A summary of the medical data presented in the Women Speak for Themselves amicus brief.
Oral Contraceptives
According to the New England Journal of Medicine, oral contraceptive pills double the risk of heart attack in women. The risk increases for women with hypertension (5x), who smoked (12x), with diabetes (16x), and with high cholesterol (23x).[REF. 1] The British Journal of Medicine reported that oral contraceptives cause an increased risk of ischemic stroke (3x) as well as an increased incidence of blood clots and pulmonary embolism. [REF. 2]
The Mayo Clinic reported that oral contraceptives increase the risk of breast cancer by 44%. [REF. 3] The World Health Organizations International Agency on Research of Cancer (WHO IARC) officially categorized "the Pill" as a Group 1 carcinogen for breast, cervical and liver cancers. [REF. 4] The Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention journal reported a 320% increased risk of the most dangerous kind of breast cancer - triple negative breast cancer - in women taking oral contraceptives. [REF. 5] The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported that there is a 4x greater risk of breast cancer than uterine and ovarian cancers in women taking oral contraceptives. [REF. 6] According to the National Cancer Institute, use of oral contraceptives triples the risk of cervical cancer in women. The NCI also recognized studies showing oral contraceptives increase the risk of liver cancer and rupturing benign liver tumors in women. [REF. 7]
Women taking oral contraceptives also have a 2x increased risk of contracting genital human papillomavirus (HPV) which leads to cervical cancer, the British Journal of Cancer reported. [REF. 8] According to the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, oral contraceptives cause a 60% increased risk of HIV infection. [REF. 9]
Long-Acting Contraceptives
Injectable contraceptives, implants and intrauterine devices (IUDs), such as ParaGard, Mirena, Implanon and Depo-Provera, have also been scientifically shown to increase health risks. The prestigious Lancet Infectious Diseases Journal published a study showing that "biological properties" of injectable contraceptives double the risk of HIV infection in women. Furthermore, male partners of infected women have a 2x risk of HIV infection than if no contraception was used at all. [REF. 10] These alarming, breakthrough findings appeared on the front page of the New York Times in October 2011.
Studies also show that long-acting contraceptives also cause an increased risk of uterine perforation, ovarian cysts, pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), possible permanent loss of fertility, ectopic pregnancy, pulmonary emboli, strokes and loss of bone mineral density.