Contraception has Consequences

According to the Center for Disease Control, 9 out of 100 women each year who take the pill faithfully as directed will get pregnant. Also, about 1 in 5 teen couples using condoms as birth control became pregnant after one year. Hormonal contraceptives (the pill, the patch, and the shot) have side effects—ranging from minor inconveniences to major, even life-threatening, problems. The steroidal hormones used in the combined birth control pills are classified as a
Group 1 carcinogen by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer. They’re listed in the same category as plutonium. Is it worth taking a cancer-causing agent to control fertility?

How It Works

“The Pill” contains steroidal estrogen and attempts to stop the release of an egg from the ovary, thicken cervical fluids to prevent fertilization (pregnancy), and thins the lining of the uterus to prevent implantation.

It does not always stop ovulation. When breakthrough ovulation occurs, there is a possibility women can get pregnant (fertilization of the egg). Studies have shown that ovulation rates in women taking oral contraceptives ranged from 1.7 to 28.6% per cycle. For women taking progestin-only pills (the mini-pill) ovulation rates range from 33 to 65%. When these contraceptives do not stop pregnancy, they are designed to make it difficult for the embryo to implant and receive nourishment from the mother. Birth control manufacturers insist that their products do not “terminate existing pregnancies.” However, they have redefined the terms “conception” and “pregnancy” to mean implantation rather than fertilization (implantation happens 7-10 days after fertilization).

Minor Side Effects

• Weight Gain

• Depression

• Mood Changes

• Dizziness

• Headaches

• Nausea

• Breakthrough Bleeding

• Breast Tenderness