The American Society for Reproductive Medicine has launched a nationwide campaign and July conference to inform American women about the potential health benefits of the modern birth control pill.
Most oral contraceptives today which contain approximately 50 milligrams, compared with older versions of the pill, which many experts believed to be unsafe, may have contained as many as 100 to 115 micrograms of estrogen.
While some experts questioned the health effects of the older pills, scientists at the July conference said oral contraceptives can now reduce the risk of ovarian cancer by 40 to 80 percent, and endometrial cancer by 50 percent. The pill is potentially beneficial in protecting against pelvic inflammatory disease, loss of bone mineral density, hot flashes, and in the treatment of acne.
“Dispelling the fears and misperceptions that have kept many women from using the Pill will go a long way toward improving the health status of American women,” commented Dr. Benjamin Younger, executive director of ASRM.
