I know like most women out there a good birth control pill is hard to come by. I've tried the regular everyday pill, Mirena IUD, Paragard IUD, and almost used the Nuva Ring but seen the reviews and how horrible it was and said 'Hell no!'.
I decided that I didn't want my mind, and body to be affected by hormones and chemicals that altered my thought patterns and gave my body horrible side effects which included horrible mood swings, terrible cramps, fatigue, horrible anxiety attacks, heavy periods, fuzzy memory and brain fog, shooting pains down my legs, WEIGHT GAIN! omg, and when it came to hormone pills having to take them everyday! Then when you forgot by chance you risk getting pregnant.
So after being fed up with dealing with the bullshit, I decided to do research on something better. I scoured the internet for hours and came across many forms of BC including Family Planning, where you record your basal temptations and track you cervical fluids to monitor your most fertile days, the Fem Cap which a cervial cap, which can be used with spermicide and placed over the cervix before sex, and Neem Oil and Pills. Neem Oil is derived from the neem plant and has a strong agent that kills sperm within 30 seconds. The pills are taken by men and women and prevent pregnancy by making sperm sterile.
Upon discovering neem oil, as seeing it being used in India a lot I began going deeper into India birth controls and found Saheli (Centchroman).
Saheli is a non-steroidal oral contraceptive pill. In the first three months you take two pills 2x a wk starting on your period then the second pill three days later; each pill is 30mg each. After the three months you switch to 1x a week. So 60mg a week for three months then down to 30 mg a week forever after (there are some cases where women stick to twice a week for precaution and to be extra safe).
“So my schedule was Sunday and Wednesday then after three months went to just Sunday.”
During the first month it is important to use condoms or some sort of barrier protection to prevent pregnancy. As well it is advised to use backup protection when your switching from twice a week to once a week.
Side effects: The only side effects I felt were HOT FLASHES, vaginal irritation, and breast became less fibrous. Hot Flashes subsided as the initial three months past as well the irritation went away. My breast however still lack the fibrous tissues. This is because the chemical in Saheli, Ormeloxifine (Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulator) is used to get rid of lumps in breast for women with breast cancer. So I now look at it as a good thing and an extra precaution.
Cost: You can find Saheli on online pharmacies (AllDayChemists.com) and it is only sold from India. Saheli is not FDA approved so it can’t be sold here. For a pack of seven with each holding eight tablets cost about $14 plus shipping internationally $25 ran me about $40. I started back in May, stopped for other reasons and started back up in June, so at this point I’m on 1x wk and I have enough pills until March.
You can find my tracking experience on Aphroditewomenshealth.com username Kcometh and follow my journey as well as other womens experiences with Saheli.
Below is the information brochure that comes with the package. I hope this helped you fellow women out there looking for a better form of birth control.
Saheli
Centchroman Tablets
Composition: Each uncoated tablet contains Centchroman I.P. 30mg.
Description
Saheli is the non-steroidal oral contraceptive pill.
The chemical structure of Centchroman is depicted in Fig.1.
(Has a figure depicting the structure of centchroman.)
Structural Formula
Structurally it is the hydrochloride salt of a chroman derivative that is an off-white crystalline compound with a molecular weight of 493.5. Its melting point is 163C. It is stable under normal conditions. Becasue of its aromatic ring structure, it is highly lipophilic and dissolves most readily in nonpolar solvents such as hexane and ether.
Indications
Saheli is indicated for: Prevention of Pregnancy
What is Saheli?
Saheli (Drug Name: Centchroman) is the world's first non-steroidal oral contraceptive pill. Launched in 1991, this pill has provided contraception to over 10,000,000 women in India.
How does Saheli work?
For pregnancy to happen the following events are essentially needed:
-Production of sperm and ovum (female egg)
-Fusion of male sperm and female ovum (fertilization)
-Implantation of fertilized ovum to inner lining of uterus (nidation)
All contraceptives act by interfering with one or more of the above events. Saheli's contraceptive action is not produced by influencing the Hypothalamo-Pituitary-Ovarian (HPO) axis. Saheli's contraceptive action is induced by prevention of implantation through loacalised action at the uterine environment.
Saheli has a weak estrogenic and potent anti-estrogenic action. The contraceptive action of Saheli is caused by asynchrony created in preparing the uterus for implantation. This asynchrony is caused by
-Accelerated tubal transport of embryo
-Accelerated blastocyst formation
-Delayed zona shedding
-Suppression of uterine decidualisation
Since there is no disturbance of the endocrine system, normal ovulatory cycle is maintained. Side effects commonly associated with hormonal pills are absent with Saheli. The contraceptice effect is readily reversible and subsequent pregnancy is normal. The relative safety and dosage simplicity further ensures excellent user compliance with Saheli.
How to take Saheli?
Start taking Saheli, 1 tablet of 30 mg twice a week for 3 months. For instance, if you take the first pill on a Sunday take the second one on Wednesday. From the fourth month onwards, take only one tablet once a week as long as you don't want to get pregnant.
The first pill should be taken on the first day of the menstrual cycle. (as indicated by the first day of bleeding).
Continue taking Saheli on all the Saheli days irrespective of the onset of the subsequent menstrual cycles. This is important as in clinical trials it has been seen that 8% of cylces report delay. In the event the subsequent periods are delayed, the tablets should be taken as per the days fixed when the first pill was taken. However, if the delay is more than 15 days, you should consult your doctor. A simplified dosage schedule chart given below will help in identifying days on which you need to take Saheli tablets.
To know and remember your Saheli days, refer to the following table.
Saheli Dosage Table
(Has a table referring to start day and subsequent day, 3 days after start day)
What should I do if I have missed taking a Saheli pill?
If you have missed taking a Saheli pill on the designated Saheli day, take it as soon as possible. If you have missed your pill dosage by one or two days but lesser than seven days, continue the normal schedule and also use condoms as additional precaution till you get your next period. If you forgot Saheli by more than seven days, you need to start taking it all over again, like a new user that is twice a week for three months then once a week.
What should I do if I have a missed period?
With Saheli, occasionally the menstrual cycle may get prolonged in some users. This is not a matter of concern. As Saheli acts as a contraceptive, it makes the periods lighter and the interval longer. This is not harmful for the body and can actually help increase your body's supply of iron as you lose less amount of blood. However, if your periods are delayed by more than 15 days consult a doctor.
What are the health benefits?
-Saheli is free from side effects commonly associated with steroidal oral contraceptives like weight gain, nausea, vomiting, dizziness and breakthrough bleeding, breast tenderness, acne, hirsuitism. Saheli maintains normal ovulatory cycle as it has no effect on the Hypothalamo-Pituitary-Ovarian axis.
-Saheli possesses no effect on platelet aggregation, lipid profile and HDL cholesterol.
-Saheli ensures excellent user compliance because of its safety and dosage simplicity.
-Saheli exhibits contraceptive activity which is readily reversible within 6 months and subsequent pregnancy is normal.
-Saheli does not cause congenital anomalies and babies born to user failures present normal milestones.
-Saheli has been found to be effective in managing Dysfunctional Uterine Bleeding.
Does Saheli have any side effects?
Apart from prolongation of menstruation cycle in some women, intake of non-steroidal contraceptive pill Saheli, is not known to cause any side effects. Clinical studies have confirmed Saheli is safe and free from typical hormonal side effects such as nausea, weight gain, fluid retention, hypertension, etc. No cases of vaginal discharge, spotting, breakthrough bleeding or menorrhagia have been reported.
Has any adverse effects been observed at the uterine level?
The post marketing surveillance indicate no abnormality of female genital tract (vagina, cervix, uterus and ovaries). Ultrasonography monitoring indicate no abnormal change in the size and volume of ovaries.
What are the contraindications?
Women with the following conditions should not use Saheli:
-Polycystic ovarian disease
-Cervical hyperplasia
-Recent history of clinical evidence of jaundice or liver disease
-Severe allergic states, chronic illnesses such as tuberculosis, renal diseases, etc.
Is Saheli safe for lactating mothers?
Studies conducted by CDRI indicate that Saheli scould safely be used by lactating mothers.
How effective is Saheli as a contraceptive?
Saheli offers excellent pregnancy protection as documented during the clinical trials and post marketing surveillance. The Pearl Index (Contraceptive failure rate in 100 woman years of use) of Saheli as documented un trials of CDRI is 1.63 and during the post marketing surveillance the Pearl Index reported is 1.13.
How is Saheli presented?
Saheli is presented in a strip of eight tablets.
Where can you find Saheli?
Saheli is available at all leading chemist shops and other retail outlets.
For further information, please contact:
Toll free no.: 1800 425 3223
Email: Saheli@Lifecarehll.com
Snail Mail: SAHELI INFORMATION CENTRE
HLL Lifecare Limited
185, Lingavel Tower 100 Ft. Bypass Road
Vijaynagar, Velachery
Chennai - 600 042 (INDIA)
(I'm not endorsing any products just sharing my method of birth control)
(I'm not endorsing any products just sharing my method of birth control)
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