I must admit I was a little scared in the beginning. I was scared to recommend that women with Endometriosis get off the contraceptive pill. I was perhaps coming from a place of my own journey and my own fears around having Endometriosis and using the contraceptive pill as a treatment option. I took it for seven years and it was really daunting to come off it. Every fear of Endometriosis came rushing back to me. How could I possibly control this condition with nothing to help me? Right?

I guess my thinking at the time was that I wanted to do SOMETHING, rather than nothing at all for my Endometriosis. I also thought that it was fairly safe and not nearly as dangerous as something like Lupron or the other hormone treatments recommended for Endometriosis. Words like “mini pill” and “low dose” made me feel better about it all. Surely there was nothing wrong with taking it in combination with a healthy diet and lifestyle?

There are a few things I just didn’t realize about the pill and there are things you possibly don’t know either.

I thought I would share some insights with you…

1. The pill is synthetic

The pill is not a natural thing. It is made of synthetic hormones. These synthetic elements are toxic to our bodies and when we consider that we add them every single day, it is not surprising that women experience so many side effects. Toxin affect our liver health, our immune health and will have consequences on ageing and overall vitality of a woman.

Can we really expect our bodies to feel vital and healthy, when we fill it with a toxin every single day? Our aim is to cleanse out toxins, and adding them in just doesn’t make sense!

2. They alter our hormones

These hormones physically STOP natural processes in our bodies. They stop ovulation! This is kinda crucial if you ever want to have a baby! That “period” you experience is not a “period”. It is breakthrough bleeding. There was no egg, no ovulation and therefore no real period. When we stop hormone signals in the body, they will affect other functions. Hormones never only have one job like looking after the ovaries and ovulation etc. Many of them have plenty of other important functions like building our bones, brain function and regulating fluid retention in the body. The consequences of stopping hormones is what is so scary about the contraceptive pill.

The “oh so innocent” mini pill consists of mainly testosterone-like progestin called 19-nor-testosterone, or a progestin and a small amount of estrogen. It is well known that 19-nor-testosterone progestins bind to estradiol receptors and thus have the potential to stimulate breast- and endometrial cancer.

Hormone imbalance is only one symptom of Endometriosis. It is not the key aspect we should be looking at with Endometriosis. Altering hormones doesn’t resolve the reason why our hormones have become out of balance in the first place!

3. They substantially increase the risk of blood clots

According to a Danish study recently published in the British Medical Journal, blood clots are very dangerous and can lead to things like strokes or heart attacks. The article reported that when the mini pill was used, the hospital admission rate for women suffering from thromboembolism rose 16 percent. Thromboembolism is caused by a blood clot, usually in the legs, which can be extremely painful. If a piece of it breaks off and travels to the lungs, it can be fatal. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists reported that for every 100,000 women taking the third generation pills, 20 to 30 will develop nonfatal blood clots. (British Medical Journal, 1999)

Could there be a connection with Endometriosis and this blood clotting side effect from the pill? Ask any woman with Endometriosis and she will likely describe her period as heavy, thick and clotty. Possible connection?

4. They increase the risk of many cancers and diseases.

We often hear about how the pill reduces the risk of ovarian cancer but we seldom hear about how it increases the risk of cervical cancer, breast cancer and bowel cancer. It would also increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, gallbladder disease, and blocks the absorption of essential vitamins and minerals.

A recent study in The Lancet indicated that cervial cancer is closely linked to the oral contraceptive pill. It is known that HPV (human papilloma virus) is among the most important causes of cervical cancer. What the researchers discovered is that using the pill for a long duration increased the risk of cervical cancer in HPV-positive women.

Examining 28 studies that included 12,531 women with cervical cancer, and interpreting the results very conservatively, they found that the risk of cervical cancer increased dramatically with increasing duration of use of oral contraceptives, for all women—not just HPV-positive women. (Lancet, 2003)

What happened to First do no harm? These are some real dangers and life threatening conditions. Is it really risking cancer over Endometriosis?

5. It depletes our minerals and vitamin stores

There are numerous studies, which illustrate how the contraceptive pill depletes vitamin and mineral stores. These include vital vitamins like B vitamins (stress regulators), Vitamin C (immune fighters) and minerals like magnesium (reduces cramping and twitching in the muscles), selenium (strong antioxidant) and zinc (helps with immune function and maintains healthy skin).

One of the biggest ones is folic acid which can cause anemia, birth defects and cervical dysplasia. Cervical dysplasia is a pre-cancerous condition characterized by abnormal cells that can be detected in the cervix by a pap smear and other methods. Many women with cervical dysplasia end up having a hysterectomy, which could have been prevented by taking adequate amounts of folic acid.

My principles within the REACH Technique© always begin with replenishing the body. How can we truly replenish what is lost when we toss something into the body every single day that depletes it of so many vital minerals and vitamins?

Is it really worth the risk?

Watch this introduction into a new documentary that is coming out in the new year:

Okay, so perhaps I have shocked you into really reconsidering the contraceptive pill. It is dangerous and the risks of all of the above far outweigh the potential so-called “benefits” as a treatment option for Endometriosis. The contraceptive pill is not treating anything!

I highly encourage you to support the making of this new documentary. It is being Kickstarter-funded and every little bit helps. Support something worthwhile and find out more about natural alternatives by giving your pledge here.

I conducted an interview with Jane Bennett. She is the author of The Pill: Are you sure it’s for you?

Go check out the interview here:

You will be shocked at the connections with all of the above and the many other things you may not know. There is also further information on this page with a free download of the other potential side effects of the pill.

As much as I would love to say that the contraceptive pill could be used in conjunction with natural approaches, I simply don’t believe that anymore.

There is nothing sweet or innocent about these “mini” pills. They are a real danger to our health and ultimately don’t resolve Endometriosis.

There is a far better way to truly support your body!

Research:

Smith JS, Green J, “Cervical cancer and use of hormonal contraceptives: a systematic review,” Lancet, 2003 Apr 5;361(9364):1159-67.

British Medical Journal September 25, 1999;319:795-796, 820-821. Bennett, J., & Pope, A. (2008). The Pill. Allen & Unwin.

Are you worried? Not sure what to do next?

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