The Dangers
of Birth Control Pills
The Biohazard
the Government
Won't Tell You About!
Contraceptives have been hailed as one of the greatest medical discoveries of the 20th century. Certainly it has given much freedom driving the sexual revolution and has reduced the anxiety and fear of unknown pregnancy for both men and women.
About 43 million women in the United States are at risk of unintended pregnancy, i.e., they are sexually active and do not want to become pregnant. Some 60% of all women of reproductive age are currently using a contraceptive method, and over 10 million of those women use a birth control pill.
But, there are four primary sets of problems and concerns with birth control pills.
(1) The Pill "leads" to Higher Levels of STDs
The sexual revolution certainly resulted in both an overall disinhibition about engaging in sex and a freeing of the sexual appetite. The birth control pill was a large part of the sexual freedoms that women experienced - and men applauded, after the 1960's.
The problem is that the pill gave "a false sense of security."
While the pill did give a sense of protection from pregnancy, it also gave a false sense of security from sexually transmitted diseases (STDs.) The fact is that the pill was as much a cause for the epidemic of STDs as anything else. It created a new normal, one where people thought they could escape the consequences of an unrestrained sex life including "hooking up" or with multiple partners. Many women felt that the pill gave them license to act - well, to act as men - often irresponsibly and without accountability.
But STDs are now at a historic level with no sign of reversing course, and history will show that the pill was both a psychological, cultural, and sociological factor in the growth of the STD epidemic.
(2) There are Side Effects
All drugs have side effects. The birth control pill is no exception, and both short term and long term side effects have been reported. Hormonal methods of birth control contain artificial hormones such as progesterone or estrogen. They affect the hormone levels in a person's body, and while not all people will experience side effects many people experience them shortly after taking the pill.
Some side effects will go away within several months as the body adjusts to the hormones. Other side effects may develop after taking hormones for some time.
Short-Term Side Effects: The common short-term side effects of oral contraceptives
include: intermenstrual spotting; nausea and vomiting; breast tenderness; headaches and
migraines; weight gain; mood changes and mood swings; missed periods; decreased
libido; vaginal discharge; changes to eyesight for those using contact lenses; acne;
bloating; blood pressure above your usual range; depression; fatigue; feeling dizzy;
fluid retention; increased appetite; insomnia; melasma (dark patches on the face); etc.
Long-term side effects: Using contraceptives for a long time does not cause significant
problems for most people. But there are several factors and possible side effects to
consider when taking long-term birth control:
• Birth control and cancer: According to the National Cancer Institute there is
some evidence, although inconsistent, that hormonal contraceptives may
increase the risk of breast, liver and cervical cancer, although it may have the
opposite effect towards reducing the risk of endometrial, ovarian, and colorectal
cancer.
• Birth control and blood clots, stroke and heart attack: One analysis of some
26 studies as presented in the British Medical Journal, found that the use of oral
contraceptives containing both progesterone and estrogen increased people's risk
of developing a blood clot. In turn, blood clots can increase a person's risk of a
suffering either a stroke or even a heart attack. Furthermore, people who use birth
control pills and smoke may be especially at risk for developing blood clots.
• Migraines: If you have a history of migraines, the estrogen in combination pills
may make them worse although if your migraines are associated with your
menstrual period it is possible that birth control pills can ease the pain.
• Mood and libido: While it is uncommon, some women taking birth control
pills experience mood fluctuations or changes in the libido.
Is long term use safe? Certainly, most people can safely use hormonal contraceptives
for long term use if their doctor has recommended it. But again, depending upon one's
medical history, age, and overall health it may be advisable to review this option and
even to avoid using certain types of birth control. Usually idiosyncratic side effects are
not serious but like all medications birth control needs to be monitored and continually
assessed and evaluated.
Get regular checkups with your gynecologist and talk about how you’re tolerating your
birth control pills.
(3) The Birth Control Pill has a Higher than Expected Failure Rate
Contraception is not a 100 percent guaranteed. Although it is maintained that the pill is 99 percent effective (i.e., only 1 in 100 users gets pregnant in a given year if "perfectly used), a much more accurate rate is 91 percent effective (i.e., about 9 in every 100 users will get pregnant in a given year.)
Over 10 million women use the pill. However among U.S. women at risk of unintended pregnancy, the 68% who use contraceptives consistently and correctly throughout the course of any given year still account for 5% of all unintended pregnancies, in other words, there is a 5% failure rate even when used consistently as per prescription. For another 18% who use contraceptives inconsistently, they account for another 41% of unintended pregnancies, in other words, like everything else if you miss a day or make a mistake there is a strong possibility of becoming pregnant. Furthermore, birth control pills can sometimes be slightly less effective for women who are obese.
(4) They are a Biohazard and have Negative Ecological Effects on the Environment
People are rightly concerned with global warming. People are rightly concerned with air pollution, water pollution, oil spills, contaminated land, biochemical poisoning of farms, and the dumping of trash and garbage into the oceans. Thousands of books and articles have documented these man-made ecological disasters.
But one of the most dangerous and yet unrealized poisonings of our planet, is through the universal use of contraceptives - the birth control pill.
Numerous scientific studies have now found and documented that the hormones found in birth control pills negatively affects the environment - essentially, excreted birth control pill hormones are a pollutant, just like DDT or PCBs… and just as dangerous.
Estrogens which are excreted into the environment are classed as endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) because they interfere with the endocrine systems of both humans and animals. Other EDCs, such as those that find their way into the environment from vehicle exhaust, paints, plastics and adhesives, can be filtered out in waste water treatment plants, but estrogen-based EDCs cannot be treated and nullified and thus, are released back into the natural water tables and plains as a pollutant which is dangerous to fish and other wildlife. As such, it poses a great threat.
Researchers among the top environmental agencies in the United States, Canada and England have all found that exposure to "unmetabolized birth control hormones has caused feminization of male fish, delayed reproduction in female fish, and has damaged the kidneys and livers of fish of both sexes."
Studies have found that female fish outnumber male fish in streams by a ratio of ten-to-one in areas where there is a high incidence of birth control pill usage. Biologist John Wooding said about this finding, “It’s the first thing that I’ve seen as a scientist that really scared me.”
A team of scientists funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency found trout with both female and male characteristics. One study in New Brunswick by the Canadian Rivers Institute found that entire species of fish were exterminated in a large lake because all of the male fish had become feminized. Study leader Dr. Karen Kidd said that “What we demonstrated is that estrogen can wipe out entire populations of small fish ― a key food source for larger fish whose survival could in turn be threatened over the longer term.”
Of course the impact is not limited just to fish. One study focused on the effects of exposure to the progestin Levonorgestrel (LNG) on the frog Xenopus tropicalis. While the male reproductive system did not appear to be impaired, female tadpoles exhibited severe defects in the development of their ovaries and oviducts, rendering them sterile.
And it happens to mammals as well. Animals are exquisitely sensitive to these hormones. Female sterility resulting from early exposure to progestins has been reported in studies involving rats and mice, whose mammalian reproductive systems more closely resemble those of humans. A study by the University of Aberdeen found that sheep that grazed on land fertilized with sewage sludge had a high rate of abnormalities in the testes, ovaries, uteri, brains, and thyroid and adrenal glands. These problems were attributed to the high levels of artificial hormones found in birth control pills that cannot be removed by waste water treatment processes.
These environmental impacts have been suspected for more than two decades, yet environmentalists are completely silent on this issue.
According to one researcher, Lina Nikoleris, "Even low concentrations of ethinyl-estradiol (EE2) have an impact on fish -- both their behaviour and their genetics. We have seen a change in the genetic balance in fish, and that they have a harder time catching food. Previous studies have shown that the fish also develop problems with procreation. This can lead to the complete disappearance of an entire fish population, and consequences for entire ecosystems."
Worldwide, estrogens can pose serious threats to soil, plants, water resources and humans - especially through the food chain. As with any major technological or medical development it can take years - even decades, for the full range of effects to become evident. In any event there are certainly enough studies published by noteworthy scientists to warrant concern - that the current level of environmental conditions may prove harmful to both animals and humans and that these hormones are not just innocuous substances we encounter in the air we breathe, the food we eat, and, as in this case, our water supply.
The science is clear - and government needs to intervene.
of Birth Control Pills
The Biohazard
the Government
Won't Tell You About!
Contraceptives have been hailed as one of the greatest medical discoveries of the 20th century. Certainly it has given much freedom driving the sexual revolution and has reduced the anxiety and fear of unknown pregnancy for both men and women.
About 43 million women in the United States are at risk of unintended pregnancy, i.e., they are sexually active and do not want to become pregnant. Some 60% of all women of reproductive age are currently using a contraceptive method, and over 10 million of those women use a birth control pill.
But, there are four primary sets of problems and concerns with birth control pills.
(1) The Pill "leads" to Higher Levels of STDs
The sexual revolution certainly resulted in both an overall disinhibition about engaging in sex and a freeing of the sexual appetite. The birth control pill was a large part of the sexual freedoms that women experienced - and men applauded, after the 1960's.
The problem is that the pill gave "a false sense of security."
While the pill did give a sense of protection from pregnancy, it also gave a false sense of security from sexually transmitted diseases (STDs.) The fact is that the pill was as much a cause for the epidemic of STDs as anything else. It created a new normal, one where people thought they could escape the consequences of an unrestrained sex life including "hooking up" or with multiple partners. Many women felt that the pill gave them license to act - well, to act as men - often irresponsibly and without accountability.
But STDs are now at a historic level with no sign of reversing course, and history will show that the pill was both a psychological, cultural, and sociological factor in the growth of the STD epidemic.
(2) There are Side Effects
All drugs have side effects. The birth control pill is no exception, and both short term and long term side effects have been reported. Hormonal methods of birth control contain artificial hormones such as progesterone or estrogen. They affect the hormone levels in a person's body, and while not all people will experience side effects many people experience them shortly after taking the pill.
Some side effects will go away within several months as the body adjusts to the hormones. Other side effects may develop after taking hormones for some time.
Short-Term Side Effects: The common short-term side effects of oral contraceptives
include: intermenstrual spotting; nausea and vomiting; breast tenderness; headaches and
migraines; weight gain; mood changes and mood swings; missed periods; decreased
libido; vaginal discharge; changes to eyesight for those using contact lenses; acne;
bloating; blood pressure above your usual range; depression; fatigue; feeling dizzy;
fluid retention; increased appetite; insomnia; melasma (dark patches on the face); etc.
Long-term side effects: Using contraceptives for a long time does not cause significant
problems for most people. But there are several factors and possible side effects to
consider when taking long-term birth control:
• Birth control and cancer: According to the National Cancer Institute there is
some evidence, although inconsistent, that hormonal contraceptives may
increase the risk of breast, liver and cervical cancer, although it may have the
opposite effect towards reducing the risk of endometrial, ovarian, and colorectal
cancer.
• Birth control and blood clots, stroke and heart attack: One analysis of some
26 studies as presented in the British Medical Journal, found that the use of oral
contraceptives containing both progesterone and estrogen increased people's risk
of developing a blood clot. In turn, blood clots can increase a person's risk of a
suffering either a stroke or even a heart attack. Furthermore, people who use birth
control pills and smoke may be especially at risk for developing blood clots.
• Migraines: If you have a history of migraines, the estrogen in combination pills
may make them worse although if your migraines are associated with your
menstrual period it is possible that birth control pills can ease the pain.
• Mood and libido: While it is uncommon, some women taking birth control
pills experience mood fluctuations or changes in the libido.
Is long term use safe? Certainly, most people can safely use hormonal contraceptives
for long term use if their doctor has recommended it. But again, depending upon one's
medical history, age, and overall health it may be advisable to review this option and
even to avoid using certain types of birth control. Usually idiosyncratic side effects are
not serious but like all medications birth control needs to be monitored and continually
assessed and evaluated.
Get regular checkups with your gynecologist and talk about how you’re tolerating your
birth control pills.
(3) The Birth Control Pill has a Higher than Expected Failure Rate
Contraception is not a 100 percent guaranteed. Although it is maintained that the pill is 99 percent effective (i.e., only 1 in 100 users gets pregnant in a given year if "perfectly used), a much more accurate rate is 91 percent effective (i.e., about 9 in every 100 users will get pregnant in a given year.)
Over 10 million women use the pill. However among U.S. women at risk of unintended pregnancy, the 68% who use contraceptives consistently and correctly throughout the course of any given year still account for 5% of all unintended pregnancies, in other words, there is a 5% failure rate even when used consistently as per prescription. For another 18% who use contraceptives inconsistently, they account for another 41% of unintended pregnancies, in other words, like everything else if you miss a day or make a mistake there is a strong possibility of becoming pregnant. Furthermore, birth control pills can sometimes be slightly less effective for women who are obese.
(4) They are a Biohazard and have Negative Ecological Effects on the Environment
People are rightly concerned with global warming. People are rightly concerned with air pollution, water pollution, oil spills, contaminated land, biochemical poisoning of farms, and the dumping of trash and garbage into the oceans. Thousands of books and articles have documented these man-made ecological disasters.
But one of the most dangerous and yet unrealized poisonings of our planet, is through the universal use of contraceptives - the birth control pill.
Numerous scientific studies have now found and documented that the hormones found in birth control pills negatively affects the environment - essentially, excreted birth control pill hormones are a pollutant, just like DDT or PCBs… and just as dangerous.
Estrogens which are excreted into the environment are classed as endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) because they interfere with the endocrine systems of both humans and animals. Other EDCs, such as those that find their way into the environment from vehicle exhaust, paints, plastics and adhesives, can be filtered out in waste water treatment plants, but estrogen-based EDCs cannot be treated and nullified and thus, are released back into the natural water tables and plains as a pollutant which is dangerous to fish and other wildlife. As such, it poses a great threat.
Researchers among the top environmental agencies in the United States, Canada and England have all found that exposure to "unmetabolized birth control hormones has caused feminization of male fish, delayed reproduction in female fish, and has damaged the kidneys and livers of fish of both sexes."
Studies have found that female fish outnumber male fish in streams by a ratio of ten-to-one in areas where there is a high incidence of birth control pill usage. Biologist John Wooding said about this finding, “It’s the first thing that I’ve seen as a scientist that really scared me.”
A team of scientists funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency found trout with both female and male characteristics. One study in New Brunswick by the Canadian Rivers Institute found that entire species of fish were exterminated in a large lake because all of the male fish had become feminized. Study leader Dr. Karen Kidd said that “What we demonstrated is that estrogen can wipe out entire populations of small fish ― a key food source for larger fish whose survival could in turn be threatened over the longer term.”
Of course the impact is not limited just to fish. One study focused on the effects of exposure to the progestin Levonorgestrel (LNG) on the frog Xenopus tropicalis. While the male reproductive system did not appear to be impaired, female tadpoles exhibited severe defects in the development of their ovaries and oviducts, rendering them sterile.
And it happens to mammals as well. Animals are exquisitely sensitive to these hormones. Female sterility resulting from early exposure to progestins has been reported in studies involving rats and mice, whose mammalian reproductive systems more closely resemble those of humans. A study by the University of Aberdeen found that sheep that grazed on land fertilized with sewage sludge had a high rate of abnormalities in the testes, ovaries, uteri, brains, and thyroid and adrenal glands. These problems were attributed to the high levels of artificial hormones found in birth control pills that cannot be removed by waste water treatment processes.
These environmental impacts have been suspected for more than two decades, yet environmentalists are completely silent on this issue.
According to one researcher, Lina Nikoleris, "Even low concentrations of ethinyl-estradiol (EE2) have an impact on fish -- both their behaviour and their genetics. We have seen a change in the genetic balance in fish, and that they have a harder time catching food. Previous studies have shown that the fish also develop problems with procreation. This can lead to the complete disappearance of an entire fish population, and consequences for entire ecosystems."
Worldwide, estrogens can pose serious threats to soil, plants, water resources and humans - especially through the food chain. As with any major technological or medical development it can take years - even decades, for the full range of effects to become evident. In any event there are certainly enough studies published by noteworthy scientists to warrant concern - that the current level of environmental conditions may prove harmful to both animals and humans and that these hormones are not just innocuous substances we encounter in the air we breathe, the food we eat, and, as in this case, our water supply.
The science is clear - and government needs to intervene.
