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Smoking And Birth Control Pills Are Not Made For Each Other! |
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Although the risks of smoking and taking birth control
pills have been well documented for several years, many women are still
unaware of how lethal the combination can really be. Here are eight
things you should know about the dangers of smoking while taking birth
control pills. Even if you are not taking any kind of contraceptives,
one thing is clear: the best way to protect all aspects of your health
is to refrain from smoking.
1) Smoking while taking birth control pills is one of the
worst things you can do for your heart health. Smoking, while taking birth control
pills, can increase your risk of a heart attack dramatically. The more you smoke,
and the older you are, the higher the risk. In fact, a recent study
found that women over the age of 35 years who smoke 25 or more
cigarettes a day have a 30 times higher risk of experiencing a first
time heart attack!
The risk of smoking while taking a daily birth control is so well documented and
so elevated, that your doctor or gynecologist may refuse to prescribe you birth
control pills if you are a over 35 and a smoker because of the potential damage
to your cardiovascular health.
2)
Many doctors recommend that women over 35 who are taking a daily low-dose birth
control pill also refrain from using nicotine patch or nicotine gum products. Even
though the patch and nicotine gum products are much safer than smoking, they can still
present a threat to women who have high blood pressure, or who are diabetic or overweight.
3) Heart attacks aren't the only potential dangers that have been identified with
smoking heavily while taking birth control medications. The chance of suffering from
blood clots or a stroke also rise significantly as a woman ages, especially if
she is a heavy smoker who regularly takes birth control pills. Women who
smoke while taking birth control medications also risk developing high
blood pressure.
4) Women who smoke heavily and take birth control pills are more likely to suffer
from adverse side effects. Most prescription drugs harbor some kind of side effect.
The chances of experiencing side effects from your birth control medications may
increase if you are regular or heavy smoker.
5) Smoking can be harmful to your reproductive health. If, like many women, you
decide to discontinue use of your birth control pills to try to conceive, you may
experience difficulty in getting pregnant. Research has shown that women
who smoke regularly can take considerably longer to conceive than
non-smokers. In one study, women who smoked 16 to 20 cigarettes each day
were 20% less likely to conceive and give birth within their first year
of trying. If you are trying to conceive, quitting smoking may be the
best things you can due to increase fertility.
6) Smoking can increase your chances of having a difficult pregnancy. Besides
hindering your ability to conceive, smoking dramatically increases your chances of
having a difficult pregnancy. While smoking is obviously harmful to the
fetus, smoking can also cause spontaneous abortions or a stillbirth.
Some studies have even found that women who smoke heavily deliver
infants who are at a 25% higher risk of dying shortly after birth.
7) Besides the potential harm to your cardiovascular health, smoking while
taking conventional low-dose daily birth control medications has also
been linked with a significantly increased risk of developing
gallbladder disease, vision problems, and liver tumors.
8) What about the "patch?" Does the risk associated with smoking and birth
control also apply to other methods of birth control? Yes—at least all
hormonal birth control methods. The "patch" is a hormonal birth control
method, so the risks of smoking also apply to the patch. Moreover, the
risks of using the patch become significantly increased if you are a
smoker.
Obviously, the risks of smoking while taking birth control medications can be
quite serious. What should you do? If you need to take birth control medications,
you must be willing to quit smoking. While the risks of developing serious
cardiovascular problems under the age of 30 are quite low, the dangers of smoking
while taking contraceptives quickly become very pronounced as you age.
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