Birth Control Side Effects

Both Depo-Provera and Norplant should not be used by the some women. First, the synthetic hormones should not be used by women who have acute liver disease or any type of liver tumor. Second, because the hormones may increase blood clotting, if a woman already has blood clots the synthetic hormones may mask a medical problem. Third, women with unexplained vaginal bleeding should not employ the hormones for similar reasons as above. Fourth, diabetics should not use these synthetic hormones because the hormones may affect carbohydrate metabolism and increase blood glucose levels. Fifth, there is some evidence that the synthetic hormones increase breast cancer development in women. Women who suspect they have breast cancer should not use either form of birth control. Finally, if a woman suspects that she is pregnant, for obvious reasons, she should not use either Norplant or Depo-Provera. Except for the aforementioned women, the long term synthetic hormone birth control methods offer a very effective and convenient contraceptive mechanism for many women.

Women who use Norplant for over a year report that they like it for its effectiveness, convenience, and lack of serious side effects. This convenience is also appreciated among teenage users. Over seven out of ten (71%) teenagers using Norplant stated that they chose the contraceptive method because they would not have to remember to take pills daily, and 48% also referred to the contraceptive methods’ ease of use. Likewise from 74% to 86% of Norplant using teenagers reported being satisfied with the contraceptive method. This contrasts with the 39% reported satisfaction rate of oral contraceptive using teenagers. The ease of use and effectiveness probably accounts for the high level of satisfaction among long term synthetic hormone contraceptive users, adolescent or otherwise.