Are there any side effects of the contraceptive injection?

In the sexual life of both sexes, contraception is a very important part. If accidents occur frequently, it will seriously affect women's physical health. Multiple abortions will increase the chances of female infertility or habitual miscarriage. Now with the development of medical technology, there are more and more contraceptive measures for us to choose from, and the methods of contraception are also varied. The advent of contraceptive injections has made contraception no longer just a matter for women. Do contraceptive injections have any side effects?

The contraceptive injection is a contraceptive drug developed by modern medicine. It is a derivative of progesterone and has many different therapeutic uses, one of which is to delay estrus and mating behavior.

Each injection of 25-100 mg of this drug can suppress estrus for 2-4 months. You can also use the oral form of this drug, taking 5 mg orally every day for 5 consecutive days. If you want to control estrus long-term, you can take 2.5-5 mg orally once a week.

The contraceptive injection only needs to be taken once and it can effectively prevent pregnancy within 3 months. However, due to its heavy dosage, one injection is equivalent to taking 3 packs of birth control pills, so it may increase the risk of vascular embolism. Generally, only women in Southeast Asia will inject it, and Western women rarely use it.

However, women's eating habits are becoming more and more Westernized, and the chance of vascular embolism has greatly increased, so women who are interested in choosing contraceptive injections need to consult a doctor first.

How to inject contraceptive

Generally, the contraceptive injection used in our country is called "progestin-only contraceptive injection". When it comes to progestin-only, I believe we are already familiar with this name. So how do you get the contraceptive injection?

Progestin is the main ingredient in many birth control pills. The contraceptive mechanism of the contraceptive injection is to inhibit ovulation and change the environment within the uterine cavity. The dosage is injection once every 2 to 3 months.

The effect of the progestin-only contraceptive injection lasts for 2 to 3 months at a time, and the user can decide for themselves how long the injection lasts (in months).

Its effectiveness is over 99%.

The disadvantage is that after stopping the contraceptive injection, it takes some time for normal fertility to recover. Usually, other methods of contraception are needed 6 to 24 months after the last injection to ensure the normal development of the fetus in the future.

Side effects of birth control injections

Contraceptive injections also have side effects. Below we will introduce you to the side effects of contraceptive injections and their solutions.

1. Prolonged menstrual period and shortened menstrual cycle.

Prolonged menstruation is mainly caused by insufficient progesterone and incomplete shedding of the endometrium. The treatment method is to take short-acting contraceptive No. 1 or No. 2 5 to 7 days before menstruation, 1 to 2 tablets each time, once a day, for 4 consecutive days, so that the endometrium can be exfoliated in the normal way, and the menstrual volume will return to normal.

When the menstrual cycle is shorter than 20 days, it is called a shortened cycle. If the menstrual cycle shortens after the injection of a long-acting contraceptive, you can start taking short-acting contraceptive No. 1 or No. 2 on the 10th day after the injection, 1 to 2 tablets each time, once a day, for 4 to 6 days in a row, which can maintain the menstrual cycle at about 28 days.

2. Irregular vaginal bleeding

Irregular vaginal bleeding can be divided into two types: postmenstrual bleeding and post-contraceptive injection bleeding. Most of the bleeding is moderate, and a few are spotting. Vaginal bleeding may be caused by insufficient estrogen in the body.

Postmenstrual bleeding refers to vaginal bleeding that occurs a few days after the menstrual period ends. At this time, you can take ethinyl estradiol tablets orally, 1 to 2 tablets once a day, and continue taking it until the contraceptive injection is given this month. If bleeding occurs, no treatment is required. For vaginal bleeding that occurs a few days after the contraceptive injection, you can use short-acting contraceptive No. 1 or No. 2, once a day, 1 to 2 tablets each time, for several days.

3. Other symptoms

A small number of people may experience dizziness, fatigue, drowsiness, nausea, etc. after injecting long-acting contraceptive injections. Generally, the symptoms are mild and no treatment is required. However, those with severe reactions can take vitamin B6, 10 mg each time, 3 times a day. In addition, breast swelling, rash, etc. may occur after the injection of long-acting contraceptive injections.

Can contraceptive injections be used for a long time?

People often have a one-sided view that family planning means limiting fertility. In fact, planning when to get pregnant is also one of the specific contents of family planning. The birth of a baby requires the right time, place and people. If you are not ready to have a baby, you will take contraceptive measures, but can contraceptive injections be used for a long time?

Contraceptive injections are a type of steroid hormone contraceptive method. In terms of contraceptive effectiveness, the contraceptive success rate of short-acting oral contraceptives reaches 100%, the contraceptive success rate of long-acting oral contraceptives reaches 96%-98%, and the success rate of long-acting contraceptive injections is 98%.

In terms of safety, intravenous injection is the least safe, followed by intramuscular injection such as contraceptive injection. Both may bring risks such as bleeding and infection.

Long-term use of contraceptive injections has a great impact on the body. The mechanism of action of steroid hormone contraception is to inhibit ovulation, change the properties of cervical mucus, change the morphology and function of the endometrium, and change the function of the fallopian tube. However, long-term use can cause premature ovarian failure and even increase the incidence of diseases such as breast cancer and cervical cancer.

Therefore, women who use hormonal contraceptives for a long time should go to the hospital regularly (six months or one year) for B-ultrasound and blood lipid, liver function (hormones need to be degraded in the liver), breast and other examinations. In addition, people who have taken contraceptive injections for a period of time should also have a physical examination to see if there are any abnormalities in their body.

Nowadays, very few people come to the outpatient clinic to get contraceptive injections, and doctors do not recommend it. In the past, when economic conditions did not allow it and people had good compliance, contraceptive injections were a good choice. However, modern people's compliance is also very poor, and considering the side effects of hormonal contraceptives, it is recommended to choose other methods of contraception.