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Side effects vary a whole lot from person to person, particularly the with the different kinds of pills that exist. There are some bad side effects, like breakthru bleeding, and some smokers will have heart difficulties, but most side effects stop within the first couple months.
Let your girlfriend know about the good side effects:
-periods become shorter, milder (less bleeding), with less cramping
-reduced risk of ovarian cysts
-reduced risk of breast cysts
-reduced risk of pelvic inflammatory disease
-reduced risk of endometrial cancer
-reduced risk of ovarian cancer
In my own experience, my periods became awesomely predictable, down to the day. I didn' t have any weight gain, or any problems.
Another thing to consider is the fact that some girls opt to get rid of their periods alltogether with the help of the pill. Basically, rather than take the green sugar pills that allow your period to happen, you just throw them away and start the next pack. This doesn't work for everyone, like me. Instead, it made me bleed for a month solid. That sucked. But it really works for some people. It is a little more expensive, since you're using more pills, but the extra pill cost is probably eliminated by no more tampon/pad cost.
If she's interested, encourage her to go to planned parenthood, or if she's in college, the college health clinic. In both cases, you can get the pill for free or ridiculously cheap. The only thing they require is a free pelvic exam, which is good to do anyway.
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