[Pflienews] PharmFacts E-News Update: OCs = Atherosclerosis

Wed Apr 9 06:21:29 MDT 2008

*PharmFacts E-News Update -- 9 Apr 2008 AD

*

      http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/apr/08040807.html

      [Abortifacient] "Birth Control"  Pill Linked to Hardening of the
      Arteries [Atherosclerosis]

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski

BELGIUM, April 8, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Researchers at the 
University of Ghent, conducting a long-term study on 1,300 healthy women 
aged 35 to 55 living in a small town in Belgium, have observed that 
those women who take oral contraceptives may have more plaque (a hard, 
fatty deposit) buildup in their arteries.
Atherosclerotic plaque is comprised of cholesterol, bacteria and calcium 
which adheres to the inner lining of arteries.

Approximately 81 percent of participants had taken birth control pills 
for at least a year at some point in their lives, and 27 percent were 
currently taking the contraceptives.

The researchers conducted ultrasound examinations of the participants' 
leg and neck arteries to measure levels of plaque buildup. Every 10 
years of oral contraceptive use was correlated with a 20 to 30 percent 
increase in plaque buildup.

According to lead researcher Ernst Rietzschel, this amount of plaque 
buildup is cause for concern because of increased risk of heart disease 
and stroke, and the study indicates a need to conduct new investigation 
into the safety of oral contraceptives.

"It's incredible that a drug which has been taken by 80 percent of women 
... is almost bereft of any long-term outcome safety data," Rietzschel 
said in a NaturalNews report.

Birth control pills are taken by about 100 million women worldwide. 
Previous studies have shown that synthetic hormones used for birth 
control greatly increased the risk of blood clotting. This new Belgian 
study adds the increased risk of atherosclerotic plaque formation, in 
relatively young women, to the risk of clot formation. Clots typically 
form in the legs and can cause serious injury and death if they travel 
to the heart, lungs or brain.

Two years ago, pharmaceutical giant Johnson and Johnson, recalled the 
Ortho Evra birth-control patch after lawsuits revealed definitive proof 
that women on the patch were dying of strokes and blot clots three times 
more frequently than the general population.

The lawsuits charged that Johnson and Johnson failed to properly 
investigate the product's safety and stated that the company deceived 
the public about the severity of potential side effects, which include 
strokes and severe blood clots.

FDA records show that seventeen patch users between the ages of 17 and 
30 suffered fatal heart attacks, blood clots and possible strokes 
between August 2002 and November 2005.

Women have previously been considered much less likely than men to have 
strokes or heart attacks due to cholesterol build-up in their arteries. 
However, women on the pill approach the level of risk of men for plaque 
formation, according to this study.

The link between chemical birth control and breast cancer, though widely 
studied, documented and published in medical journals, is still ignored 
by the major media and as a result women taking oral contraceptives seem 
to be largely unaware of the risks.

Dr. Andrew Penman, CEO of the Cancer Council of NSW (New South Wales, 
Australia), said that although he still believed the risk of breast 
cancer in women younger than 50 was minimal, most women were unaware of 
the possible risks of taking the pill.

"The problem with the pill is that it is such a money spinner that the 
money gets in the way of the risks," Dr. Penman said.

Read previous LifeSiteNews.com articles on harmful effects of oral 
contraceptives:
New Study Shows Double Cervical Cancer Risk for Oral Contraceptive Users
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/nov/07111406.html
Canadian MP says Cancer Society Withholding Pill/Cancer Link
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/mar/06031707.html
43 More Women Sue over Birth Control Patch Dangers
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/nov/06110206.html
Woman Sues "Birth Control" Patch Manufacturer for Pulmonary Embolism
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/sep/05091303.html
Abortion-Causing Birth Control Patch Manufacturer Faces Class-Action Lawsuit
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/jul/05072703.html
18 Year-Old New York Student Dies Suddenly from Birth Control Complications
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2004/apr/04040606.html

------------------------------------------------------------------------

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