Kate's Movie - Birth Control

Apparently the FDA has known for 12 years that some kinds of birth control put women at twice the risk of blood clots and yet they still allow them to remain on the market. Check out my video.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• birth
• control
• desogestrel
• FDA
• notmypill
• Not
• My
• Pill
• contraceptives
• pill
• third
• generation
• CitizenKate0635

[penngirl03]

Childbirth in and of itself is vastly more dangerous than taking this type of pill. For all the wonderful benefits the pill offers, it's a risk I think most of us are willing to take.

[CitizenKate0635]

On the other hand, your comment assumes you have to choose either desogestrel or childbirth -- not true! The safest alternatives are second generation pills that contain low-dose estrogen and levonorgestrel, norgestrel, or norethindrone such as Levonorgestrel and Ethinyl Estradiol, Levora and Trivora.

[penngirl03]

This would mean that for every 100,000 women who

use third-generation oral contraceptives, 17 to 30 would develop a thromboembolic event compared with 8 to 15 users of second-generation oral contraceptives and 3 to 5 nonusers. However, this rate is still much lower than the 60 cases of venous thromboembolism that would be expected per 100,000 pregnancies. Overall, for each of these, less than 1% of the women, 0.03% at the most to be exact, are likely to experience one of these events.

[CitizenKate0635]

But you've made an important point. As we move toward banning desogestrel, it's important that we don't give a bad rap to all OC options. We're just saying that it's best to reduce your risk if you can. If a woman is going to switch, she should not stop taking her pills suddenly. Follow a doctor's instructions for switching birth control to make sure there is not a chance of pill failure.

[penngirl03]

Although third-generation oral contraceptives most likely increase a user's risk of venous thromboembolism, their improved side-effect profile and their possible decreased association with myocardial infarction and stroke may make them a useful new class of oral contraceptives for most

women except those at increased risk of venous thrombosis.

LeBlanc and Laws. JGIM. Benefits and Risks of Third-Generation Oral Contraceptives. 1999. p625-632

[CitizenKate0635]

Further, there is no evidence of better or lesser side effects with third-generation oral contraceptives. In fact, when manufacturers of third-generation OCs tried advertising that this was the case, the FDA put a stop to those ads, saying the claims were illegal because there is no evidence that it is true.

[CitizenKate0635]

You're right that there are many oral contraceptive (OC) options for women -- even without third generation pills. The third generation OCs account for 1 hormone combination sold with one of 9 different names. Second generation OCs, by comparison, have 4 different hormone combinations sold as over 50 different names. There's enough variety among the 2nd generation OCs to find something that works well without taking on the extra risk of desogestrel.

[CitizenKate0635]

7. I'm glad your friend saw the video. Just like any other time she changes her medication, she should talk to her doctor before switching birth control and follow all the instructions so she can make sure to continue preventing pregnancy without interruption.

Please pass the video and website on to your health center, insurance company, campus groups and other women. The more people who know about this issue, the more quickly we can stop the use of these needlessly dangerous pills.

[CitizenKate0635]

Wow -- I'm so sorry that you had an experience like that. Actually, Seasonale is a second-generation OC -- one of the safest birth control options on the market. The drug label for SEASONALE says:

A two- to four-fold increase in relative risk of postoperative thromboembolic [blood clot] complications has been reported with the use of oral contraceptives.

[1wingedangelkiller]

I wish you would tell us how to find out what pill this is... or atleast which ones. Also, put the web address at the beggining and end of the message. That way people will see it even if the whole movie doesn't hold their attention. I'm sorry that's seems cruel but people can be very casual on the internet.

[robelicit]

hey, great video; folks just don't realize that the FDA is usually in the pocket of big Pharma companies, all u have to do is read about their decisions in recent years to allow some medications to reach the market which experts or good doctors will tell you aren't ethical or safe--don't take my word for it--just read about the FDA. =][=

[robelicit]

well, I actually know a married woman who wasn't ready for kids yet who decided to use a certain birth control pill--she was only about 25 yrs. old & ended up with 2 blood clots that almost killed her, so u might wanna think about which pill you take, eh??

=][=

[folkrockergrrrl]

Thank you so much!!! Did you know that you were on the news??? Ch. 4 (NBC in the New York area) 11PM news. Thank you so much, my best friend was taking this, UNTIL SHE SAW YOUR VIDEO. Maybe also a national facebook group? Also, the university health center gave her the meds- we should talk to our university health centers! ALSO (again) this is covered by Blue Cross Blue Shield of NJ, but many birth control pills that do NOT have the drug ARE NOT covered by insurance.