How Oral Contraceptives Hurt Your Baby

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http://www.mercola.com/2005/may/31/oral_contraceptives.htm

 

How Oral Contraceptives Hurt Your Baby

 

Taking oral contraceptives may be more dangerous than many women

realize. According to research on mice, the synthetic hormones found

in oral contraceptives were discovered to create deformities in the

prostate glands, which have been linked to prostate cancer and bladder

disease later on.

 

Why are these findings important?

 

As many as 3 percent of women taking oral contraceptives become

pregnant without knowing it and continue exposing their baby to the

drug many months into pregnancy. And since a woman taking oral

contraceptives typically misses an average of three pills a month, her

risk of pregnancy increases. With 60 million women taking oral

contraceptives in Europe and America, that means as many as 2 million

women could become pregnant and still be taking the pills.

 

Mice Testing

 

Researchers tested the effect of a typical oral contraceptive on the

development of an embryo by giving pregnant mice the contraceptive

ethinylestradiol; the dosage was scaled down to one-fifth of the

normal human dose and was administered for five days.

 

A group of mice were also exposed to low levels of a similar

estrogenic chemical known as bisphenol A, an environmental pollutant

found in plastics and the lining of food cans.

 

The results ...

 

*

 

Due to chemical exposure, there was a consequent increase in the

number and size of prostate ducts and a narrowing of the bladder neck

in male mouse fetuses.

*

 

This effect, which could lead to difficulties with urination as

well as prostate cancer, is a direct forecast of how these drugs

affect the human reproductive system, according to researchers.

 

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences May 10, 2005;102(19):

7014-7019 (Free Full-Text Article)

 

New Scientist May 3, 2005

 

Dr. Mercola's Comment:

 

If you haven't understood by now, please understand that there are

loads of problems that you can avoid by stopping birth control pills.

Their benefits simply do not outweigh their tremendous risks, and

there are very few settings where I could imagine their use would ever

be justified.

 

Although a bit less convenient, barrier methods, planned abstinence

and natural family planning (NFP) can be equally effective and provide

much safer options than hormonal contraceptives do, with little to no

side effects.

 

Interestingly, the author of the above study also authored a study on

the dangers of bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical used to make hard, clear

plastics such as those found in baby bottles and the lining of soft

drink cans. When your body is exposed to BPA, it mimics the sex

hormone estradiol, an effect that can be detrimental to anyone, but

especially a growing child.

 

Related Articles:

 

Birth Control Pills Increase Risk of Breast Cancer

 

Birth Control Pills Increase Blood Clot Risk

 

Birth Control Pill Increases Risk of Fatal Embolism

 

Just Say " No " to Birth Control Pills