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Query: UMLS:C0476089 (endometrial cancer)
 11,379 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

An international study of misinformation about the pill conducted by FHI surveyed 8 countries and found that women everywhere believed the pill dangerous to their health, while remaining ignorant of its benefits and actual complications. The study queried middle class urban women from Thailand, Sri Lanka, Senegal, Nigeria, Egypt, Mexico, Costa Rica and Chile. Some of the findings cited were: significant numbers of women believed pills cause uterine cancer; that pills increase risk of sterility; and that pills cause birth defects. Few women were aware of the reality of risk of cardiovascular disease, particularly for smokers. The pill's non-contraceptive health benefits, such as protecting against ovarian and endometrial cancer, pelvic inflammatory disease, sterility, venereal disease and anemia, were virtually unknown. In the different countries surveyed, from 26 to 60% of women who have tried the pill stopped taking it because they were worried about its safety. Fear of side effects is a major reason why many women do not try the pill. These misconceptions persist because of ignorance and fear, since cancer, rather than lack of it, makes news headlines.
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PMID:World pill poll reveals false fears. 1228 Dec 70

Among 30-40 year old women, 40% of pregnancies are unplanned, which is indicative of the unreliability of the birth control methods they are using. The 1992 Ortho Birth Control Study interviewed almost 7000 women, of whom 8% listed withdrawal and 4% listed the rhythm method. These two methods have failure rates of 24% and 19%, respectively. Birth control methods often disappoint the users and increasingly they turn to sterilization. 48% of married women aged 15-44 had themselves been sterilized or had a sterilized partner in the Ortho survey. Although reversal of tubal ligation succeeds in 43-88% of cases, conception cannot be guaranteed. For women over the age of 30 who are healthy and do not smoke, low-estrogen or no-estrogen oral contraceptive pills are considered safe. Taking the pill also helps prevent ovarian and endometrial cancer. The failure rate is 6%. Barrier methods also offer protection from sexually transmitted diseases including HIV. Condoms are favored by 33% of unmarried women and 19% of married women. Sexually active 40-44 year old unmarried women run a 14-19% risk of contracting a sexually transmitted disease (STD) in a 12-month period. Diaphragms offer some protection against STDs, but their failure rate is 18%. IUDs are regaining popularity, but only 1% of women use them (ParaGard T380A or Progestasert). Pelvic inflammatory disease is the reason: a 1992 study showed that 0.97% of women developed it within 20 days of use. Norplant is a long-term implant containing levonorgestrel with a failure rate of 0.5%. A 1993 study followed 1253 implant users over 12 months and found a very low rate of pregnancy, but 75% experienced some side effects during the first year. About half of the women using Norplant removed it after 2.5 years because of irregular bleeding. Depo-Provera is an injectable administered every 3 months, but after removal it can take up to a year for ovulation to return. Side effects may include hair loss and weight gain; and links to breast cancer have also been suggested.
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PMID:Birth control over 30. 1229 85


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