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So, according to this recent study in the American Journal of Epidemiology, women who've been on oral contraceptives for a year or more have a 50% higher chance of developing breast cancer.
To top it off, breast cancer is already the MOST COMMON type of cancer among women in the U.S. According to Wikipedia, women in the U.S. have a 1 in 8 chance of developing "invasive breast cancer."
Are you fucking shitting me? 50% higher? No and no and no and no.
Woohoo... one more reason to despise The Unholy Pill.
It's not new news. We've known there's an increase in breast cancer (and other cancer) rates linked to oral contraceptives since the 70s, but the numerous studies conducted around the world show a widely-varying ratio of risk, from none at all to a few percent, to over 60%. The thing to remember is that the figures are relative risk - you do not have 50% chance of getting cancer, you have (150% x original risk) chance. In terms of fatal pre-menopausal breast cancer in the US, that means (1.5 x 3%) = 4.5%, so the true "increase" in risk is only 1.5% over your lifetime.
It's also important to remember that "are you on the pill?" is a pointless question on its own if you're looking for a cancer link. There are other factors known to be significant (such as the presence of a BCRA1 gene mutation, lifestyle, increased attendance at screening, etc.) which can easily swamp the statistics unless they're taken into account too. A Scandinavian study of around 100,000 women found a risk ratio of 60%; similar-sized studies elsewhere found no effect whatsoever - it depends how you deal with the other factors.
All pills are provided with information regarding the increase of developing breast cancer. It subsequently informs that;
"If women stop taking the pill this reduces the risk so that 10 years after stopping the pill, the risk of finding breast cancer is the same as for women who have never taken the pill."
Apparently the risk of breast cancer is not solely dictated by how long a woman uses the pill but by the age she stops, as the risk of developing it increases as a woman becomes older.
I've been on the pill for 4 years now, recently had my pill changed, and each time I go to get a repeat prescription I am notified of the effects of the pill and am questioned about how I am feeling. On more than one occasion I have been checked for any changes in my breast when I have expressed concern.
what's an oral contraceptive? I thought those were called dental dams.
I didn't know that you could get pregnant orally.
oh well, it still beats using a condom.
If we're only talking about death, sure. But in the U.S., while the risk of death from breast cancer is listed as 3% the risk of getting invasive breast cancer is 12.5%. Dying is certainly the worst case scenario, but I sure as hell don't want someone to have to cut open or possibly remove my breast(s) either. It's not something to brush off or put in quotation marks as if it doesn't really mean anything.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mindgames
Yes, and if the risk starts at 12.5% for invasive, upping that to 18.75% isn't so awesome.Quote:
Originally Posted by batzilla
The risk here seems significant to me.
I agree with you that science should try to control for outside factors. But in a study of 100,000 women, like the one you reference, what are the chances that the women taking oral contraceptives should happen to have had bad genes so much more often? If a study with a huge sample size like that finds a 60% increase in risk, that is kind of terrifying. Women with bad breast cancer genes are not somehow more prone to taking oral contraceptives, and it seems unlikely that chance alone would have skewed the results so much. It seems far more likely that oral contraceptive use is a big culprit here.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mindgames
The pill is evil anyway. Its so unnartual. Just use a god damn condom, I always say.
I am glad I don't use the pill.
I'm allergic to most of the common ones, and I have a horrible memory when it comes to taking on every day at the same time.
We use the pullout method. And the only time in 6 years that I've gotten pregnant was when I told him to not pull out.
I went on the pill for a fairly shot time period to regularize when I get my periods, which have always been random in their arrival. While it was convenient to know when to pack tampons, the pill made me gain weight and I went off it because it made me feel anxious after I'd been on it for a while. Oh and my mother does have breast cancer, although I don't think she ever took the pill. The pill is pretty much evil.
the pill will fuck you up.
I am also a fan ofthe pull out method, and have never been pregnant in the almost 8 years I've been with my partner.
Now see, being on the pill made me irregular. I'd bleed 4 days, off for 2 weeks, back on for 7 days, off for 3 days, back on for 2 days and then off for a month.Quote:
Originally Posted by Amelia G
Yeah, but pulling out doesnt always work. Precum can have sperm in it..Id never want to abort (although I would if I had too...dont wanna open a can of worms on that subject though), so I dont use that method. But hey, if it works for you, it works.
But yeah Im also scared of HPV, which you can contract from your partner and the wouldnt even know they had it.
Yea, we both work at home, and are clean, so there's no chance of us contracting an std luckily.Quote:
Originally Posted by Xavialune
And yea, I know about precum being an issue, but as I said, sex every night nearly for 6 years, and we're still doing good :)
wow sex every night..how do you do it? My bf and I have got into a rut sort of. I do a webcam job so I am pretty desensitized to sex. Sometimes we get into it though. But the HPV doesnt have to come from someone who has slept with someone else..I mean unless the male has been tested for it its still possible to contract it. I dont know for sure, but cant they just get it without actually doing anything? I dono..maybe I worry too much! lol Im overdue for a pap though so I just get nervous.
LOL. He's been tested. As have I :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Xavialune
But no, he can't get it on his own I believe. In fact, It's a virus so it has to be contracted through sexual contact (if memory serves me right)
But I also have been doing webcam work for nearly a year now, full time since last June, and it just takes care of foreplay for him LOL
Also, there's a vaccine against the strains that are associated with cervical cancer.
I know theres a vaccine. Maybe I will get it when I have a pap? But I thought there was an age cap or something. Im almost 23 so...
Oh thats good youve both been tested. I think my bf and I should be too. Im not sure where they do it though, right at the clinic maybe? I go to this sliding scale place..community care center. I'll have to check it out next time I go.
They've studied its effectiveness in women from 16-26, but any age woman can get the vaccine. Get it!
its worked for us for 8 years.... we were both tested a long time ago as well, and are monogomous.Quote:
Originally Posted by Xavialune
as for the gardisil vaccine for hpv, I would really research that first. its made some girls very, very sick. I don't trust it.
Regarding "thrills and spills" as birth control:
That's TRUST, people. Wow. Congrats :)
I dono man. I guess you could say my bf doesnt have....uh...very good reflexes? lol! Id rather just take no chances. Its here I have to mention, and this is purely my opinion people! that I really, *really* hate kids. And I would never have them..so I would be taking the abortion route, and I hear thats very stressful (not to mention costly).
Thus, condoms condoms condoms...lol!
Yeah, but you obviously don't have a huge problem with the idea of getting pregnant. If you aren't too worried about it, then sure, pulling out will work a lot of the time. But you will eventually get pregnant. So if you are someone who doesn't mind a baby, or doesn't mind getting an abortion, then that's fine. But for a lot of people, they really do NOT want to get pregnant. So you have to do more than just pulling out...Quote:
Originally Posted by athenahollow
I guess I'm the only one here who loves the pill. I've never had problems. No weight gain, no craziness, nothing. and if I get breast cancer, well then, I guess I get breast cancer. Granted that would fucking suck but life is like that sometimes.
About that HPV vaccination Xavialune, you're not too old but it is pretty expensive. I think it's 2 shots and each cost about $150. At least that's the way it is here, not sure about the U.S.. It's definitely worth it though.
I was advised to be on the pill because of my cramps. (Which can get so bad, I pass out.) It has helped but not as much as I had hoped ... in fact if I had to change prescriptions because the first ones did nothing to help after a year.
I'm about 3 months into the new prescription and I'm now developing more condensed pain on my right side during my period. - Fuck I don't know. I'm about to toss the whole thing. It worked so well when I first started on it but I feel it's just fucking me up even more now.
I'm also at the mercy of Planed Parenthood right now. Don't get me wrong ... they provide a great service. It just sucks when you need a real Dr. and can't afford it. :(
I know how you feel about planned parenthood. Its ridiculous what health insurance costs. good health insurance would cost my bf and I 800 bucks a month because we dont have a company that employs us that offers it. Its sad...Quote:
Originally Posted by Nos
But yeah, you might try a more natural approach. Herbs are great for this..maybe see a holistic healer or professional herbalist in your area?
unless you get tested every week, then there's no way you can know for sure if your significant other doesn't have an STD. Actually they could contract it fucking a stranger in the alley behind the clinic after they just got tested, so unless you keep tabs on them 24/7, then you will never know.
just being realistic here. I've known plenty of people that were in "committed, monogamous, long term" relationships that suddenly got STD's, or had a baby that they came to find out wasn't theirs.
Yeah. But Val and I literally spend pretty much every second together...we'd never have time to cheat, let alone want to. Spending so much time together doesnt work for most people, it seems, but it seems to work for us pretty well.
Yea, my fiance and I are the same way. I think there's only been maybe 2 days that we were ever apart, honestly.Quote:
Originally Posted by Xavialune
Plus, we have an open relationship. Why would he cheat when he can just bring the girl home? Even HE says that's stupid LOL.
so he's bringing home strange women and you still don't use a condom? that doesn't sound very smart to me.
i love my i.u.d. but now i think it's called an i.u.c....in any case 5 years of not having to think about it, and not having a period..im cool with that
Devils' Advocate: Maybe because the girl he wants to do at that moment isn't into girls?Quote:
Originally Posted by athenahollow
Thats quite a chance. The girl could be carrying HPV.
But as for the IUD..I almost got that..whats it like? No periods? That doesnt sound good for your body on a long term basis..
Never said he actually brought anyone home. Just that he can if he wants to.Quote:
Originally Posted by Morning Glory
We've only been with one girl the past 5 years. And that was safe.
Its my experience that letting a guy do whatever he wants (aka open relationship) is a recipe for disaster. They'll just go out and have sex with whoever they want,most of the time without your knowledge at all even if you agreed to tell each other who you slept with. If it works for you more power to you..but it doesnt seem to work for very many people unfortunately. I for one dont believe true and straight monogamy ever really works, thats why Val and I are open to 3somes (but we're really picky lol..and have no interested friends).
I guess I should have specified "Open" ... More like swinger, less like true open. We both are there always.Quote:
Originally Posted by Xavialune
they say it will give you lighter less often periods...mine just stopped all together, but on most birth control i've tried it pretty much stoppedQuote:
Originally Posted by Xavialune
it didn't make me gain any weight, and I dont have to think about it, it was a quick appointment with very very little pain or discomfort. it lasts for five years, i got it right after my son was born so i know when my son turns five i need to go get it replaced. Oh and, there is no wait time to be able to get pregnant again, when you take it out it's done. I know when I was on depo i didnt have a period for over a year after my last shot...
both raspberry leaves and cramp bark are great for cramps, especially together.Quote:
Originally Posted by Nos
if i wanted a regular period, i'd have to be on the pill again...
but right now i'm kinda glad i stopped a long time ago o.o
i knew the risk was increased, but i didn't realise it was so extreme...