Guest Author - Carolyn Chambers Clark, RN, EdD

What is contraception?

Contraceptive methods are any action taken to inhibit conception

What are contraceptive pills?

Contraceptive pills consist of a combination of synthetic estrogen and progesterone. The pill imposes an artificial hormone balance that literally tricks your body into thinking it's already pregnant. Due to the pill's action, two pituitary gland hormones do not stimulate the ovaries to release an egg each month. Dr. Christiane Northrup (Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom) reminds us that by becoming dependent on synthetic chemicals instead of our own inner guidance, we lose control of our bodies, ourselves.

How well does the pill work and what are its side effects?

In the fifties and sixties when the pill first hit the shelves, it was hailed as a medical miracle because it offered such a high rate of protection, even though some of the side effects---heart failure, stroke and blood clots---could be life threatening.

Taking hormones is always risky. They are powerful substances that should not be taken lightly.

The longer you're on the pill, the more at risk you are of serious health problems. Your risk increases exponentially if you're overweight, smoke and are over 35. Even if you're not overweight and don't smoke, heart and other circulatory disorders risk escalates between the ages of 34 to 44 when you're more than 4 times more likely to die from circulatory disorders than women who don't take the pill.

Minor and not so minor side effects can include decrease in sex drive, weight gain, breast tenderness, increased vaginal discharge, fluid retention, headaches, nausea, vomiting, urinary tract infections, bronchitis, chicken pox, colds, gall bladder and liver disease, benign cancers of the liver, cervical cancer, breast cancer, and depression.

Other effects are nutritional. The pill affects your body's ability to absorb, metabolize and utilize essential vitamins and minerals. Many pill-takers complain of a gradually worsening depression and loss of morale. This may be due to the changes in utilization of the vitamin B6. B6 deficiency affects your ability to feel happy and calm. Other vitamin and mineral absorption that is affected when you take the pill include other B-vitamins (which can lead to anemia and increased susceptibility to cervical dysplasia), vitamin C (linked with increased risk of blood clots and heart disease), vitamin E (safeguards against heart and blood vessel disease), zinc (essential for digestion, the immune system, wound healing, healthy skin and reproductive system.)

What steps should you still decided to take the pill?

To protect yourself while taking the pill...

*eat a well-balanced diet

*avoid processed foods and desserts, fried foods, dairy products, meats, poultry, sugar and sugary foods

*avoid smoking and smoky places

*aerobically exercise (kick boxing, walking, jogging, running, swimming) at least three times a week to protect your heart and blood vessels

*take a daily nutritional supplement that contains vitamins B,C, E and zinc.

What other alternatives do you have?

Although many medical practitioners may assume you won't follow through with other methods, which is why they suggest the pill, if you use the method correctly every time, barrier methods and even fertility awareness (natural family planning, which is acceptable to the Catholic Church), can be 95 to 98 percent effective.

Here's a rundown on the alternatives...

* Depo-Provera, a synthetic progesterone administered by injection; protects for 3 months; very effective but is associated with altered menstruation, heavy periods or no periods, weight gain, headaches, abdominal bloat and mood changes. Probably increases the risk of breast cancer.

*Condoms, a barrier method, forces men to take responsibility for their own sperm. Although many men don't like to use them, they not only protect against pregnancy, but also against the many pernicious sexually-transmitted diseases from AIDS to gonorrhea that the pill cannot. Women need to become more assertive about demanding the use of condoms if they're having sex prior to marriage (and afterward if their partner is not exclusive).

*Diaphragms are another barrier method that force women to be responsible for pregnancy. They can be uncomfortable, even when fitted well and interrupt sexual desire, but combined with a spermicide, they can be very effective against pregnancy, but they won't protect against sexual disease and can irritate the genitals.

*Lithospernum ruderdale, a contraceptive herb, functions like progesterone and inhibits the pituitary gland.

*IUDs are 96-98% effective, must be inserted by a health professional and changed every year. They require no planning, but may increase the risk of pelvic infection following insertion or in women exposed to sexually transmitted diseases.

*Spermicidal foams are 97% effective and provide partial protection against sexually transmitted diseases, but may cause genital irritation.

*Cervical caps are 87% effective when used conscientiously, but they don't always fit properly.

*Contraceptive sponges are 83-95% effective when used at each intercourse and can remain in place for up to three days; they may be less effective following childbirth.

*Norplant or progestin implants are almost 100% effective but require insertion by a health professional and there may be spotting and headaches.

*Vasectomy is almost 100% effective but is irreversible; many man undergo this surgery when they have fathered a family and wish no more children.

*Tubal ligation is almost 100% effective, but it too, is irreversible.

*Withdrawal is 77-84% effective, but requires conscientious use and may decrease sexual pleasure.

*Fertility awareness is 98.5% effective but requires a conscious understanding of the fertility cycle and a continual conscious commitment; this method maintain natural hormonal/fertility cycle. Your body can only conceive during a few hours each month. By taking into account the 3- to 5-day life span of an ejaculated sperm, and a variability in the exact time at which you ovulate, you can come up with a "safe" time of around 18 days a month. You determine this by observing changes in your vaginal mucus---when you ovulate your vaginal mucus becomes slippery and copious like raw egg white---and recording your body temperature---it drops very slightly just before you ovulate and then rises for about three days after you ovulate.

This article is for information purposes only. For treatment, consult your health care practitioner.

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