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Key Points
nAlthea is a popular oral contraceptive pill. It is considered as the most popular contraceptivenpill in the Philippines and other ASEAN countries. Apart from contraception,nAlthea is also used for variety of other purposes, including treating irregularnhormonal problems (like PCOS) and curing pimple outbreaks, among others. Innfact, many users consider it as a beauty pill because of its positive effect onnthe facial skin.
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nHow to UsenAlthea
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nFirst thing I wouldnlike to mention here is the requirement to consult an OBGyne before startingnAlthea. I understand that majority of users have successfully used it withoutnconsulting a doctor, but it will always better to take opinion if you arenplanning to use it for long term.
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nFurther, itncomes with 21 hormonal pills. Users are required to take one pill daily atnexactly the same time for 21 days. And then, they are expected to go for 7 pillnfree days. During these pill free days, they should get menstruation cycle, or withdrawal bleeding.
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nIf you are goingnto start Althea, ensure to start it on the first day of menstruation. It willnlead to better adjustment by your body and hence less side effects. It willnalso make sure that you remain away from hormonal issues being faced by manynnew users.
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nSimilarly, goingnfor seven pill free days is necessary.
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nSide Effects ofnAlthea
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nThere are manynpossible side effects of Althea. Please note that these side effects usuallynhappen with new users and, more importantly, for short duration. Following are some of thenprominent side effects:
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n– nBreastnTenderness
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n– nVomitingnTendency
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n– nNausea
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n– nHeadache
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n– nLowernStomach Pain
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n– nDelayednmenstruation cycle (till 2 packs of Althea)
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nBecause ofnbreast tenderness, many believe that taking Althea can lead to enlargement ofnbreast. That is a plain myth. Your breast will become normal over time.
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nSimilarly, manynusers get frightened when they find delayed menstruation. I would like tonreiterate here that delayed menstruation is quite common among new users andnyou should not worry about that.
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nI should mentionnhere that if you take Althea daily at exactly the same time after starting itnon the first day of menstruation then you will remain away from almost all sideneffects.
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nThere is a setnof users who should not use Althea.
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nIf you arenpregnant then don’t use it. As soon as you realize about pregnancy, you shouldnstop using it.
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nIf you arenbreastfeeding, don’t use Althea. It is because of the fact that it containsnEstrogen (along with Progesterone). Estrogen can negatively affect the breastnmilk output. In that scenario, you should use Progesterone only pill, likenDaphne.
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nIngredients ofnAlthea
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nAs mentionednabove, Althea contains Estrogen and Progesterone, in synthetic form. Both of these are femalenhormones. Because of this fact, Althea is categorized as a combined hormonal contraceptive pill.
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