The Pill?

A Blessing or a Curse?

Sherrill Sellman / Total Health Jun01

Sherrill Sellman is the director of HormoneWise Digest - Vol. 6 - June - 2001

The year 2000 celebrated the 40th anniversary of “the Pill.” Much hoopla was made of this newsworthy event by the media. But should women really be rejoicing? For the past 40 years about 468 million women in the U.S. have chosen some version of the pill as their preferred method of contraception. This “medical miracle” has enlisted almost 90 per cent of Western women of reproductive age at some time in their lives.

Choices now include the combined and the low-dose pill made with estrogen and synthetic progesterone. Other choices include a progestin mini-pill, a progestin injection known as Depo-Provera (effective for three months) or the progestin implant, Norplant, which lasts for five years.

Initially women were prescribed contraceptive drugs for short-term use to help space their pregnancies. Now however, these drugs are readily used to “regulate” a girl’s period, eliminate acne, treat endometriosis, control painful periods, suppress lactation, reduce PMS and manage of perimenopause.

There are women today who take birth control pills from puberty to menopause, at which time they start on hormone replacement therapy. The complex physiological processes of their reproductive lives have been literally controlled and determined by powerful foreign chemicals. There is really nothing natural about taking the pill. What happens to millions of women when their bodies, instead of being in tune with the delicate balance and flow of natural hormones are instead being controlled by some of the most potent drugs found in the pharmaceutical pharmacopoeia? The action of the pill actually castrates a woman by stopping her natural reproductive cycle, which all too frequently creates permanent damage to her ovaries, leaving her infertile. Fabio Bertarelli, Swiss billionaire who owns Serano Laboratories which manufactures 70 percent of the world’s fertility drugs, told The Wall Street Journal in 1993: “Our usual customers are women over 30 who have been taking birth-control pills since they were teenagers or in their early 20s.”

All contraception formulas increase the risk of coronary artery disease, breast cancer, cervical cancer, skin cancers, immune dysfunction, liver toxicity, strokes, blood clots, osteoporosis, high blood pressure and ectopic pregnancies. The side effects include nausea, vomiting, migraine-type headaches, breast tenderness, allergies, weight increases, changes in sex drive, depression, head hair loss, facial hair growth and increased incidence of vaginitis. Also, women with a history of epilepsy, migraine, asthma or heart disease may find that their symptoms worsen. Many of these effects may persist long after the discontinuation of the pill. Pill-users have an increased risk of two painful types of inflammatory bowel disease: ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. In addition, the pill causes serious nutritional deficiencies of vitamins B1, B2, B6, folic acid, B12, vitamins C, E, K, zinc and magnesium. Other levels of minerals and vitamins are also altered.

Even more alarming is the fact that the earlier a woman uses the pill the greater the risk of developing breast cancer and also having a worse prognosis. One disturbing study showed that the pill caused chromosomal aberrations in the breast tissue of young female users. This research was further backed up with a study showing that there was a 100 percent increased risk of breast cancer which extended from 10 years of pill use down to just three months of use of the pill. So it is of no surprise that women as young as 17 and 19 years old are now being diagnosed with breast cancer.

Progestins make their own mischief, raising “bad” cholesterol and blood pressure, distorting sugar metabolism, compromising the immune system and creating undesirable masculinizing effects. Thus it is no wonder that Depo-Provera should be of great concern to women. It was reported that women who used it before the age of 25 increase their relative risk of breast cancer by 50 percent and for women using it for six or more years, their risk was raised significantly to 320 percent.

The pill affects many aspects of a woman’s experience in some unexpected ways. For instance there is significant evidence that birth control pills reduce hormones that are vital to the way women communicate sexually with men. Certain volatile fatty acids, known copulins, are secreted in the vagina and stimulate male sexual interest and behavior. Women who take birth control pills, however, do not secrete copulins.

The great cycles and rhythms of nature are among the most fundamental realities of physical life. A woman’s body and psyche are intimately woven into the eternal cycles of life. We are just beginning to realize the price we have paid for being part of a culture that chooses to eliminate these natural cycles and instead have them commandeered by drug therapies which are not the same identical hormones made by the body and do not mimic the highly sensitive and intricately timed hormonal fluctuations. Certainly the long-term effects of the pill in whatever form it comes is still to be fully determined, not to mention the effect it may have on future generations. Is it worth the price that women must pay in terms of their physical, emotional and mental health for this form of contraception? Most women will ask what are the natural alternatives to the pill? The answer to that question requires a woman to make a deeper commitment to the understanding of the workings of her body and her natural cycles. It’s learning about the various indications of fertile and non-fertile times. Owning one’s fertility means to have an intimate relationship with one’s own body. It requires taking responsibility for sexual intercourse. It also requires the ability to communicate with an understanding and receptive partner. It is certainly a totally different approach from the way most women address the issue of contraception and for that matter sexual relationships. As women move into a greater acceptance and expression of their innate power, so too must they once again regain authority over their reproductive cycles. If a woman’s choice is to remain on the pill, it is imperative that she take nutritional supplements that help address the pill-induced vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Health food stores carry formulas specifically for women who use the pill. It is also recommended to come off the pill after two years so that natural fertility cycles can be restored. It is also advised to seek consultation with qualified natural practitioners who can assess not only nutritional needs but also correct the functional imbalances. The pill can interfere with the healthy functioning of the liver, pancreas, digestive system, ovaries, immunity and vascular systems.

There are, in fact, many natural birth control tools that offer a woman effective and safe contraceptive freedom. Natural fertility awareness programs and books teach the many indicators of a woman’s fertile times. Through a combination of monitoring and charting temperature, mucus and even astrological influence of lunar cycles, a woman can be finely attuned to ovulation. During those fertile times, she can choose from a variety of barrier methods such as the condom, diaphragm, cervical cap or a spermicidal sponge. In addition, there are natural fertility techniques which incorporate various methods to monitor fertile and non-fertile times rather than overriding or manipulating them. One of the best is Ovu-Tech, a device the size of a lipstick tube that has a small microscopic lens at one end and a light at the other. If you are just about to become fertile or if you are fertile, you will easily see a beautiful crystalline ferning pattern under the microscope when applying saliva to the lens. This is an easy and convenient way to monitor hormonal changes and enhance awareness of your menstrual cycle. If you track your cycles and fertility on a calendar, there will be a keen awareness of where you are in your monthly cycle. Whether you are trying to conceive, avoiding conception or charting your cycles, the Ovu-Tech is an inexpensive and reusable tool for fertility awareness. The Ovu-Tech should always be used in conjunction with charting temperature, cervical changes and mucus secretions. Maintaining choice and control over one’s reproductive freedom is the right of every woman. Perhaps however, it is time for women to rethink the entire pill issue. The change that is needed to stop the exploitation of women’s health will require

Sherrill Sellman is the author of the best selling book Hormone Heresy: What Women Must Know About Their Hormones, a passionate women’s health educator and an international lecturer and seminar leader. She can be contacted at: www.ssellman.com, e-mail: golight@earthlink.net or P. O. Box 690416, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74169, phone

Side Effects of the Pill

Minor

• Allergic reactions: hay fever, asthma, skin rashes
• Breakthrough bleeding
• Decreased immune system function
• Disturbances in liver function
• Eye disorders: double vision, swelling of optic nerve, contact lens intolerance and corneal inflammation
• Facial and body hair growth
• Fluid retention and bloating
• Fungal infections and tinea
• Hair loss
• Loss of libido
• Lumpy or tender breasts
• Migraines
• Nausea
• Psychological and emotional disorders, depression, mood changes
• Secretions from the breast
• Skin discoloration
• Increased incidence of suicide
• Weight gain
• Systemic candida infection
• Urinary tract infection
• Venereal warts
• Vaginal discharges
• Varicose veins

• Disturbance to blood sugar metabolism
• Increased risk of a stroke and blood clots
• Increased chance of hardening of the arteries and high blood pressure
• Increased risk of gall bladder disease (gall stones)
• Liver tumors
• Increased risk of endometrial, cervical, ovarian, liver and lung cancer
• Increased risk of ectopic pregnancy
• Strong probability of more rapid

For  information contact: http://www.ssellman.com or Email:  golight@earthlink.net