oral contraceptives Archives - Page 3 of 4

Take these pills!

by Lisa Graham

Published on June 14, 2013

2224 views

Good morning young lady
Please lie on this slab
It really won’t hurt, not a bit –
Please relax.

I see nothing wrong,
no reason for pain –
However some women
do tend to complain.

Here, take this packet,
it’s commonly used
by women with many more
problems than you.

Some pain is just normal,
no reason to fuss –
just take these small pills
and return in three months.

If this doesn’t work, we’ve got
more you can try.
If you’re sad that is normal –
it’s normal to cry.

It’s normal to suffer-
you must be very weak.
Other women, just like you,
tough it out, so to speak.

These pills are quite safe.
They prevent any pain.
This means what you feel
must be caused by your brain.

Lisa lives in Homer Alaska with her amazing husband, and is an advocate for endometriosis awareness, education, and higher standards for women’s health worldwide. She works in Quality Assurance, and she dreams of saving the world with poetry and organic vegetables. She is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Project Management.

Crowdsourced Women’s Health Research

by Chandler Marrs, PhD

Published on March 12, 2013

20831 views

A dirty little secret in the world of women’s health – there are relatively few data guiding medical decision-making. Indeed, across all medical specialties the auspices of evidence-based are crumbling quickly in the face of open access and open science. Recent reports suggest less than 50% of all medical treatments have any data to support their efficacy. Of that evidence, much could be suspect given the rampant payments from pharmaceutical and device companies to physicians and other decision-makers, plus the well-documented publishing bias and even fraud plaguing the scientific publishing industry.

In women’s health, matters are even worse. Not only are evidenced-based, clinical practice guidelines nearly non-existent in Ob/Gyn (only 30% of practice guidelines based on data) and women still not included in early stage clinical trials in sufficient numbers, but regulatory agencies do not mandate gender analytics for new medications. The result, post market adverse events – think death and disabling injury – are more common in women than men.

Why do women die and suffer from adverse events at a much higher rate than men? Because most medications reach the market without having ever done the appropriate testing or analytics to distinguish why women might respond to said medications differently than men. Even in the lab, male rodents are used about 90% of the time.

What about medications developed specifically for women? These too are poorly understood, mostly because the outcome variables are not focused on the totality of women’s health. For example, it is important that oral contraceptives prevent pregnancy, but it is equally important that they don’t cause blood clots, stroke, heart attack or cancer. And if blood clots, stroke, heart attack or cancer are deemed acceptable risks for birth control (and I don’t think they are), then shouldn’t we know which pills are the most dangerous and which women are most at risk?

One cannot manage, what one does not measure and we don’t measure critical components of women’s health. We also don’t track adverse events or side-effects very well. Question: have you ever reported a side-effect to a doctor? Do you know if he/she reported it to the FDA, the CDC or any other adverse events registry? Probably not, and that is the problem.

If you knew you had a 20 times higher risk of stroke or heart attack for one medication versus another, would you choose differently? I bet you would, but as medical consumers, we don’t have that information. In many cases, those data don’t exist.

That’s where crowdsourced research comes in. At Lucine, the parent company of Hormones Matter, we think the lack of data in women’s healthcare is unacceptable. We know that the larger companies who sell these products have no motivation to gather or make public these type of data – too many billions of dollars are at stake – and so, it is up to us, the women who need safe health products, to be the change agents.

The simple act of completing surveys on critical topics in women’s health can and will save lives. Your data will tell a story. Add that to the data from hundreds, and hopefully thousands of other women, from all over the world and from all walks of life and we will be able to determine which medications, devices or therapies work, which ones don’t. We can give women the information needed to make informed medical decisions.

We are currently running four women’s health surveys, but plan on running many more. So check back regularly. If you qualify for any or all, take a few minutes and add your data. If you don’t qualify for these, share these surveys with your friends and family through social media. The more data we can gather, the more clear our medication choices will become.

Health Surveys for Real Women

Oral Contraceptives Survey

Oral contraceptives (birth control pills) are used by 98% of the female population at some point in their lives. They are prescribed for a myriad of reasons unrelated to pregnancy prevention. Sometimes they work; sometimes they don’t. Wouldn’t it be nice if we knew which brands of birth control pills worked for which conditions? Better yet, wouldn’t it great if we could avoid the pills that didn’t work, made a particular condition worse or had a higher than average side-effect profile? Take this survey if you have ever used oral contraceptives. Help determine which birth control pills are safest and have the fewest side-effects. You may save another woman’s life and health.

The Hysterectomy Survey

By the age of 60 one in three women will have had a hysterectomy. Hysterectomy is one of the most common surgical procedures for a range of women’s health conditions. For some conditions, hysterectomy works wonders. While, for other conditions it is only nominally successful. The purpose of the hysterectomy survey is to learn more about why hysterectomy works for some women’s health conditions and not others. We’d also like to learn more about the long term health affects of hysterectomy – does a woman who has had a hysterectomy have a higher or lower risk of other health conditions? Take this survey and help improve women’s health.

The Gardasil Cervarix Survey

Women and their physicians need more data about the side-effects of the HPV vaccines, Gardasil and Cervarix. There is a lack of data about who is at risk for adverse events and whether certain pre-existing conditions increase one’s risk for an adverse event. There is also a lack of data about the long term health effects of these vaccines. The purpose of this survey is to fill that data void; to learn more about the risks for, and nature of, adverse events associated with each of the HPV vaccines, Gardasil and Cervarix. Take this survey and help improve women’s health options.

The Lupron Side Effects Survey

Leuprolide, more commonly known as Lupron, is the GnRH agonist prescribed for endometriosis, uterine fibroids or cysts, undiagnosed pelvic pain, precocious puberty, during infertility treatments, and to treat some cancers. It induces a menopause like state stopping menstruation and ovulation. It’s widespread use for pain-related female reproductive disorders such as endometriosis or fibroids is not well supported with very few studies indicating its efficacy in either reducing pain or diagnosing endometriosis or other pelvic pain conditions. Conversely, reports of safety issues are mounting, especially within the patient communities. The Lupron Side Effects Survey was designed to determine the range, rate and severity of side-effects and adverse events associated with Lupron use in women.

All surveys are anonymous and participation is voluntary. More information about individual surveys can be found: Oral Contraceptives Survey, The Hysterectomy Survey, The Gardasil Cervarix HPV Vaccine Survey.

Visit our Take a Health Survey page for new surveys and updates or better yet, sign up to receive our weekly newsletter for all the latest research and hot topics pertaining to women’s health.

Look Beyond Access – Demand Safe Birth Control

by Chandler Marrs, PhD

Published on February 21, 2013

4663 views

Fair warning, this may get ugly. I’m mad. Bayer just announced the next in a long line of dangerous hormonal birth control options the Skyla IUD. Though not much different from the currently embattled and lawsuit ridden Mirena (which tends to dislodge and cause hemorrhage among other things) and likely not much safer than their oral contraceptives – the Yasmin line ($700 million in lawsuit settlements and counting) – women’s health and feminist groups are jumping on the support bandwagon. Now younger women can get a (dangerous) IUD too (Skyla happens to be just a hair smaller than Mirena), yippee.

Wake up, ladies. Medical devices and pharmaceuticals are not shiny new iPads. We cannot blindly support and recommend each and every new product in this market.

The fight to give women access to birth control as a point of equality is dead on and much needed, but ignoring the safety issues and not demanding safer birth control options is just downright negligent. Advertising these birth control options without understanding the serious dangers makes us pawns of pharmaceutical industry and complicit in the deaths and injuries of the women who use these devices and medications.

Women need birth control options. I support that – wholeheartedly. I am a child of the 80s-90s when access to oral contraceptives was unquestioned. Access to birth control allowed me to compete against guys in my chosen sport, allowed me to date, to pursue academic and career goals without worrying about pregnancy. Easy access to oral contraceptives also, unbeknownst to me, elevated my blood pressure to dangerously high levels, caused progressively worse vertigo and syncope to the point of multiple hospitalizations, tests and desperation. I stopped taking oral contraceptives and all of the symptoms resolved. It wasn’t until years later that I understood the connection.

Like so many others, my physicians and I were blind to the legitimate dangers of hormonal birth control. Sure we’ve all read the package inserts (which are really the tip of the adverse event iceberg), but in a sort of cognitive dissonance we dismiss the side-effects as happening to someone else or as something to be tolerated in exchange for our freedom. Physicians often downplay the dangers hormonal birth control, even today, as more research comes to light.

Imagine, pregnancy versus possible death from cardiac arrest, stroke or a myriad of other adverse events; that is the choice we make daily when using hormonal birth control. We shouldn’t have to make that choice. As educated women and modern feminists we must be able to distinguish between fighting for the absolute right to have access to birth control from a stance that says all birth control options are good and safe. The later is most certainly not the case.

Not all contraceptives are created equal. Some really and truly, should not be on the market. Even among the safer birth control options, there are dangers. We should be fighting for more research, for better and safer birth control options and not promoting each new pill or device that comes on the market. Just because it’s new and the makers say it is safe does not make it so. The pharmaceutical industry has a long history of publishing only positive results for their products (here, here, here) and paying physicians to promote their products. If ever there were a buyer beware, it would be here – with birth control.

Finally, we should be boycotting companies like Bayer who continue to put women’s lives at risk. We boycotted Rush Limbaugh and the Koch brothers for their anti-women statements, why are we not as aggressive when it comes to companies that seriously injure women? At the very least, we should not be promoting their latest, greatest assault on women’s health. Bayer is the maker of the Yasmin line of birth control, arguably the most dangerous line of oral contraceptives on the market. Bayer is also the maker of Mirena, the hormonal IUD with on-going class action lawsuits due to serious adverse events. Skyla is almost equivalent to Mirena and is simply repackaging and re-branding of that old, soon to be off-patent, dangerous IUD. It is neither new nor innovative and it remains to be seen whether it is any safer. What are we doing ladies?

Post Script: Hormones Matter^TM is taking the safety of birth control into its own hands. We find it unacceptable that the adverse events of many birth control options are poorly understood, that medication interactions are not investigated and that oral contraceptives (like many other medications in women’s health) are regularly prescribed for uses for which there are no data to support their efficacy. We are conducting our first of many studies on oral contraceptives and women’s health issues. If you have ever used oral contraceptives, whether you had any side-effects or not, please take the Oral Contraceptives Survey. Another woman’s life may depend upon it.

About us: We are an unfunded company, committed to improving women’s health through research. We believe so strongly in the need for better research that rather than wait for funding, we’re doing the research anyway. We are crowdsourcing this research and would be much appreciative if you would also share the link throughout your social media networks. To take another health survey, click: Take a Health Survey.

To suggest a survey, help create a survey, write a guest post or otherwise get involved: info@hormonesmatter.com

Real Risk Study: Birth Control and Blood Clots

Lucine Health Sciences and Hormones Matter are conducting research to investigate the relationship between hormonal birth control and blood clots. If you or a loved one have suffered from a blood clot while using hormonal birth control, please consider participating. We are also looking for participants who have been using hormonal birth control for at least one year and have NOT had a blood clot, as well as women who have NEVER used hormonal birth control. For more information or to participate, click here.

Over the Counter Birth Control Pills

by Chandler Marrs, PhD

Published on December 10, 2012

2970 views

Should birth control pills be available over the counter? In an unexpected and likely controversial position statement, the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) announced its desire to see birth control pills sold over-the-counter (OTC). Stating that “oral contraceptives are very safe, and data show women can make these decisions for themselves.” Dr. Kavita Nanda who co-wrote ACOG’s paper, suggested that OTC birth control pills could reduce the rate unintended pregnancy significantly and save the nation $11 billion annually.

The bold move from prescription birth control pills to OTC is sure to remove barriers, provided the to-consumer pricing doesn’t skyrocket as is often the case when medications are sold OTC. Given the ongoing politicization of women’s reproductive health, returning the control of women’s health to women’s hands would be a laudable move and might even turn the volume down on current debates.

Imagine if birth control decisions were entirely personal and unhindered by political whims. Consider that greater access to birth control might be the key to reducing unintended or unwanted pregnancies. The availability of OTC birth control pills could be a very positive development for women’s health.

Are Oral Contraceptives Safe Enough to be OTC?

Unlike other over-the-counter medicines like ibuprofen that represent a single compound to be used for specific ailments – pain and inflammation – there are dozens of different birth control pills. Birth control pills are prescribed for an ever-increasing list of female ailments beyond simply preventing pregnancy. The question of whether birth control pills are safe must take into consideration the specific compound, dosage and woman. Some oral contraceptives have better safety profiles than others and some are quite dangerous (See Here).

Within the current market, determining which pill works best for which women, even in the doctor’s office, is a trial-and-error process. Much of the medication safety information is provided through the marketing channels of the product manufactures and–as has been reported here–those data are frequently biased and sometimes fraudulent. In that light, letting women self-select the appropriate birth control pill may be no worse than the current sub-optimal process.

Over-the-Counter Birth Control in Other Countries

In other countries where for-prescription regulations are not enforced, oral contraceptives and other medications may be purchased over the counter already. Numerous studies suggest women are capable of self-screening for the contraindications or risk factors associated oral contraceptives. This supports the argument that women can manage their own oral contraceptive use, at least for its intended purpose of preventing pregnancy. Whether women would continue to utilize oral contraceptives for the myriad of other conditions for which these pills are currently prescribed, remains unclear.

Though no data exists for oral contraceptive usage, ease of access to non-prescription medication shows a direct relationship to the use and abuse of prescription medications and mortality by overdose. That is, countries with strictly enforced prescription drug laws (the US, Canada) have higher prescription use rates and higher mortality from overdose with no concomitant decrease in morbidity or mortality by disease or really any overall improvement in health. These data suggest that as prescription requirements loosen, use of more potent medications decreases. In the case of oral contraceptives, it is possible that OTC access could reduce the current trend of utilizing oral contraceptives as the magic pill that treats all reproductive disorders. This could be good thing for women, but it may not be a good thing for industry.

The Economics of Birth Control

Social and political benefits aside, women’s reproductive health is a market. Unlike other markets affected negatively by the economic downturn, the birth control market appears untouched, even bolstered. Sales of oral contraceptives are expected to reach $17.2 billion worldwide within the next few years. As one of the most commonly (over)prescribed medications in women’s health, oral contraceptives are used as a first line of treatment for a range of conditions unrelated to birth control. One has to wonder why the organization that controls access to this medication in the US would want to lose such a lucrative cash cow.

For millions of healthy women, the annual exam to renew one’s birth control prescription is the only reason to visit a physician. For the millions of other women with endometriosis, PCOS, PMS, and a host of other common conditions, oral contraceptives remain the first and sometimes only line of treatment. Selling oral contraceptives OTC would effectively remove those business segments from the gynecologist’s bottom line. When combined with other market segment encroachments on the business of obstetrics and gynecology (midwifery for healthy birth and maternal-fetal medicine for complicated birth), from a purely economic and albeit cynical standpoint, it is perplexing that that this organization would give away the largest remaining revenue stream of its members.

The economic drivers from the pharmaceutical industry’s perspective are no less perplexing. If priced correctly, over the counter oral contraceptives could increase sales–especially to lower income women who were previously locked out of the market by lack of insurance or access to healthcare providers. However, OTC access might also reduce the growing percentage of ‘off-label’ uses. For an industry unaccustomed to R&D in this sector, (why develop specialized therapeutics for the array of women’s health conditions, when birth control pills can be prescribed for all), the move to OTC could have serious financial ramifications.

There must an economic upside for these organizations, but for the life of me, I cannot figure it out.

Real Risk Study: Birth Control and Blood Clots

Lucine Health Sciences and Hormones Matter are conducting research to investigate the relationship between hormonal birth control and blood clots. If you or a loved one have suffered from a blood clot while using hormonal birth control, please consider participating. We are also looking for participants who have been using hormonal birth control for at least one year and have NOT had a blood clot, as well as women who have NEVER used hormonal birth control. For more information or to participate, click here.

Quick News: Oral Contraceptives and Staphylococcus Infections

by Chandler Marrs, PhD

Published on October 13, 2012

2537 views

A reader asked us if there was a connection between oral contraceptives, recurrent yeast infections and/or the rate of general illness. At the time, we were unable to find any research on these topics. Indeed, the only studies we could find on oral contraceptives and yeast infections were either conducted 40 years ago or on rodents.

However, just this week we found a study published last month showing that women taking oral contraceptives were almost twice as likely to be persistent carriers of nasal staphylococcus aureus than women who were oral contraceptive free or men. Staphylococcus or staph, is the bacteria that causes a host of infections including the MRSA or methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus strain that is resistant to antibiotics. The two most common locations for this pathogen to reside are in the nose and on the skin.

Carrier Status and Infection

Approximately 20% of the population are persistent carriers of s. aureus, increasing their risk for infection especially with surgical procedures or when combined with impaired immune function. About 30% of the population are intermittent carriers and 50% of the population are non-carriers.

The increased rate of persistent carrier status in women who use oral contraceptives is notable especially considering the rise in MRSA infections observed in athletes and emanating from locker rooms. Oral contraceptive use is common among female athletes. A recent study indicated a significantly higher prevalence of MRSA bacteria on the surfaces of women’s locker rooms, compared to men’s locker rooms.

Our reader’s observation that while on the pill she seemed more susceptible to illness might very well be correct. Whether oral contraceptives are linked to recurring yeast infections remains unclear. What is clear, however, is that much more research must be done on the interaction between oral contraceptives and immune function.

Can Hormonal Contraceptives Affect Your Relationship?

by Elena Perez

Published on September 26, 2012

1628 views

So you think you’ve met the perfect man: You complete each other’s sentences, you both love David Sedaris, and he’s destined to be the father of your children. But before you start planning your wedding date, you need to stop and consider your hormones.

Your Menstrual Cycle Affects Preferences

It’s been established that a woman’s preference in male characteristics and traits changes according to her menstrual cycle.

In 1999, Nature published a study that found the menstrual cycle alters a woman’s preference in male facial features. Women are more likely to prefer masculine features, which represent the partner’s immunological competence, or the ability to resist and fight off disease, during the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle.

Since women are more likely to conceive during the last five days of the follicular phase, which ends in ovulation, researchers believe the preference in masculine features is an evolutionary strategy aimed at benefiting her offspring.

There are a number of studies that have shown women prefer the scent of men with symmetrical features when they are most fertile: right before and after ovulation. Symmetrical features are thought to be indicators of good traits, which, again, would be more important when a woman is fertile and traits can be passed down to offspring.

But for long-term relationships, women preferred men with feminine features. Women in the study felt men with feminine features were more likely to contribute to parental care, which would benefit themselves.

What About Women on the Pill?

Women who are not on the pill are influenced by their menstrual cycle when choosing their mates, selecting traits that either indicate a man has good genes or dependable characteristics. Oral contraception, however, is thought to suppress these shifting interests, but does it matter?

A study published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences tested the quality and longevity of relationships based on whether or not women were using oral contraceptives when they chose their partners. The researchers found that hormonal contraceptives were, in fact, likely to affect the outcome of the relationships.

The researchers reported that women who selected their mates while using oral contraceptives were less sexually satisfied and less attracted to their partners than the women who formed partnerships when they were not on the pill. Indeed, women who met their partners while on the pill experienced an increase in sexual dissatisfaction as the relationship continued. Moreover, if the relationships didn’t last, the women who used hormonal contraceptives when picking their partners were more often the ones to break it off.

These same women, however, were more satisfied with the non-sexual aspects of their relationships, such as their partners’ ability to provide for the family financially, which resulted in longer-lasting relationships that were less likely to end in separation.

Scientists believe these results are due to oral contraceptives’ ability to suppress a woman’s natural inclination towards masculinity or dominance while fertile. Instead, women taking the pill are content forming partnerships with men who have characteristics of “high-quality paternal investment” (read: team players) because the hormonal contraceptives mimic the low-fertility phase of the menstrual cycle.

While partnering with a team player doesn’t seem like a bad alternative, sexual dissatisfaction may eventually outweigh any positive aspects of cooperation, which is something women may want to consider.

Thoughts on Hormonal Contraceptives

It seems that more women are looking for partners that are team players, but why is this? The modern woman wants a family and a career, and partnering with a team player would be the best way to maintain sanity. On the other hand, is it possible that we are searching for cooperative partners because we are influenced by the hormonal contraceptives we rely on to help plan our lives?

You may want to ask yourself, Was I on the pill when I met him? Researchers even suggest switching to non-hormonal contraceptives several months before saying “I do” to test your unwavering feelings for your partner.

Of course, the research emphasized that “the reasons for any relationship’s survival or dissolution are complex and not limited to contraceptive choice at its inception.” Nonetheless, the affect hormones have on our relationships is getting our attention.

Oral Contraceptives Linked to Heart Attack & Stroke

by Elena Perez

Published on September 15, 2012

2112 views

In June, researchers at the University of Copenhagen published the largest cohort study of hormonal contraceptives and their association with heart attacks and strokes. The study followed more than 1.6 million Danish women, ages 15 to 49, for a 15-year period between 1995 and 2009, allowing researchers to observe more than 14 million person-years, or the total number of years that oral contraceptives were used during this study.

The findings are worth mentioning.

Risk of Heart Attack and Thrombotic Stroke

Though researchers stated the risk of myocardial infarction (heart attack) and thrombotic stroke (stroke from blood clotting) was quite low, the study still showed a link between the two. Overall, 21 strokes and 10 heart attacks occurred for every 100,000 person-years of study.

The Type of Hormone Can Increase Risk

Women who took oral contraceptives with 20 micrograms of ethinyl estradiol increased their risk of heart attack by a factor of 1.7. Using 30 to 40 micrograms of ethinyl estradiol increased strokes by a factor of 1.3 and heart attacks by a factor of 2.3. The type of progestin, however, only changed the risk slightly, according to researchers.

Since the type of hormones used in oral contraceptives can increase the risk of heart attack or thrombotic stroke, women should ask their doctors about the dosage and types of hormones in their oral contraceptives and why the brand was chosen for them. It is important for women to question the prescriptions they are given, because FDA regulations may not be sufficient.

Yasmin is an example of a hormonal contraceptive that uses ethinyl estradiol. AdverseEvents.com has 16,546 adverse reports listed for Yasmin. Of these, 9,847 of the reports suspect that Yasmin is the primary reason for various illnesses, such as pulmonary embolism (blockage of the main artery of the lung), and deep vein thrombosis (blood clot in a deep vein).

In May of 2011, the FDA reported that studies show women using oral contraceptives with drospirenone are two to three times more likely to suffer from venous thromboembolism events (VTE), or blood clotting in the veins. The FDA stated it would evaluate results, but oral contraceptives that contain drospirenone, such as Yasmin, are still on the market.

Understanding the quantity and the type of hormones that are linked to adverse effects can help women determine which oral contraceptives are best for them. Bear in mind that a woman’s choice in oral contraceptives may change over time, depending on factors such as age.

Age Increases Risk of Heart Attack and Thrombotic Stroke

Women using oral contraceptives in the oldest age group, age 45 to 49, were found to have a higher risk of heart attack and thrombotic stroke than women in the youngest age group, between 15 and 19 years of age. The risk of thrombotic stroke increased by a factor of 20, while the risk of heart attack increased by a factor of 100 for women between the ages of 45 and 49.

The researchers felt this information was particularly important, since the risk of blood clotting and heart attack outweigh the risks of pregnancy. Risk of arterial thrombosis, or clotting of the arteries, increases after the age of 30, so women using oral contraceptives should be aware of the increased incidence of heart attack and stroke as they age, and may want to consider alternative forms of birth control.

Correlation Between Level of Education and Risk

The study also found that women with the highest level of education were less likely to have thrombotic strokes and heart attacks. In fact, educated women had half as many thrombotic strokes and only a third of the heart attacks as women with the lowest level of education.

There are a number of reasons that may account for why women with the highest level of education have a lower level of heart attacks and thrombotic stroke.

A study published in the International Journal of Epidemiology found that one’s socioeconomic status, which takes into consideration education and occupation, does affect diet and nutrition. If women with the highest level of education are more likely to eat healthy meals and minimize consumption of fried food, their diet could be the reason for the reduced the risk of heart attack and stroke.

It is also likely that women with higher levels of education exercise more, thereby improving their heart conditions. Women with higher educations may be more aware that exercise can help maintain good health. It is also possible that women with lower levels of education have longer work hours and less time to exercise, which could negatively impact coronary health.

In addition to diet and exercise, women with higher levels of education may be more likely to stay abreast of news and current events that highlight which habits are considered healthy (like meditation) or harmful (like smoking), which pharmaceutical drugs are being evaluated (like Yasmin), and who can be trusted to provide unbiased information (question everything).

Share the Knowledge

One of the main researchers, Dr. Lidegaard, received grant support from Bayer Pharma, while lecture fees and travel reimbursements were paid by Bayer Denmark. He also provided testimony in a US legal case involving oral contraceptives and venous thromboembolism. Bayer happens to be the pharmaceutical company that makes Yasmin, the oral contraception reported on AdverseEvents.com.

The other main researcher, Dr. Løkkegaard, received travel reimbursement from Pfizer, a pharmaceutical company that manufactures Lybrel, an oral contraceptive with 20 micrograms of ethinyl estradiol. The Material Safety Data Sheet for Lybrel acknowledges its association with myocardial infarction, strokes, and blood clotting of the veins.

Women who recognize that a conflict of interest may produce biased results may wonder how low the risk of myocardial infarction and thrombotic stroke really is. It’s important to ask questions. It’s important to share knowledge. One way to educate women is by spreading the word.

Female Divers and Decompression Illness (DCI)

by Elena Perez

Published on July 3, 2012

2175 views

I just finished a two-week research dive program at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography, which happened to be poorly timed: I started my period a few days into the program. I pulled the instructor aside and informed him of my upcoming menstrual flow, and he assured me it would not be a problem at all.

As far as sharks go, he was right. A woman’s period should not pose a problem since women lose a very small amount of blood during this time and, according to the Diver’s Alert Network (DAN), many shark species are not attracted to the blood anyhow.

As far as Decompression Illness, or DCI, goes, let’s just say I was fortunate.

Decompression Illness may be caused by Decompression Sickness (DCS) which results from nitrogen bubbles that remain in the tissues of the body after one has been in a high-pressure environment, like scuba diving in the ocean. The amount of nitrogen may build up if divers spend too much time at certain depths, scuba dive for too long, or ascend to the surface too quickly.

DCI may also be due to Arterial Gas Embolism (AGE), or gas bubbles in the bloodstream, which have the potential to block the flow of blood to the heart.

The impact DCI has on the body varies from joint pain to death, so divers make sure to reduce the risk of DCI by tracking nitrogen absorption and ascending to the surface slowly (this permits off-gassing, or releasing, of nitrogen bubbles).

Turns out, a woman is more susceptible to DCS during menstruation if she uses oral contraceptive pills, and I take oral contraceptives.

DAN and the British Hyperbaric Association looked at the statistics for 956 female divers with DCI and found that 38% of the women were menstruating when the incident occurred. Of those women, 85% were taking oral contraceptives. Though the data is inconclusive, it suggests that female divers taking the pill have an increased chance of DCI, and DAN suggests oral contraceptive pill-poppers partake in more conservative dives during menstruation.

Luckily, we were taught safe dive practices, and dove to conservative depths within reasonable bottom times. However, looking further into the subject brought to light something I should have known: Most of the health information provided for women divers are based on data from healthy, young men or animals, which is not necessarily adequate.

Dive tables that calculate the nitrogen absorbed by the body are based on the physique of male divers, who have, on average, a lower percentage of body fat than women. Fatty tissues absorb nitrogen at a slower rate than other parts of the body, such as the lungs and abdominal organs, which means they off-gas nitrogen more slowly as well.

Though it’s difficult to say whether these differences significantly increase a woman’s susceptibility to DCI, it does demonstrate how the medicine of diving has been primarily focused on men’s health in particular. Just like the ocean itself, the impact of scuba diving on women’s health is virtually uncharted territory.

Hormones Matter

Where health, hormones, and a whole bunch of other stuff, make sense.

oral contraceptives - Page 3

Take these pills!

Crowdsourced Women’s Health Research

Health Surveys for Real Women

Oral Contraceptives Survey

The Hysterectomy Survey

The Gardasil Cervarix Survey

The Lupron Side Effects Survey

Look Beyond Access – Demand Safe Birth Control

Real Risk Study: Birth Control and Blood Clots

Over the Counter Birth Control Pills

Are Oral Contraceptives Safe Enough to be OTC?

Over-the-Counter Birth Control in Other Countries

The Economics of Birth Control