Taking the Birth Control Pill after 40, 45 and beyond.
Many women I speak to are surprised to learn that they can take birth control pills in their 40’s and early 50’s as long as there are no contraindications. Many women who are in Perimenopause, that is the time when there are a lot of menstrual irregularities, the start of hot flashes, night sweats and vaginal dryness, will benefit from taking a low dose birth control pill to help with their symptoms as well as provide contraception.
Fertility after 40
While fertility rates do decline after 40, if a woman is still having her period, even if it’s irregular, she can become pregnant. Contraception is advised if a woman does not want to become pregnant.
Every night in the US, 10 million couples of childbearing age and at risk for pregnancy have intercourse. For those of you doing the math, this includes people having sex before the clock strikes 10.
The good news is that the vast majority are using contraception. In fact over 90% do use some form of protection or birth control. And yet, it’s estimated that over 25,000 couples have condom mishaps and an additional 700,000 are not protected AT ALL.
Each year there are about 3 million accidental (more…)
After you give birth, it’s recommended that you wait at least 3 weeks before re-starting the birth control pill, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
This advice is to help decrease the risk of serious complications such as blood clots. I agree, and want to add a bit more information for new moms. I encourage all of my patients to breastfeed their babies for 6-12 months if possible. This is the recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatrics. (more…)
Have you ever forgotten to take your birth control pill? What about trying to track down a condom and squinting in the dark to make sure it hasn’t expired? What about not having enough time to stop at the drug store to pick up a new pack of pills? And how many times, have you tried to remember the first day of your period so you can try to guestimate if you’re fertile?
Wouldn’t it be nice if we didn’t have to worry about birth control?
You know what? There are 2 options out there that can eliminate the day to day, month to month scrambling. (more…)
Accidental Pregnancy
As a practicing women’s health Nurse Practitioner, I’ve worked for over 20 years to try and prevent accidental pregnancies because I’ve seen first hand the effects that this has on women. An accidental pregnancy may be a source of joy for some women, and a crisis for others.
I’m sorry that Bristol Palin’s personal life was under such intense national scrutiny at a time when she was very vulnerable both as a teen with limited life experience, and as a young woman who is pregnant and must have had many questions and concerns. Perhaps her experience can help us have a dialogue that will help other teens. (more…)
Many teens who come to see me for birth control assume that they will need a complete physical including a pelvic exam. Sometimes, just the idea of a pelvic exam may prevent a young woman from seeking birth control pills. They may have heard from friends that it’s painful or embarrassing, and it’s understandable to want to avoid it.
After working in women’s health for close to 25 years, I’ve prescribed thousands and thousands of birth control pills and the NuvaRing to patients for a variety of reasons. With the recent increased focus on the Birth Control Pill, I thought it might be a good idea to review a few facts. In addition to prevent ing accidental pregnancy, which is a good thing, there are a number of other reasons that we prescribe the pill. Before I get to that, let’s just do a quick review of some of the hormones and biology that influences a woman’s life each and every month. This is by no means an all-inclusive or comprehensive list.
