Nervosa asked:
So I have moderately high blood pressure. One of my doctors said the only safe contraceptives for me are condoms, but my mom thinks we should get a second opinion. So does anyone know of a safe birth control pill I can take?
Thanks in advance:)
So I have moderately high blood pressure. One of my doctors said the only safe contraceptives for me are condoms, but my mom thinks we should get a second opinion. So does anyone know of a safe birth control pill I can take?
Thanks in advance:)
Birth control pills or oral contraceptives are made from synthetically produced estrogen and progesterone. Some contraceptive pills contain progesterone only. Pills with both estrogen and progesterone combined are likely to cause an increase in the blood pressure – but only in some women. Other women take contraceptive pills for years and have no problems with them.
So I suggest you seek a second opinion.
I would ask your doctor if you are a candidate for the “mini-pill”. It is one of the estrogen only pills. I have high blood pressure and was offered this(Micronor), as well as some of the injectable or under the skin options like depro-provera.
Your doctors seem entirely oblivious to all other forms of non-hormonal contraception, then. It may be true that you can’t safely use HBC, but there’s a whole slew of other options. I have a non-hormonal IUD myself (I’ve never been pregnant and was 17 when I got it; you don’t have to be a parous adult to acquire one by any means), and it’s fantastic. It wouldn’t affect your blood pressure at all, the one available in the U.S. lasts 10-12 years (you can have it taken out before then, of course), and it’s over 99% effective at all times when properly placed. Apart from that, you could use condoms, diaphragms, Lea’s Shield, spermicides, VCF, FAM, and contraceptive sponges. None of these are quite as effective as an IUD, but combining methods definitely boosts efficacy.
EDIT: I noticed that another poster mentioned that estrogen is a big issue with blood pressure. If that’s the biggest factor, then you should ask about Implanon (an implant, which is the best reversible contraceptive available as far as efficacy rates go), Mirena (a hormonal IUD, which is second only to the implant and is also estrogen-free), and mini-pills. I would steer clear of Depo Provera (the injection), though, as it’s been widely known to cause potentially irreversible bone density loss.