Large-Scale Studies Give Best Information on Public Health ; The Biggest Women's Health Study Ever Done Finds That The Pill Really Isn't so Bad.
Posted on: Monday, 25 October 2004, 22:00 CDT
For years, women who have been concerned about an increased risk of heart disease and stroke have shied away from using birth control pills, or they've worried about what effect The Pill would have later in life.
Now, as it turns out, The Pill is actually much safer than previously thought. In fact, it may actually lower the risk of these cardiovascular diseases - and it may even cut the risk of cancer.
The research, gathered from nearly 162,000 participatants through the largest women's health study ever conducted, contradicts earlier findings.
That's why large-scale, comprehensive health studies are so important.
It was a longer-term study that resulted in Merck & Co.'s recent decision to pull the arthritis pain medication Vioxx, discovering that its users were more likely to develop cardiovascular problems over time than people taking placebos.
The Pill results came from the same gigantic federal study that discovered that women's use of hormones after menopause was often detrimental to their health.
The kind of hormones used - coupled with the woman's stage in life - could be what determines whether the drugs are harmful or helpful, doctors say. Body weight and whether a woman smokes also impacted The Pill's health benefits.
Researchers said that overall there's an 8 percent reduction in the risk of contracting cardovascular disease in women who ever used oral contraceptives. Those who took The Pill for four or more years actually had a 42 percent decreased risk of contracting ovarian cancer.
The study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, also found there was no increased risk of breast cancer among Pill users - another significant contradiction from earlier findings.
Such all-inclusive studies have shown their value in giving the public the information it need to make the best decisions about its health.
Source: Portland Press Herald
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