Birth control pills come with a large price to pay for the peace of mind they bring to women and couples who are not ready to start a family. Many dangers of birth control pills are not well disclosed by doctors, and many women take them for years, unaware of the potentially serious risks associated with their use. I believe every baby should be wanted, but here are some dangers of birth control pills which might make you consider choosing a different method of birth control and family planning. 1) Increased risk of breast and cervical cancer. While it is proven that estrogen hormone replacement therapies in menopause are linked with a higher incidence of reproductive cancers, most women don’t know that long term use of hormonal birth control is also linked to a long term risk for cervical and breast cancers. The synthetic estrogen in birth control pills is the same as HRT, and the higher risk of cancer increases in correspondence to the length of time hormonal birth control is used. 2) Increased risk of blood clotting, heart attack, and stroke. Doctors usually tell women not to smoke if they are taking birth control, but even if you are a non- smoker, your risk of blood clots and related disorders like stroke and heart attack increase if you are taking hormonal birth control. Obviously, if you are a smoker it is important not to take birth control pills. However, the rate of women with cardiovascular disease has increased dramatically since the 1960s, which happens to be the period when hormonal birth control was introduced in the West. Since heart disease is actually the leading cause of death for women in the US, I think it is time that the correlation between the vast number of women taking birth control and the increase in cardiovascular disease is recognized. 3) Decreased bone density. Hormonal birth control is also linked to decreased bone density later in life, potentially leading to osteoporosis and debilitating breaks. Again, the link between HRT and bone density is more widely known, while the length of exposure to birth control pills and the increased risk of lower bone density are not widely known, but well established. 4) Potential infertility. Especially for women who have had long term use of hormonal birth control, the potential for permanent infertility is much greater than in women who have not used birth control pills. This could be a result in permanent changes in the body’s ability to produce and regulate reproductive hormones. 5) High blood pressure. Another cardiovascular risk well documented as being associated with the use of birth control pills, high blood pressure in combination with the other risk factor of blood clotting puts women taking birth control pills at a much greater risk of a whole host of cardiovascular problems. So, why don’t doctors warn women about all the potentially serious risks associated with the use of hormonal birth control? I suppose it is for the same reason as other pharmaceuticals with known dangers are prescribed. Americans tend to look for the easiest solution to any issue; just pop a pill every day and forget about it. Along with the more cursory side effects like mood swings, changes in weight, and nausea, the dangers of birth control pills can be potentially deadly. So, is it worth taking birth control pills when there are other reliable forms of birth control? For me, the answer is a definite no!
Posted on: Mon, 01 Jul 2013 06:49:34 +0000