Red Tent Sisters

The Globe & Mail's Article: Red Flag for Birth Control Patch

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080109.wlpatch09/BNStory/specialScienceandHealth/home

My first reaction to reading this article is let’s use the precautionary principle! I have concerns about the long term safety of using any hormonal contraceptive however, I realize that for many young women it is [or at least appears to be] the best option [of a series of bad options]. My concerns are reinforced by the article in which it’s written that “it's well known by the medical community that any hormone-based birth-control method can increase a woman's chances of blood clots, heart attack, stroke and other health problems”. What I learned from the article was that different types of hormonal birth control are cause for differing levels of concern. In fact “the FDA revealed in 2005 that the patch sold in the United States exposes women to 60 per cent more estrogen than birth-control pills do”. There is concern within the environmental cancer movement about the role elevated levels of estrogen plays in various forms of cancer.

Two sentences in particular jumped out at me when I read the article. First of all, the statement that “Janssen-Ortho issued a statement defending the safety of the patch, adding that all hormone-based contraceptive methods could cause health problems” made me cackle. Defending your product because all the products in your field [can] cause health problems is not the way to get my money! Secondly, a woman who got two blood clots in her lungs because of being on the patch said “‘if I had known [the potential risks], I would have had second thoughts,”’. The question is, would she have? We often know the potential risks of using pharmaceutical products [who hasn’t seen those ad’s with a list of potential side effects as long as the commercial itself, or the sheet from Shoppers Drug Mart about the 50 potential side effects of the drug prescribed] and perhaps like this woman said she would, we have second thoughts. Yet so often we plunge ahead anyway because while we don’t like the option presented to us we don’t see any other viable option.

Regarding the birth control patch or even the pill for that matter, we do have another option. This past Saturday I went to Amy’s introductory session about Fertility Awareness Methods [FAM]. Prior to the session “the Rhythm Method” was the only natural form of contraception I knew about and I really only vaguely knew about it; although I knew enough to know that it was considered to be not that reliable. On Saturday I learned about the difference between natural forms of contraception [including but not limited to retrospective methods like the Rhythm Method] and direct observation methods – of which the Justisse Method is one way to learn. While direct observation methods can be used for contraceptive or conception purposes I am not in the market for either; yet I am fascinated by the body literacy one learns through direct observation methods. Did you know that by becoming more intimate with one’s reproductive system and learning how to read its clues you can learn about food intolerances, vitamin deficiencies and overall health?! Whether you decide to rely on the Justisse approach exclusively or not, it is an amazing tool for learning how to work with your body. And regardless of where you are in your relationship with your reproductive system direct observation of your body [from a perspective of awe and respect] can only improve your health. As for helping myself along to my next stage of awareness I bough Justisse’s recently published [and inexpensive!] manual about coming off the pill – something I did long ago but the effects of which, I believe, are still felt by my body.

By Ellen Macro, Red Tent Sister Blogger

Labels: Birth Control, Contraception, Fertility Awareness, Justisse, Patches, Pills