---
HEALTH
Pill poppin' perils
The pill that allows you sexual freedom actually represses your desire for sex and could cause you to choose the wrong partner
Susan Melgren smelgren@kansan.com
Whether taken for its intended use or for medicinal purposes, birth control pills do a lot more than just prevent pregnancy: They alter the body in many ways. When most women go on the pill, they focus on the benefits, such as clearer skin, lighter and more regular periods and, of course, the prevention of unwanted pregnancy.
But the pill comes with a lot of negative side effects, too. The doses of hormones in birth control pills could decrease your sex drive, increase emotional problems and even cause you to choose the wrong sexual partner.
One of the most common ways the pill affects the female body is by stopping production of testosterone, the hormone linked to sexual desire. Claudia Panzer, endocrinologist at Comprehensive Endocrinology in Denver, says testosterone is made in two places in women: the ovaries and the adrenal glands. When women take birth control pills, however, the ovaries shut down. Progestin, a hormone found in all birth control pills, sends a message to the brain telling it to stop the ovaries from releasing an egg. Panzer says this also stops other normal functions of the ovaries, such as the production of testosterone.
Panzer says it's difficult to know how many women have a decreased libido as a result of their birth control pills, but she thinks it's a significant number. Part
Although the adrenal glands still make testosterone, the body's reaction to the hormones in the pill prevents this testosterone from being used. Panzer says high doses of estrogen in the pill causes the liver to release hormones called sex hormone-binding globulins, which attach to the body's remaining testosterone and renders it useless. As a result of this and the dormant ovaries, testosterone levels drop and many women experience a decreased desire for sex and a decreased orgasmic response.
of the problem in getting good statistics is that not all women will admit to it. "Some women don't bring it to the attention of their physician because they feel ashamed," Panzer says.
And not all women are affected in the same way. The longer a woman has been taking the pill, the more pronounced the effect is, Panzer says. But the longer she's been on it, the more difficult it becomes to tell how life was different before the pill. Panzer says many women start taking birth control pills when they're teenagers, continue taking them for many years, and then forget how they used to feel when they were younger.
Many women on campus say they don't think their birth control pills affect their libidos. Only a handful reported a change. Marisa Reongpdigit, Deerfield, Ill., freshman, has been taking birth control pills for about two years, and says she has noticed a difference. "I've never been sexually out there. I've always been kind of timid," she says. "But it definitely decreased my sex drive."
But the pendulum swings both ways. Drake says birth control pills may also worsen symptoms of depression and create mood swings. "I have patients that swear the pill makes them moodier," she says.
Because some women take the pill just for medical reasons, sexual changes many not apply to all women. Emotional changes, however,are a side effect that all women can notice. Sheena Drake, OB/GYN at Heartland Women's Clinic in St. Joseph, Mo., says the pill can have either a positive or a negative effect when it comes to emotional stability. For women with severe mood swings and PMS, birth control pills can help. Drake says the flux in hormone levels a woman has on her natural cycle causes these mood swings, but birth control pills supply a steady dose of the same amount of hormones all month long.
Many students say they feel moodier on the pill, but their experiences vary. Some students noticed a change in their emotions, but only at first. Reongpongdit says the pill affected her emotions in the
beginning, but it improved after awhile. Others, like Rachel Lazzara, Chicago junior, noticed a drastic change." I was definitely a lot more emotional," she says. "Things would get to me a lot easier. I was on edge a lot."
If emotional problems and losing gusto in the bedroom aren't enough, recent studies published in Royal Society B: Biological Science in the United Kingdom have shown that women on birth control pills often choose the wrong partner. Normally women are attracted to men whose immune systems and genes differ from their own—a good genetic match by biological standards. Mating with someone who has similar genes not only increases your child's risk of being unhealthy, but increases risk of miscarriage and other fertility problems. Mating with a person whose genes are different from yours gives your children a better chance of survival, the study shows. However, women on the pill tend to be more attracted to men with similar immune systems. Apart from creating problems for potential future children, women with genetically similar partners reported less satisfaction in their relationships than other women.
But just because birth control pills have a few negative side effects doesn't mean you should stop taking them. All drugs have their pitfalls—it's the price we pay for their benefits. Birth control
pills are still one of the most tested and most trusted methods of contraception. So keep taking them—just be aware of the effects they may have on your body.
Graphics by Becka Cremer Birth control pills have numerous benefits, but some women also have to deal with the pills' negative side effects.
10
November 20,2008