Oral contraceptives are used to prevent pregnancy, alleviate painful cramping and excessive bleeding during menstrual cycles. In some cases it is also used to treat acne. Birth control has been on the market for over 40 years and studied throughout the nation by the top medical teams who discovered that long term birth control use in the majority of women who use it is safe and effective.
History
For more than 40 years oral contraceptives have been used to not only prevent pregnancy but to also treat many conditions including excessive menstrual bleeding, certain skin conditions and cramping associated with the menstrual cycle.
Because of the many different uses for oral contraceptives they are often prescribed for long term use in women who are not necessarily in need of birth control but take the medication because of other conditions.
This has raised concerns about the long term use of oral contraceptives including questions about its impact on the ability to conceive once the birth control has stopped. In addition there have been concerns about the impact on the body when menstrual flow is inhibited for long periods of time.
Safety
According to studies by several medical facilities throughout the nation the long term use of birth control appears to be safe for most women as long as the prescribing physician monitors the patient's health and general well being during the course of use. It is also important to conduct a health evaluation before beginning an oral contraceptive routine.
There are identified risks associated with long term birth control use that increase if a woman smokes, is obese or has certain medical conditions.
Reduced Sexuality
A study released in 2006 by the Journal of Sexual Medicine indicated that women who take oral contraceptives over long periods of time are at an increased risk of developing a reduced desire for sexual relations. Out of the 124 women in the study, 39 of them has stopped using oral contraceptives, 69 of them continued using it and 23 women had never begun its use.
The study determined that women still taking the pill had an average of four times the amount of testosterone in their system as compared to the study participants who had never taken it. In addition, those participants who has previously been on birth control but stopped at least six months before the study failed to have their testosterone levels return to normal or even half of what women who had never taken it had in their system.
Stroke
Another risk of long term birth control use is the risk of stroke. This risk is almost exclusively for women who smoke while using oral contraceptives.
Fertility
While there are several side effects that have been linked to long term birth control use, infertility is not one of them. Research has shown that less than 3 percent of all women who have been on birth control long term and discontinue its use have any delays in returning to a fertile state once they discontinue the oral contraceptives.
Cancer
Oral contraceptives have long been blamed for an increased risk for developing breast cancer. However, more than 50 research studies have proved this to be false. In fact, women on birth control actually have a reduced risk of developing other cancers such as ovarian and endometrial cancers.
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