---
title: What health benefits do birth control pills have? | Niyora
description: Birth control pills reduce symptoms of heavy periods and period pain, lower PMDD symptoms, reduce acne, and lower the risk of ovarian and endometrial cancer.
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/the-state-of-hormonal-contraception-today-established-and-emerging-2011/
---

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- What health benefits do birth control pills have?

Review, 2011

# What health benefits do birth control pills have?

Birth control pills reduce symptoms of heavy periods and period pain, lower PMDD symptoms, reduce acne, and lower the risk of ovarian and endometrial cancer. Modern pills have lower estrogen doses than older ones and carry less cardiovascular risk.

 Moderate study design

Women taking combined oral contraceptives

## What they did

Review article summarizing the non-contraceptive health benefits of combined oral contraceptives established over 50 years since their introduction.

## What they found

Estrogen dose in birth control pills has decreased from over 100 micrograms to less than 30 micrograms. Non-contraceptive benefits include improvement of menorrhagia (heavy periods) and dysmenorrhea (period pain), reduction in premenstrual dysphoric disorder symptoms, and decreased acne. Birth control pills prevent pregnancy-related deaths. Use of birth control pills before menopause reduces the risk of ovarian and endometrial cancer after menopause. Decreased ovarian cyst formation occurred with higher-dose pills but not with modern low-dose pills. Cardiovascular risks have decreased due to the lower estrogen dose.

## What it means for you

Birth control pills offer many health benefits beyond pregnancy prevention, especially modern low-dose formulations. This is a review of 50 years of evidence rather than new research. Individual benefits may vary, and the review does not provide details about effect sizes or which formulations work best for specific conditions.

>100 to <30 mcg

Estrogen dose decrease over 50 years

## About the study

Original title The state of hormonal contraception today: established and emerging noncontraceptive health benefits Authors Maguire K, Westhoff C Journal American journal of obstetrics and gynecology Year 2011 Study design Review What was tested Combined oral contraceptive pills Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/j.ajog.2011.06.056](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajog.2011.06.056)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pmdd/)[Dysmenorrhea and period pain](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-dysmenorrhea/)[Oral contraceptives and drospirenone](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-hormonal-contraceptives/)[Pregnancy and postpartum](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-postpartum/)

Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits.

Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor.

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