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Dr. Mercola
November 22 2007
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The Deadly Side Effects of the Birth Control Pill

Long-term use of birth control pills may increase artery buildups in your body that may raise your risk of heart disease, Belgium researchers found.

In a study of 1,300 healthy women between the ages of 35 and 55, there was a 20 percent to 30 percent increased prevalence of plaque for every 10 years of oral contraceptive use.

Though the researchers pointed out that the plaques identified were small and not large enough to block an artery, any plaque is thought to raise your risk of heart disease.

Many of the women in the study had used older, first-generation birth control pills, which had twice the estrogen levels as most oral contraceptives used today.

About 100 million women worldwide currently take birth control pills, and hundreds of millions of women have used them since they were first introduced in 1960.

Sources:



Dr. MercolaDr. Mercola's Comments:
Birth control pills are used by 16 million American women. In my opinion, this is a tragedy.

The use of birth control pills, which are synthetic hormones, is rarely justified. If you're using birth control pills to control your menstrual cycles, irregular bleeding, cysts or endometriosis, you are not treating your underlying dysfunction.

Instead, you are simply increasing the risks to your health. Consider the evidence:
Many women also report awful side effects, which are undoubtedly due to the artificial hormones running through your body, when they take birth control pills. These include:
  • Migraines and nausea
  • Weight gain and mood changes
  • Irregular bleeding or spotting
  • Breast tenderness
  • Yeast overgrowth and infection
Because the risks are so high, and other safer options exist, I ask ALL of my patients to stop hormonal contraceptives like birth control pills as soon as possible.

Natural Alternatives to Birth Control Pills

Barrier methods and natural family planning (NFP) offer much safer, albeit less convenient, options than oral contraceptives.

With NFP, there are no side effects and no toxic substances to put in your body and women often feel empowered as they become aware of their fertility cycle.

I do recommend that you learn the method from a reliable source and if preventing pregnancy is an absolute must you may want to use a backup barrier method until you feel comfortable with the technique you’re using.

However, when used properly, the following natural methods can be just as effective as the pill:
  • The temperature method: This is a way to pinpoint the day of your ovulation so that intercourse can be avoided for a few days before and after. It involves taking your basal body temperature (your temperature upon first waking) each morning with an accurate "basal" thermometer, and noting the rise in temperature that occurs after ovulation.
Illness or lack of sleep can change your body temperature and make this method unreliable by itself, but when it is combined with the mucus method below, it can be an accurate way of assessing fertility. The two methods combined can have a success rate as high as 98 percent.
  • The mucus method: This involves tracking changes in the amount and texture of your vaginal discharge, which reflect rising levels of estrogen in your body. For the first few days after your period, there is often no discharge, but there will be a cloudy, tacky mucus as estrogen starts to rise.
When your discharge starts to increase in volume and becomes clear and stringy, ovulation is near. A return to tacky, cloudy mucus or no discharge means that ovulation has passed.

You can also use some of the more common, non-hormonal, barrier methods, such as:
  • Male condoms: Condoms have a 98 percent effectiveness rate when used correctly. A water-based lubricant will increase the effectiveness; do not use an oil-based lubricant, however, as they break the latex.
  • Female condoms: These thin, soft polyurethane pouches fitted inside your vagina before intercourse are 95 percent effective. Female condoms are less likely to tear than male condoms.
  • Diaphragm: Diaphragms, which must be fitted by a doctor, act as a barrier to sperm. When used correctly with spermicidal jellies, they are 92 to 98 percent effective.
  • Cervical cap: This heavy rubber cap fits tightly against your cervix and can be left in place for 48 hours. Like the diaphragm, a doctor must fit the cap. Proper fitting enhances the effectiveness above 91 percent.
Folks, I realize that the convenience of birth control pills is what makes them so popular. But my advice is to avoid them like the plague. The bit of planning it will take on your part is well worth the health risks you’ll avoid.
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Community Comments ( 59 )
 Comment on this Article
  
  
Russ Bianchi
 [ Joined on 09/06 ] [ Posted on November 7, 2007 ]
19 Points        
   
 
Savvy User
Show me most prescription pills out of Big Pharma and I'll mostly show you several poisons.

Uncle Russ
 [ Reply ]
Mercola
  
Rogway
 		[ Joined on 06/06 ]  [ Posted on November 8, 2007]
15 Points        
   
Savvy User
  Mercola
I'll agree Russ.

As always they are willing to risk any rate of health concerns, low or high.

B enighters
I nfesting
G auntlets

P oisionus
H armful
A larming
R idiculous
M edication
A t any cost
Mercola
  
Aaltrude
 		[ Joined on 04/07 ]  [ Posted on November 8, 2007]
11 Points        
   
Savvy User
  Mercola
Exactly Russ. I understand aspartame is used in a large number of prescription medicines for instance.
Mercola
  
KathieJamisonCote
 		[ Joined on 04/07 ]  [ Posted on November 20, 2007]
7 Points        
   
Savvy User
  Mercola

Aaltrude - Thanks for that heads up.  Why is this not surprising about aspartame being used in legal, deadly drugs?  I had no idea.  

They're such Creeps!
Mercola
  
Patty D
 		[ Joined on 06/07 ]  [ Posted on November 20, 2007]
1 Points        
   
Savvy User
  Mercola

I wanted a prescription for Cholestyramine to detox.  When I got it in the mail (I use the Veterans Administration) I about died.  It was 50% aspartame!!!  I had told my doc why I wanted it. Called to see if I could get it plain, but nope.  Same thing happened when I wanted psyllium...full of aspartame and they said they didn't carry it plain.  And they wonder why veterans are so sick?
Mercola
  
MaryHB
 		[ Joined on 11/07 ]  [ Posted on November 20, 2007]
       
   
Novice User
  Mercola

Patty D,

You can get Cholestyramine without aspartame, but it does have regular sugar and artificial colors. I've been taking it for over 1.5 years as a binder for toxins. It is manufactured by Eon labs. Also, there is a compounding pharmacy in Boston area that can provide it without any additives.  I also found a barnd of psyllium that doesn't even have sugar: Konsyl.

  
  
Barb1929
 [ Joined on 11/07 ] [ Posted on November 8, 2007 ]
15 Points        
   
 
Novice User
Birth control pills interfere with the bone formation of preteens, and yet,  "experts" want to give them to kids without knowledge or consent of parents. Worse, some parents approve! 
 [ Reply ]
Mercola
  
Rogway
 		[ Joined on 06/06 ]  [ Posted on November 8, 2007]
12 Points        
   
Savvy User
  Mercola
It's like throwing 10,000 waves of static frequency in a radio broadcast. It really messes up the hormone system.
Mercola
  
KathieJamisonCote
 		[ Joined on 04/07 ]  [ Posted on November 20, 2007]
3 Points        
   
Savvy User
  Mercola

Exactly Barb1929!  How about the fact they contain steroids?  It's not alright for boys to take steroids, but it's okay for girls???  B**tards!
  
  
Patty D
 [ Joined on 06/07 ] [ Posted on November 8, 2007 ]
14 Points        
   
 
Savvy User
Something I did not see mentioned here is a condition called pseudo tumor cerebri...literally a false brain tumor.  About 5 years ago, my daughter was living with me and taking the pill for cramps and heavy bleeding.  I was ready to throw her out of the house because she had lost her job and just laid around in bed all day.  To make a long story short, when I told her to get out, she told me what was going on.  Being a nurse, I was sure she had a brain tumor and told her to go see an opthamologist immediately (her vision was really affected).  He diagnosed it and sent her to a neurologist.  This condition causes a build up of cerebral spinal fluid in the brain.  4 different doctors couldn't tell her why it happened but they were about to put her on weekly spinal taps to remove fluid.  I got on the internet and found out that although this condition is extremely rare, the NUMBER ONE CAUSE OF IT was the birth control pill.  I told her to get off of it and within 2 weeks, every symptom was gone.  The doctors were amazed.  My question...I can sort of understand an ophthamoligist and an internal medicine doc not knowing about the pill connection, but what excuse do a neurologist and neurosurgeon have for not knowing that? 
 [ Reply ]
Mercola
  
DizzyIzzy1
 		[ Joined on 06/07 ]  [ Posted on November 8, 2007]
8 Points        
   
Savvy User
  Mercola
God that's scary...  It doesn't surprise me though. When I went to the dr after the 2nd month of my first pill demanding I try something else, and presenting with half the symptoms listed in the leaflet it came with (depression and mood swings aside), he basically told me it was in my head and there was no way that bc pills can cause any of those, but that because one person has reported them they have to put it there to cover themselves from lawsuits.

I was absolutely horrified... he was basically telling me that all the physical symptoms, as well as depression, that had all started within a week of going on that pill and worsened over the weeks following, were 'in my head' and more or less dismissed me as an irrational woman. Thankfully, my moods were so affected that I got quite angry and refused to leave until he wrote me a new prescription...
Mercola
  
Maj
 		[ Joined on 03/07 ]  [ Posted on November 8, 2007]
8 Points        
   
Savvy User
  Mercola
Patty D asked: what excuse do a neurologist and neurosurgeon have for not knowing that?

Unfortunately, medicine suffers from the right hand not knowing what the left is doing. As I mentioned elsewhere, current scientific thought does not encourage a holistic view of biology. Medicine breaks down our bodies into separate systems, but often fails to notice how the varying systems interact with each other. It really shouldn't shock anyone that a neurologist has absolutely no idea much about birth control symptoms at all - he deals with nerves, not female reproduction.

<rolls eyes>
Mercola
  
Patty D
 		[ Joined on 06/07 ]  [ Posted on November 10, 2007]
3 Points        
   
Savvy User
  Mercola
Maj, I understand that for sure, BUT...he specializes in treating diseases of the brain and nerves such as this illness, shouldn't he be familiar with the NUMBER ONE CAUSE of PTC???
  
  
chirocheer
 [ Joined on 08/06 ] [ Posted on November 7, 2007 ]
7 Points        
   
 
Savvy User
I took the pill for many years b/c of severe cramps, heavy flow, and a very short cycle.  I have been off the pill for 2 yrs and have never felt better.  My period is nothing like it used to be.  I cleaned up my diet several years ago, and when I came off the pill my period was "normal"  and very regular.   I am so glad to be forever free of the pill!
 [ Reply ]
  
  
DonnyBlake
 [ Joined on 11/07 ] [ Posted on November 20, 2007 ]
6 Points        
   
 
Novice User

Natural Family Planning(NFP) is definitely the way to go in my opinion.  Not only is it harmless to a woman's body, it also inevitably leads to a couple growing closer in so many important ways.  Most of us know the divorce rate in our country is over 50%...but the divorce rate for couples who use NFP is LESS THAN 5%!  Please research it or take a class on NFP.  You might be surprised by the truth about it.  It also is accepted by most religions as the preferred alternative to artificial contraception.  

 [ Reply ]
  
  
BeyondOrganic
 [ Joined on 06/06 ] [ Posted on November 8, 2007 ]
6 Points