-
A Woman?s Account of IUD & Uterine Perforation
The intrauterine device is praised as one of the most effective forms of birth control, mainly because you don?t have to remember to take any kind of pill or replace any patches. After insertion, some IUDs can be worn for up to ten years without complications or pregnancy. However, there is a risk of something called ?uterine perforation,? in which the IUD can break through the uterine wall and become embedded in the abdomen. When such perforation occurs, the risk of pregnancy returns. Christine Cadena of the Yahoo! Contributor Network described her sister?s case, in which her IUD perforated into her abdomen a year after installation. She experienced no side-effects that would lead her to believe there was cause for concern, and in fact did not learn of the complication until her yearly check-up, when her doctor alerted her that the device had moved. The complication required a minor surgery, but the worst part of the error with her IUD is that she may face serious difficulties with future pregnancies.
-
The Pill Lowers Libido
For women that use birth control to enjoy pregnancy-free sex, the loss of libido side effect can be extremely frustrating. Many women start birth control and find that they have a completely dwindled interest in sex, putting relationships at risk. A recent study conducted for the Journal of Sexual Medicine found that women who used hormonal contraceptives reported having less sexual desire than women who used non-hormonal forms of birth control, such as condoms or non-hormonal IUDs. The pill lowers the level of free and available testosterone circulating in the blood, and testosterone is thought to play an active role in sexual functioning. In some cases, the pill may even lead to permanent sexual dysfunction, an ironic side effect when you consider its intended use.
-
Teen?s Blood Clot from Yaz
Lynsey Lee?s tale ?Teen says blood clot after taking Yaz destroyed her life? was featured on msnbc.com and is one of the many horror stories surrounding the birth control known as Yaz or Yasmin. Lee began taking Yaz when she was 16 to allay painful cramping and pelvic pain during her periods. Yaz is touted via their marketing as the birth control without side effects, which also happens to treat premenstrual dysphoric disorder. However, as Lee began taking Yaz, she noticed that her pain only increased with the added negative of acne and mood swings. Over time, her pain took the shape of chest pain, causing debilitating breathlessness. Even after she stopped taking Yaz, the pain was there, and so she addressed the situation with her doctor. She found that she had developed a blood clot in her lung. As it turns out, Yaz contains a higher risk of blood clots and has caused over 10,000 women to file class action lawsuits against Bayer, which makes the drug. Because of the clot?s location, she can?t have it removed, but must rely on blood thinners to hopefully dislodge the clot over time. The resulting fatigue and pain washed away any hopes of embracing a $200,000 dancing scholarship to Vanderbilt University, given that she has to make frequent doctor visits for her condition.
-
The Pill Controls Attraction
When women are on birth control pills, they may find themselves attracted to less masculine men. Science suggests that women on hormonal pills may prefer men with less testosterone because they tend to be more faithful by nature. A recent study from Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences showed that, when women chose partners in the midst of taking hormonal contraceptives, they were both less attracted and less sexually satiated by their partners. In other words, when these same women went off of their birth control, they may have found themselves attracted once more to masculine men than their previous, low-testosterone partners. Psychologist S. Craig Roberts of the University of Stirling in Scotland suggests that women go off the pill at some point during the course of a relationship before choosing to marry a potential partner, as their feelings may fluctuate. Otherwise, women may find that their chemistry towards their partner permanently suffers as a result of hormone-altering birth control pills.
-
Women Struggle to Quit Depo-Provera
An abc News article outlined several women?s stories about struggling to quit the birth control drug, Depo-Provera. Depo-Provera is a birth control administered in the form on an injection every three months. Forty-eight year old Kae Guardi stopped taking Depo-Provera after 15 years of usage when she began to near menopause. As soon as she stopped taking it, she developed crippling symptoms of nausea, breast tenderness and fatigue, along with constant dry-heaving. The withdrawal symptoms were so bad that she went back on the shot. Doctors were unable to give her answers concerning her aggressive withdrawal symptoms. In another case, Nancy Jones of Midland, Texas described quitting the shot with the ensuing symptoms of headaches, back pains, cramping, irritability, and a heavy, painful period. Likewise, 45-year-old Mary Jean Hazeleger-Timmerman developed severe migraines only after she stopped taking the shot. The migraines affected her vision and she has been on anti-anxiety and depression medication ever since.
-
Birth Control Can Impact Your Future Child
According to The Healthy Home Economist, when birth control is used for a prolonged period of time, bacterial flora in the gut are disturbed. This creates a breeding ground for pathogenic strains such as Candida Albicans, Streptococci and Staphylococci. These pathogens are resistant to treatment via a change in diet or probiotics, so if you choose to cease birth control in an effort to get pregnant, your baby will be in contact with such pathogens. The gut imbalance can cause the baby in question to not be able to absorb nutrients properly, can expose the baby to harmful toxins, and can cause the mother to have anemia which in turn can cause a myriad of problems for the fetus. Not only can the fetus suffer lack of oxygen, low birth weight, or preterm birth, but may also be born with permanent developmental issues. In the case that the baby inherits the mother?s disturbed gut imbalances, the baby might be predisposed to autoimmune disorders and learning disabilities.
-
Actress? Stroke from Yasmin
The New York Post published the story of twenty-seven year old Brenda Hamilton, an understudy for the Broadway production of Wicked. In May of 2007, she suffered a stroke. Although the stroke had no lingering effects, it was likely caused by her birth control, Yasmin, which she had been taking for two years. She has since filed a civil suit against Bayer. Yasmine was Yaz? predecessor. When Yasmin was first released, it was labeled a low-estrogen birth control option, great for women who want fewer hormones in their birth control. The risk of stroke in birth control is often contributed to higher levels of estrogen, which is supposedly not the case with Yasmin. Many women felt extremely deceived that their doctors and drug companies did not clarify the risks of taking Yasmin. As Hamilton puts it, ?I?m pretty angry that this happened to me. I was 27 at the time. I don?t think this should be happening to young women. It shouldn?t happen to any woman just because they take birth-control pills.?
-
The Pill is Linked to Digestive Problems
Researcher Dr. Hamed Khalili, a clinical and research fellow of gastroenterology at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, says that birth control pills may cause digestive issues such as inflammatory bowel disease or Crohn?s disease. Crohn?s, which causes painful inflammation of the intestines, can become so irritated that the intestines bleed. What?s worse ? the risk for developing Crohn?s triple within five years of taking the pill. Animal studies showed an adverse effect on the colon when estrogen was given, but the studies are not clear enough to suggest a general cause and effect relationship between hormone-altering birth control and digestive problems. As of now, the reasoning as to why the two are linked is unclear.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.