Birth Control Hormones Called Into Question by Top Researchers

(Feb. 16, 2009) A top medical journal has hinted of a looming problem with birth control pills, saying that there hasn�t been enough research on the connection between contraceptive hormones and cardiovascular disease.

The effect of the female hormones estrogen and progestin (a synthetic version of progesterone) upon a woman�s heart and arteries is not known, says a review of literature in a recent issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. "If these were male contraceptives, we'd know so much more already," contends coauthor Noel Bairey Merz, director of the Women's Heart Center at Cedars-Sinai, as reported in U.S. News & World Report.

Women in Berwyn, Forest Park, Cicero, Stickney, North Riverside, Maywood, Illinois and surrounding suburbs would be helped to know of possible dangers of cardiovascular disease if they decide to take the birth control pill, IUD, vaginal rings, or the patch.

While some studies have shown an increased risk of breast cancer in women taking the birth control pill, few have been done linking the risk of cardiovascular disease to the pill, the report said.

The use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT), widely used over the years to ease the discomfort of menopause, was called into question in 2002 when the Women�s Health Initiative found that among a large test group, some women experienced an increase of heart disease, breast cancer, stroke, and blood clots, as reported in the Journal of American Medical Association. The report said that �overall health risks exceeded benefits from use of combined estrogen plus progestin.� These risks are also discussed by the National Institutes of Health.

Since birth control pills and other birth control methods contain artificial hormones, the use of these hormones could be related to problems discussed by the cardiology researchers.

�The use of contraceptive hormone therapies to prevent pregnancy�birth control pills, patches and vaginal rings�may heighten the risk of heart problems or stroke in certain women, particularly those who smoke, are over 35 years old or have existing cardiovascular risk factors,� a press release issued by the cardiology journal said.

Women in west suburban Chicago communities should call Women's Care Center of La Grange at 708-352-5000 to learn more about the risks of a hormone-based birth control method before they take it.