Nexus - 0404 - New Times Magazine-pages

Page Content (OCR)

mine the cause of their deaths. Not surprisingly, the initial trials "Although not risk-free, the Pill's benefits far outweigh its risks. were flawed and inadequate.' The fact that there was no evidence Another way of saying this is that the Pill is safe—but some that the product was safe did not seem to be a cause of great con- women are dangerous." cern to the researchers. In spite of what should have been a seri- Such double-speak lulls doctors and women into a false sense ous warning, the Pill was promoted with all the enthusiasm that of security, assuring them that the newer generations of oral con- the pharmaceutical companies could muster. traceptives are now perfectly safe. Unfortunately, nothing could Although it was known early on that the Pill caused blood clots, be further from the truth. it wasn't until the mid-1970s that the death toll for young women from heart attacks and strokes began to get public attention. The © HOW THE PILL WORKS prophetic warnings from some doctors—that the widespread rise Hormones are very powerful substances. Begin tampering with in use of oral contraceptives would create health hazards on a Nature's finely tuned messengers of life's processes and you are scale previously unknown in medicine—were coming true. asking for trouble. This is especially true for women. A woman's Dr Ellen Grant, an early researcher into the harmful effects of psyche is intimately connected to her monthly flow of hormones. the Pill and author of The Bitter Pill and Sexual Chemistry, said Hormones not only direct and determine physiological process- way back in the 1960s that she was shocked when synthetic hor- es but also influence emotional and psychological states. Besides mones were not withdrawn from the market due to their then controlling sexual development and function, hormones also help known, serious _ side-effects. to control growth and muscle building, Statistics have confirmed that the and regulate the digestive system, early Pill users were up to 11 times blood sugar levels, blood pressure and more likely to have thrombo- "The Pill allows experiments on fluid balance. embolisms.* the general population that would Hormones also hold the key to sub- In effect, there are presently about jective feelings and changes in blood 60 million women ‘trialling’ the Pill never be allowed asa planned chemistry associated with stress. around the world. It is evident that A " Hormonal imbalances not only create the early reassurances by govern- experiment. myriad health problems and diseases ments and pharmaceutical compa- . . but can also undermine self-esteem, nies were lies. A recent study for oo Dr David Clark, neurologist, the sense of well-being, emotional the Inspector General's Office of the University of Kentucky School of Medicine ff balance and mental acuity. US Department of Health and The two main hormones in a wom- Human Services disclosed that more an's body are oestrogen and proges- that 70 per cent of oral contraceptive terone. Nature has choreographed advertising to doctors is "misleading or unbalanced"—making these two hormones to work together with exquisite timing and contraceptives the most "deceptively advertised" category of pre- balance. Oestrogen, which is produced in the first half of a cycle, scription drug, with antibiotics in second place.* is responsible for the sexual development of females: the growth While the Pill in its many forms has been accepted successfully of breasts, the development of the reproductive system and the into the lifestyles of millions of women, the fact remains that the shape of the female body. It also stimulates the growth of cells long-term effects from artificially altering a woman's hormonal preparing the endometrial lining for fertilisation each month. The and reproductive life bode ill for the health not only of the women target organs of the breast, uterus and ovaries as well as the skin themselves but also of future generations. Dr David Clark, a neu- are particularly sensitive to oestrogen. rologist with the University of Kentucky School of Medicine, Progesterone halts oestrogen's effect of rapid cell growth. It expressed the truth when he said that, "The Pill allows experi- also develops the proliferative lining of the uterus, ensuring the ments on the general population that would never be allowed asa _ implantation of a fertilised egg (it is the progestation hormone). planned experiment." How generous of women to be donating Progesterone is known as the mother of all hormones since oestro- their bodies to medical science, even if no informed consent has gen (which is really made up of three kinds: oestradiol, oestrone ever been given. and oestriol) and testosterone are all made from it. Progesterone By 1975, the devastating effects from young Pill-takers dying is not only a sex hormone; it is also intricately involved in main- from blood clots and heart attacks caused public outrage. The taining many other vital physiological functions. ensuing pressure from consumer groups convinced the FDA In 1836, a surgeon named Cooper published his observation Commissioner to propose that oral contraceptives be accompanied that the stage of the menstrual cycle influenced the speed of by package inserts: full-length comprehensive warnings about growth and division of breast cancer cells. They proliferated possible side-effects of the recommended dosage. It was expected more rapidly in the early part of the cycle when ovaries are secret- that there would be opposition from the manufacturers. What was ing oestrogen. By 1896 the Lancet reported the experiments of not anticipated, however, were the heated attacks from the Beatson who removed the ovaries of women with breast cancer, American Medical Association and the American College of causing their advanced disease to go into remission. At the same Obstetricians and Gynecologists. It seemed that if the medical time it was discovered that the secretions of the yellow cyst in the profession, not wanting to trigger undue alarm among patients, ovary prevented the release of any more eggs once a pregnancy wasn't fully informing women of the risks, then nothing else had started. This gave rise to the idea that oestrogen and proges- should either. terone could be used as a contraceptive.* With almost four decades of knowledge of the many side- By 1932 it was known that oestrogens and progestins could effects of the Pill, there are still few doctors who adequately warn cause cancer of the breast, womb, ovaries and pituitary gland in their patients of the many risks and potentially serious problems experimental animals, but the plans for manufacturing sex hor- associated with taking the Pill. In 1995 Professor John mones were well underway. Guillebaud, a noted English expert on family planning, wrote, The body's own internal hormones are endogenous, while those "Although not risk-free, the Pill's benefits far outweigh its risks. Another way of saying this is that the Pill is safe—but some women are dangerous." Such double-speak lulls doctors and women into a false sense of security, assuring them that the newer generations of oral con- traceptives are now perfectly safe. Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth. 26 = NEXUS JUNE - JULY 1997