I quit using the pill when I realized it was making me nauseous and depressed.  I’m never going back.  I would rather educate myself about how my body works.  Tony Weschler’s book “Taking Charge of Your Fertility” has been a great help.

Here are some reasons whyI will never take the pill again:

• Cancer: Women who take birth control pills increase their risk of cervical and breast cancers, and possibly liver cancer as well.

• Fatal blood clots: All birth control pills increase your risk of blood clots and subsequent stroke. And if your prescription contains the synthetic hormone desogestrel, your risk of fatal blood clots nearly doubles!

• Thinner bones: Women who take birth control pills have lower bone mineral density (BMD) than women who have never used oral contraceptives.

• Impaired muscle gains: A recent study found that oral contraceptive use impairs muscle gains from resistance exercise training in women.

• Long-term sexual dysfunction: The Pill may interfere with a protein that keeps testosterone unavailable, leading to long-term sexual dysfunction including decreased desire and arousal.

• Heart disease: Long-term use of birth control pills may increase plaque artery buildups in your body that may raise your risk of heart disease.

The birth control pill was first introduced to the American public for contraceptive use in 1960. By 2002, 11.6 million U.S. women were on the Pill, making it the nation’s leading method of contraception.

But oral contraceptives can have negative health effects. The Pill’s relationship with blood-clot risk and stroke is well-documented, and that risk increases when a woman is a smoker, particularly a smoker over age 35. In addition, studies in recent years have found that birth control pill use:

• Impairs muscle gains in young women
• Increases the risk of breast cancer in pre-menopausal women
• Increases the risk of cervical cancer

And the Pill may interfere with a protein that keeps testosterone unavailable for women’s physiologic needs, thus causing long-term health problems, including sexual dysfunction.

Since 2000, death rates have increased in women between the ages of 35 and 44. All other age groups, meanwhile, have seen a decline. Research on this fact cites the significant increase in the use of birth control pills as a possible contributing factor.

Sources:

Mercola.com

Live Science May 7, 2009