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with the Pill is outweighed by its benefits of protecting women against endometrial and ovarian cancer is
no longer valid. In any event, risking one type of fatal cancer to prevent another type of fatal cancer is a
very questionable conclusion. Because the Pill causes breast cancer and other diseases, it is outright
dangerous and should not be sold to unsuspecting women.
The intrauterine device (IUD), also known as coil or loop, is not a safe method of contraception either.
The IUD has been associated with a number of debilitating side effects. A 1974 report by the Lancet
showed that women who have an IUD fitted and become pregnant nevertheless are 50 percent more likely
to have a miscarriage as opposed to a 17 percent rate of miscarriage for those using any other kind of
contraceptive. Pelvic inflammatory disease is also common among users. Other problems include
cramping, backaches, the risk of an ectopic pregnancy, perforation of the uterus, a greater incidence of
tubal infertility, skin rashes, and increased susceptibility to infection.
If you consider a potential pregnancy, which is not a dangerous illness, to be less of a disadvantage
than risking your life by developing breast cancer, cervical cancer, a stroke or thrombosis, you are better
off avoiding the Pill or any of the other highly invasive contraceptive methods such as Inject-and-go
contraception and IUDs. I personally recommend mental birth control, the most ancient method of
conception choice, as the preferable method for avoiding an unwanted pregnancy. It is very effective,
cost-free, and without any side effects. The method can be learned within a few minutes from the little
book Mental Birth Control by Mildred Jackson (costs less than $1). There are other approaches teaching
mental birth control, such as a self-hypnosis (tape) by Barrie Konicov. (Do a Google search for mental
birth control.)
Other methods include “Fertility Testers,” which can determine the days of the month in which a
woman is fertile. All that is required is a drop of her saliva. “Persona” is another new method of
contraception. Through simple urine testing, a small, computerized device informs a woman of the days
she is at risk for becoming pregnant. “Persona” is 93-95 percent reliable when used according to the
instructions, which makes it as dependable as the condom. It is readily available at all “Boots stores” in
the U.K.. In any case, the condom remains an option as well.
Caution about the new birth control pill: Lybrel recently launched Wyeth Pharmaceuticals’ new
birth control pill that eliminates women’s periods. Women on the new pills do not menstruate, unlike
those on the original oral contraceptives, which include a week of placebo pills at the end of the cycle to
bring on menstruation. Since the drug has only been tested for one year (I wonder why), there is no way
of knowing what the long-term side effects will be. Considering the serious side effects that have resulted
from the use of traditional oral contraceptives, the new drug will most likely cause the same harm as the
old ones, if not more.
Women who menstruate shed the thick lining of the uterus that builds up during the cycle. Although
those on the new pill may not produce such a thick lining of the uterus, eventually, not discarding the
thinner lining can lead to uterine diseases. In addition, menstruating women naturally remove excessive
iron and protein from their blood, which greatly reduces their risk of cancer and heart disease. Not having
this opportunity increases their chances of serious illness in the future. As always, a short-term gain may
actually turn out to be a long-term loss. Being able to interfere with the body’s natural design in such a
drastic way is not an indication of scientific advancement but of poor judgment and shortsightedness that
will once again (mis)lead millions of people into the abyss of sickness and suffering. For Wyeth
Pharmaceuticals it will mean a $250 million profit for the first year and many more to come.