Contraceptives

The condom is the most commonly used barrier method of contraception in the world. However, studies reveal that 1 in 12 condom uses results in failure. Therefore, sexually active youths and adults are certain to be exposed, not only to becoming pregnant, but also to disease on a regular basis unless their partners are disease-free.

Within one year, women whose partners use condoms for contraception have a 15% chance of becoming pregnant, according to Contraception Technology and other top scientific sources. After two years, this means 28% have a pregnancy. After three years, 39%. After four years, it’s 48%. After five years, it’s 56%.

(Source: Human Life International)

Though the mainstream media and feminist groups typically present hormonal contraceptives as a boon for women, they overlook the serious side effects reported in mainstream scientific literature.

Regularly taking powerful steroids, which are what hormonal contraceptives from the pill to injectable Depo-Provera are, has tremendous impacts on the human body.

It should come as no surprise that they cause a long list of side effects, from minor ones like headaches to serious ones like severe depression and even death.

In fact, hormonal contraceptives such as the pill have been confirmed as carcinogens by the World Health Organization (WHO).  Everything said below about the pill applies to other female hormone-based contraceptives as well.

Side Effects:

• Anaphylaxis and anaphylactoid reactions
• sudden total or partial blindness
• deep vein thrombosis
• heart attacks
• liver, cervical and breast cancers
• stroke
• ectopic pregnancies
• pulmonary embolisms
• hypertension (high blood pressure)
• dizziness, vertigo and fainting
• abdominal discomfort, bloating and pain
• gall bladder problems, including gallstones
• inflammation of the pancreas
• nausea and vomiting
• fluid accumulation
• phlebitis (clots in the veins)
• insulin sensitivity
• elevated potassium levels
• migraine or severe headaches
• depression and mood swings
• breast pain and swelling
• a number of changes in menstruation patterns, including PMS and dysmenorrhea
• acne and rashes
• hair loss
• fatigue
• significant weight gain.

“World Health Organization.  ‘Carcinogenicity of Combined Hormonal Contraceptives and Combined Menopausal Treatment.’  Statement of September 2005.”

Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals.  “Highlights of Prescribing Information:  Yasmin,” April 2012; Janssen Pharmaceuticals.  “Micronor® Oral Contraceptive Tablets,” March 2012.

(Source Report: Human Life International)

The Depo-Provera injection, given to women and girls every three months as a contraceptive, actually causes abortion in some instances. Depo-Provera is a type of hormonal anti-fertility drug, and works in one of two ways: by preventing conception and thus having a contraceptive effect, or by preventing the implantation of an already-conceived child and thus ending the life of a new human being after conception.

Depo-Provera has three effects, only two of which are contraceptive.  The patient information insert for Depo-Provera says that it “inhibits the secretion of gonadotropins which, in turn, prevents follicular maturation and ovulation and results in endometrial thinning.” The endometrium is the lining of the uterus.  When it is “thinned,” it is rendered hostile to implantation.  This means that Depo-Provera sometimes acts as an abortifacient.

Like all steroid drugs powerful enough to impair fertility effectively, Depo-Provera can cause a host of side effects. Upjohn’s information pamphlet on Depo-Provera lists more than 60 adverse reactons suffered by women who use the compound.

(Source: Human Life International)

Intrauterine devices (IUDs)—usually used as a primary contraceptive method, but sometimes used as emergency contraception.

The current intrauterine device (IUD) is a small device, often ‘T’-shaped, containing either copper or levonorgestrel, which is inserted into the uterus. They are one form of long-acting reversible contraception which are the most effective types of reversible birth control.

Copper IUDs primarily work by disrupting sperm mobility and damaging sperm so that they are prevented from joining with an egg. Copper acts as a spermicide within the uterus, increasing levels of copper ions, prostaglandins, and white blood cells within the uterine and tubal fluids. The increased copper ions in the cervical mucus inhibit the sperm’s motility and viability, preventing sperm from traveling through the cervical mucus or destroying it as it passes through.

The hormonal I.U.D. does not increase bleeding as copper-containing IUDs do. Rather, they reduce menstrual bleeding or prevent menstruation altogether, and can be used as a treatment for (heavy periods).

Potential side effects of intrauterine devices include expulsion, uterus perforation,pelvic inflammatory disease (especially in the first 21 days after insertion), as well as irregular menstrual pattern. A small probability of pregnancy remains after IUD insertion, and when it occurs there’s a greater risk of ectopic pregnancy.

Substantial pain that needs active management occurs in approximately 17% of nulliparous women and approximately 11% of parous women. In such cases, NSAID are evidenced to be effective. However, no prophylactic analgesic drug have been found to effective for routine use for women undergoing IUD insertion.

Also, IUDs with progestogen confer an increased risk of ovarian cysts, and IUDs with copper confer an increased risk of heavier periods.

(Source: Wikipedia)

The skin patch is worn on the lower abdomen, buttocks, or upper body (but not on the breasts). This method is prescribed by a doctor. It releases hormones progestin and estrogen into the bloodstream. You put on a new patch once a week for three weeks. During the fourth week, you do not wear a patch, so you can have a menstrual period. Typical use failure rate: 9%, but may be higher in women who weigh more than 198 pounds.

(Source: Center for Disease Control)

Side Effects

In three large clinical trials involving a total of 3,330 women using the Ortho Evra / Evra patch for up to one year, 12% of users discontinued the patch because of adverse events. The most frequent adverse events leading to patch discontinuation were: nausea and/or vomiting (2.4%), application site reaction (1.9%), breast discomfort, engorgement or pain (1.9%), headache (1.1%), and emotional lability (1.0%).

The most frequent adverse events reported while using the Ortho Evra / Evra patch were:

• breast discomfort
• engorgement or pain (22%)
• headache (21%)
• application site reaction (17%)
• nausea (17%)
• upper respiratory tract infection (10%)
• menstrual cramps (10%)
• abdominal pain (9%)

(Source: Wikipedia)

The ring releases the hormones progestin and estrogen. You place the ring inside your vagina. You wear the ring for three weeks, take it out for the week you have your period, and then put in a new ring. Typical use failure rate: 9% (CDC).

Side Effects

In two large studies, over a one year period, 15.1% of users discontinued NuvaRing because of adverse events. Device-related adverse events (foreign object sensation, sexual problems, or expulsion) were the most frequently reported adverse events that resulted in discontinuation (by 2.5% of users). Device-related adverse events were reported at least once during the one year study period by 4.4% of NuvaRing users.

The most common adverse events reported by 5 to 14% of the 2501 women who used NuvaRing in five clinical trials were:

• vaginitis (14.1%)
• headache (9.8%)
• upper respiratory tract infection (8.0%)
• leukorrhea (5.8%)
• sinusitis (5.7%)
• nausea (5.2%)
• weight gain (4.9%)
• severe blood clots

(Source: Wikipedia)

Norplant is implanted under the skin in the upper arm of a woman, by creating a small incision and inserting the capsules in a fanlike shape.

Norplant works by preventing ovulation, which means that no eggs are released for fertilization, by thickening the mucus of the cervix, which prevents sperm from entering; and by thinning the lining of the uterus, which makes implantation of an embryo less likely.

The way in which Norplant causes these effects is by use of hormones. A small amount of the hormone progestin is released through the capsules continuously, more during the first year and a half, but then at a level similar to most contraceptive pills afterward. According to studies completed, Norplant has been shown to be 99% – 99.95% effective at preventing pregnancy, and is one of the most reliable, though not the most available, forms of birth control.

Side effects may include irregular menstrual periods for the first approximately three months, including periods lasting longer than normal bleeding, or spotting between periods heavy bleeding, or going with no period for the mentioned period of time.

• weight gain
• nervousness
• anxiety
• nausea
• vomiting
• mastalgia
• dizziness
• dermatitis/rash
• hirsutism
• scalp-hair loss
• headache
• depression
• acne
• Sometimes, pain, itching or infection at the site of the implant will occur
• Ovarian cysts may also occur, but usually do not require treatment, although they can cause pain even if benign

(Source: Wikipedia).

Emergency contraceptive pills (ECPs)—sometimes simply referred to as emergency contraceptives (ECs) or the “morning-after pill“—are drugs intended to disrupt or delay ovulation or fertilization, which are necessary for pregnancy.

Emergency contraceptive pills may contain higher doses of the same hormones (estrogens, progestins, or both) found in regular combined oral contraceptive pills. Taken after unprotected sexual intercourse or contraceptive failure, such higher doses may prevent pregnancy from occurring.

The phrase “morning-after pill” is a misnomer; ECPs are most effective when used shortly after intercourse. In terms of effectiveness: if 80 women became pregnant and used emergency contraceptive pills, roughly 20 women would remain pregnant after taking the pills.

Studies have found that condom use can decrease the chance of transmitting HIV are monogamous, still leaving a substantial risk. Condoms are less effective in preventing the spread of HIV when used by those who engage in high-risk behaviors such as promiscuity or sodomy.

Condoms cannot protect against diseases spread by skin-to-skin contact such as herpes and HPV. Even other diseases against which condoms are most effective still present significant risks.

The infection rate of syphilis drops from 1.86% to 0.65% with condom use, and that of gonorrhea drops from 15% to 8%. Condoms are even less effective against most other STDs.

(Source: Human Life International)