Taking a contraception capsule with a decrease dose of estrogen could assist scale back these unwanted side effects. Greater doses of estrogen can also improve your danger for blood clots.

Discuss to your healthcare supplier about which contraception sort is greatest for you, and observe their directions for taking contraception to maximise effectiveness.