Birth Control Pill Effects

The Panacea Has Arrived!

More than 40 years ago the Western world was rocked with the advent of the birth control pill. Suddenly, sex became "safer" in that an unwanted pregnancy could be thwarted by using "the pill". It allowed women to explore their sexuality and, interestingly enough, with the use of the pill some STD statistics began to climb. After a few years the birth control pill began to show some flaws. Women reacted to the high dosages of estrogen in the pill by developing breast cancer, embolisms and having strokes. Over time, women began to think again before committing to the pill. The drug companies responded by creating a lower dose birth control pill, one that has less estrogen in it.

Used as a method of birth control and also to alleviate cramping and painful, irregular periods, birth control pills promote a high level of estrogen in the body. Cramping and irregularity are often due to a deficiency of progesterone that is unbalanced by estrogen. Adding estrogen to the mix in the form of the pill causes an even greater imbalance and may actually be contributing to the problem not relieving it. Some women have side-effects from the estrogen overload, such as weight gain, mood swings, and breast tenderness.

The Pill And Estrogen Dominance

A woman's natural reproductive cycle has consistent rising and falling levels of the hormones estrogen and progesterone. Birth control pills work by fooling the body into thinking it is pregnant by keeping the levels of estrogen very high. If the body thinks it is pregnant, another pregnancy cannot take place. Estrogen dominance (the consistently high level of hormone without the balance of progesterone), offers some effects that are both dangerous and painful. Increased risk of breast cancer, blood clotting, and high blood pressure are linked to estrogen overload. Heart attack and stroke, gall bladder disease, migraines and benign liver tumors are also associated with estrogen dominance. Incidents of nausea, spotting or irregular bleeding are risks that are also included in the list of negative effects.

Nutritional Deficiences And The Pill

Not only does the imbalance of estrogen in the body create all of these side effects, it also skews the way a woman's body absorbs nutrients because of the way the pill is metabolized by the liver. In this metabolism, the liver requires added B-complex vitamins, vitamin C, magnesium and zinc. If a woman has been taking birth control pills over a long period of time, then her body is deficient in these nutrients. The result of such nutritional deficiencies is weight gain, fluid retention, mood changes, depression and heart disease.

Yeast Overgrowth

Another effect of estrogen dominance is that it is a risk factor for developing yeast overgrowth. Since a woman's system has a continuous stream of estrogen through the pill, the imbalance creates an excellent host atmosphere for yeast. The toxins from yeast overgrowth can cause much more than a vaginal yeast infection. Symptoms attributed to yeast include migraines, digestive disorders, psoriasis, depression, and fibromyalgia. It is also associated with infertility, endometriosis, and other health issues that may seem to be unrelated.

There are alternatives to the pill, such as male or female condoms, diaphragm, cervical cap, and spermicides. All of these, when used correctly, are effective methods of preventing pregnancies.