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By Marilynn Marchione Associated Press October 21, 2004
PHILADELPHIA -- The same huge federal study that led millions of women to abandon the use of hormones after menopause now provides reassurance that another hormone concoction -- the birth control pill -- is safe.
In fact, women on the pill had lower risks of heart disease and stroke and no increased risk of breast cancer, contrary to what many previous studies found.
Doctors say the type of hormones and the stage of life at which they're used may be what makes them helpful at one point and harmful at another.
The new findings are from nearly 162,000 participants in the Women's Health Initiative, the largest women's health study ever done and one of the biggest on oral contraceptives. Results were presented Wednesday at an American Society for Reproductive Medicine conference.
About 16 million American women take birth control pills. Most combine synthetic forms of estrogen and progestin.
Women taking these hormones after menopause were more likely to have heart disease and certain cancers -- a finding that prompted part of this large study to be stopped in 2002.
Previous research on oral contraceptives suggested that they, too, raised the chances of heart disease. But the new study found the opposite -- lower risk of heart attacks, strokes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and other heart-related problems among the 67,000 women in the study who had ever taken the pill.
Overall, "there's an 8 percent risk reduction of ever having cardiovascular disease" among women who had ever taken birth control pills, said the lead researcher, Dr. Rahi Victory of Wayne State University in Detroit. "If you use oral contraceptives early on, you're probably going to be protected later in life."
Women on the pill also had a 7 percent lower risk of developing any form of cancer -- a benefit that increased with the length of use, Victory said. For example, women who took birth control pills for four years or more had a 42 percent lower risk of ovarian cancer and a 30 percent lower chance of uterine cancer.
The $625 million study was done at 40 locations around the country and funded by the National Institutes of Health.
ORAL
CONTRACEPTIVES
INCREASE
RISK
of STROKE
LU Health System releases review of
past studies
he Phoenix/Chandler West
Three neurologists at Loyola University Health System published a review of studies regarding oral contraceptives and the risk of stroke.
Last week, three neurologists at Loyola University Health System published a review which said that women taking oral contraceptives have an increased risk of stroke.
However, the neurologists concluded that the benefit of birth control pills still outweighs possible risk associated with oral contraceptives.
The article explains the specific variables that increase the odds of a woman taking oral contraceptives having a stroke.
The review includes
the World Health Organization’s (WHO)
guidelines that indicate when the use of birth control is more of a risk than a
benefit: The highest risk factors listed are heavy smoking, being over 35,
having a history of stroke, cancer or high blood pressure.
Women who experience severe migraine headaches are also at a higher risk of
contracting a stroke in relation to taking birth control.
The review details the cases of two women about 30 years old who experienced severe migraines, vomiting and unsteadiness or clumsiness. After doctors discontinued the women’s use of birth control, their symptoms subsided within three to six months.
Jim Ritter, a spokesperson for LUHS, said that the research compiled in this review is not new.
This is not the original research of the doctors who published the review. Rather, it is their “reviewing medical literature and reporting what [prior] studies have said about the topic,” Ritter said.
The first reported studies on the risk of stroke for women taking oral contraceptives were released in the 1960s. From then on doctors have continued to research the idea that birth control pills contribute to the development of a stroke.
“I feel like it’s a commonly known thing,” said sophomore Visusan Nguyen, a political science major. “It’s something that you hear about, but don’t worry about.”
Senior Mariah Horrigan, an international studies and Spanish major, said that since several lawsuits against the birth control companies have been highly publicized recently, more people are aware of the associated risks of taking birth control.
“I think it’s hyped up more now,” Horrigan said.
However, the associated risks of oral contraception may not be as publicized as some students think.
Liz Gerber, a junior journalism major, was not aware of the increased risk of stroke for women using oral birth control, but does not have second thoughts about taking it.
“If women choose to take oral birth control, they should have all the facts,” Gerber said. “As long as you know the risks I think it’s fine.”
Senior political science major, Lauren Strzepek, agrees with Gerber.
“It’s a risk I am willing to take if that means reducing my risk of unwanted pregnancy,” Strzepek said. She also pointed out that most medications have risks.
“Women should not be dissuaded from taking precautions against unwanted pregnancy,” Strzepek said.
According to Ritter, both patients and doctors can benefit from the newly released review.
“The research is summarized,” he said. “You could read this [research review] and you won’t have to research the topic.”
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