Birth control pills used for more than unwanted pregnancies

By Emily LePain
Murphy News Service

The majority of women in college are probably on birth control, a recent college health assessment study showed.

The Spring 2013 American College Health Association National College Health Assessment found that 62.9 percent of students reported using birth control pills as a contraceptive method the last time they had sex.

The pill is more accessible than ever; one can easily receive a prescription from University Health Services, a gynecologist or Planned Parenthood, and under the new Affordable Care Act, many forms of contraception, including the pill, are completely free.

However, not all women who take birth control pills do so because they’re sexually active. The pill is used to treat health issues, and many women have been on the pill since the age of 15 or 16 to treat those health issues, such as painful cramps, irregular menstrual cycles, acne, and several uterine and ovarian diseases, including endometriosis and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.

But while the pill can be beneficial to women’s health, long-term use doesn’t come without its own risks.

“A woman’s hormones are still fluctuating during late teens, early 20s, so we don’t like to mess with hormone levels when they haven’t completely stabilized,” Shelley Parrell, a nurse at a University of Wisconsin Health clinic, said. “Beginning birth control while still a teen or young adult can also decrease your body’s calcium absorption and cause issues if your bones aren’t fully developed.”

The National Cancer Institute reports that birth control pills can also increase risk for breast, cervical and liver cancer. They can also increase the risk for migraines, stroke, high blood pressure and blood clots. A 2011 FDA report showed newer types of birth control pills, such as Yaz, Yasmin and Zarah, contain drospirenone, a synthetic version of the female hormone progesterone, which increases the risk of blood clots.

Taking birth control in and of itself raises one’s risk of blood clots. A 2012 FDA report on the synthetic hormone showed that out of 10,000 women who are not pregnant and not on birth control, between one and five will develop clots. Out of 10,000 women on birth control, between three and nine will develop clots, almost doubling the risk for those on birth control.

In 2009 and 2011 FDA reports, preliminary data in an FDA-funded study are consistent with 150-percent increase for users of contraceptives containing drospirenone compared to those using other hormonal contraceptives.

The chance of developing one of these health issues seems unlikely. But the risk is there.

“It’s not a zero percent risk; it can cause high blood pressure, strokes or blood clots,” Amy Grelle, a family medicine practitioner at a University of Wisconsin Health clinic, said. “Society has come to perceive the pill as no big deal. And while there are legitimate reasons for starting to take the pill, it doesn’t mean there aren’t serious risks associated with it, and this risk increases with your age.”

While those risks shouldn’t necessarily deter college women from taking the pill, as it offers many medical and social benefits, it’s necessary to be aware of risks presented by its long-term use.

As with any medication, if you’re is planning on going on the pill, or if you’re already taking it, doctors say being informed and knowledgeable about its potential side effects and health risks is key.

Emily LePain is studying journalism at the University of Minnesota.

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