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October 5, 2010

Women More Likely to Use Birth Control if Partner Supports It

Filed under: birth control benefits,birth control methods,birth control options,Birth Control Pill,birth control statistics,birth control types,condoms,contraception,contraceptive — Tags: birth control methods, birth control options, Birth Control Pill, contraceptives — Amanda @ 11:46 am

The “birth control” question can be confusing for partners, and birth control options are predominantly aimed towards women, putting the decision in their hands, however a new study suggests that women are twice as likely to use birth control if their partners are very much in favor of it.

The study was done in Los Angeles and Oklahoma City; lead by Marie Harvey – a professor of public health at Oregon state University. Funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the study looked at 435 couples that were between the ages of 18 and 25. The women in the couples were not pregnant and were not trying to become pregnant.

The men and women in the study said they both participated in deciding whether or not to use birth control. However, agreement between partners on whether they had discussed birth control was low. Harvey claims that this contradiction is typical in male and female relationships. To a woman, a conversation about birth control might include weighing in all birth control options and having a long detailed conversation. To a man, it could be as easy as asking a woman if she is on birth control.

Both partners were interviewed on contraception use and pregnancy motivation. It was found that even among women not trying to get pregnant, less than 60% said avoiding pregnancy was extremely important. Regardless of what the women had said about avoiding pregnancy, a large number of surveyed women were engaging in unprotected sex. This reflects mainly on the education that health care providers are giving to young women. “Providers need to probe more to understand women’s’ motivations and help them clarify their desires about whether or not to use contraception” Harvey said.

“We are trying to better understand the influence of partners…Public health research in the past has largely focused on the woman alone, but we know that a woman’s partner can be very influential. Yet, research rarely addresses the influence of sexual partners on protective behaviors.”

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August 23, 2010

Women using Birth Control Pills have Increased Brain Function

Filed under: birth control,birth control benefits,Birth Control Pill,birth control pills,birth control statistics,birth control types,contraceptive,the pill — Tags: Birth Control Pill, brain, contraceptives, estrogen, hormonal contraceptive, memory, progesterone — Amanda @ 2:14 pm

A recent study from Salzburg University in Austria has concluded that contraceptive pills can increase the areas of the brain associated with memory and social skills.

The research showed that contraceptives enhance the brain’s conversation area which leads to improved social skills. Gray matter area essential for memory also grows in size by about 3% with oral contraceptive use.

Scientists took images of the brains of 14 men and 28 women (some of which were using the pill). The women who were not using birth control pills were scanned several times over a one month period to tract their natural hormonal fluctuations. Areas of the brain in women taking the pill were larger than the brains of the women who were not. The growth in women only occurred in regions of the brain that were naturally larger than men to begin with – such as the areas involved in conversation. The pill had little effect on the areas of women’s brains that are more dominant in men, such as special skills and map reading.

The results were the same regardless of the type of birth control used or the length of time it had been prescribed for.

Studies have previously been conducted on the differences in brain structure between men and women, however this is the first time a study has looked at the impact of hormonal contraceptives on the brain.

It was concluded that the sex hormones in the pill have a significant effect on the brain. An increase in the volume of a brain area can actually improve the functions related to that area. The changes are more likely to affect the skills (such as memory and verbal skills) that are already more developed in women compared to men.

It is possible that the estrogen and progesterone in the pill can help strengthen the links between nerve cells in the brain. The brains size overall did not increase with the use of hormonal contraceptives, and it is not known whether the increased areas will return back to their original size if a woman stops using the pill.

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April 22, 2010

The Risks of Combination Birth Control Pills

Filed under: acne,birth control benefits,Birth Control Pill,contraception,Uncategorized,Yasmin,Yaz — Tags: acne, birth control benefits, Birth Control Pill, contraception, Yasmin, Yaz — Amanda @ 4:51 pm

There’s a lot of negativity associated with combination pills like Yaz and Yasmin where there really shouldn’t be. There are lawsuits all over TV and the internet that suggest combination birth control pills causes pancreatic cancer or organ failure. In reality, these lawsuits should not exist.

It is a patient’s job to ask questions and assess risks with their doctors before taking any medications. In addition, a new article from The Medical Letter – Volume 52, Issue 1334, 2010, reveals that although combination oral contraceptives increase the risk of developing venous thromboembolism (VTE), the risk is low. In fact, the risk of developing VTE while taking oral contraceptives is no different than the risk you have when you are pregnant. Pregnant women have a higher risk of developing VTE than women taking combination pills.

It is even debatable that the risk of developing VTE is worth the benefits that the pill provides. In addition to preventing pregnancy combination birth control pills can lower your risk of developing endometrial cancer, and reduce dysfunctional uterine bleeding, reduce acne, control menstrual periods, and reduce the symptoms of PMS. It is estimated that over 40,000 women in the United States will develop endometrial cancer this year, compared to the strongly age dependent VTE that will occur in 8-10 women in 10,000. All methods of birth control have their own set of risks and benefits. If you are concerned about your risks while taking birth control, don’t be hesitant to ask your doctor. You can’t rely on what you see on TV or hear from others when it comes to choosing the right form of contraceptive for you.

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March 25, 2010

Birth Control Pills Lengthen Life

Filed under: birth control,birth control benefits,birth control pills,lifespan,the pill,Uncategorized — Nicole @ 4:24 pm

A British medical study that has recently concluded that women who have taken birth control pills are more likely to have a longer lifespan. This study observed the effects of the first generation of birth control pills in over forty thousand women, and has compared the number of deaths of those who were taking the pill to those who weren’t since 1968. Overall, this study demonstrated that the health benefits of taking birth control pills can outweigh any initial risks associated with taking birth control.

In fact, this research has further shown that taking the pill decreases the risk of death caused by bowel cancer by an average of thirty-eight percent. And although birth control has been proven to slightly raise the risk of developing breast and cervical cancer, this study demonstrated that overall, birth control pills decrease the chance of dying from any other diseases, including heart disease and all cancers by twelve percent.

But before jumping on board with birth control forever, remember that this method of contraception is not without risk, and that it’s important to outline your medical history with a doctor before taking the pill. The birth control pills that were observed in this study are slightly different than the modern products, which may not have the same life-lengthening benefits.
Though the women in this study took birth control pills all at various points in their lives for various amounts of time, the study concluded that “Oral contraception [is] not associated with an increased long term risk of death” so much that a net benefit is truly apparent.

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