Access
This article is part of Nature's premium content.
Published online 9 November 2007 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news.2007.234
News: Briefing
Contraceptive risks
Two studies out this week warn about possible long-term health consequences of taking birth-control pills. But does that mean the pill is dangerous? Heidi Ledford takes a look at why it’s so hard to get a straight answer.
So what are they saying about the pill?
Researchers have found that plaque accumulation in the arteries is greater in women who use birth-control pills than in those who never have. Plaque is the hardened fat and cholesterol that can clog arteries and lead to heart disease and stroke.
To read this story in full you will need to login or make a payment (see right).
Comments
Reader comments are usually moderated after posting. If you find something offensive or inappropriate, you can speed this process by clicking 'Report this comment' (or, if that doesn't work for you, email webadmin@nature.com). For more controversial topics, we reserve the right to moderate before comments are published.
Whether using it or not,I think,is determined by these women. If they do think that they need it to keep less children,it is acceptable for us without taking the risk of oral-contraceptive into account!! By the way,I am a man.
It is well established that cervical cancer is caused by a virus, it is probable women not using contraceptive pills used condoms and or had less frequent sexual intercourse
While it is well established that cervical cancer is caused by the HPV, the fact remains that the changes in the cervix that are caused by endogenous hormones make these risks higher. The cervix of a woman taking estrogen has a more vulnerable T-zone, as there is a physiological extropion. So adding combined hormonal contraception to the HPV is probably additive, much as cigarette smoking is additive to the risk. Kind of like putting the virus on steroids (pun intended). Also, there was an interesting study I read somewhere that looked at frequency of sexual intercourse in married couples - one group using oral contraceptives, and the other using periodic abstinence (NFP). The NFP group actually had intercourse more times a month than the OCP group - but the time distribution was different. One of the little mentioned side effects of hormonal contraceptives can be a significant decrease in libido.....of course this is enormously variable but I get enough complaints in my office from women coming in for their annual exams to have noticed it. It is also interesting that in our culture, 'birth control' has come to mean specifically hormonal methods, and persons using other methods of pregnancy prevention will often state that they 'don't use birth control'. And there are many who honestly do not realize that there are many methods for preventing pregnancy, ranging from total or periodic abstinence to major or minor surgery.
There is a big problem with Zijun Xia's option. Whether most Chinese dont recognize the relationship between scientific technology and society development? Hmm. that's a question.
Oral contraceptives are not as well accepted in the Chinese society as in western societies. This is both of a cultural difference and a social value issue. Intercourse before marriage is considered immoral and socially unacceptable, and after the first child birth (because of the one-child policy), many people choose surgery to prevent pregnancy. An old Chinese saying tells us “all medicines are poisonous to some extent�. Therefore, individuals prefer to use barrier contraceptives and periodic abstinence to avoid chemical uptake.
"It is well established that cervical cancer is caused by a virus, it is probable women not using contraceptive pills used condoms and or had less frequent sexual intercourse" Peter, HPV is not the only way a woman can get cervical cancer. In addition, the virii are small enough to pass through a condom.
Similarly to the question of vaccine safety, the question of whether the pill is good or bad for the individual is a different one from whether it is good or bad for society, and both seem to remain equally unresolved. Hormones from the pill do get in the water systems and affect organisms living in the water, and even our own children. However not using the pill may lead to higher rates of unwanted pregnancies which are detrimental to society.