[Peace-discuss] a friend: Haiti's problem is overpopulation

[Karen Medina]

[Of course, smoking and birth control pills are the worst combination.
Does cooking 3 meals per day over a wood stove count as smoking? -kem]

A Mayo Clinic article points out some pluses and minuses to women's
health when they take birth control pills correctly (i.e. have access
to them on a regular basis)
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/birth-control-pill/wo00098

How do birth control pills affect your risk of cancer?
Scientific evidence suggests using birth control pills for longer
periods of time increases your risk of some cancers, such as cervical
cancer and liver cancer, but it also decreases your risk of other
types of cancer, including ovarian cancer and endometrial cancer.

The effect of birth control pills on breast cancer risk isn't quite
clear. However, some studies do show a link between pill use and
breast cancer. Key factors seem to be how many years you take the pill
and how recently you last used the pill. In one study, use of birth
control pills led to a higher risk of premenopausal breast cancer in
women who took the pill for four or more years before having a baby.
Other evidence suggests that 10 or more years after you stop taking
the pill, your breast cancer risk returns to the same level as if you
had never taken birth control pills.

Do birth control pills affect cholesterol levels?
Birth control pills can affect cholesterol levels. How much of an
effect depends on the type of pill you're taking and what
concentration of estrogen or progestin it contains.

The estrogen in birth control pills causes an increase in high-density
lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels (the "good" cholesterol), a
decrease in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels (the
"bad" cholesterol) and an increase in your total cholesterol and
triglyceride levels. Progestin in birth control pills has the opposite
effect.

Birth control pills with a greater concentration of estrogen can have
a slightly beneficial overall effect on your blood lipid levels. In
general, though, the changes aren't significant and don't affect your
overall health.

Do birth control pills affect blood pressure?
Birth control pills may increase blood pressure. The risk of high
blood pressure in women who take birth control pills also increases
with age and the duration of use.

If you take birth control pills, have your blood pressure checked
regularly. If you already have high blood pressure, consider an
alternative form of birth control. If you do choose to take the pill,
have your blood pressure closely monitored by your doctor.

If you develop high blood pressure while taking the pill, give serious
thought to switching to another form of contraception.

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