Oral Contraceptive Pills and Teens:
A Guide for Parents
If your daughter has recently started taking oral contraceptive pills or is thinking about taking them, you probably have some questions and worries of your own. You may have heard some things about oral contraceptives that seem risky or unsafe. Hopefully, the following information can answer some of your questions and help relieve your mind.
Adolescent girls and young women are frequently prescribed oral contraceptive pills for irregular menstrual periods, menstrual cramps, acne, PMS, endometriosis, and hormone replacement therapy. For examples, girls diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)(a hormone imbalance which causes irregular menstrual periods), acne, and excess hair growth, are prescribed oral contraceptives to lower their hormone levels back to normal and regulate menstrual periods. Girls with acne that is not responding to simple measures are often prescribed hormone pills. Girls whose ovaries are not producing enough estrogen (because of anorexia nervosa, excessive exercise, or damage to the ovaries from radiation or chemotherapy) often take oral contraceptive pills to replace estrogen. Girls with endometriosis are also often prescribed oral contraceptives, in cycles or continuously, to suppress the condition. And last but not least, oral contraceptives are used for birth control. This guide also applies to concerns and benefits of the contraceptive patch and the ring.
Does the birth control pill have health benefits?
The birth control pill is very safe and has only a few minor side effects. The pill also has lots of health benefits for teens such as:
Does the birth control pill cause cancer?
The truth is that the Pill actually protects against cancer of the ovaries and cancer of the lining of the uterus. A woman is half as likely to get cancer of the uterus or ovaries if she takes the pill. Most experts believe that taking the pill does not cause any increased risk of getting breast cancer. Even girls with a family history of breast cancer can take the pill.
Does the birth control pill cause birth defects?
The Pill does not cause birth defects or affect the health of future children that your daughter may have.
Does the birth control pill cause heart attacks, strokes, or blood clots?
There is no increase in the risk of heart attack or stroke in healthy women who take the birth control pill and don't smoke. If your daughter is a smoker, encourage her to quit smoking. She can still take the pill if she smokes, but if she quits smoking, she'll be healthier for life.
There is a very slight risk of developing blood clots in the legs, but much less than the risk during pregnancy. Among women who do not take the pill, 5 per 100,000 women per year develop blood clots. Among women who do take the pill, the risk slightly increases to 15-20 per 100,000 women per year. For women who are pregnant, the risk of developing blood clots is 60 per 100,000 women per year. So you may be surprised to learn that having a child is twice as dangerous as using the birth control pill. Make sure you let your daughter know if any of her blood relatives have had blood clots, especially when they were young (in their 20s, 30s, or 40s). If she is on an airplane flight, remind her to get up and walk around and drinks lots of fluids to lessen the risk of blood clots. If she is having surgery and will be immobilized and at bedrest for a time, talk to her health care provider about going off the pill before the surgery.
Is there any trouble getting pregnant after using the birth control pill?
There is no change in fertility with using the birth control pill. Regular periods and ovulation usually start up again right away. However, girls who were very irregular before starting the pill may be irregular after they stop the pill. Girls who have PCOS or lose weight on the pill are particularly likely to be irregular, not because of the pill but because of their medical condition.
If your daughter was using the pill for birth control, she should use another birth control method right away if she doesn't want to get pregnant. She should talk to her health care provider before she actually stops taking the birth control pill.
How long is it safe for my daughter to be on the pill?
It is safe for your daughter to be on the pill for years, whether she is on it for regulation of menstrual cycles, cramps, hormone replacement, or birth control.
Does my daughter need to take a break from the pill?
There is no medical reason that your daughter would need to take a "break" from the pill. There are no medical benefits from taking a break. If your daughter were to stop taking the pill and then go on it again, she could go through the same side effects that she already went through during the first few months of pill use. Also, your daughter would not experience the many medical (non-contraceptive) benefits that the pill offers.
Will my daughter gain weight from the pill?
It is unlikely that your daughter will gain weight on the pill. Some teens gain weight, some lose weight, but most teens stay exactly the same when they are taking the birth control pill. Many times a young woman thinks she has gained 5-10 pounds, but when weight is actually measured, there is no change. If your daughter thinks she may have gained weight due to the Pill, she should see her health care provider and get her weight measured. Encourage your daughter to eat a healthy diet. Suggest that she eat 7 servings of fruits and vegetables a day and avoid fast foods. Also, encourage her to get enough exercise.
Will the birth control pill have any negative effects on my daughter's growth?
No, the birth control pill will not affect or hinder your daughter's growth. By the time she has her first period, she is already 95% of her final height. A girl grows about 2 inches in the 2 years after her first menstrual period.
Will the pill make my daughter's cramps better?
For girls who experience severe menstrual cramps and over-the-counter medications do not help, birth control pills may be the solution. Birth control pills can help to decrease menstrual cramps. Because the combined birth control pills prevent ovulation, they also get rid of pain that your daughter may experience with ovulation in the middle of your menstrual cycle.
Will the pill make my daughter's menstrual periods more regular?
For girls whose menstrual periods are irregular (too often or too late), birth control pills can help to regulate the menstrual cycle to every 28 days. Birth control pills also can reduce the amount and length of menstrual bleeding.
Will the pill make my daughter's acne better?
Birth control pills usually improve acne. For moderate to severe acne, which over-the-counter and prescription medications can't cure, birth control pills may be prescribed. The hormones in the birth control pill can help stop acne from forming. It doesn't usually matter which type of birth control pills your daughter takes, since most of them can be use to treat acne. Encourage your daughter to be patient though, since it takes several months for the birth control pills to work.
What if my daughter has PCOS? How does the pill help?
As you probably know if your daughter has PCOS, PCOS can cause irregular menstrual cycles, excess hair growth, and acne. One of the treatments prescribed for PCOS is oral contraceptives, because the hormones (estrogen and progesterone) in the pill regulate menstrual cycles. Oral contraceptives allow the endometrial lining to be shed every four weeks so your daughter's menstrual period will be regular. Because oral contraceptives cause women to menstruate regularly and shed the endometrial lining on time, they probably reduce the risk of endometrial cancer. Oral contraceptives also improve acne and lessen excess hair growth, which is another reason they are used to treat PCOS.
What other medical benefits does the pill have?
Because there is less menstrual bleeding with the use of birth control pills, your daughter is less likely to get anemia (low number of red bloods, which carry oxygen from the lungs to the tissues). Birth control pills decrease the chance of getting endometrial (lining of the uterus) cancer and ovarian cancer, ovarian cysts, and breast lumps. The birth control pill also lessens the chance of getting infections of the fallopian tubes (Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID)) that would need hospitalization. It also protects against pregnancies that occur outside the uterus (called tubal or ectopic pregnancy).
Will my daughter start having sex if she goes on the pill for acne or any other reason besides birth control?
Your daughter will most likely not start having sex if she goes on the pill for reasons other than birth control. If she goes on the pill for these other reasons, she is probably just thinking about treating whatever the problem is. Her decision to have sex will likely be completely independent from her decision to go on the pill at this time. Your daughter will choose to start having sex when she is ready, which involves much more than just when birth control is available.
What if I have other questions?
Read our teen health guide on oral contraceptives, check our Health Guides by Topic, or contact your daughter's health care provider for additional information.
Updated 8/13/2005
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