Are birth control pills for everyone?

If you dont need it, then dont. Condoms are 97% safe. but you must use them always.

Mothers are putting their duaghters on the pill in order to prevent babies. If you can do that another way, go ahead.

All pills have some side effects. you should always note what they are.

Your doctor recommends not to use BCP’s so don’t use them. Weight gain is true as the body get’s tricked and the tube is closed. (something like that anyhow). If you feel like sex is a must, always strap on the rubber. Demand it.

No, birth control pills aren’t for everyone. But, there’s a reason so many young women get put on them before they start having sex. For starters, it takes 6 weeks for The Pill to regulate your system enough that they’re effective, and most people (of any age…) don’t plan the first time they have sex with a partner 6 weeks in advance. Also, you have to get in the routine of taking them every day in order for them to have maximum effectiveness, so it helps if you’ve already gotten into that routine. Plus, teens have a tendency to lie to their parents about if they are or aren’t having sex, so while you might know that they definitely aren’t, their mothers are thinking “better safe than sorry”.

Condoms work, but they don’t have quite as high a success rate in preventing pregnancy as The Pill, and they have to be used every single time – no, we forgot, no, we were too taken with the moment of passion to remember, no, we ran out of money for condoms, etc. You should be using condoms anyway, to protect against STDs. However, a lot of parents are ok with paying for The Pill, but not ok with paying for lots of condoms.

The side effects… some women get them, some don’t, some find The Pill actually helps them with things weight and moods and acne. There’s really no way to know if they’ll effect you in that way without trying them out.

For everyone? No, they’re not safe (nor intended) for men, for instance. Synthetic female hormones will result in sexual changes in men such as growing breast tissue.

No, birth control pills are not for everyone. That doesn’t mean that birth control isn’t a good idea, though. There are alternatives to the pill, and they are worth looking into even if you aren’t planning on having sex right now.

As for condoms, remember that the 98% effectiveness rate is based on perfect use. Do you know how to use a condom perfectly? Virtually no one does. The effectiveness rate for typical use , meanwhile, is 85–90%. That’s not terrible, but there’s no harm in having something else backing you up.

Many women have to try out a few different pill formulations to find one that “clicks”. Like with any medication, weight gain and other side effects don’t necessarily happen to everyone. Some people might take it just to help with acne, with the birth control part of it being an added bonus. Hormones are tricky.

Many women go on the pill for reasons other than birth control, too. Such as regulating their periods or reducing PMS symptoms.

There are a variety of birth control methods you can use besides the Pill and condoms. If you’re not comfortable talking to your doctor about it, call Planned Parenthood and just set up a time for them to talk to you about all the different ways and what the pros and cons are.

Speaking of info on methods, bedsider.org is a pretty great resource for risks, benefits, and general info on pretty much every method of birth control generally available.

Short answer to the question, no. Like any medication, it can have varying effects depending on your body (and if your doctor says don’t take it, don’t take it). But as @Aethelflaed said quite well, there are many reasons for wanting to be on some form.

and @SavoirFaire: hey, I have perfect use with condoms. It’s not that difficult. Though it does depend on situation.

They weren’t for me. I had a lot of weird personality changes due to the hormones, and I was switched to 4 different pills. Eventually, I dumped the whole thing and went to other methods. But it does scare me to think of young women being put on the pill without a second thought. I had to work pretty hard to convince my doctor that the pill was my problem, and no one warned me that (for example) a drop in libido was a possible side effect, so it took a devastating toll on my relationship before I realized it was even chemical. Do young women know themselves well enough to be able to protect themselves from that?

I realize everyone will jump on me because they want their kids to be safe from accidental pregnancy, but for me it was just not worth it.

@BhacSsylan Yes, you are quite right. It’s not that difficult. Very few people seem to know how to do it, though, which I suppose must be chalked up to poor sexual education.

I have sex on a regular basis and I’m very skeptical about trying these pills. I have them at home and I’ve told my BF I’m going to take them (he’s very happy about this, by the way) but I’ve been reading reviews and I’m relatively skeptical. And I think it’s not just that, because there are good reviews too, but I just don’t like the idea that you’re chemically altering your body in such a profound way. And ya, I’ve heard mood swings are horrible, and I’m already an emotional person.

I sincerely hope you keep your boyfriend informed if you decide not to take them.

No, I think I will take them.

I was only looking up negative things online, but almost all of my friends are on BC and they’re fine. And I think I will try it out after all.

And lol.. of course.. we still always use condoms!