March Blog- Danger of Birth Contro

Danger of the Pill and Other Forms of Birth Control

By: Caroline Christy

            In todays society the media is flooded with “16 and Pregnant” and “Teen Mom 1,2,3..”, and even some of my friends that I grew up with and are my age are havin

g kids. I have to ask myself have they never heard of birth control? Well after doing some research even if they have its not always 100% effective.

            It is estimated that 150 million women worldwide take birth control.  Many people take birth control pills not only to prevent pregnancy but also to help with cramping, spotting, acne and irregular periods. [1] But they do not consider what the birth control is masking over; it could be a very serious medical problem. One of the main concerns with taking birth control pills is that you are putting synthetic hormones into your body and tricking your body to think that you are pregnant, and then when you start taking the placebo pills your body experiences a huge drop in its estrogen levels which causes your body to go on its period. This is problematic as your body gets used to having a certain level of estrogen and then all the sudden it drops to a much lower level.

             The pill is not the only form of birth control that has risks. The birth control shot, which is commonly known as the Depo-Provera shot, can increase a women’s chance of getting HIV. [2]Also the shot has not been around for to long of a time so the long-term side effects are up in the air. Another downfall is women can react differently coming off the shot, it is unclear how long it would take a women to get pregnant after coming off of the shot. It could be as soon as 3 months or as long as 2 years. The uncertainty is what is scary.

            The NuvaRing is another form of birth control that is inserted vaginally and then removed during your menstrual week. The main problem with the NuvaRing is that it can cause blood clots, just like any other birth control, but NuvaRing is

notorious for causing these in women.[3] Many people have filed law suits against this company because of the horrible side effects it has caused and even death in some cases.

            Just like any other medicine out there in the world birth control has its pros and cons. At least in this day and age we do not have Comstock Laws[4] that prevent the information for circulating. It is a women’s job to be informed and look up which birth control will would best for her. I know for me personally writing this blog has given me a lot of information I did not know before.

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[1] "Body Ecology Healthy Diet." All Body Ecology Articles. N.p., 29 May 2008. Web. 31 Mar. 2014.

[2] "Body Ecology Healthy Diet." All Body Ecology Articles. N.p., 29 May 2008. Web. 31 Mar. 2014.

[3] "How Does NuvaRing Work?" NuvaRing: How It Works. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2014

[4] Opposition of Birth Control (Lecture, UNC Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, 2/4/2014)