Now the situation has changed radically: hygiene products are advertised on TV, gender determination is actively condemned, resignation has long been excluded from the list of feminine virtues. And where a woman of the last century would have fainted, our contemporary calmly takes sick leave, referring to critical days.
Thanks to the development of science, we also now know what happens in a woman’s body every menstrual cycle. Every month, from the onset of puberty to menopause, the body conscientiously performs a whole set of preparatory actions in the hope of realizing its most important function – procreation.
According to the order of things conceived by nature, pregnancy is a natural consequence of ovulation, followed by lactation. And then, soon after the menstrual cycle resumes, another pregnancy. Normally, most of the reproductive age, a woman’s ovaries are in a state of functional rest, “turning on” only for a short time to ensure the next pregnancy. There are not many “idle” menstrual cycles in a woman’s life, because each ovulation is associated with hormonal surges and additional stress on the reproductive organs. All these “sacrifices” make sense only in the perspective of conception.
But this is the logic of evolutionary mechanisms. In practice, modern women prefer to limit themselves to one or two children. This means that in most cases, ovulation is wasted, pregnancy does not occur. Endless and sterile ovulation creates an excessive burden on the body. Coupled with the consequences of abortion and insufficient implementation of reproductive tasks, this leads to a constant increase in the number of specific female diseases: infertility, endometriosis, uterine myoma, ovarian, endometrial and breast cancer, etc.
In addition, the aimless waste of eggs is not very rational from the point of view of the health of future offspring. Often, at the time when a woman has secured a certain standard of living and is ready to become a mother, her ovaries have already “released” the best and most complete eggs. And those that remain do not promise very good prospects (if conception is at all possible). The so-called “ovarian reserve” is important not only for future children, but also for the health of the woman herself. On average, after 35 years, the body begins to move towards menopause, the hormonal status changes, the depletion of the ovarian reserve progresses. And a woman already needs to make purposeful efforts to maintain her usual standard of living and comfort. It is necessary to give up bad habits, be attentive to your health, introduce small but regular physical activity.
One of the important factors in maintaining women’s health, gynecologists call the timely use of hormonal contraception. After all, the range of its beneficial properties is much wider than just protection from pregnancy. For example, the mechanism of action of COCs is such that with the help of a small dose of hormones, the ovaries are immersed in a state of functional rest, akin to the state of pregnancy. Here it is necessary to clarify that monthly bleeding while taking COCs is called menstruation only formally; in fact, it is withdrawal bleeding associated with a short interruption in hormone intake. Ovulation does not occur during this bleeding.
Thus, taking COCs solves several problems at once: the body is free from cyclic hormonal changes, the reproductive organs are resting, the supply of eggs is preserved, the risks of estrogen-dependent diseases are reduced. And at the moment when the woman is ready for motherhood, the abolition of COCs will provide the most optimal situation for conception and a healthy pregnancy. This is especially important in cases where pregnancy is planned after the age of 35 years.
Speaking about the physiological effect of COCs on the female body, it is worth mentioning that the latest generation of contraceptives are created in such a way as to reproduce the natural state of the body as accurately as possible. Natural oral contraceptives (NOCs) contain natural estrogen that is chemically identical to that of a woman. The dynamic NOC dosing regimen provides excellent well-being, stable weight and a reduced bleeding profile.
The combination of benefits, convenience, and protective effects has made hormonal contraception incredibly popular. Worldwide, over 100 million women use it; in developed countries, it is the most popular form of contraception. It is good news that Russian women are slowly starting to participate in these statistics.