 Are birth control methods safe? The Physician's Desk Reference (PDR) contains a warning for every birth control pill and device: "Patients should be counseled that this product does not protect against HIV infection (Aids) or other sexually transmitted diseases." The PDR lists over twenty adverse reactions to Depo-Provera including acne and bloating. The Associated Press reported in 1996 that 30,000 lawsuits by women injured by Norplant were pending in one South Texas court. Condoms are made of latex. In October of 1997, the Wall Street Journal reported that The Center for Disease Control, Atlanta, Georgia, has concluded that all medical devices (gloves, etc.) made of latex must now be labeled with a warning that latex can cause allergic reactions. More confirmation on latex reactions can be found at http://www.pals.net.
Almost all birth control pills, drugs and devices, except the
condom, are abortifacient
in nature; that is, they allow the sperm to fertilize the egg and produce
a newly formed baby. But, because the baby cannot timely attach to the
uterus lining and receive nourishment, it dies and is eliminated in the
next menstrual cycle.
The four methods How they work Are they safe? Definitions Related Information There are four basic forms of birth control: chemical, barrier, intrauterine devices (IUD), and fertility planning. 1. Chemical - Two Methods Oral: Birth control pills which are taken orally. Injectable: Injections to the woman's body of chemicals which prohibit conception or which prohibit live birth of the conceived child. 2. Barrier Examples of barrier methods are condoms, diaphragms, cervical caps, and anti-sperm methods such as sponge, jellies, foams, and creams which impede or delay the sperm in its efforts to reach and fertilize the ovum. 3. Intrauterine Devices (IUD) The uterus wall is irritated by a device placed within the uterus making it difficult for the newly conceived child to attach to the lining and thereby begin to receive nourishment. 4. Fertility Cycle Planning (often called Natural Family Planning): A. Chemical (Birth Control Pills, injectable Depo-Provera, and Norplant) 1. Suppress ovulation. The two ovaries are motivated to not emit ovum (the egg) during its normal monthly time. The combination birth control pill (estrogen and progesterone) fails to prevent release of an egg in 23% to 50% of monthly cycles. The "mini-pill" (progesterone only) and other progestins such as Depo-provera and Norplant, probably have the same ovalation rate over a years time. 2. Thickens cervical mucus. The mucus within the woman's cervix is thickened. As a result, the sperm have difficulty reaching the ovum (egg) for fertilization. If any sperm are successful in fertilizing the egg to produce a baby, it has difficulty in timely reaching the wall of the womb in order to implant and sustain itself within the normal 4 to 10 days. 3. Alters uterine lining. The chemicals retard normal build-up of nutriments on the uterine (womb) wall, leaving the newly fertilized egg (baby) without nourishment, causing its death and elimination in the menstrual period. B. Barrier 1. Condoms. A latex "balloon" is placed over the male's penis in an effort to capture all of the sperm on ejaculation. 2. Diaphragm. A soft latex device placed within the vagina in an effort to seal off access by the male's sperm into the uterus and fallopian tubes. 3. Cervical cap. A latex cover, or cap is placed over the cervix of the woman in an effort to restrain sperm from reaching the egg. A seldom used method. 4. Sponge. A sponge is placed in the vagina in an attempt to absorb the sperm before they reach the egg. A seldom used method. 5. Anti-sperm jellies, foams, and creams. Liquids placed within the vagina in an effort to intercept and kill sperm. C. Intrauterine device Copper coated tubes or other foreign objects are placed in the uterus in order to cause a minor irritation or infection of the uterus wall. The device does nothing to disrupt ovulation, the menstrual cycle, or to thicken the cervical mucus. Sperm reach and fertilize the ovum (egg), but the newly conceived baby is unable to attach to the infected or irritated uterus wall for development. Thus, the baby is flushed out of the woman's body. It is, therefore, not a "barrier" method. D. Fertility Cycle Planning, also known as Natural Family Planning (NFP). There is only a 24 to 72 hour period each month when a woman's egg/ovum is capable of being fertilized. NFP, therefore, is the timing of intercourse based upon the number of days in a woman's monthly menstrual period in an effort to either seek or to avoid pregnancy for that month. Need more information? Try Couple to Couple League. Also, Natural Fertility Regulation in a Nutshell, by Lloyd Duplantis. Are They Safe? Some women experience no immediate side effects from birth control devices. Some women, however, do suffer side effects. Norplant: Lawsuits by approximately 30,000 women injured by Norplant are now pending in a South Texas state court. Source: The Associated Press, August 8, 1997. "The Pill": "An increased risk of thromboembolic and thrombotic diseases associated with the use of oral contraceptives is well established." PDR 1997, p. 2564. "Warning: Cigarette smoking increases the risk of serious cardiovascular side effects from oral contraceptive use." PDR 1997, p. 2563. Depo-Provera: "A significant increase in incidence of polysyndactyly and chromosomal anomalies [birth defects] were observed among infants of DEPO-PROVERA users, the former being most pronounced in women under 30 years of age. . . . Several reports suggest an association between intrauterine exposure to progestational drugs in the first trimester of pregnancy and genital abnormalities in male and female fetuses." PDR 1995, pp. 2543-2546. "Because no long-term studies have yet examined this question, especially in the case of women under the age of 18, no one knows how often the use of this injection can result in permanent sterilization." "Patient Counseling with DMPA," The Contraception Report, Vol. 6, #5, 11/95. "In 1990, in Issues in Reproductive Genetic Engineering, Claire D.F. Parsons recorded the following complaints from women who had used Depo-Provera: 'headaches, abdominal discomfort, anxiety and nervousness, adrenal suppression, weight gain, hair loss, decreased libido, mood swings, dizziness, fatigue, allergic reactions and severe mental depression. Such effects cannot be reversed quickly.'" Claire D.F. Parsons, "Drugs, Science, and Ethics: Lessons From the Depo-Provera Story," Issues in Reproductive and Genetics Engineering, Vol. 3, #2, 1990, pp. 101-110. Intrauterine Devices: "Reports indicate an increased incidence of septic abortion with septicervia, septic shock and death in patients becoming pregnant with an IUD in place" PDR 1997, p. 1936. Condoms and Diaphragms: They are made of latex. In October of 1997, The Wall Street Journal reported that the Center for Disease Control, Atlanta, Georgia, has concluded that all medical devices (gloves, etc.) made of latex must now be labeled with a warning that latex can cause allergic reaction. More information on this subject can be found at http://www.pals.net
Definitions (AHD = American Heritage Dictionary. PDR = Physician's Desk Reference. WD = Explanation furnished by the publisher, Wonderful Days.) Abortifacient (a-bort-i-fa-cient): anything used to induce abortion. AHD. It also means preventing the fertilized egg/zygote from being able to implant into the uterine wall and grow to maturity, WD. Anti-implantational: A drug or device serving to prevent the fertilized egg (zygote) from implanting on the wall of the uterus in order to obtain nourishment, WD. Barrier methods and devices: Condoms, diaphragms, cervical caps, and anti-sperm methods such as the sponge, jellies, foams, and creams which prevent sperm from reaching and fertilizing an egg, WD. Breakthrough Ovulation: An egg emitting from the ovary despite the fact the ovary had been motivated, by birth control drugs, not to emit an egg, WD. Conception: The formation of a zygote...an embryo..., a beginning capable of survival and maturation in normal conditions, AHD. Contraception: Prevention of conception, capable of preventing conception, WD. Contraceptive birth control: Preventing birth by preventing the sperm from fertilizing the ovum, thus forming a baby, WD. Ectopic Pregnancy: An improper, death-threatening pregnancy in the fallopian tubes rather than in the womb, WD. Endometrium: The lining of the uterus, AHD. Estrogen: Any of several steroid hormones produced chiefly by the ovary and responsible for promoting estra and the development and maintenance of female secondary sex characteristics, AHD. Fertilization: The process in which two gametes unite to form a zygote, AHD. Gamete: A cell possessing chromosomes; a mature sperm or egg capable of participating in fertilization. [Note: the Greek word gamete means wife, the Greek word gametes means husband, and the Greek word gamos means marriage. ] AHD. Hormone: A substance formed by one organ and conveyed, as by the bloodstream, to another, which it stimulates to function by means of its chemical activity, AHD. "Mini-Pills": A birth control pill which contains only progesterone. Regular birth control pills contain progesterone and estrogen, WD. Ovulation: The release of an egg from the ovary. "The Pill": One of over 40 chemical pills taken orally to prevent birth by (1) suppressing ovulation, (2) preventing sperm reaching the egg by thickening the mucus, and (3) making the uterus (endometrium) unable to receive and nourish the fertilized egg (baby), WD. Progesterone: A female hormone secreted by the corpus luteum of the ovary prior to implantation of the fertilized egg, AHD. Zygote: The cell formed by the union of two gametes. The organism that develops from such a cell as characterized by its genetic constitution and subsequent development, AHD. NATURAL FERTILITY REGULATION
And, remember:
*It is recommended that anyone who chooses to use one of the natural methods of fertility control attend a formal class. **For greater accuracy, a woman should always mark these signs and symptoms on a chart or calendar.
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