Expert: Diane Cheryl - 5/17/2007

Question
Hi Diane,

This may just be a shot in the dark.....but my girlfriend has been having an issue with frequent urination.  It seems as if it really escalated around the time she stopped taking birth control pills, which was roughly 7 or 8 months ago.  Do you think they could be related?  As a guy, I really have little knowledge of the other effects that birth control pills can have health-wise.  I'm wondering if her body got so used to the pills that maybe she is now "thrown off" by not taking them.

I tried looking on allexperts.com for experts on urinary problems but couldn't find any!  Thanks for taking the time to read this.

Rob
rhilj@allstate.com

Answer
Hi Rob,
Thanks for your question. There are many side effects from hormonal birth control in going on or off. I'm not sure that I have heard of urinary tract problems being caused from hormonal birth controls but I could do research if you contact me at DCHERYL51@yahoo.com
Here's some other interesting info on the pill:
Here is some information about the pill because I want you to know the
side effects and how it works.
I want to warn you on some of the risks of the pill.
<Progestins and the estrogen in the pill are artificial hormones that
make your body believe that it is pregnant month after month. All the
vital organs in your body are affected by the constant use of the pill.
It contains powerful steroids and artificial hormones.
This constant presence of powerful steroids is not healthy, and there
are side effects when using the pill. Here are the ways the pill can
work.
1. It can prevent ovulation (releasing an egg from the ovary)
  2. It can cause the mucus in the cervix to change so that if sperm
reach the cervix, they are not allowed to enter, and
  3. It can irritate the lining of the uterus so that if the first two
actions fail, and you do become pregnant, your body will reject the
fetus (baby) and he or she will die.
It's called a chemical abortion.

Here are some of the side effects of the pill:
-bacterial infections (because the pill weakens the immune system.)
-more susceptible to the AIDS virus (HIV) because the pill weakens the
immune system
-pelvic inflammatory disease-an infection of the fallopian tubes that
can cause sickness or sterility
-infertility-unable to ever bear children
-ectopic pregnancy
-shrinking of the womb (endometrial atrophy)
-mood swings and depression
-breast cancer
-blood clots
-birth defects in children conceived while women are on the pill
-tender breasts
-stroke
-cervical cancer
-weight gain >