{"id":1428,"date":"2022-05-30T13:32:25","date_gmt":"2022-05-30T13:32:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/obgyn-specialists-of-south-miami\/?p=1428"},"modified":"2022-06-10T13:41:53","modified_gmt":"2022-06-10T13:41:53","slug":"birth-control-pills-when-to-start-birth-control","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/obgyn-specialists-of-south-miami\/birth-control-pills-when-to-start-birth-control\/","title":{"rendered":"Birth Control Pills: When To Start Birth Control"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you are looking for an easy and effective contraceptive method, birth control pills may be the right choice for you. In this article, you will learn everything there is to know about proper birth control pill use, when to begin taking the pills, the different types available, and more.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Understanding how birth control pills work is crucial to ensure maximum efficacy. We recommend consulting a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/obgyn-specialists-of-south-miami\/contraception\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">contraception specialist in South Miami<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> if you need further guidance and advice. Your specialists will help answer any doubts you may have about the Pill.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">With that in mind, here are the must-know facts about these oral contraceptives. Keep reading.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Firstly, What are Birth Control Pills?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Before learning about when to start birth control, it is crucial to understand what birth control pills are. In short, they are medicine with certain hormones. They are available in packs, and you take one pill each day.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you always take the pill at the right time daily, it is a safe, effective, and affordable contraceptive method that prevents pregnancy. Moreover, birth control pills can regulate menstrual cycles, help clear up acne, and may even lower the risk of certain cancers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Before starting birth control, you will need to talk to your doctor. If you are in the area or looking for the best professionals, we suggest reaching out to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/obgyn-specialists-of-south-miami\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">OB-GYNs located in Miami, FL<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1430\" src=\"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/obgyn-specialists-of-south-miami\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/202\/2022\/06\/Firstly-What-are-Birth-Control-Pills.jpg\" alt=\"Young Woman Patient With a Senior Gynecologist During the Consultation in the Office\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/obgyn-specialists-of-south-miami\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/202\/2022\/06\/Firstly-What-are-Birth-Control-Pills-200x133.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/obgyn-specialists-of-south-miami\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/202\/2022\/06\/Firstly-What-are-Birth-Control-Pills-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/obgyn-specialists-of-south-miami\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/202\/2022\/06\/Firstly-What-are-Birth-Control-Pills-400x267.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/obgyn-specialists-of-south-miami\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/202\/2022\/06\/Firstly-What-are-Birth-Control-Pills-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/obgyn-specialists-of-south-miami\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/202\/2022\/06\/Firstly-What-are-Birth-Control-Pills-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/obgyn-specialists-of-south-miami\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/202\/2022\/06\/Firstly-What-are-Birth-Control-Pills-800x534.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/obgyn-specialists-of-south-miami\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/202\/2022\/06\/Firstly-What-are-Birth-Control-Pills.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><b>What are the Types of Birth Control Pills?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">There are two types of birth control pills:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Progestin-only pills<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Combination pills<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Progestin-only Pills<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> are also known as Mini Pills or POPs, and they contain one type of hormone, progestin. If you need a contraception pill without estrogen, your doctor will likely prescribe progestin-only pills. To prevent pregnancy, you will have to take these pills within the same three hours each day.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">However, there is one exception to this, and that is Slynd, a particular type of mini pill. Although you do not need to take this pill within the same three hours each day, medical experts recommend doing so. It is best to have your schedule and adhere to it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">On the flip side, <\/span><b>Combination Pills or COCs<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> contain two hormones, progestin, and estrogen. These types of birth control pills are the most widely used and prescribed by healthcare professionals.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As long as you ingest one pill each day, you are protected from unwanted pregnancy. Although you do not need to take the combination pill at the same time daily, we recommend sticking to a strict schedule. This way, you will build the habit of taking the drug each day at roughly the same time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">So, to sum it up, there are two types of birth control pills, progestin-only, and combination pills. Depending on your preferences and unique needs, your doctor will prescribe the right choice for you.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Combination pills are available in different blends of inactive and active pills, depending on how frequently you want to have your menstrual cycle. These blends include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Extended cycle or continuous dosing<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">: These birth control packs usually provide seven inactive or placebo pills and 84 active pills. When you take the placebo pills, you will experience bleeding. To avoid bleeding, you can also get formulations with only active pills.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Conventional<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">: These packs provide seven inactive pills and 21 active pills. Alternatively, some packages contain four inactive or placebo pills and 24 active pills. When you take the placebo pills, you will experience bleeding.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Combination oral contraceptives are further categorized into <\/span><b>multiphasic <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">and <\/span><b>monophasic <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">pills.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Multiphasic pills provide different amounts of hormones from the active pills, while monophasic pills contain the same amount of progestin and estrogen per pill.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The majority of combination pills will contain from 10 to 35 micrograms of Ethinyl estradiol (a type of estrogen). Although low-dose oral contraceptives may cause increased breakthrough bleeding, they are more suitable for women sensitive to hormones.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">On the flip side, higher-dose pills will not cause as much spotting or bleeding between menstrual cycles.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Before starting birth control, you will want to talk to your doctor about your options. Remember, not all birth control types are suitable for everyone. Your healthcare provider will ask you about any medications and your medical history to check which oral contraceptive is the right choice.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Your healthcare provider may discourage birth control pill use if you:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Are older than 35<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Are a smoker<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Have a history of breast cancer or heart disease<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Have unexplained uterine bleeding<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Have recently given birth<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Have a blood clotting disorder<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Use St. John&#8217;s wort<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>When to Start Birth Control?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Starting birth control can be daunting, but it is easier than you might believe.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As soon as you get your first pack of birth control pills, you can begin using them. This means that you can start taking birth control pills any time and even during your regular menstrual cycle.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">However, if you take birth control pills to prevent unwanted pregnancy, you will want to be mindful of two things. Firstly, the type of birth control pill and when you begin oral contraceptive use will determine when you will be protected from pregnancy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We recommend using an additional birth control method such as condoms for the initial seven days. For best results, talk to your doctor or nurse about when to start birth control. If you are using combination pills, you can begin with your first pack at any time. Note that if you start taking these pills within five days after your menstrual cycle begins, you will be protected from unwanted pregnancy straight away. However, if you take COCs any other time, you need to take them for seven days before you are fully protected from pregnancy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">On the same note, you can begin using mini pills or progestin-only pills at any time. You will be protected from undesired pregnancy after two days or 48 hours on them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Keep in mind that the pill does not protect you from sexually transmitted diseases. Although contraceptive pills will help with undesired pregnancy, it is best to always use a condom to lower the chances of spreading and getting STDs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1431\" src=\"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/obgyn-specialists-of-south-miami\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/202\/2022\/06\/When-to-Start-Birth-Control.jpg\" alt=\"Medicine and Birth Control. Alarm Clock and Contraceptive Pills\" width=\"1000\" height=\"690\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/obgyn-specialists-of-south-miami\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/202\/2022\/06\/When-to-Start-Birth-Control-200x138.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/obgyn-specialists-of-south-miami\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/202\/2022\/06\/When-to-Start-Birth-Control-300x207.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/obgyn-specialists-of-south-miami\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/202\/2022\/06\/When-to-Start-Birth-Control-400x276.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/obgyn-specialists-of-south-miami\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/202\/2022\/06\/When-to-Start-Birth-Control-600x414.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/obgyn-specialists-of-south-miami\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/202\/2022\/06\/When-to-Start-Birth-Control-768x530.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/obgyn-specialists-of-south-miami\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/202\/2022\/06\/When-to-Start-Birth-Control-800x552.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/obgyn-specialists-of-south-miami\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/202\/2022\/06\/When-to-Start-Birth-Control.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><b>What Do I Do If I Miss My Oral Contraceptives?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you forgot to take your combined birth control pill, you could take it as <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/conditions\/contraception\/miss-combined-pill\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">soon as you remember<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. If you have missed one pill, experts recommend:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Take the last pill you missed immediately (even if you may need to take two pills in one day).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Continue with the rest of the pack normally.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Take the seven-day pill-free break normally, or if you are on the everyday pill, take the placebo.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In this case, you do not need to use added contraception.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">However, if you have missed two or more contraceptive pills in your pack or you began a new pack two or more days later, you will need to use added protection against pregnancy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you are in doubt and unsure what to do next, take these three steps:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Continue taking your pill regularly<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Use another contraception method such as a condom<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Alternatively, abstain from sexual intercourse<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Get professional advice immediately<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Talk to your doctor for expert guidance on what to do if you miss one or more pills.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Are you or a loved one considering birth control pills? Consult OB-GYN Specialists of South Miami and book a schedule today.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you are looking for an easy and effective contraceptive method, birth control pills may be the right choice for you. In this article, you will learn everything there is to know about proper birth control pill use, when to begin taking the pills, the different types available, and more. Understanding how birth control pills  [&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1429,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[55,168],"tags":[169,173,172,171,170],"class_list":["post-1428","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-birth-control","category-birth-control-pills","tag-birth-control-pills","tag-oral-contraceptives","tag-starting-birth-control","tag-types-of-birth-control-pills","tag-when-to-start-birth-control"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/obgyn-specialists-of-south-miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1428","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/obgyn-specialists-of-south-miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/obgyn-specialists-of-south-miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/obgyn-specialists-of-south-miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/obgyn-specialists-of-south-miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1428"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/obgyn-specialists-of-south-miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1428\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/obgyn-specialists-of-south-miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1429"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/obgyn-specialists-of-south-miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1428"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/obgyn-specialists-of-south-miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1428"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/obgyn-specialists-of-south-miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1428"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}