Going On Birth Control And I Have Some Questions

I'm going to tell you what my girlfriend's doctor told me...

1. No, it's not common for any drainage between periods when on bc.
2. There is no change in mental status when on your period, it would be like any other period. Some periods when on bc will be shortor in length, only lasting a few days or even no period at all. The pain will be lessened at times.
3. They prefer sexual activity 2 weeks to a month after the first pill but a week will do just fine, just a little risky. Nothing wrong with the rubber.
4. Bc control will prevent pregnancy as said on the directions, but if taken not taken routinely the outcome will be different.
5. See answer 2 ( but still take a pregnancy test to be sure)
6. Of course you should be concerned, still take a preg. Test.
7. There's so many side effects to birth control.. My gf was particullary concerned with the increase in weight side effect.. So far no increase.. Just eat healthy.
8. Only drug that I know and would recommend is midol.
9. I've no such rumor, but I figure if someone had a disease prior to taking the pill that didn't notify the doctor might have caused the death if such rumor was true.
10. Cancer might be in one of the side effects.. But they put every side effect for everything.. It's normal to be nervous. I'm sure cancer and about 95% of the side effects would have chances around 1:10,000,000

don't be nervous.. The only side effect that is the most common is lessend cramp pains, shorter in length pain cramps, exact dates of period intervals, and increase in weight. All of which aren't particurally that bad. But i'm not a doctor, but i'm in the health care profession and bc is common.

The only thing I can add is that...

1) you can occassionally have spotting between periods in the first couple of months, depending on the level of hormones that are in the bc pills, however it should go away. If you continue to get spotting after several months, see your doctor.

9) birth control will not directly kill you, but I know of at least one case where it contributed to someones death (not personally, but they had an hour special on the discovery health channel about it). Birth control has a rare, but possible, side effect of causing blood clots. In the case they showed on tv a woman had a blod clot which caused part of her large intestine to die off.. When it started rotting the toxins spread throughout her body and killed her.
While it's nasty.. Remember it's rare. Also, most blood clots do not kill you so you can get one and not have any symptoms or problems from it. So while it's true, don't panic. You are more likely to die in a car crash or walking across the street.

Wait...You know how b/c makes your body think you're pregnant? So if I were to go on b/c and take a pregancy test it'd show positive??

No, you get pregnancy symptoms, but you don't actually get the high hormones that make a pregnancy test show positive.

You should not spot between your periods on the pill (aside from the first three months) unless you have missed a pill or more. Then you will spot and should use a backup method for at least 2 weeks. If you are spotting between periods then you need to switch to a pill that works better with your body.
2= birth control can send you way out of whack and make you moody, angry, depressed etc. If this happens you will also need to switch to a pill with different hormones or levels of hormones that will take away this side effect.
3= birth control "begins its duties" as soon as you start taking it. My doctor always told me that it is not the full 99% effective until three months of taking it correctly. But, some of the pills websites now say a week, so I am really not sure. But I trust my doc more than a drug company.
4= birth control is 99% effective if taken 100% correctly. People get pregnant on the pill all of the time so if you do not want babies then be on the pill and use condoms.
5= some women do skip periods or not even have one when on the pill. Most women on birth control pills, however will have a period every month. Even if that period only lasts a couple of days. I have a friend who had one about every six months and it wasn't anything to write home about. If this is bothersome, then switch pills.
6= if the pill you are on always makes you miss your period then you really shouldn't be highly concerned when it happens. But if you get your period every month and then suddenly stop getting it, then I would take a test.
7= you can have an allergic reaction to anything, so I am sure that some women could be allergic to some ingredient in birth control.
8= aspirin, tylenol, ibuprofen do not lessen birth control effects. However, antibiotics and other prescription drugs do. They usually (should always) tell you that when you pick them up, but no one is perfect and they may forget. Therefore, if taking anything new, ask.
Some herbs counteract birth control, and some lessen its effectiveness. St. John's wart for example renders your birth control powerless. And since these natural supplements are not fda regulated, they don't have to say on the bottle. So, be careful!
9= I am sure you could die from a stroke/heart attack and such brough on by the pill. Or helped along by the pill. That is why it is important to not smoke on the pill, remain active and eat healthy.
10= it used to be believed that birth control causes cancer, but now it has actually been proven to reduce the risks of cervical cancer.