After the first two weeks of class, and discussing the book Talking About Health, it help raise many questions on how I view health and healthcare. What is normal? What is considered healthy? Why does healthy vary against different ethnicities, genders, and class? Is there even a universal term that can describe health. Many of us have the opportunity to go to the doctor to get routine check-ups, to get vaccines, and us females have the opportunity to get birth control if wanted and needed with no red flags raised. What’s interesting is that we are taught in class (sex-ed) about contraceptives and why we need to practice safe sex, and the methods. But, on the contrary we are never told the negatives of oral contraceptives, birth control. Health professionals and doctors applaud young teenage girls that are abstinent, use protection, and that are on birth control. You receive a pamphlet that shows side effects, but those side effects are never talked about. I generally speaking they tell you what others may have experienced that is considered normal, and raise the question if you ever experience x,y,z then please let your health professional know.
Some recent studies have should that birth control does have negative long term effect on many individuals. Particularly I want to point out the disadvantages to Depo Provera. Michigan Health System at the University of Michigan, listed disadvantages that this drug has on the female body.
“Using the birth control shot for 2 or more years can cause bone loss, which may not be fully reversible after stopping the medicine. This concern may be greatest during the teen years, when young women should be building bone mass.1
- Often causes irregular spotting
- Causes slight weight gain
- Fertility may not return for 6 to 8 months after stopping the medicine.
- May decrease levels of HDL (“good”) cholesterol
- Provides no protection against sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)
- May increase the risk of chlamydia or gonorrhea infection among women who are sexually exposed to these bacteria “
Another study, from the image above shows statsitics that this drug has been linked to breast cancer, bone density etc. And just recently it shows that this particular birth control method may lead to increase chances of cervical cancer, osteoporosis, and excessive bleeding.
Just makes us raise the questions is birth control worth all the health risks, in this case is the bad outweighing the good?