Birth Control Pills and High Blood Pressure

What are birth control pills?

Birth control pills are oral contraceptive pills that are taken to prevent conception. These are one of the most widely used medications in the US and are considered to be safe as well as effective. Recently there has been a controversy relating to birth control pills and the role that the consumption of these pills have in increasing blood pressure.

What is the relationship between birth control pills and high blood pressure? A lot of studies by researchers have suggested that birth control pills may raise the risk of high blood pressure. Birth control pills contain a type of hormone called progestin. This hormone mimics the activity of another naturally occurring hormone called progesterone.

Progesterone has been proved to affect the blood pressure in our body. The exact mechanism by which this happens occurs is a complicated process that involves affects on small blood vessels and hormonal cascades. It may result in your having to discontinue the medication.

Apart from this, you are very likely to develop high blood pressure when you take birth control pills if you are either overweight, have a history of heart or kidney problems or are genetically prone to high blood pressure.
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Studies also indicate that colored or Asian women are more susceptible than women of other races.

If you are using birth control pills, then you need to take adequate precautions to prevent high blood pressure. Before taking any type of pills you should consult your doctor. Your doctor will review your current as well as past medical records before suggesting any birth control pills.

In some cases, when a woman experiences high blood pressure after taking the pills, the doctor may ask her to switch over to a different pill having lower level of progesterone or might even ask her to resort to a different form of contraception.