Using contraceptive methods is essential for women who are sexually active but do not want to have children at a certain time. Nowadays there are various methods, from the simplest and cheapest to the most expensive and complex, which may even involve minor surgeries. And one of the most widely used is the well-known birth control pill, which has several benefits but also brings some consequences. Withdrawal bleeding is one of them and can alarm women who do not exactly know what it is. But before we explain exactly what withdrawal bleeding is, we need to explain in more detail how the birth control pill works.

How Does the Birth Control Pill Work?

The birth control pill is basically a tablet that contains certain types of female hormones that prevent or hinder ovulation1. The pill can contain estrogen and progestin or just progestin, depending on the type of contraceptive. The pill should be taken daily to be fully effective and, ideally, taken at the same time each day. The combination of hormones in the tablet prevents the woman from ovulating, in other words, they prevent the egg from maturing or being released from the ovary to the uterus, thereby making fertilization impossible. The action of these hormones also prevents the cervix from becoming dilated, making it more difficult for sperm to find their way to the uterus. The effectiveness of the pill ranges between 0.1% and 8%, which is an excellent number within what is expected for this kind of medication to be sold. Overall, the birth control pill is very reliable because, although there is a failure rate (as with any contraceptive method), it works in various ways to prevent pregnancy and is also an affordable and painless method.

IMPORTANT: You should not start taking birth control pills without first consulting a gynecologist and having appropriate tests. This type of medication can often cause side effects and you need to be sure that you are fit for this method.

What is Withdrawal Bleeding, After All?

Now that you know more about how the birth control pill works, we can go deeper into the subject. First of all, it’s important to know that many of these pills are taken for 21 days of the month with a 7-day break. This break corresponds to the period when menstruation occurs, but many do not know that there’s a big difference between menstruation and withdrawal bleeding. While menstruation is a natural process in which a woman’s body eliminates various kinds of toxins through the vaginal canal. It’s worth noting that what is released during menstruation is not only blood, but also part of the endometrial tissue, as well as various nutrients and vitamins. On the other hand, withdrawal bleeding is nothing more than the bleeding that occurs during the pill-free interval. It is a bleeding artificially induced by the hormones in the pill2.

Is Withdrawal Bleeding Harmful to Your Health?

There is no evidence that withdrawal bleeding harms a woman’s health in any way, but there is also no evidence to the contrary, that is, that this phenomenon brings any health benefit. The fact is that, unlike menstruation, which eliminates toxins and renews a woman’s reproductive cycle, withdrawal bleeding does none of that, since the reproductive cycle is interrupted by taking the pill. This break actually works much more as a psychological and even social response to what menstruation is supposed to be, since there is no biological reason for it to occur every month in a woman’s body. However, the pill is much more widely accepted in society as a whole when this kind of bleeding happens, because women feel safer and more at ease about not being pregnant when the bleeding comes that month.

Dangers of Birth Control Pills

Birth control pills are indeed one of the best and most commonly used contraceptive methods, but that doesn’t mean they are without risks3 attached. We will list some of the main dangers here and take a closer look at each one. They are:

  • Thrombosis
  • Glaucoma
  • High blood pressure
  • Varicose veins

Thrombosis

The birth control pill encourages the formation of blood clots, and thrombosis is simply a blood clot that blocks the flow in one or more veins in the body. The risk is real and women with a family history of this problem need to be extra cautious.

Glaucoma

Taking birth control pills also increases a woman’s risk of developing glaucoma, a disease that damages the optic nerve and can lead to complete blindness.

High Blood Pressure

The pill increases the risk of a woman developing high blood pressure, and the situation is even more serious when a woman already has this problem, as there is then a risk of a stroke. In this case, it’s best to talk to your doctor to find out if there are less harmful ways to prevent pregnancy for your health.

Varicose Veins

Another problem that can result from poor blood circulation. Taking the pill, especially improperly, can also lead to the development of varicose veins. As you can see, most of the risks associated with birth control pills are related to circulatory problems, so women who are prone to these issues should always be extra careful. It’s worth remembering that women who take the pill correctly and have up-to-date medical exams are at lower risk of developing any of these problems, since they are under medical supervision. Withdrawal bleeding is a consequence of taking birth control pills, and although it is considered normal, it is neither necessary nor healthy. When a woman feels very bothered by this type of bleeding, it may be time to try another contraceptive method. Discomforts will always exist, but when something starts to interfere with your life in some way, it’s time to rethink how you’re protecting yourself. Remember that all methods have their pros and cons, and what a woman should do is, together with her doctor, analyze which is best for her health and lifestyle. Also See: When Does Menstruation End?! – Questions and Answers Photo: Bryancalabro