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| No | 79% | 312 votes | Total: 396 votes | |
| Yes | 21% | 84 votes |
No
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Add to FavoritesI truly believe it cannot be healthy to alter the body's natural rhythm. I remember when the pill came out and there was so much controversy about the safety of taking an oral contraceptive. There were so many unanswered questions about it's safety and how it would affect the woman's body, that I believe this new contraceptive will visit this issue again.
The body uses the menstrual cycle to cleanse the woman's body and prepare her for conception. How in the long-run will this affect her if she stop that natural flow? Will she still be able to conceive children when she stops taking the pill?
I understand the convenience this pill offers, no monthly cramps, mood swings or time of the month worries but at what price? There have been many different consequences to contraceptives. In some cases contraceptives have been linked to cancer plus damage to kidneys and the liver. So how can women believe they are safe if they alter their body's natural flow?
How will this contraceptive affect the women after their child bearing years as they approach menopause? The question of the woman's body being able to adjust back to the normal rhythm would is what stands out in my mind. We go through the natural process for a reason at every stage in our lives. Menopause is hard enough without fighting the hormonal beast because we altered our body for convenience sake. Will the women taking this pill need to take extra hormones to make up for what this pill has not allowed the body to reproduce naturally? What physical and mental affects will emerge as this pill is no longer taken? We all know hormonal changes affect us in numerous ways.
Reading back over this response to this debate one would think I was totally against women taking an oral contraceptive but that is not the case. I have taken birth control pills also. There are benefits for some such as easing cramping, regulating the menstrual cycle and preventing unwanted pregnancy, however I would advise caution when dealing with stopping the body's natural flow altogether.
This is a subject women should thoroughly discuss with their gynecologist. They can explain the pros and cons of the contraceptive from a medical standpoint. Ultimately it will be the woman's choice as to what risk she is willing to take with her body.
So until this issue is studied longer, say another 20 years, with little or no controversy as to the side affects on the woman's body, my answer to the health benefits will remain skeptical. This new generation gambling on convenience verses natural rhythm may be facing hormonal chaos in the future.
Learn more about this author, Dee Cain.
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Yes
When I was 13 I got my first visit from my monthly aunt'. It was not the beautiful transition into womanhood that I expected. It was painful, messy and the worst week of my life and the truly distressing part was that it would happen every 28 days for the next 30 years. Over the next three years, every month I dealt with the mood swings, anxiety, the unavoidable anemia, and the physical pain. Then my lovely doctor put me on the pill and it was the greatest thing ever.
My periods became lighter, the cramps were more bearable and I was actually able to function. It was great. Even greater was my doctor told me not to take the one week break in-between pills. I was to keep taking the pill consecutive for three months. After that time I was to take the one week break and then repeat the three month pattern until otherwise advised. This meant that I would only get my period four times a year. The reason for this was my anemia. Apparently I was losing too much blood and I needed to give my body time to recuperate and reproduce the red blood cells that I had lost.
This really concerned me but my doctor reassured me that it was fine. The cases of anemia amongst menstruating women had increased exponentially over that last 100 years. And as my doctor explained it to me it was because women were starting to menstruate earlier and longer. Instead of starting your period at the age of 13, going through childbirth in your twenties and experiencing menopause at the approximate age of 40; women were getting their periods at 9, going through childbearing closer to thirty and experiencing menopause around the age of 50. The additional years of menstruating was wreaking havoc of the female body.
The additional years of strain were unnecessary and by using the pill to regulate how many times a year a woman menstruates, provides the body with additional time to recuperate. It produces a cycle that more closely resembles the way women's bodies operated 30 years ago versus the cycle that many women are experiencing currently.
Also, the new pill is not stopping your period it is regulating your cycle. So if you were to stop using it your cycle would return to what it was previously. The pill is not eliminating your ability to have children; rather if it is used correctly it is just postponing your ability to have children until you are ready. It does not pose any long term health dangers, on the contrary, it may prove to be extremely beneficial to many women.
For me, having four periods a year is a godsend. It is something that perfectly fits into my life. However, with anything concerning reproductive health, it is a personal decision that one must make after reviewing all the available information.
Learn more about this author, Sila Anton.
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