As the mainstream media hype the 50th anniversary of the birth control pill, the "benefits" are touted, but not all of the negative health (and other) effects.
UPDATE 11/10/10: Birth control pills may have caused 30-year-old's stroke
UPDATE 5/11/10: 69-year-old actress Raquel Welch blames the Pill for the decline of the institution of marriage. The widespread use of oral contraceptives had led to a breakdown in sexual morality and fuelled the growth of rampant promiscuity among the young.
-- From "Women on birth control pill may live longer" Associated Press 3/12/2010
Women who took the birth control pill beginning in the late 1960s lived longer than those never on the pill, a new study says.
British researchers observed more than 46,000 women for nearly four decades from 1968. They compared the number of deaths in women on the pill to those who never took it.
Slightly higher death rates were found among women under 30 on the pill, but that began to be reversed by age 50.
Doctors aren't sure exactly why the pill may lower death rates. It contains synthetic hormones to suppress ovulation, which may have some role in preventing certain diseases.
Because the study only observed women on the pill compared with those who weren't, researchers weren't able to make any hypotheses about cause and effect.
But he said the findings might not be projected to women using modern contraceptive pills, which may have a different risks than earlier products. The risks may also be higher depending on when women start taking the pill and how long they are on it.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "The Pill Turns 50: Taking Stock" by Dr. Christiane Northrup (ob/gyn), The Huffington Post 4/22/10
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the birth control pill, a development that ushered in the sexual revolution of the 1960s and gave women unprecedented freedom to explore their sexuality without having to worry about pregnancy [except in France?].
. . . The pill is the most-studied medication in history. Unfortunately, because it's made from synthetic non-bioidentical hormones, it has more side effects than it should! Though we have the science and technology to make safer oral contraceptives (OCs) from bioidentical hormones, there is no profit in doing so--and therefore no support for it. None are currently available.
. . . Ironically, research shows that oral contraceptives might actually contribute to long-term sexual dysfunction in some women.
. . . Of all the side effects, what concerns me the most is the potential adverse long-term effect on libido.
. . . Although the announcement didn't get much press in the U.S., the World Health Organization has classified birth control pills with combined estrogen and progestin (as well as combined-hormone HRT) as carcinogenic.
. . . Yet other authorities don't think the slightly increased relative risk for breast cancer is significant.
. . . the pill is also associated with mood swings, weight gain and decreased sex drive in many women.
. . . Going off the pill makes many women feel much better, although not all symptoms always subside.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Click headlines below for more health effects:
Lawsuits over Birth Control Pills' Health Risks
Lawsuits: Planned Parenthood, Johnson & Johnson Killing Women
