The contraceptive pill has hit the headlines recently for worrying claims that it could be a harmful medication. In a study carried out by Indiana University, researchers discovered that women taking the contraceptive pill felt less sexy overall, had fewer orgasms and less frequent sex, as well as finding it more difficult to become aroused. There is an increasing list of health risks attached to the pill, from breast tenderness and nausea to more serious claims such as blood clots, high blood pressure and even stroke. However, there could now be new risks which aren’t laid out on the list provided by your local family planning clinic which could make you rethink your method of contraception. Long term use of the birth control pill could increase the risk of artery build-ups in your body, which may in turn increase your risk of heart disease. In a study involving 1300 healthy women aged between 35 and 55, there was up to a 30 percent increase in the prevalence of plaque for every 10 years of oral contraceptive use. The researchers highlighted that the plaques were small and not large enough to block an artery, but any plaque is a risk to your heart health. Around 100 million women around the world use oral contraceptives, all of which could now be risking their hearts for the sake of an easy pregnancy preventative.
There are many health risks which are increased by the use of the oral contraceptive pill. For example, this form of birth control can more than double your risk of fatal blood clots, as well as making your bones thinner and increasing your blood pressure. Some studies claim that it could also increase your risk of developing cervical and breast cancers. Besides the serious health risks, there are also some unpleasant side effects which many women report to suffer from due to the influx of artificial hormones flowing through the body. These include irregular bleeding or spotting, weight gain, mood changes, migraines and nausea, breast tenderness, and yeast overgrowth or infection. Because there are other options for birth control which don’t rely on hormones, many GPs advise choosing an alternative form of contraception. Such methods include barrier methods which are far safer, if slightly less convenient, such as condoms.
With these methods there are no side effects and no toxic chemicals or substances flooding your body every day. There is also the natural family planning method, or NFP, which you should learn from a reliable source but that can leave you empowered by understanding your menstrual cycle better. The temperature method is another alternative, which works by you pinpointing your day of ovulation so that you can avoid intercourse for a few days before and after it. You take your basal body temperature every morning with an accurate basal thermometer so that you can note the rise in temperature after ovulation. Although this method can be unreliable by itself, as your body temperature can change for a number of reasons, when it is combined with the mucus method it can be very accurate in assessing your fertility. The two methods used together can provide a success rate as high as 98 percent. The mucus method works by tracking the changes in the amount and texture of your vaginal discharge. As your oestrogen levels rise in your body, your discharge will alter. Other methods also include female condoms, the diaphragm and cervical cap. Each has its set of pros and cons, but they don’t require hormones which means you can avoid the stress and risk of the damaging side effects.