10 Gynecological Facts Every Woman Should Know

If you’re a woman who’s been turning to the internet to self diagnose your self, you may be doing yourself a disservice.

Here are some facts that could help ease your mind from essence.com.

Secret # 1: Birth control pills may cause your sex drive to wane.

If your desire for canoodling hasn’t seemed quite the same since you started taking “the Pill,” it’s not your imagination. It’s 100% true that birth control pills can reduce the desire for sex in many women.

This is true not only for women in their reproductive years. It’s also true for women going through menopause who may use a low dose pill to control symptoms such as hot flashes and mood swings.

What can you do to get your sex drive back? Switching pill brands or formulations sometimes helps. If it doesn’t, consider switching to another form of birth control such as an IUD – if you’re in a monogamous relationship – or condoms. Another option is to take the Pill less frequently and use another method of protection to prevent pregnancy. If you’re using the Pill for relief of symptoms such as hot flashes, talk to your doctor about cutting back the dosage.

Secret # 2: To reduce some side effects of birth control pills – including nausea – insert them vaginally.

Inserting the Pill vaginally is not harmful. It can be very effective, particularly if you are suffering with any nausea or vomiting for any reason, including from taking the Pill.

This little known secret came to light thanks to an Israeli study published in the journal Contraception. Doctors compared two groups of women using the Pill. One group took the pill by mouth; the other inserted it into the vagina and let it dissolve. The result? The women who used the vaginal route had less nausea, vertigo, headache, breast tenderness, period pain, and stomach upsets than the ones who took the Pill orally.

Read more here.