Birth Control Pills on Shine

Q: I've been on the birth control pill for 18 years. Are there long-term side effects?

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This is a hot topic among women's health researchers, and the jury is still out. Studies show that taking the Pill reduces the risk for ovarian and endometrial cancers. Research evaluating the risk for breast cancer, however, is mixed. Some studies show a slight increase in risk; others do not. In terms of baby making, you don't need to worry about long-term Pill use affecting your fertility.

Myth of the Month: The pill kills your sex drive

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Last week my partner saw K, a 30-year-old patient, who's been a happy oral contraceptive user for almost ten years. K has been with her partner for five years, and she came in for her annual exam last week complaining that her sex drive was non-existent for the past few months. Did K talk about her new stressful job, or her sick parent, or the rough economy? No -- she wants to get off the pill, believing that her birth control is killing her libido.

Ask Dr. Kate: Does the pill increase your risk of cervical cancer?

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Dear Dr. Kate,

I have been on the Pill since the age of 18, and I am now 23. I requested the pill due to the fact I have extremely painful and long periods.

The...

Ask Dr. Kate: Will binge drinking block the pill?

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Dear Dr. Kate, I just read an article that claims that binge drinking prevents birth control pills from metabolizing and working correctly. What are your thoughts on this? This is...

Can an abortion blog be a good thing?

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When you hear the not so usual phrase "abortion blog," well, no one has a terribly enthusiastic reaction. After all, when it comes to unplanned pregnancy, the mandate is, tell no one, keep your head down, get it over with and march on like a brave soldier. Fact is, young women lacking familial support often find themselves guarding a terrible secret when it comes to making certain decisions regarding their right to chose. Enter the abortion blogger, whose slogan reads, "I'm 23. I'm knocked up. And I don't want to keep it. You can fu*k yourself, Judd Apatow." If that doesn't tell you enough, the name of her site does: "What to expect when you're aborting."

Do birth control pills = abortion???

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Just when we think we've seen it all, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has drafted regulations that would undermine women's access to birth control.

Under the guise of clarifying existing federal laws that allow health professionals to refuse to provide abortion...

College Confessional: We don't need no (sex) education

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Our intern Kristine deGuzman, a junior at UC Berkeley, says she feels like she spent her entire summer discussing birth control and safer sex with her friends. "I guess that's what happens when half of your friends used to be avid churchgoers."

I grew up in a conservative Catholic environment for the great bulk of my existence, all the way from Kindergarten to my senior year in high school. I learned the exact opposite of safe sex--I learned that birth control would kill me, condoms would fail and I would get pregnant, and that abstinence was the only way to save me from the wickedness of sex and the deadly effects of birth control. It seems like, of all my friends, I should be the one with the mental handicap concerning sexual matters. I mean, I had to look up "how to do a ----- " halfway through my freshman year in college. Seriously, I did that.

Yet somehow I've become the sex guru among my friends, and I can't believe how many times I've had to tell them, "No, birth control pills do not fail 90 percent of the time" and, "No, Plan B is not the abortion pill."...

The Doctor is In: Contraception and cost

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K. is a 32-year-old patient of mine who "absolutely loves" her LoEstrin-24 birth control pill. She told me her periods were regular, her cramps were gone, and her face was clear on this new pill. So I was surprised when K. asked me to switch her to a different pill. "I can't...