The side effects of long-acting contraceptives
Release time : 06/13/2025 09:30:02
What are the side effects of long-acting contraceptives? Long-acting oral contraceptives are a combination of synthetic progesterone and long-acting estrogen.
While long-acting contraceptives are highly effective, they also possess significant side effects.
Now, let's talk about its side effects in detail, so that the majority of female friends can be vigilant before using them.
Side effects of long-acting contraceptives Long-acting oral contraceptives are a combination of synthetic progesterone and long-acting estrogen.
The long-acting estrogen in these contraceptives is stored in adipose tissue after entering the human body, and is slowly released later, affecting the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis, thereby inhibiting ovulation and playing a long-term contraceptive role.
Long-acting contraceptives, if taken once for one month, the contraceptive effectiveness rate is over 98%.
However, while long-acting contraceptives are super effective, long-acting contraceptives also have very large side effects.
Now, let's talk about its side effects in detail, so that the majority of female friends can be vigilant before using it.
The most common side effects of long-acting contraceptives are nausea, vomiting, and other symptoms similar to early pregnancy. Some women also experience allergies, menstrual irregularities, increased vaginal discharge, and elevated blood pressure.
If women are sensitive to the side effects, then they should be treated with the same dose of short-acting contraceptive.
It is important to note that because long-acting medications need to be administered in a single dose, the amount is relatively large. After discontinuation, there may be some accumulation.
Therefore, it is generally recommended that women who have never been pregnant should not take long-acting contraceptives.
If you want to have a child after taking the medicine, you should stop taking the medicine for 3 months to half a year.
Methods for using long-acting contraceptives There are many types of long-acting contraceptives, including megestrol tablets, megestrol acetate tablets, compound megestrol tablets, etc.
Now, let's talk about the specific use methods of these three long-acting contraceptives.
Compound megestrol tablets are oral short-acting contraceptives. Starting from the fifth day of menstruation, one tablet is taken every night for 22 consecutive days as a cycle. Menstruation comes 3-7 days after stopping the drug.
On the fifth day of menstruation, start taking the next cycle of medicine.
2. The megestrol family visiting contraceptive tablets (containing megestrol 2mg) are suitable for short-term family visits when couples are separated from each other. The usage is not limited by the menstrual cycle.
Starting at noon on the day of family visit, take 1 megestrol tablet, 1 additional tablet that night, and 1 tablet every night until the next day after the family visit.
3. Methyl ether anti-pregnancy pills (containing 0.5mg megestrol and 0.8mg acetoxine). The usage is: take 1 pill starting from the 6th-7th day of menstruation, and then take 1 pill every time you have sex, and take it more than twice a week. The effect is better.
If you have sex less than twice a week, take an additional pill every 3-4 days.
When using contraception to visit relatives, you can take 1 pill 3-4 days before visiting relatives or at noon that day, and 1 pill every time you have sex in the future.
In conclusion, the female users of long-acting contraceptives should use them appropriately. If they overuse them, it will cause great harm to their health and that of their family.
When should the long-acting contraceptive be taken? Medically, regular intercourse is considered beneficial for health preservation. However, pregnancy continues to trouble people during sexual activities. There are many contraceptive methods available in life, and among them, the long-acting contraceptive method is the most convenient. So when should the long-acting contraceptive be taken, and what side effects does it cause at its best? Today, I will talk with you about this.
The long-acting contraceptive pill is usually taken on the fifth day after menstruation, one tablet per day for 20 days, or two tablets on the fifth day and tenth day of menstruation.
From then on, the second medication day of each month shall be considered the monthly medication date. One tablet is taken every month, and generally, a withdrawal bleeding occurs 6 to 12 days after medication.
Contains synthetic progesterone and long-acting estrogen.
After the drug enters the human body, it will be stored in adipose tissue and later released slowly to inhibit ovulation and play a long-term contraceptive effect.
At the same time, the doctor suggested that if you originally took short-acting oral contraceptives and changed to long-acting contraceptives, you can take 1 tablet of long-acting contraceptives the day after taking 22 tablets, and then take one tablet every month on the same date as you started taking long-acting contraceptives.
Which brand of long-acting contraceptives is the contraceptive method chosen by many women. According to the route of administration, they are generally divided into long-acting oral contraceptives, long-acting contraceptive needles, subcutaneously implanted contraceptives, and silicone rubber vaginal rings.
So what is better for long-acting contraceptives? Generally, it should be decided according to your own situation. When taking medicine, you should decide which one to use under the guidance of your doctor.
Commonly available long-acting contraceptives include: Compound Norethisterone Tablets, Clomiphene, Methylestradiol, and Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists, among others. Among these, Mirena is undoubtedly the best choice for long-term contraception and the one with the least side effects among its class.
Regular contraceptive drugs such as mefenamic acid may cause vaginal spotting in some women after use. However, this typically resolves within three months.
Medication, including contraceptives, has its side effects. Long-term use or emergency use of contraceptives can cause significant harm to the body. Regular consumption may potentially affect future pregnancies.
Since toxins can accumulate over time, using condoms is recommended. Although it may feel a bit different, women should prioritize their own health. Taking contraceptive pills can also increase the risk of gynecological diseases, so it's important to pay attention to that.
Precautions for Long-acting Contraceptives: Although oral contraceptives undergo rigorous screening and are subject to close clinical observation and validation, they have been proven to be safe and reliable without affecting the fertility of women who take them.
However, when using long-acting contraceptives, there are still some points to be noted. Here are a few points: Firstly, under normal circumstances, it is recommended that women who are not pregnant should not use oral long-acting contraceptives for contraception.
Secondly, whether oral contraceptives can affect fetal development or cause malformation is still unresolved. Therefore, if you want to have children, you should take a different contraceptive method before conception for three months or six months after stopping the oral contraceptive.
Third, since long-acting contraceptives are made from a combination of long-acting estrogen and progesterone, after taking the medicine, estrogen is absorbed and stored in fat and then slowly released. After long-term use, a certain amount of estrogen will remain in the body, causing the endometrium to proliferate and shed irregularly, leading to vaginal bleeding.
Therefore, when discontinuing the medication, it is advisable to switch to a short-acting contraceptive pill at the fifth day of menstruation and continue taking it for 2-3 cycles to prevent irregular vaginal bleeding.
The medical information provided in this article is for reference only.
If you experience discomfort, it is recommended to seek medical attention immediately. The diagnosis and treatment should be based on the examination conducted by a healthcare professional in person.