Some young females start using contraceptives when they become sexually active to prevent pregnancy. But what they don’t understand are the side effects of the different types of birth control and exactly how harmful they can really be.The different types of birth control are the patch, the pill and the shot. The patch was approved in November 2001 by the Food and Drug Administration. This can be applied to your skin one day a week for three weeks out of four weeks. The patch works best when it is changed on the same day of the week for three weeks in a row. Junior Demetres Boyd says, “The patch left so many marks on my body. When I changed it every week, there was always a new mark to remind me.”
The side effects associated with the pill are nausea, changes in mood, breast tenderness, irregular bleeding and weight gain or loss. On a monthly basis, these pills cost about $20-$35.
The pill is taken every day in a monthly series. The pill works best if taken every day at about the same time, but if taken wrong, could increase the chances of pregnancy. Junior April Simon says, “I started taking the pill to reduce my acne and it has worked. I take my pill on time every day.”
Depo-Provera, also known as “the shot” is one of the most effective reversible methods of birth control. This is taken once every 12 weeks at your doctor’s office. The side effects from Depo-Provera may continue until the shot wears off (12-14 weeks). Irregular bleeding is the most common side effect for women getting the shot. Other side effects include headaches, nausea, dizziness, sore breasts, change of appetite, weight gain, depression, hair loss, nervousness, skin rash and changes in sex drive. The injection costs about $30-$75.
On April 2, 2004 an 18-year-old Manhattan fashion student and aspiring model Zakiya Kennedy, died from deadly complications from the Ortho Evra birth control patch. Her death was the first caused by a contraceptive patch. After collapsing in a midtown subway station, Kennedy was killed by a blood clot that is a rare side effect of the patch. Her autopsy performed on April 28, 2004, confirmed that statement. Apparently, Ortho Evra patch is the only patch licensed in the United States.
The rare side effects to these different types of birth control are severe pain in the stomach or abdomen, unusually heavy or prolonged vaginal bleeding, a new lump in your breast, major depression, yellowing of the skin or eyes, sudden or constant pain or redness and swelling in the legs, sudden shortness of breath or spitting up blood, severe headaches, eye problems such as blurred or double vision, worsening depression and no period after having a period every month. These are the same side effects for the patch, the pill, and the shot which some doctors do not mention. They inform patients of the normal side effects but not the deadly ones. For more information log on to www.plannedparenthood.org