Well, we all know the ultimate purpose of the pill, and I guess it does what it promises. However there are contraindication in it's use and may cause more harm than good in some cases. I understand it does help in some unrelated medical conditions which is an added benefit. However it's the long term effects it may have on women who have used it. Who knows perhaps after a prolonged use, adverse effects may appear years from now. In pregnancy let us never forget the greatly praised drug used years ago remember Thalidomide? Just keep in mind when you are using these drugs that you are interfering with natural processes and sometimes "it's not nice to fool mother nature.".
The obvious use is to avoid pregnancy. Other used include, but not limited to; regulating irregular periods, reducing a woman's discomfort from heavy or clotty periods, reducing ovarian cysts. Some birth control pills now treat acne and/or conditions like moderate to severe PMS. I had to use it when I began hemorrhaging....until I could get into the doctor's office.
The risks, of course are blood clots, stroke, certain types of cancer...
Hi Keith.The risks are early onset cancer of the ovaries and uterus.The benefits are self evident i think,much less unwanted children and orphanages that are closing down.
Too detailed answer is needed ...but my most recent experience is this. At the annual exam, my doctor told me that when women take the BC pill, it helps to keep the ovarian cysts from growing and attaching to the ovaries. Something about the hormones involved and when we start getting those little cyst buggers, he claims the BC pill will prevent this. I am not sure that I believe this but hey, I am not taking the pill cause it makes me fatter and I already love to eat. But in actuality, I think it is easy to blame the BC pill for making women fat. But, I never had trouble when I took them. Bye
Prevents Pregnancy. Regulates Cycles.. Shorter Cycles. Risks... Cancers.. I Forgot To Take Them Sometimes ...Full Of Chemicals .... I Tended To Get Bad Reactions Like Too Sleepy... Blood Clots. Real Bad Deal If You Smoke And Take The Pill.. . Strokes .. They Can Be Used For Other Things Too.. I Used Them After I Had My Three Kids To Lighten.. Cycles.. Can't Take Them After 40 Or So. Too Risky.. I Had To Go Off Them After 41 .. I Still Get Very Sporadic Cycles So I Can Get Pregnant.. But Way Too Old For The Pill. I AM In Perimenopause.. The Time Before Menopause Which I Can't Wait For.. Sick Of Hot Flashes .Way Too Old To Get Pregnant 51.. Not With A Dude So I Don't Care
There are various versions of the Contraceptive Pill. Some of them are safer than others, i.e. Fewer side effects. Most people remember the cancer scares from the early days of 'The Pill'. This is no longer the case in the last 10 years or so.
The advantages have been adequately discussed in other answers, but one disadvantage I haven't seen yet is promiscuity. Being on 'the pill' gives women a false sense of security, and encourages unsafe behavior. Believe it or not, there are actually some worse things than getting pregnant, that the pill does not protect you from.
As already discussed, there are many benefits and risks. One added risk, depending on the types that is taken, is the build up of synthetic hormones in the system. This not only causes the cancer already stated but it can cause other medical conditions such as chronic migraines and just overall feeling bad. While these conditions aren't necessarily life threatening, they can make life quite miserable and sometimes it takes months or more for these hormones to be cleansed from the system.
The longer a person is taking them, the more times they have to change the strength because the body gets used to them. This means that there is even more build up and potential risks than we might believe.
