Significant Risks of Oral Contraceptives (OCPs)

Abstract

Pregnancy is not a disease. But more fundamentally, neither is human fertility. They are normal physiologic processes of the sexually mature person. By classifying pregnancy and fertility as disease states, certain entities are able to position contraception as "the cure." Currently, these same organizations want to include oral contraceptive counseling and medications in the new national health-care plan under a preventive care mandate. But it is the physician's role to counsel patients on preventive care measures. We understand that these evidenced-based screenings help to change risky behaviors and catch disease in its earliest stages, thereby reducing patients' overall morbidity and mortality. However, we believe that patients incur substantial health risks when choosing oral contraceptives (OCPs). This paper reviews the major risks of OCPs. The authors presume that the prevailing widespread acceptance and promotion of OCPs indicates general agreement within the medical community that OCPs are good for the patient (or at least not significantly harmful). Therefore, this paper concentrates on the studies which show increased harm and risk to the patient choosing to use OCPs. We have concentrated our efforts on three major areas: increased rates of cardiovascular disease, breast cancer, and human papillomavirus (HPV) or cervical cancer. If fertility and pregnancy are not disease states, and are, in fact, normal conditions associated with healthy individuals, OCPs fail the most important test of preventive medicine: they increase risk of disease instead of decreasing it. Patients should not be misled or confused into believing that what they are taking is "good for them" and is of the same beneficial effect as other preventive measures.

Hormonally Active Contraceptives Part I: Risks Acknowledged and Unacknowledged

“…The incidence of VTE for healthy women can significantly increase with the use of hormonal contraceptives, even women under thirty-five and not-smoking. In a 2012 article about birth control side effects, Dr. Rebecca Peck (Peck and Norris 2012) report that “Oral contraceptives are associated with a three to five times higher risk of VTE” (43). (Van Hylckama et al 2009).…”

“…An effort was made to perform a series of comprehensive literature surveys to better understand immediate and long-term side effects of these agents. Some of these have been previously published (Peck and Norris 2012; Williams 2017; Keenan et al 2018; Williams et al 2018), while others are included here for the first time. Comparison of the scientific literature with the current prescribing information revealed that many of these risks, although well documented in the peer-reviewed literature, are not included in the prescribing information.…”

Effect on Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress of the Combined Oral Contraceptives in the Liver

“…4,5 However, COCs have also caused various side effects such as depression, migraine headaches, breast and cervical cancer, stroke, cardiovascular diseases, venous thromboembolism and high systolic blood pressure, inflammatory bowel disease, benign or malignant liver tumors, and obesity. [6][7][8][9][10][11][12] The liver is one of the main secretory organs that play a fundamental role in carbohydrate, protein, and lipid metabolism. Liver hepatocyte cells are rich in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER).…”