to think that the pill can't be good for you?

[CailinDana]

I've never been on the pill but have been considering it lately. However, surely taking daily doses of hormones affects your health long term? Or is there research to say this isn't the case?

[Kayano]

1 - google
2 - just go get them and read the leaflet that comes with them. They are free anyway

There are loads of different pills so you can switch if 1 does
Not suit you

[ThatsNotMyBabyBelly]

I was on the pill for 18 years no break. Stopped taking it and got pregnant that month. I think the amounts of hormones used are minute.

I think there was a link to an increased risk of breast cancer, and also an increased risk of dvt. However I think there is a decreased risk of ovarian cancer.

Have a chat with your GP. It is a no no if you smoke and are over 35, or it used to be.

[sayithowitis]

Talk to your doctor or the FPC. For many people, they are fine. For others, and I am one, they are not and even though I stopped taking them nearly 30 years ago, I still suffer from some of the repercussions.

[mumsamilitant]

What about opting for the copper coil (not sure of actual clinical name), there aren't any hormones in it.

[SiamoFottuti]

Of course there is research to say this isn't the case, or else why would billions of women have used it long term over the last 50 years?

Jaysus.

[CailinDana]

Sorry to hear that sayit, would you mind if I asked what happened?

In terms of finding out what the real effects of the pill are long term Siamo, 50 years isn't really a very long time. I know the older pills have been linked to heart problems and clots and that the newer pills aren't as harsh so that's reassuring, I just don't really like taking medication at all and the thought of taking meds every day for years puts me on edge a little. It's just one of the options I'm considering, the coil might be a good for me as you say mumsamilitant, do you have one?

[talkingnonsense]

In some ways being on the pill mimics being pregnant, an our bodies are designed to be pregnant/ feeding, a lot more than most of us are. Years of periods is probably also not ideal.

[EricNorthmansMistressOfPotions]

There are pros and cons. One of the pros is that you can prevent monthly menstruation. Human females aren't prepared to menstruate monthly for 30 plus years with a couple of years off. Evolutionarily speaking we'd be having a year off in every 2-3 due to pregnancy and feeding.

[fluffles]

it has positives and negatives when it comes to long term health - it basically replicates pregnancy which for humans would normally have happened every four or five years throughout life from puberty to menopause (if you lived that long), so only having a couple of pregnancies in a reproductive lifespan isn't 'natural' either.

[chickenchops]

It doesn't suit everyone. I was on them for years. One day at work I had a sudden migraine attack at work and my face started going numb. Gp pulled me right off them- said my body couldnt handle the estrogen. Haven't had a single migraine since (3 years).

[Morloth]

Pill gives me the most vile migraines and makes me into pyscho crazy lady.

Have tried many over the years, all had the same effect.

Never again. We use condoms, if I get pregnant I will just suck it up, 100 children is better than the pill for me.

[tryingtoleave]

My sister got cancer soon after going on the pill. It may have had nothing to do with it but I have avoided it as a result.

[SardineQueen]

I think that taking artificial hormones every day for years that do something as major as preventing ovulation is possibly not likely to be very good for you, as well.

YANBU.

[Empusa]

I find that my body is less fucked on the pill.

[borderslass]

I was on it for years regulated my periods and stopped the heaviness and pain for a while but other health problems meant I had to have a hysterectomy at 30. Both my girls went on it at 14 for the same reason DD1 was in agony and flooded every month she's been on the implant since 16 DD2 had extremely irregular periods started every 3 months, then monthly, then fortnightly and dropped to 10 days she'll be 16 next month and can now live a normal life without the worry she also missed loads of S4 which affected her final exam results.

Go and speak to your Dr and ask him/her about your concerns before going on it.

[billgrangersrisotto]

Don't you think it's more sensible to look at the clinical evidence rather than hear opinions and anecdotes? Go and talk to your doctor and discuss your options. Then think it over and make a fully-informed decision.

[eurochick]

The Pill doesn't seem to agree with me. I've taken it twice for nine months. The first time, after nine months I got pains in my right thigh after nine months. The GP couldn't find a blood clot but told me to stop the Pill immediately in case there was one. I tried it again a few years later. After nine months I started getting migranes for the first time since my early teenage years. The dr said it could be a sign of blood clots and told me to stop it immeditately again. I have never tried it since. It made me put on weight and feel depressed anyway (something I only noticed when I stopped it and felt like a black cloud had been lifted) so I am quite happy to live without it. I have a history of breast cancer in the family (my mum had it pre-menopause which suggests it is genetic rather than environmental) and my mum's consultant told her to tell me never to take the Pill. My partners have been happy for the most part to use condoms and then when it got to the point where it wouldn't have been a problem if I had got accidentally pregnant with my now husband, we switched to rhythm/withdrawal.

[sayithowitis]

CailinDana, have PM'd you.

[ViolaTricolor]

billgrangersrisotto speaks sense. Informed discussion with a GP is the only way. There are pros and cons which will weigh differently for each woman

[tothemoonandback]

Please speak to your GP, it's horses for courses.

[pommedechocolat]

I nearly died after getting a massive pulmonary embolism from taking one type of pill.

I'd say the side effects are dismissed out of hand way too much.

[Ephiny]

There are some small health risks, but some benefits as well. It really depends on the individual case - some women shouldn't take it due to being high risk of certain problems (family history of breast cancer, and vascular issues like high blood pressure are the main ones I think, though there are others). But for most it's fine. For some of us it's a huge benefit - if you have very bad periods and pre-menstrual problems, then it can mean a big improvement in quality of life.

Personally I don't worry about 'unnatural hormones' etc, very little about the way we live these days is 'natural'. It would probably be natural for us to be pregnant or breastfeeding for most of our lives from menarche to menopause, but that doesn't mean it would be good for us or a desirable way for most of us to live!

I agree about getting proper medical advice if you're unsure whether it's safe or suitable for you. There are plenty of other options if you're not happy with the Pill.

[SiamoFottuti]

it really is a very long time in terms of medication actually.