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Think Birth Control Pills Are Dangerous? Try Pregnancy
January 15, 2009 3:19 PM
By JOANNA SCHAFFHAUSEN, ABC News Medical Unit
Since hormonal birth control first appeared in the 1960s, nearly 80 percent of women have taken it at some point in their lives. The pills and patches are so commonplace now that many of us tune out the warnings on the packaging or at the end of the commercials -- something about increased risk for heart attacks, strokes and blood clots? But a new study affirms the risks are real and well worth considering, especially for certain groups of women.
Chrisandra Shufelt and C. Noel Bairey Merz, two doctors from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, conducted a review on heart health and birth control that was published this week in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. They found that the hormones can trigger blood clots, which in the arteries can cause heart attacks and in the brain can cause a stroke. Overall, the heart risk appeared about 2.5 times greater for women currently using hormonal birth control compared to those who were not.
The results sound very scary -- birth control pills double your risk for heart attacks -- but a little more context helps put the findings into perspective. First, women of child-bearing age have a low risk for serious heart disease; the risk for death from heart disease is about 0.002 percent per year for women under 35. So even if hormonal birth control doubles those odds, the risk is still quite tiny indeed.
There is even better news for those who don’t smoke. Studies suggest that the bulk of heart attacks and strokes caused by birth control occur in smokers. Some research even finds no increase in heart risk among healthy, nonsmoking women on birth control pills.
Also, if you’re looking for something that raises the risk for women’s heart problems, consider pregnancy. Studies show pregnancy is linked to a two- to three-fold increase in the odds of heart attack, an eight-fold increase in the odds of stroke, and as high as a 50-fold increase in the odds of blood clots. Hormonal birth control pills look quite safe by comparison.
But low-risk is not NO risk, and women should be aware of the effects that these pills and patches can have on their health. Women over 35, especially those who smoke or have high blood pressure, may want to consider methods of birth control that do not alter hormones, such as condoms or a diaphragm.
Women should also examine why they are taking the pills and determine if the health trade-offs are worth it. Hormonal birth control is “marketed now almost as a lifestyle drug,” Dr. Sharonne N. Hayes, director of the Mayo Clinic Women's Heart Clinic, told ABC News. According to Hayes, more and more women are taking birth control for other conditions such as acne and mood disorders linked to menstruation. Women must decide if treating these problems with birth control is worth the increase in heart disease risk.
Finally, though the risk remains, there is some evidence to suggest that it’s decreasing with newer forms of birth control. The review by Shufelt and Bairey Merz included several articles that found lower rates of heart disease in women taking more recent formulations of the pill or the patch. The newer versions tend to use lower doses and slightly different combinations of hormones, both of which may cut down on the risk.
January 15, 2009 | Permalink | User Comments (32)
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Yes, pregnancy is dangersous, far too dangerous to allow women to fall into. We should force all women to submit to sterilization so they cannot possibly have to deal with the horrors of pregnancy.
The author is a loon...and a blind ideolog to boot.
Posted by: James | Jan 15, 2009 3:42:46 PM
Rhythm method works for most women without complications.
Posted by: Huh | Jan 15, 2009 4:14:30 PM
"The author is a loon...and a blind ideolog to boot."
You're out of your mind. What ideology is the author supposedly following blindly? Did you even read the article? It's hardly an opinion piece advocating against pregnancy. Please keep YOUR blind ideology to yourself.
Thank you for this informative article.
Posted by: Enough | Jan 15, 2009 4:43:03 PM
It's much better to pretend that getting pregnant doesn't at all carry any risks. Because no woman has ever died from it or suffered some serious health consequences. The statistics are neutral; they are what they are. You are the one intent on making some strange interpretations of them.
Posted by: Emily | Jan 16, 2009 10:23:18 AM
There is no doubt these hormones are dangerous and other methods should be considered. My very healthy 25 year old non-smoker almost died of a pulmonary embolism(massive blot clots in her lungs)We have no history of this in our family. This was all due to her birth control pill.It does upset me that the doctors hand out these drugs like it's candy. These pills should be taken seriously!!!!!
Posted by: cindy | Jan 16, 2009 12:03:00 PM
I too had a healthy, nonsmoking, college student, 21 year old on birth control pills that I almost lost. She ended up with a brain bleed on the right side and several blood clots in her head. One being 2 cm in her main vein. She ended up having a stroke and was told she wasn't going to make it. They weren't going to treat her because she had a bleed and several clots in her head. They didn't know how to treat it and this is all due to hormone therapy. She is currently living back at home and finishing college. She will be in therapy and on blood thinners for a year.
Posted by: Shari | Jan 16, 2009 1:26:55 PM
I'm a 25 yo female and I've been on birth control for the past year. So far I have no side affects at all and the pros (for me) outweigh the cons. However you do need to realize that is not candy and it should be taken with caution.
Posted by: Dana | Jan 16, 2009 3:05:10 PM
The "rhythm" method is not reliable, being based on calenders and not the woman's personal signs. The Fertility Awareness method, which takes these signs into account, is, however, very effective.
Any risk seems pretty stupid when a woman can only get pregnant 5 days max out of the month. If you know which days, and you can with FAM, very simple to avoid pregnancy (abstinence, condoms)
I will never advise my daughter to use hormonal birth control. So many other non-invasive options available which carry no risk.
Posted by: raven | Jan 16, 2009 6:06:08 PM
To Cindy & Emily: I have delivered babies for 34 years. I have had three mothers die during pregnancy (does not include trauma, car accidents or cancer) I have never had a woman die while taking the pill. You can blame the pill for your daughters problems but the pill is only a facilitator in the case of thrombo-embolism.
Posted by: Terry | Jan 16, 2009 6:45:44 PM
To Terry, I'm surprised at your dismissal,of the dangers of the pill. After this happened to my daughter I learned of two deaths caused from the pill. One of the girls I actually knew, died in the hospital parking lot driving herself to the emergency room.I think this problem goes under reported. And you are doing a disservice to your patience by not taking these dangers seriously.I also hope your patience have insurance ,the cost of her 10 day hospital stay was about $80,000. Also , I'm not saying pregnancy's can't be dangerous,they obviously had complications, and I'm sorry for that.
Posted by: cindy | Jan 16, 2009 11:26:49 PM
My (ex) wife's gynecologist had a name for people who used the rhythm method. "Parents"
Posted by: EM | Jan 17, 2009 1:33:05 AM
One of my older teen son's friend's parents told him that the pill was seriously dangerous.He asked me if it was true. I told him about the risks but told him that teen pregnancy was more dangerous. I made sure that he also heard about the emotional health risks about teen sex, etc. I wasn't trying to undermine the parents but I wasn't going to lie about the pill either.
Posted by: mm | Jan 17, 2009 1:05:27 PM
raven - Agreed. That is what I meant by rhythm....temp, cervix alignment, mucous changes, etc....
Posted by: Huh | Jan 17, 2009 5:31:36 PM
EM - Don't be too cynical. If you skip days 10-18 you will probably not get pregnant. Combine it with the other signs I mentioned, you will not be a parent unless you choose to be. It has worked for my wife and I for 10 years now. Of course everybody is different.
Posted by: Huh | Jan 17, 2009 5:33:38 PM
You know what I would like to see is a study on the psychological effects of these pills. My wife took them for several years and she acted bipolar with bouts of extremely frightening depression. We tried several different pills and none of them helped. She's been off the pills for two years now and she's returned to the sweet loving woman I married. I'd be curious to see a study that really looks at what these hormones do the brain and not just the bloodstream.
Posted by: ekoja | Jan 18, 2009 3:32:02 AM
I was on both the pill and the patch and the patch nearly killed me! I had severe heart palpitations and had to be put in the hospital because the doctor thought I had a heart attack...did I mention that I was onle 22 at the time and in otherwise good health? Doctors also need to note that any form of birth control pill or patch can also trigger something called Polycystic Ovary Syndrome due to the drastic changes in hormone levels. I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome in October of last year.
Posted by: Jessica | Jan 19, 2009 12:53:11 PM
Jessica, I agree with you as to the patch. I had it on for 2 days when my legs swell up to double their normal size and I had serious dizzy spells, not to mention vomiting and nausea...Thank God my signs were immediate and not possible to ignore! When I called my doc, she told me to take the patch off at once and go to see her! She told me that another patient of hers wasn't so lucky and is now in the hospital undergoing treatment for blood clots in her legs! I've also had side effects to the pills...varying from minor to quite disturbing. But let me tell you this, my pregnancy was a breeze, delivery not so much, but still, I delivered naturally and drug-free! I guess, avery woman's body is different but I strongly believe in taking extreme caution with any hormonal birth control. Most of all, never go to Planned Parenthood! They care more about protecting you from pregnancy and not possible death due to birth control! Make sure you have a gyno who knows you and your med history well!
Posted by: Eve | Jan 19, 2009 2:36:46 PM
"More souls go to hell because of sins of the flesh than for any other reason."
- The most holy, most pure, most blessed and glorious Lady, the Mother of God and ever virgin Mary to Blessed Jacinta of Fatima
Posted by: Ken | Jan 23, 2009 8:22:15 PM
I was denied birth control at age 16 by a planned parenthood organization in memphis, tn. I went to my md who told me my bp was not high enough to do anything about and it was not until I was 37 that I went on birth control after bilateral ruptured brain aneurysm. I do believe I would have suffered other vascular problems if I had indeed went on "the pill". or atleast would have had other side effects. the way I went I only suffered with three kids!!! joking of course
Posted by: valentina | Jan 26, 2009 4:40:03 PM
I was denied birth control at age 16 by a planned parenthood organization in memphis, tn. I went to my md who told me my bp was not high enough to do anything about and it was not until I was 37 that I went on blood pressure medication after bilateral ruptured brain aneurysm. I do believe I would have suffered other vascular problems if I had indeed went on "the pill". or atleast would have had other side effects. the way I went I only suffered with three kids!!! joking of course
Posted by: valentina | Jan 26, 2009 4:41:24 PM
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