Women's Health | Health Articles | Endometriosis -Progesterone Agonist- Definition, Types,The Good, Bad, Side Effects and Risks

During the last stage of the menstrual cycle normally a layer of endometriosis lining in the inside of the uterus is expelled, known as menstruation blood but instead some of the endometriosis tissues growing somewhere in the body causing endometriosis. Endometriosis also reacts to hormonal signals of the monthly menstrual cycle by building up tissue, breaking it, and eliminating it through the menstrual period. In this article, we will discuss progesterone only pill.

I. Definition
This type of pill contains no estrogen also known as the progesterone-like pill or progestins, it helps to maintain milk production for breastfeeding mother and to thicken the cervical mucus, thereby preventing sperm from entering the uterus. This type of pill must be taken at a certain time every 24 hours for effectively.

II. Types of Progesterone medicines
a) Injecting medicine
Type of progesterone medication injected in the women body every three months, such as Depo Provera. It is good for women who want to have long term contraception, it may work well for some women but study shows that it causes bone loss and sometimes osteoporosis.

b) Implant medicine
The other type of progesterone like medicine such as Implanon is implanted into the fat of a non dominant arm and last about 3 years. It may not cause bone loss as Depo Provera, but it causes male like pattern such as excessive hair growth and deepening the voice.

c) Progesterone-like pills
i) Progesterone like pill in treating excessive menstruation
If a woman does not have progesterone irregularity, her doctor may prescribe this type of medicine for her. It helps to complete shredding of the endometrium and stops the abnormal bleeding. Besides all the good thing of this type of progesterone like pill, it also has it side effects, such as elevating level of cholesterol.
ii) Other types
Other types of progesterone like medicines, such as Provera, Duphaston, they helps to relieve of menstrual cramp with no long term serious side effects by creating the pregnancy-like state but their short term side effects including spotting and bleeding.

III. The Good
a) The progesterone only pills help to thicken the mucus made from the cervix that helps to stop the the sperm from getting through uterus to fertilize an egg.
b) It makes the endometrial lining thinner that decreases the chance of becoming pregnancy.
c) It helps to stop the abnormal bleeding and shed of the endometrium.
d) Improve period pain and pelvic pain caused by endometrial implants.
e) Alternative choice for women can not take the oral contraceptive combination pill.

IV. The bad
1) Progesterone only pill may causes irregular periods such as longer and heavier, or shorter and lighter, than usual.
2) Some women may experience spotting and bleeding while taking the pill.
3) Other may have no period altogether.

V. Side effects
Most side effects are caused by high levels of progesterone for women taking the progesterone only pill, such as
1) Mood swings
2) Weight gain
3) Reduced libido
4) Fluid retention
5) Acne
6) Breast tenderness

VI. Risk
1) Ectopic pregnancy
Women taking the progesterone only pill may increase the risk of pregnancy inside the fallopian tube and not in the uterus.
2) Progesterone only pill may increase the risk of pain in the lower abdomen, shortly after a missed or light period.
3) It also increases the risk of developing small, benign cysts in the ovary.

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