Risks of Oral Contraceptives
Blood clots are the most serious risk from oral contraceptives (birth control pills). Blood clots can form in the legs, lungs, or even in the eyes. This risk is highest during your first year of being on birth control. If you are going to be having surgery or lying down frequently, speak to your doctor about ways to help prevent blood clots.
Birth control can lead to an increase in the chance of heart disease and stroke. This threat is far worse for women who smoke. This relates to the increased tendency for blood clots.
On high-estrogen dosage birth control pills particularly, there is an elevated incidence of gall bladder disease. Birth control pills might also increase the chances of having a liver tumor, though the odds are statistically improbable.
Some studies have possibly linked an increased rate of cervical cancer to being on the pill. Women on the pill are also more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer. Research has yet to determine if this is because of a causal linkage between the pill and breast cancer, or if this is because women on the pill see a health care professional regularly. As discussed in our page on the benefits of the birth control pill, however, being on the pill is definitively proven to lower the incidence of uterine and ovarian cancer.
Oral contraceptives do not protect against sexually transmitted infections.
