The Deadly Side Effects of the Birth Control Pill 2

Long-term use of birth control pills may increase artery buildups in your body that may raise your risk of heart disease, Belgium researchers found.

In a study of 1,300 healthy women between the ages of 35 and 55, there was a 20 percent to 30 percent increased prevalence of plaque for every 10 years of oral contraceptive use.

Though the researchers pointed out that the plaques identified were small and not large enough to block an artery, any plaque is thought to raise your risk of heart disease.

Many of the women in the study had used older, first-generation birth control pills, which had twice the estrogen levels as most oral contraceptives used today.

About 100 million women worldwide currently take birth control pills, and hundreds of millions of women have used them since they were first introduced in 1960.

Sources:

American Heart Association Conference November 6, 2007, Orlando, Florida

Yahoo News November 6, 2007