The continuous pill is a method of contraception like there are others. However, taking hormones without interruption, and the absence of periods that this causes, raises many questions. Is there a risk for the health of women and young girls? What advantages? An expert enlightens us.
Many girls want stop menstruating, the time of their holidays at the sea or during their summer camp for example. For this, they choose to take the pill continuously. “It has other benefits because for some it allows them to reduce menstrual pain and symptomsfor others it is a solution to avoid oversights”, explained to us Géraldine Dahan Tarrasona, midwife. Because yes, it happens and it is common for women to forget their oral contraception. It is estimated that over a year, 8 out of 10 women forget to take the pill at least once, according to a survey conducted by the Bayer laboratory and the Opinion Health Institute in nine countries including France.
Continuous pills have the particularity of containing only one type of hormone, the progesterone. They are taken daily, one tablet. This is notably the case with Leeloo Continu ®, Yaz ®, Optilova ®, Zoely ® or even Varnoline Continu ®. But then, is this continuous intake of hormones dangerous for your health? “It is not harmful to the health of women, including that of young women”, assures our expert. The British School of Sexual and Reproductive Health (FSRH) goes in this direction by specifying that there is no “no health benefit to stopping birth control pills for seven days”as is the case with combination pills.
Some Known Side Effects
On the other hand, as the National College of French Gynecologists and Obstetricians (CNGOF) reminds us: “The pill is a medicine; also side effects are always possible but they are rare”. Some women have already felt, by taking the pill continuously at the start of treatment, pain in the breasts and digestive disorders such as bloating, indicates the CHU de Québec, Université Laval.
“The pill has no effect on fertility (…) The increase in cancer risk has not been proven. What we know is that there is less cancer of the ovary and uterus in patients who have used the pill. The pill is also attributed to a possible decrease in libido. It should be noted that the interference of psychosocial factors makes it difficult to study this relationship.details the CNGOF.
Be careful with spotting
There remains a more frequent side effect to which attention must be paid. “Over the long term, just under a quarter of women have an increased risk of having small unexpected bleedingthat we call ‘spotting’“, reported gynecologist-obstetrician Philippe Deruelle to Figaro. However, that does not mean that“there is a medical problem and this generally tends to improve over time”. Gynecologist Odile Bagot specifies to Doctissimo that : “It’s something trivial, which is not dangerous or synonymous with poor tolerance or poor efficacy of the pill”.
To avoid being surprised by these unpredictable bleedings, we advise you tohave at home or in your handbag some sanitary protectionor even period panties, just in case.