Common Side Effects of Contraception and Birth Control

Common Side Effects of Contraception and Birth Control

You might be bewildered to know that the main types of contraception/birth control methods, which are often regarded as safe, could also have some risk factors and side effects associated with them. Before you choose contraception to prevent pregnancy, you should consult your physician to learn about the risk factors. Every birth control method has several significant side effects that can lead you to other issues.

So, before beginning the treatment, you must have a clear idea about the side effects and risk factors associated with those methods. Some risk factors of birth control methods are discussed below:

1. Risks of implants or IUDs
IUDs are an effective method to control unwanted pregnancies and are widely used around the globe. There are several risk factors and side effects associated with this method, such as unpredictable bleeding, infrequent menstrual cycle, or bleeding between the cycles. Some individuals might experience mood swings, headaches, depression, and anxiety, which can become serious issues in your life.

2. Side effects of contraceptive injections
Contraceptive injections have some serious life-threatening side effects that could lead to many serious diseases. Some of the major side effects reported are loss of bone mass, and weight gain, which is a cause for cardiac issues. The other side effects reported are irregular bleeding, headaches, and many other psychological issues like depression and anxiety.

3. Side effects of hormonal methods
Hormonal methods are one of the main types of contraception/birth control methods that produce effective outcomes, but along with some significant side effects. The major side effect you can observe is difficulty in breastfeeding because of the estrogen used in this method. The other side effects reported are an increased rate of cardiac issues like cardiac arrest, stroke, etc.

4. Side effects of barrier method
Barrier methods are the most common methods to rule out unwanted pregnancy and have no serious side effects, they may include condoms or diaphragms. But, sometimes, they can lead to some specific risk factors associated with them, such as allergies, and irritation in the genitals of women. But frequent use of spermicide (a device used in barrier method) can increase the rate of getting infected by HIV from your partners.

5. Risks of permanent contraception
Permanent contraception, as the name suggests, is a surgical method used to rule out pregnancy permanently (i.e., vasectomy or tubal ligation). It has minor risk factors associated with it like infection and bleeding during the treatment, for both genders. But the major problem associated with it is, once you are done with the procedure, you cannot reverse it, or the possibility of reverting is also very low.