Does taking contraceptive pills cause infertility?

Written by Zhang Xiu Rong
Obstetrics and Gynecology
Updated on January 07, 2025
00:00
00:00

Contraceptives are categorized into short-acting, long-acting, or emergency contraceptives. Commonly, long-acting contraceptives, such as those taken orally once a month, have significant side effects. Prolonged use can lead to menstrual irregularities, facial pigmentation, hyperpigmentation, and amenorrhea. Therefore, long-term use of long-acting contraceptives may result in decreased ovarian function, leading to infertility. Generally, emergency contraceptives and short-acting contraceptives have relatively minor side effects. Occasional use does not have a significant impact, but prolonged use can cause menstrual disorders and hormonal imbalances, which in turn can lead to infertility. Thus, contraceptives are not suitable for everyone, and it is not recommended for women who have never given birth to use oral contraceptives for contraception.

Other Voices

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhang Wei Wei
Integrative Medicine
1min 52sec home-news-image

How is infertility caused?

Common causes of infertility in women often stem from ovulatory disorders and tubal factors. The common ovulatory disorders mainly include dysfunction of the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis, ovarian diseases, and endocrine metabolic diseases such as hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism. Other causes include systemic diseases, chronic consumptive diseases, severe malnutrition, excessive obesity, and excessive thinness. The second aspect involves tubal factors, such as inflammation and blockage of the fallopian tubes leading to infertility. The third aspect is uterine factors, which include poor uterine development, uterine abnormalities, endometritis, and endometrial tuberculosis, all of which can cause infertility. The fourth aspect is cervical factors, including cervical myomas, cervical inflammation, and abnormalities in cervical immunological function. The fifth aspect is factors related to the vaginal and perineal areas, where abnormal development, inflammation, and scarring of the vagina can cause infertility. As for men, the causes of infertility include abnormalities in semen, sexual function, and immunological factors. Immunological factors primarily involve the production of antibodies against one's own sperm in the body, causing ejaculated semen to agglutinate with itself and fail to pass through cervical mucus. Thus, from the perspectives of both men and women, these are the main causes of infertility.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Yue Hua
Obstetrics and Gynecology
45sec home-news-image

What are the reasons for infertility despite having intercourse during the ovulation period?

The reasons for not getting pregnant despite having intercourse during the ovulation period primarily involve considering whether there is an issue with the male partner’s sperm. Additionally, although it is the ovulation period, the development of the follicles must also be examined. If the follicles are undeveloped, or if they are very small, pregnancy is unlikely in such cases. Moreover, the condition of the fallopian tubes should be checked, as both the egg and the sperm need to travel through these tubes. If the fallopian tubes are blocked, it will prevent pregnancy because the sperm and egg cannot meet, leading to infertility.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhang Wei Wei
Integrative Medicine
1min 11sec home-news-image

What are the causes of male infertility?

There are many diseases or factors that can lead to male infertility, leading to azoospermia, severe oligospermia, and oligozoospermia, as well as normospermic infertility, polyspermia, asthenospermia, etc. The main causes can be summarized in the following points: First, male sexual dysfunction, such as erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation, and anejaculation, can all cause male infertility. Second, abnormalities in sperm structure and seminal plasma can affect sperm motility, capacity, and reaction. Third, obstruction of the vas deferens affects the transport of sperm. Fourth, infection of the reproductive tract. Fifth, endocrine disorders, including deficiencies in gonadotropins. Sixth, chromosomal abnormalities, including the common pseudohermaphroditism chromosome.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Li Li Jie
Obstetrics and Gynecology
51sec home-news-image

Will taking birth control once a year cause infertility?

Taking emergency contraceptive pills once a year will not cause infertility, but it is not recommended to use emergency contraception as a regular method of contraception. It is generally advised that emergency contraception should not be used more than three times a year, as it can harm a woman's body. It is recommended that women of childbearing age who do not have a plan should use safe and effective contraceptive methods, including wearing condoms consistently or using an intrauterine device (IUD), which are relatively safe and effective and do not have side effects on health. If using an IUD, it is advised to remove it three months before planning to become pregnant to allow the endometrium to recover before attempting conception, which is better under these circumstances.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhang Wei Wei
Integrative Medicine
50sec home-news-image

Can you have sexual intercourse before infertility examination?

There are many types of examinations for infertility. If the examination is for male infertility, such as a semen analysis, it is recommended not to have sexual intercourse three days prior to the test. For females, if the examinations involve blood tests or a gynecological ultrasound, intercourse is permissible. However, if the examination includes a routine vaginal discharge test, it is advised not to have sexual intercourse for at least three days beforehand. More stringent timing is required for examinations like hysteroscopy or a fallopian tube radiography. The principle here is to conduct these tests three to seven days after menstruation has ended, in order to complete the fallopian tube radiography and hysteroscopy effectively.