Yahoo Lifestyle The pill's secret powers
The pill and… your cancer risk
Verdict: it helps
After wading through the scary headlines, here’s the final score. One: despite what you may have heard, taking the pill has no impact on breast cancer risk. Two: it drastically reduces the lifetime risk of ovarian and endometrial cancers – by 80 per cent in women who take it for at least 10 years. Three: it slightly raises the chance of cervical cancer, but the extra risk disappears soon after you stop taking it. All in all, the good news far outweighs the bad.
The pill and… your relationships
Verdict: it hurts
For some women, the pill can dampen sex drive. The synthetic oestrogen increases levels of a protein called sex-hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), which adheres to testosterone and makes it less available to the body. The result can be a crash in desire, muted orgasms or pain during sex, according to Dr Irwin Goldstein, director of sexual medicine at Alvarado Hospital in the US.
In fact, some companies even list a decrease in desire as a side effect on the packaging. And Dr Goldstein’s research shows that levels of SHBG can stay elevated for at least several months after going off the pill. Read more on relationships and the pill.
The pill and… weight
Verdict: it’s a toss-up
The pill has zero effect on weight, report studies by the Centres for Disease Control in the US. “Both men and women tend to gain about half a kilo a year as they age,” says study author Dr David Grimes. But, in 2009, researchers from Texas A&M University in the US put 73 women on a weight-training program, comparing results of those on the pill with those who weren’t. Pill users built 60 per cent less lean muscle and had lower levels of muscle-building hormones.
“If you’re already overweight, that could make it harder to lose extra pounds, because the more lean muscle you have, the more kilojoules you burn,” says study author Steven Riechman.
The pill and… your heart health
Verdict::neither
Women on the pill do have a slightly increased risk of blood clots. But, put this in perspective, says Dr Deborah Bateson, senior medical coordinator at Family Planning NSW.
“If you’re not on the pill, your risk is five in 100,000 women. On the pill, the risk is elevated to 15 in 100,000. When you’re pregnant the risk rises to 60 in 100,000.”
Oral contraceptives today are less likely to cause clots than older ones, which had oestrogen doses up to five times higher. “As long as you don’t already have high blood pressure or diabetes or are a smoker over 35, taking the pill should not affect your risk of heart attack or stroke,” says Dr Bateson.
The pill and… mood
Verdict: it’s a toss-up
The pill stabilises hormone levels throughout the cycle, which helps reduce mood swings for many women. For others, the pill can be a big downer and users are twice as likely to be depressed, according to the Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre in Melbourne.
Another study shows that 87 per cent of women who stop taking it cite emotional side effects. “A third of pill users discontinue it within the first three months; the most common reason is mood,” says study co-author Cynthia Graham, senior research fellow at the University of Oxford in the UK. “Switching to a different type can often improve your mood,” says Dr Bateson.
