Drospirenone

Besides helping to prevent pregnancy, the pill provides some not-so-obvious health advantages. While some of the noncontraceptive benefits of the pill have been known for years, recent research is uncovering a host of ways that taking oral contraceptives might help your body. (Nevertheless, note that some women shouldn't take the pill. Smokers over age 35 and women with a history of blood clots, hormonally sensitive breast and ovarian cancers, stroke, liver disease, heart attack, untreated high blood pressure or uterine bleeding should use other forms of contraception.) Read on to learn about some of the more surprising ways that the pill could help your health.

1. Fewer monthly periods

"There is absolutely no reason why women need to menstruate every month," says Mary Jane Minkin, M.D., clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Conn. The pill is currently designed With 21 hormone-containing pills and seven "fake" placebo pills. When you take the placebo pills, it brings on menstruation, explains Patricia J. Sulak, M.D., a professor at Texas A&M College of Medicine, director of the division of ambulatory care and director of the sex education program in the department of obstetrics/gynecology at the Scott & White Clinic/Hospital in Temple, Texas. But by skipping the dummy pills and simply continuing to take the hormone pills, you can completely eliminate having a period -- and the discomfort that may accompany it. "By decreasing the number of days off of the pill, women may have fewer menstrual migraines, bloating and PMS-related symptoms such as breast tenderness," Sulak explains. In addition, women with heavy menstrual bleeding expe rience less anemia by skipping monthly periods, and endometriosis sufferers benefit by cutting down the frequency of painful periods.

Gynecologists generally agree that women can safely take pills continuously for two to three months at a stretch. (However, there are exceptions. A new book on the subject, No More Periods: The Risks of Menstrual Suppression and Other Cutting-Edge Issues in Women's Reproductive Health, by Susan Rako, M.D., will be published by Crown in April.) But after seven to eight weeks, some women experience breakthrough bleeding which, while harmless, obviously can be bothersome.

Before you use the pill to skip monthly periods, speak to your gynecologist. In the future, there may even be a pill designed for this purpose: Researchers at Eastern Virginia Medical School are developing an oral contraceptive called Seasonale that would reduce the number of menstrual cycles users have to only four a year. Seasonale is currently in clinical trials, and researchers hope it will be available to women later this year.

2. A clearer complexion

Many women who take the pill find that one of its positive effects is clearer skin. To understand how oral contraceptives can prevent pimples, it helps to know how they affect your hormone levels. Your body produces three hormones: estrogen, progesterone and androgen (known as testosterone in men), primarily from the ovaries. When you take the pill, you essentially put your ovaries to sleep, Minkin explains, and one of the effects is that you make less androgen.

This "male" hormone is responsible for the production of sebum, the oil in your skin that contributes to acne. So taking the pill means less androgen and, in turn, less sebum, resulting in clearer skin in some women.

You may have seen advertisements on the acne-reduction benefits of Ortho Tri-Cyclen, one type of birth-control pill. While other pills may work equally well in helping clear up your skin, the company that makes Ortho Tri-Cyclen is the only one that has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to advertise the claim. "In Canada, all oral contraceptives are indicated to help acne. We just don't have government consent to say the same thing about all pills in the U.S.," says David F. Archer, M.D., director of the Contraceptive Research and Development Clinical Research Center at the Jones Institute for Reproductive Medicine in Norfolk, Va.

3. Reduced risk of certain reproductive cancers

Strong evidence suggests that the pill protects against some female cancers. "Women who use the pill for at least one year have reduced risk for endometrial and ovarian cancers for up to 15 years," Archer says. Moreover, women who use the pill for at least 10 years lower their overall risk for ovarian cancer by 80 percent and endometrial cancer by 60 percent.

Why do oral contraceptives protect? In the case of ovarian cancer, the disease seems to be related to how many times a woman ovulates during her childbearing years -- in other words, the more you ovulate, the higher your risk. Since the pill shuts down ovulation, your chance of developing the disease drops. Endometrial cancer is related to overgrowth of the endometrium, or uterine lining. The pill slows this growth, again reducing risk.

Aside from reproductive-cancer prevention, the pill also lowers your chances of developing endometriosis, ovarian cysts and pelvic inflammatory disease. Some studies have suggested that the pill could even protect against colorectal cancer.

4. Better bone health

We know that taking calcium supplements can help protect our bones, but taking the pill also strengthens our skeletons. Bones contain cells called osteoblasts (which help the body produce bone tissue) and osteoclasts (which aid in the repair of bones). Estrogen helps both types of cells stay healthy. "As women age, our bodies start to produce less estrogen," explains Nancy Beth Lebowitz, M.D., an obstetrician/gynecologist affiliated with New York Presbyterian Hospital. Taking the pill replaces the declining hormone, helping you both produce bone and maintain its strength, which helps prevent osteoporosis.

Debate ensues about whether the pill raises breast-cancer risk; more research is needed to establish a definite answer. But the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists notes that studies suggest that even for women with breast fibroadenomas (a type of benign tumor), benign breast disease or a family history of breast cancer, oral contraceptive use poses little or no additional risk.

5. Less PMS

Doctors have widely debated how much the pill helps PMS. "Some women's symptoms are better, but some are worse," Lebowitz says. While it's unclear whether oral contraceptives can ease all PMS symptoms, doctors know that they relieve some of the physical annoyances. Says Minkin, "When you ovulate, your body makes substances called prostaglandins, which cause cramps. You don't make as many of them when you take the pill, so cramps are reduced."

In May 2001, the FDA approved Yasmin, a new birth-control pill that may be especially helpful for sufferers of severe PMS symptoms. The pill contains a new type of progestin (drospirenone) that is derived from a diuretic, so it reduces water-weight-related symptoms such as bloating and breast tenderness. Some users have even reported that Yasmin eased mood fluctuations and headaches, though more research needs to be done to determine whether these effects are a result of actual pill use or simply a placebo effect.

Those women who are sensitive to hormones may experience an increase in physical and emotional PMS symptoms on oral contraceptives. A lower-dose pill (such as Alesse) that contains less estrogen and progestin can be less likely to cause adverse effects.

RELATED ARTICLE: new birth-control options

These innovative methods may be right for you. Be sure to ask your doctor if you're a good candidate and about potential side effects.

NuvaRing

What it is A flexible ring approximately 2 inches in diameter that's inserted into the vagina How it works The ring releases a continuous low dose of the same hormones found in oral contraceptives. Wear the ring for three weeks, and then remove the fourth week to have a menstrual period. Effectiveness When used correctly, NuvaRing is 98-99 percent effective. For more information nuvaring.com

Ortho Evra patch

What it is A matchbook-sized, flesh-colored patch containing estrogens and progestins similar to those found in the pill How it works Apply a patch to your upper arm, buttocks, abdomen or upper torso (excluding the breasts) once a week for three weeks. The hormones are absorbed into your bloodstream, preventing pregnancy in the same way as the pill. On the fourth week, go "patch free" to have your period. Effectiveness When used correctly, Ortho Evra is 99 percent effective. For more information orthoevra.com, (877) BC-PATCH

Mirena

What it is A new intrauterine device (IUD) containing the progestin levonorgestrel How it works Your OB/GYN inserts the IUD into the uterus; it can be worn up to five years. Prevents pregnancy by transmitting progestin into the uterine lining. Effectiveness 99 percent effective For more information mirena-us.com, (888) BERLEX-4

Lunelle

What it is A once-a-month injection of the hormones estrogen and progesterone How it works Your OB/GYN injects the hormones into your arm, thigh or buttocks once a month. Effectiveness Lunelle is 99 percent effective when injected monthly. For more information lunelle.com, (800) 323-4204

Writer Kristyn Kusek lives in New York City.

COPYRIGHT 2003 Weider Publications
COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group