The Birth Control Pill & The Breast Cancer Connection

There is only one drug in the world so well known called "the pill". For over forty years, more people have taken "the pill" than any other prescription drug in the world.

Sex, pregnancy and contraception have been hot topics for millennia. It was not until the U.S. government approved the pill in 1960 that possibilities for contraception changed dramatically. Most women - and a lot of men - welcomed "the pill".

The pill was the first medication ever designed for purely social, rather than therapeutic purposes. At the height of the popularity of drugs, USA Senate hearings focused attention on the health risks threatening nations posed by high dose pill. As a result of the hearings, pharmaceutical companies lowered the dose and the doctors advised women who were obese, smoked, had high blood pressure or a family history of blood clots against taking the pill.

In the 1980s, the pill with high doses of 10 mg, was recalled and biphasic and triphasic oral contraceptives is presented. Today, women can get a prescription for a pill that contains 1 mg of progestin, one tenth of the original dose, which contains only 20 micrograms of estrogen.

From the outset, a significant number of women complained of discomfort caused by the pill and switched to other methods. When women wanted to discuss side effects with their physicians, often met with frustration. It was common for complaints to be dismissed as exaggerated. In other cases, their illnesses were considered only the price women had to pay in exchange for the effective contraceptive method. The problem was compounded by the fact that female patients are not always informed about the possibility of stroke, heart attacks or blood clots while on the pill. In most shared "pills" of risk has become a part of the information provided by health professionals who prescribe the pill.

Today, the safety of the pill is assumed. However, it is important to remember that the pill contains hormones identical to those found in Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). HRT has been questioned by Health Study of Women's Initiative with an increase in breast cancer and heart disease for women who were on HRT.

On October 20, 2004 headlines read "Pill Cuts Cancer, heart disease risk: study - A new study, not yet published, suggests that women who use oral contraceptives have a lower risk of heart disease, stroke and cancer. "

This study has been denied the veracity of the WHI. The analysis of the WHI have made clear that the recent findings were not correct?

The pill today at low doses, but is considered safe has never been the subject of extensive study funded by the government similar to the WHI study on HRT. According to Dr. John R. Lee in his book "What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Breast Cancer" women up to age 21 who use the Pill increase their lifetime risk of breast cancer by 600%. Attention when considering the use of the contraceptive pill should be used.