Expert: DW - 2/11/2007

Question
Hi Diane, I wonder if you can help me.
I've recently started taking the pill as I have always had an irregular cycle. The last gap I had was an extreme 9 weeks, and so I started the pill on the day that my period started. My period has lasted 11 days so far and is brown-ish in colour, like the last couple of days of a normal period for me.
I would be grateful if you could tell me if this is normal and suggest whether I should go back to the doctor or stop taking the pill.
Thank you!
Hannah
xxx

Answer
Hi Hannah,
Thanks for your question to me. I'm not a doctor and of course, I recommend you go to your personal physician with all health questions. I don't recommend the pill because of the hormones, risks and side effects. I would definitely not advise it for making your cycle regular if that is what you are trying to do.  Do you need to be on birth control for any other reason? Here are a list of side effects and risks below. I would like you to email me at DWooley97@yahoo.com so you can answer any further questions and I can assist you.
Thanks and below is the list.
Diane W.

<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 >