What About Birth Control? - a pamphlet written by a doctor to explain to her patients why she does not prescribe artificial birth control.
Discontinuing Contraceptives in Your Pharmacy: One Pharmacist’s Insights
(These pamphlets are from OneMoreSoul.org.)
God's plan for sexuality is to reserve sexual interaction for marriage. To protect your children from sexual harm from abusers, pornography, contraception and early sex, see our Resource List for Parents to Protect Their Child from Sexual Harm.
Although millions of women take hormonal birth control on a regular basis for years at a time, many do not know what it may be doing inside their body. There are two things that every woman considering hormonal birth control (whether it is delivered by pill, patch, or whatever method) should know:
1. There are serious health risks.
We don't allow young men to take steroids because in spite of the immediate rewards of building muscle; powerful hormones can have long-term detrimental effects. And yet "the pill" is considered by most doctors to be very safe because few immediate complications are seen. Cancer doctors, however, began to notice that their breast cancer patients were getting younger - in their 30's instead of 50's. A study has confirmed a clear connection between the pill and breast cancer. Other risks include blood clots and all that can result from blood clots, including heart attacks and strokes. See "Birth Control Pills - NOT Safe!" for a very brief review with references.
For more detailed information about the risks of artificial contraception and the alternative of natural fertility awareness, see https://naturalwomanhood.org/learn/ .
Fertility awareness is not well known because of the lack of profit motive to advertise it. While supported by churches, it is solidly based on science.
A short film, from Natural Womanhood, "Natural Love Stories" is a documentary "about three couples who, after experiencing various problems with hormonal birth control, each makes the switch to a natural fertility awareness based method. Several medical professionals contribute additional expertise about the dangers of contraceptives and the benefits of natural methods." Click the link to see the trailer. The movie can be viewed online at no cost or DVDs can be purchased.
2. A child can be conceived but unable to implant and therefore die.
While advertised as purely preventative, hormonal birth control has multiple effects and in some cases a child can be conceived, but be unable to implant in the womb, thereby ending that new life. This effect is referred to as an "abortifacient" effect.
All hormonal methods of contraception work in very similar ways, whether the hormone is delivered by pill, patch, shot, or implant. While the original design was to prevent ovulation (no egg - no child), problematic side effects led to the testing of lower doses of the drugs. With lower doses, ovulation sometimes does take place. It is difficult to know how often this may happen because it has not often been studied. If an egg is present around the time of sexual intercourse, fertilization is possible. Once a sperm cell has united with the egg (fertilization), a new human being has been created. The next step is for that young embryo, about 5 - 7 days after fertilization, to implant into the lining of the uterus, and make the vital connection to the mother that will allow the baby to absorb nutrients and oxygen from mom. Once this connection is made, the embryo produces hormones that will prevent the mother from shedding the lining of her uterus in her next menstual period. But the hormone of the birth control drug also has the effect of making the lining of the uterus unreceptive to the embryo. If the embryo cannot implant, the next menstrual period arrives, and the embryo is lost as the lining of the uterus is shed. Mom never realizes that she had conceived a child.
IUDs (intra-uterine devices) and Plan B (the "morning after" pill) also act by preventing implantation
For more information, see our information sheet, "Birth Control as Abortifacient" and "Emergency Contraception", describing the effects of the "morning after" pill and IUD.
Fertility Awareness Based Methods (FABMs) of family planning are a safe and effective alternative to hormonal contraception. For a free, 4-page guide to FABMs, "Fertility Awareness Based Methods, a Medical Update", written by three MDs, go to www.naturalwomanhood.org/share.