Every therapy that you take has its own pros and cons, and the same is with hormonal therapy. Regular breast and pelvic check-ups can easily minimize the risk of increased susceptibility of women to certain forms of cancers due to hormonal therapy. Its better to have the dermatologists working in co-ordination with the patient’s gynecologist, so as to get the best maintenance and treatment going one, especially for the women having smoking habit or are above 40 years of age.

Below are the documented side effects of oral contraceptives:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Abdominal cramps
• Bloating
• severe headaches
• Spotting
• Weight gain
• Mood swings
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Tenderness of the breasts

If you are taking oral contraceptives then it’s necessary for you to get a breast examination. Where as pap smears is used for monitoring what’s happening to the female reproductive system?