The Crazy Thing You Didn’t Know The Pill Could Do
Seriously? The pill can do what? Besides ensuring that you do not fall pregnant before you actually plan to, researchers have found another pro.

October 10, 2016

The pill and your health

Photography by Pexels
Seriously? Birth control can do what? Besides ensuring that you do not fall pregnant before you actually plan to, birth control could also aid you in fending off the sniffles.
A new study, recently published in the PLOS journal found that women using hormone-based birth control pill containing progesterone may be less likely to be severely affected by influenza A virus. Although this study was tested on mice (female, of course) which were implanted with progesterone and one group without were infected with the flu virus.
Weirdly, the mice that were injected with progesterone (both actual and synthetic, like the progesterone contained in female birth control) had less pulmonary inflammation, better lung function, and lung cell repair occurred more rapidly than in the control group.

How Is This? 

The progesterone was found to increase the protein amphiregulin in lung cell lining protecting against flu symptoms. Study authors believe that progesterone may at some future time be effective for treating flu in women.

But…

If you’re on birth control and find yourself with a spring cold, then perhaps you might want to try these methods to beat the flu, and fast!
First few hours? avoid sick colleagues or family members as every time a sick person coughs, they expel some 2 000 virus-laden droplets.
Four days later?  Code red! Symptoms hit you like a freight train…You can go from feeling peppy at lunchtime to being bedridden by 5pm, beset with fever, chills, headache and crazy-tender muscles. Take a few ibuprofen tablets, Nurofen, to help ease the aches.
Moving forward...wash.your.hands. It’s the best way you can fend off a new flu virus. Soap, water and scrub those hands for at least 20 seconds, especially if you’re in touching communal stuff like a bathroom stall.
Thinking about not taking the pill? This is what happens to your body when you go off the pill. And if you’re thinking about trying out other forms of contraception, here’s what you really need to know about getting an IUD.