Today, many misconceptions exist regarding combined hormonal birth control pills, which are widely used. These misconceptions are being addressed by healthcare professionals through proper information. However, did you know that besides being an excellent family planning method (with an annual failure rate of 0.1% in ideal use), these pills have many other benefits? In this article, we wanted to explain the mostly unknown non-contraceptive benefits of combined birth control pills currently in use.

  1. Regular menstrual cycles, less blood loss, and reduction in menstrual pain: Research has shown that with the use of combined birth control pills, menstrual periods become regular and menstrual blood loss is reduced by up to 60%. Similarly, the reduction in blood loss and improvement in anemia are considered significant positive effects. Dysmenorrhea (painful menstruation) is known to significantly reduce a woman's quality of life. It has been shown that combined birth control pills reduce painful menstruation by up to 70%. Additionally, some newer long-term use pills have shown significant improvement in premenstrual tension.
  2. Less Endometrial Cancer: Combined birth control pills reduce the risk of endometrial (uterine) cancer. According to research, using them for at least one year reduces the risk of developing endometrial cancer by approximately 50%. This protective effect becomes even more pronounced with 3 years of use. More interestingly, even after discontinuing these drugs, the protection against endometrial cancer continues for about 20 years.
  3. Less Ovarian Cancer: Ovarian cancers are among the deadliest cancers of the female reproductive system due to late diagnosis. Studies have shown that combined birth control pills provide approximately a 40% reduction in the risk of ovarian cancer (epithelial ovarian cancers) and that this protection continues for 20 years or more.
  4. Less Colorectal Cancer: According to general analyses of various studies, the risk of colorectal (bowel) cancer is reduced by approximately 18% in individuals using combined birth control pills.
  5. Less Inflammation (Pelvic Inflammatory Disease): In those who have used combined birth control pills for at least one year, a reduction of about 50% in hospitalizations due to severe tube-ovarian inflammation has been detected. This positive effect is attributed to changes in the structure of cervical secretions.
  6. Less Ectopic Pregnancy: Combined birth control pills, known to provide excellent protection, have been shown to reduce the risk of ectopic pregnancy both for this reason and because they reduce the risk of ovarian-tube inflammation as mentioned above.
  7. Increase in Bone Density: Depending on the duration of use, combined birth control pills are associated with increased bone density in users.
  8. Other: Although not yet proven with today's low-dose combined birth control pills, claimed benefits include less rheumatoid arthritis, fewer fibroids, fewer ovarian cysts, and fewer benign breast cysts.

For the reasons stated above, combined birth control pills are used by physicians today for treatment purposes in conditions such as irregular menstruation, painful periods, ovulation pain and bleeding, acne, and hirsutism.

As seen, when birth control pills are used properly and as needed, they provide significant benefits beyond family planning protection. However, a point that must be underlined is that these drugs must be used under a physician's supervision.

Wishing you happy days full of health…

Prof. Dr. Umit Inceboz / Obstetrics and Gynecology Specialist / IRENBE