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Birth control pills are one of the many methods of both men and women to prevent pregnancy for different reasons. Either both individuals are sexually active and is not wanting to have pregnancy as of the moment or a way of family planning.
Nevertheless, birth control pills serve their purpose accordingly. However, if you are new to a birth control method and is thinking of taking up birth control pills, you may only have little information as to the different types of birth control pills.
Today, we will be discussing the combination birth control pill type and the information that you need to know about the drug apri, a medication under the combination type.
What is a Combination Birth Control Pill?
Combination birth control pills, one of the types of contraceptive pills are oral drugs for women that contains both estrogen and progestin which helps in avoiding pregnancy. This pill works by mainly keeping a woman’s ovaries from releasing an egg. Also, it causes changes in the cervical mucus and the lining of a woman’s uterus to prevent the sperm from fertilizing the egg.
You should also know that different types of birth control pills contain various doses of estrogen and progestin. In which the continuous-doing or the extended-cycle pills allows an individual to reduce the number of menstruations a woman will have each year.
How Well Does the Pill Works?
Usually, combination pills are 92 percent effective, which means that there is a probability of 8 women out of 100 that will get pregnant each year. However, this contraceptive pill can be 99 percent effective if it is taken correctly and without any interruptions.
Taking the pill continuously means that when you take the 21 hormone pills, you should start taking a new packet right away, without skipping a day after emptying your first packet. With this, it is guaranteed that this is the most effective way to take the contraceptive pill and achieve the 99 percent efficacy of the medication.
What is Apri?
Apri is a type of combination hormone birth control pill and is available with an apri discount coupon, that is one of the many drugs used to prevent pregnancy. As a combination type, it contains two hormones, namely progestin, and estrogen. As stated above, it works mainly by blocking the release of an egg or also known as ovulation during your menstrual cycle.
This pill also makes the vaginal fluid thicker to help avoid the sperm from reaching an egg to fertilize. Another use for this pill aside from preventing pregnancy, it that it may make your menstruation cycle more regular and decrease blood loss or menorrhagia, together with painful periods which reduces your risk of ovarian cysts. This pills also notably helps in treating acne.
However, the downside of contraceptive pills like this is that it does not protect you or your partner against any sexually transmitted disease like HOV, chlamydia, and gonorrhea.
Side Effects of Apri
Like any other drug medications, there are present side effects of Apri that one could experience. Nausea, headache, vomiting, bloating, breast tenderness, or weight changes may occur. The vaginal bleeding between periods and irregular or missed periods may also occur primarily during the first few months of using the contraceptive pill.
However, if any of these symptoms of side effects persists or worsens, know that it is beyond normal and must come to the attention of your health care provider. Take note that if you miss two periods in a row or there was an instance wherein you missed taking one correctly, you should immediately contact your doctor for a pregnancy test.
In addition to the side effects that you might encounter, this drug may raise your blood pressure, which is why it is highly recommended that you should check your blood pressure regularly and tell your doctor promptly if the results are high.
Lastly, if you are worried about the said side effects, you should know that your doctor has prescribed this medication because the benefit is greater than the risk of its side effects. Not to mention that this drug does not have any severe side effects.
But if you experience any lumps in the breast, mood swings or worsening depression, severe pain in any part of your body, unusual changes in vaginal bleeding and yellowing eyes or skin, you should immediately tell your doctor right away.
Takeaway
Many people are misinformed or know little information about birth control pills and their prescribed pills because they lack knowledge. On a positive note, here are the information that you need to know about combination contraceptive pills, and the things you need to know about apri— in case that it is the contraceptive pill that was prescribed to you by your doctor.
