For many women and girls, hormonal birth control is a form of life-altering healthcare beyond just preventing pregnancy. Hormonal birth control, such as birth control pills or hormonal IUDs, can make periods less painful by:

• making blood flow lighter
• reducing cramping
• shortening the period to a 5-7 day frame that has a predictable start date
• eliminating or reducing menstrual migraines

In addition to alleviating painful period side-effects, hormonal birth control has other proven medical uses that you might not think of. Hormonal birth control also:

• eliminates the pain associated with endometriosis
• reduces the risk of ovarian cancer
• helps manage polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

All in all, hormonal birth control improves the quality of life for many women and girls. It allows them to stay in school and in work instead of falling behind their male colleagues or coworkers because of debilitating cramps or migraines. Furthermore, birth control, both hormonal and non-hormonal, prevents a woman’s or girl’s life from being changed forever by an unplanned pregnancy.