The birth control pill can cause a variety of long-term complications. It is important to identify, with a physician, if you are at risk.

Women who have had a history of circulatory disease should question their doctor about whether they are at serious risk because blood vessel and blood clotting disorders are more common in users of the birth control pill. Specifically, those women taking the pill have a higher risk of developing blood clots in the leg or pelvis, pulmonary embolism and heart attack or stroke.


Those who suffer from migraines should also question the use of the pill. If the migraines worsen during use of the pill, then usage should be discontinued.

The addition of hormones into the body will cause certain tumors to grow faster. Therefore, anyone with a known or suspected cancer should not take the pill. It is important to note that the pill decreases the risk of cancer of the ovaries and the endometrium by half. The effects of the pill on skin cancer and cancer of the cervix are currently unclear.

The addition of extra hormones will also cause an increase in breast size. [Sound familiar?]

Those women with benign breast disease (tender or lumpy breasts) may see an improvement in their condition while others may experience no significant change. The pill will also affect the breasts by decreasing the amount of breast milk produced; the quality of the breast milk is not significantly affected. Women who want to take the pill during breast-feeding should consult their doctor.

Women who have had liver damage should not take the pill. The pill causes a small increase in rare tumors of the liver. For diabetic women, the use of the birth control pill may change insulin needs and it may also change the results of the glucose tolerance test.

The pill has been linked to causing depression, irritability and/or tiredness in some women. This problem is usually not recognized until the discontinued use of the pill, when the woman gradually begins to feel better. The pill can adversely affect any of the prescription drugs that you may be required to take, so please consult a physician on the subject. The pill will increase the affect of some drugs (such as alcohol) and decrease the affects of other drugs (such as certain painkillers).
The pill may also cause some unwanted physical changes such as water retention; which in turn can cause bloating, irritability, leg cramps and nausea. If you suspect that this is a problem, you should ask your physician about changing the brand of pill that you use. Some women may have dark rings around their eyes due to the increased estrogen levels. A weaker brand of pill will normally correct these problems. Some women experience weight gain and an increased appetite that can be controlled by switching to a pill with a weaker progesterone level.


Some of these symptoms seem the same as the ones you guys get. I do think there is some logic in applying the long term effects of steroid use in women to men.


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Oh yah, there are also a few herbs and drugs that will decrease the effectiveness of the pill, so probably would affect your course as well. This includes anti-biotics and St. John's Wort, there are a few more.