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How Can Birth Control Pills Affect A Woman's Life
Do you use birth control pills? And have you been feeling a little low - not in the mood? Then, your birth control pills may be the reason. Yes, some birth control pills can have a direct impact on women's sex drive and may cause you to have a low sex drive. But, how much of it is factual? Let's find out.
Pills Can Improve Your Skin But Maybe Not Your Sex Drive
Birth control pills can help improve your skin and even regulate your periods but it can hamper your desire to have sex, affecting your mental state during sex and even restricting your ability to achieve orgasm.
Like any other type of medication, birth control pills too have certain side effects, with low sex drive being the most dismal one. Most birth control pills contain the female hormones oestrogen and progestin and are called combined pills. These pills can lower your testosterone (the hormone responsible for sexual desire), thereby lowering one's sex drive [1] .
According to a study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, it was pointed out that women who use birth control pills had four times the amount of SHBG than women who had never used it. SHBG is sex hormone-binding globulin which binds the testosterone in your body and limiting the circulation in your body. This, consequently, may play a central role in diminishing the sex drive of women who uses pills [2] .
Some of the other side effects of birth control pills are nausea, bloating, breast tenderness, and mood swings [3] .
Research Says In Some It May Increase The Sex Drive
With thousands of research being done and still being carried out to clearly understand the impact of birth control pills on women's sex drive it, it can be pointed out that while in some it does decrease the sex drive, in some it has been shown to increase it.
Sharanya Thomas, who have been using birth control pills for the past one year said to Boldsky, "Well, it did affect my moods during the initial periods. But with time, I haven't had any side effects apart from the occasional breast tenderness. Now that I remember it, a friend of mine told me some time ago that the birth control pills that she was using elevated her sex drive."
And this has been supported by doctors too, who asserted that some women who have been using the hormonal birth control have noticed an increase in their sex drive [4] [5] . The studies also point out that, finding the right pill can take time as one needs to find the one that will be suitable for the body as well as the mind (that's important).
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It May Not Be Just The Birth Control Pill
The
idea
that
birth
control
pills
cause
low
sex
drive
has
been
around
for
a
long
time,
prompting
researchers
to
examine
the
reason
behind
it.
One
of
the
major
reasons
behind
this
is
the
combination
of
the
two
hormones
in
the
pills
that
directly
causes
the
testosterone
levels
to
go
down.
Studies
say
that
it
is
not
just
the
hormones
(or
the
pills)
that
plays
the
central
role
in
assessing
the
sex
drive
of
women.
Factors
such
as
body
image,
physiological
responses,
comfort
with
your
partner,
emotions,
stress
level,
relationship
status
and
attitudes
about
intimacy
can
also
pose
as
limitations
[6]
[7]
.
Regaining Your Sex Drive
Lifestyle changes can help you get your drive back and they are as follows [8] :
●
Choose
plant-based
proteins
like
nuts,
beans,
fish
etc.
●
Stop
eating
junk
food.
●
Eat
foods
rich
in
zinc
such
as
almonds,
chicken,
pumpkin
seeds
etc.
●
Include
dark
chocolate
in
your
diet.
Some of the other, more serious measures are mentioned below [9] [10] .
●
Consider
switching
to
another
pill
that
works
better
with
your
body.
●
Consider
switching
to
an
IUD.
●
Use
lubrication.
●
Talk
with
your
doctor
and
check
for
any
underlying
causes.
Testosterone May Help Improve Women's Sexual Life After Menopause
On A Final Note...
While for some women birth control pills cause a low sex drive, for some it has been shown to improve their sexual desire and orgasms. The best way is to choose the right kind of birth control pill that suits your body and mind, so choose wisely!
- [1] Eig, J. (2016). The birth of the pill: How four pioneers reinvented sex and launched a revolution. Pan Macmillan.
- [2] Boozalis, M. A., Tutlam, N. T., Robbins, C. C., & Peipert, J. F. (2016). Sexual desire and hormonal contraception. Obstetrics and gynecology, 127(3), 563.
- [3] Cacchioni, T. (2015). The medicalization of sexual deviance, reproduction, and functioning. In Handbook of the Sociology of Sexualities (pp. 435-452). Springer, Cham
- [4] Grøntvedt, T. V., Grebe, N. M., Kennair, L. E. O., & Gangestad, S. W. (2017). Estrogenic and progestogenic effects of hormonal contraceptives in relation to sexual behavior: Insights into extended sexuality. Evolution and Human Behavior, 38(3), 283-292.
- [5] Mark, K. P., Leistner, C. E., & Garcia, J. R. (2016). Impact of contraceptive type on sexual desire of women and of men partnered to contraceptive users. The journal of sexual medicine, 13(9), 1359-1368.
- [6] Cobey, K. D., Havlíček, J., Klapilová, K., & Roberts, S. C. (2016). Hormonal contraceptive use during relationship formation and sexual desire during pregnancy. Archives of sexual behavior, 45(8), 2117-2122.
- [7] Burrows, L. J., Basha, M., & Goldstein, A. T. (2012). The effects of hormonal contraceptives on female sexuality: a review. The journal of sexual medicine, 9(9), 2213-2223.
- [8] Davis, A. R., & Castaño, P. M. (2004). Oral contraceptives and libido in women. Annual review of sex research, 15(1), 297-320.
- [9] -Espada, N. M., de Alarcón, R., de la Iglesia-Larrad, J. I., Bote-Bonaechea, B., & Montejo, Á. L. (2019). Hormonal Contraceptives, Female Sexual Dysfunction, and Managing Strategies: A Review. Journal of clinical medicine, 8(6), 908.
- [10] Lu, C. F., Vargas, S. E., Guillen, M., Ramirez, J. J., Carbone, S. L., Getz, M. L., ... & Hill, M. (2019). A Qualitative Study of the Contraceptive Effect on Women's Sexual Experiences: Beyond Hormonal Effects. Obstetrics & Gynecology, 134(1), 91-101.
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