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How Do Birth Control Pills Affect The Body?

The first birth control pills were produced around 50 years ago and they were received very well by the public, especially among couples that were afraid of unwanted pregnancy. However these pills can affect on almost everything on your body, from the muscles and the brain to the sex drive.

These birth control pills work in a way that deceives the body with the help of artificial female hormones like estrogen and progesterone. They prevent the appearance of ovulation or in other words they stop the release of eggs. The process sounds very simple but the truth is that all those hormones are making a lot more than prevention of pregnancy.

Recent studies have shown that birth control pills can affect appearance, but not that much as previously because the new types of pills are having low levels of hormones and they are significantly improved. This is a short list of things that are usually affected by birth control pills.

Bones

Some studies suggest that taking birth control pills can lower the density of the spine, especially if those pills have low levels of estrogen in them. Natural estrogen stimulates the growth of bone tissue and pills maintain the normal level of estrogen. What is still uncertain is what happens when someone decides to stop taking those pills. However there is no proof that birth control pills cause any diseases related to the bones such as osteoporosis.

Cancer 

The link between breast cancer and birth control pills is still unclear. Few studies have shown different results and some suggest that there is a link while others suggest that there is absolutely no link between breast cancer and these pills. When it comes to cancer you should always be aware of family history of the disease, to consult a gynecologist or other doctors that can help you prevent it. What is interesting is that some scientist claim that women who take birth control pills lower their chances of getting uterine and ovarian cancer.

Sex Drive

It is well known that birth control pills reduce the level of testosterone in the body. Luckily, some women have high level of testosterone and taking pills does not affect their sexual desire. If you think that your sex drive is lowered because of the pills, consult a gynecologist who will look for another way to protect you against pregnancy.

Increased Weight

In the past there were cases where birth control pills made women gain weight while taking them. The main cause for this was the high level of estrogen which prevented the kidneys to excrete water from the body and what is interesting is that they have also stimulated a growth of the breasts. Modern birth control pills have low level of hormones (including estrogen) and don’t cause weight gain. Besides that they are even more effective when it comes to prevention of pregnancy compared to the pills from the past.

Skin

These pills can help you with acne and pimples because of the artificial estrogen that they contain. The estrogen reduces the level of testosterone which is responsible for the production of sebum that clogs pores and causes the formation of pimples.

Impotence – Constant Fear Of Sexual Dysfunction

Having low self-esteem linked with sexual impotence can truly disturb every man and what is even more frightening is that this unpleasant situation can affect different aspects of their lives. In situations like these failures become something inevitable.

There are many reasons why this is happening and different psychologists have different conclusions. However there are few things that seem to repeat in these cases of impotence among men.

Men tend to equate their masculinity with their sexual power, although masculinity is reflected in many different things not just sexuality. Furthermore they equate their sexual power with erectile power, which allows normal and uninterrupted sexual intercourse with the partner. Men can be manly and impotent at the same time although some of them don’t realize how that is possible. There are many causes why impotence occurs. For example there can be natural causes, when impotence occurs because of sclerotic changes in the blood vessels. Certain neurological diseases can also cause impotence – for example multiple sclerosis. The list is even longer when we add, diabetes, various medical interventions (prostate surgery, aortic surgery, tumors around and on the genitals…), various medications that we consume (antihypertensives , psychopharmaceuticals), on it. Mental disorders are on this list too. For example depression can lower sex drive in addition to impotence. These mental disorders can cause even more problems than some of the medicaments.

There are some side causes that can also affect the appearance of impotence. On the top of this list are bad relationships followed by distancing of the partners, hostility and hatred and even open aggression. Sometimes some unexpected events in our lives can also affect our sexual health. Things like death of a partner, fear from a newly discovered disease. fear of divorce, troubles at work; they can all worsen the situation.

In many cases the cause of sexual impotence is of psychological nature. After a few failures in a row, which might be caused by some unfortunate events, a man can develop fear of failure. This fear is interfering erection and lowers the quality of the sexual intercourse.

In these cases men tries to focus on their own performance instead of focusing on the physical attractiveness of the women they are with. Sometimes these causes have deeper roots which can be traced in the early childhood.

The unstoppable process of aging can also affect the sexual power of men. After the age of 50 erections might not occur as often as previously. Men are usually physiologically strongest in their 20s and after the 40s they slowly begin to lose interest in sex and their levels of testosterone are lowered. In some cases the sex drive is present but the man is not able to achieve erection so easy.

Every case of impotence should be examined separately. Depending on the causes impotence can be treated with drugs, surgery and even with psychotherapy in cases of psychogenic impotence.

Depression And Sexual Problems

Sexual problems like erectile disorder or inability to accomplish orgasm very often occur together with depression. Good news for those who suffer from these problems is that doctors in most cases can treat these sexual problems with great success. Depression is a well known psychological state and doctors have many ways to treat it.

How does depression affect sexual life?

We probably rarely think about our brain as an sexual organ but in fact many aspects of our sexual experience are connected with it. For example sex drive starts from the brain and continues to slide through our body with the help of the neurotransmitters. These transmitters are actually strengthening the communication between brain cells and provide better blood flow to sexual organs and as we all know – good blood flow means better sexual pleasure. When we talk about depression and other mood disorders in general, the stability between these brain particles is disturbed. That is why, many men and women that are suffering from depression are aware that their sex drive is very weak or practically non-existent because of their mental state.

The link between anti depressants and sexual problems

Antidepressants usually have some really good effects when it comes to mood improvement and the state of mind overall, but in some depressed persons, some of them like serotonin inhibitors can cause very unpleasant side effects. And it is exactly these side effects that can cause a lot of sexual problems. The manner in which antidepressants improve mood is to change the balance that exists between the brain and the brain substance. The thing is that these substances are in direct correlation with the sex drive. So this means that antidepressants disrupt this balance and very often they directly cause sexual problems because of that. People that use antidepressants are aware that the dosage of antidepressants affects the sexual desire and can stimulate even more sexual problems and dysfunctions. Some sexual problems occur more than others due to the usage of antidepressants. Problems like inability to initiate sexual intercourse or enjoy the sex, erectile disorders, inability to achieve orgasm or very weak sex drive are the most common sex problems that comes with antidepressants.

Ways to solve sexual problems caused by depression

Of course it is always a good thing to call a doctor. They are after all trained and educated to solve this kind of problems.

There are also few methods that can help people successfully cope with the undesired effects of antidepressants that affect the whole sex life and at the same time they can continue with their therapy.

There are many different types of antidepressants from different manufacturers and not all of them have the same effects. The newer antidepressants are improved and the pharmaceutical industry is trying to lower the side effects including those that affect the sex life. Of course before making a switch in the type of antidepressant consulting a doctor is a must.

Another good way is to take antidepressants and drugs that improve sex drive at the same time, because there are drugs that help the sex drive that don’t affect the effectiveness of antidepressants.