Women's Health
Oral Contraceptives Deserve Careful Consideration
By
Feb 4, 2007 - 9:47:49 AM

ORAL CONTRACEPTIVES DESERVE CAREFUL CONSIDERATION

(HealthNewsDigest.com).. COLUMBUS, Ohio – Young women – particularly teenagers – should weigh the pros and cons before taking oral contraceptives for a prolonged period of time, says a breast-cancer expert at Ohio State University Medical Center’s James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute.

Breast oncologist Dr. Bhuvaneswari Ramaswamy worries that many young women who start taking birth control pills in their early teens for pain relief or other reasons and continue non-stop until their first pregnancy in their 20s or 30s, may have an increased risk for breast cancer later in life.

“While there is no reason to panic, it is very important for doctors to discuss the risk factors with parents and teen-agers, and to consider alternatives before starting a young teen on oral contraceptives, especially to help regulate menstrual symptoms,” she says. “This may seem like an easy fix now, but there may be a price to pay later.”

While examining patients, Ramaswamy collects detailed medical history, including any long-term use of oral contraceptives. She often urges patients to occasionally take a break from prolonged use of birth control pills by using alternative forms of contraception.

Ramaswamy says she is concerned by research that indicates a link between long-term oral-contraceptive use in young women prior to first pregnancy and an increased risk of pre-menopausal breast cancer. Other research also links oral contraceptives to an increased risk of clotting and heart problems.

“But oral contraceptives are not all bad,” Ramaswamy says. “Research has shown that long-term use of oral contraceptives may reduce the risk of ovarian and uterine cancers.”

She says there are other alternative methods for alleviating painful menstrual symptoms, such as taking over-the-counter pain relievers.

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