New science shows the tiny tablet does way
more than just prevent pregnancy – it affects your body and mind in complex
ways, both good and bad
The first women who took the birth-control
Pill – way back in the Sixties – experienced life-changing empowerment with
their reproductive freedom. But today, the responsible, educated part of the
population takes the common contraceptive without much thought. Not ideal, as
it turns out, since the Pill has now been found to affect everything from your
bones to your brain to, yes, your sex appeal.
The combination Pill works by tricking your
body (via artificial versions of the female hormones oestrogen and
progesterone) into thinking it has already ovulated. In other words, your ovaries
don’t release a monthly egg (sorry, eager-beaver sperm). The process sounds
deceptively simple, and it works. But the steady levels of excess hormones
floating through your blood-stream are doing much more than pushing the pause
button on reproduction.
How the Pill changes your looks
Recent studies confirm the Pill can alter
your appearance – but not as much as you might think, thanks to new varieties
with lower doses of hormones.
The skin solution
The Pill has long been rumoured to clear up
pimples and, indeed, studies show that artificial oestrogen can spur the
production of sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), which lowers testosterone
levels. Because testosterone ups your body’s output of sebum – the
pore-clogging stuff that can lead to zits – the less you have of the hormone,
the clearer your skin might look.
The weight-gain debate
In the past, if you took the Pill you could
expect to pack on a few kilos. Early versions were full of high doses of
oestrogen, which may prompt the kidneys to step up water retention. The result:
bloat. Lots of artificial oestrogen may also encourage breast tissue growth,
leading to a bumped-up bra size. But recent research shows that low-dose Pills
(some with less than half the amount of hormones in the original kinds) are
just as effective at preventing pregnancy. And a US study found that women on
low-dose Pills didn’t gain any more weight than women in a control group.
Despite this reassurance, weight gain remains a top concern for would-be Pill
takers, says gynaecologist Dr Suzanne Gilberg-Lenz.
How the Pill changes your health
News reports have made much of the Pill’s
effects on bones and blood clots. Here’s what the science really says.
The bone truth
A 2010 study found that young women on
low-dose oestrogen Pills had a six percent lower spinal bone density than
non-users. What’s happening? Natural oestrogen peaks can stimulate bone growth,
but the Pill keeps oestrogen levels steady, says study author Dr Delia Scholes.
“What we don’t know,” says Scholes, “is what happens to your bones when you
quit the Pill.” In other words, though it might negatively affect bones,
there’s no proof that taking the Pill leads to osteoporosis or bone fractures.
The blood clot connection
It’s true that Pill users are at a slightly
higher risk for venous thromboembolism (VTE), blood clots that form in the
legs. But your risk depends on the kind of Pill you take: a study in the
British Medical Journal found that women on kinds with drospirenone – a new
type of articial progesterone – were about three times more likely to develop
certain VTEs than those who took Pills with an older progesterone called
levonorgestrel. Still, even with drospirenone, the rate is only three in
10,000. That slim possibility “shouldn’t be a deal breaker or paralyse someone
from taking the Pill,” says gynaecologist Dr Ashlesha Patel. If you have a
family history of clots or if you smoke – a major no-no when you’re on the Pill
– be sure to talk with your gynae about all the ingredients in your potential
prescription.
The cancer risk
Whether or not the Pill’s artificial
oestrogen increases a woman’s breast cancer risk is still up for debate. A
recent Boston University study found that some Pill takers had a 65 percent
higher risk of developing oestrogen receptor-negative breast cancer than
non-takers; however, a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine
found the opposite – that past or current Pill use did not affect breast cancer
risk. (The current bottom line is that if you’re already at high risk – if you
have a family history, for instance – you should always get a second opinion
before taking the Pill.) Some much better news: studies evaluating Pill users’
risks of developing other cancers are clear-cut. Taking the Pill may decrease
your risk for ovarian cancer by 50 percent, as well as slash your risk for
endometrial cancer by more than 40 percent.
