Headaches and weight gain:
As long as you take it at the same time every day, the pill
is an extremely reliable method of contraception. However,
it doesn't suit everyone. Even though 'mini-pills' are much
better-tolerated by the body, most brands of pill can cause
side-effects ranging from heavy legs and headaches, to incompatibility
with smoking and weight gain.
 "Even
though my doctor explained at length that if we found the
right dosage for me, the pill wouldn't make me put on weight,
I've put on loads. I'm constantly hungry and devour the contents
of the fridge as soon as I get home from work," says
Carol.
"The pill gave me awful migraines," adds Carla. "I've
tried loads of different ones and some are better than others,
although my doctor has told me the headaches are nothing to
do with the pill. It must be though, whenever I stop taking
it, they vanish!"
Loss of libido:
The pill works so well because it affects ovulation. Some
women say that they haven't reach their usual sexual peak
during ovulation since going on the pill. "Since I started
taking it, my sex drive has gone right down, "says Natalie.
"I used be raring to go during ovulation, but now I'm
the same right through my cycle."
Doctors have put this down to the psychological effect of
taking the pill: it's such an effective method, that on a
certain level, we feel robbed of our ability to reproduce,
which can have a negative effect on desire.
So it is a physical problem, or a psychological one? The pill
is still a prescription drug, so it isn't completely risk-free.
The pill and AIDS:
The pill's main advantage hasn't helped the fight against
AIDS: the fear of an unwanted pregnancy pales into insignificance
beside the fear of contracting a life-threatening disease.
Make sure you use condoms alongside it with every new partner.
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