Birth Control can be used as a treatment for several other conditions including Acne, Anemia (low iron), Dysmenorrhea (painful periods), Endometriosis and PCOS.
Many of our patients actually started taking birth control not because they were sexually active, but because it helped manage other health concerns.
Whether you’re looking into birth control to help manage unwanted pregnancies, or to treat other conditions, we can help find the right option for you.
Acne
Acne can be caused by a dysregulation of hormones (sometimes termed hormonal acne). Some forms of birth control use a type of synthetic progesterone that has anti-androgenic effects. Androgens in the body (the most well known androgen is testosterone) can cause acne to occur.
Desogestrel, norgestimate and Drospirenone are progesterones with very low androgenic activity. Products like Diane, Yasmin, Yaz are often prescribed to treat acne. There are also other changes to your skin care regime, diet and more to help manage acne.
Heavy Menstrual Bleeding
For those who have very heavy periods, they have a higher risk for anemia (low iron) which can cause general fatigue, hair and nail brittleness and thinning. Using a contraceptive pill with a long interval (seasonique) or using contraceptive pills back to back with no sugar pill week (called continuous usage) can reduce the number of menstrual cycles in a year, and therefore reduce total loss of blood via periods. This can improve blood hemoglobin and markers for anemia. Many people who menstruate also tend to take vitamins and supplements to help with issues like low iron.
Dysmenorrhea
Dysmenorrhea is the term for abdominal and pelvic pain (i.e. cramps) during your menstrual period. It can be a symptom of an underlying condition (like endometriosis) or it can occur in the absence of any other condition. Birth control suppresses the formation of prostaglandins which can contribute to painful periods. They can also reduce menstrual blood flow. Combining BC with a pain medication and things like Netflix and hot water bottles often is effective management of this issue.
Endometriosis
Endometriosis is a condition in which endometrial tissue grows outside of the uterus (definitely not supposed to happen) causing cysts that can be painful. It can be an extremely painful chronic condition that can also lead to infertility if left untreated, and is shockingly underdiagnosed. Birth control can block the hormones causing abnormal growth and reduce the size and speed of growth of abnormal endometrial tissue. It can also be helpful to take it continuously and reduce the number of menstrual cycles to reduce pain.
PCOS
For those that suffer from polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) cysts on the ovaries can cause a variety of hormonal dysregulation. This can include oligomenorrhea (longer than usual menstrual cycles), hirsutism (abnormally thick hair growth on the face) and acne amongst a slew of other issues. These tend to be due to an excess of androgens. Birth control with anti-androgenic activity can reduce circulating androgens and help control these side effects of PCOS.
PMS
PMS (premenstrual syndrome) is a constellation of symptoms that occur due to changing hormone levels right before menstruation. Birth control may help with this but generally, the overall usefulness has not established. We swear by chocolate and telling everyone to just leave us alone for the day.
Another positive benefit of birth control is that it may reduce the overall risk of certain types of cancer including endometrial, colorectal and ovarian.
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