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Precautions Women Should Take when Using Birth Control Pills
1. Do not smoke,
especially if you are
over 35. It can cause
heart problems.
2. Examine the breasts
carefully every month for
lumps or possible signs
of cancer (see page 279).
3. If possible, have
your blood pressure
measured every
6 months.
4. Watch for any of the problems mentioned on page 288, especially:
• Severe and frequent migraine headaches (p. 162).
• Dizziness, headache, or loss of consciousness that results in difficulty in
seeing, speaking, or moving part of the face or body (see Stroke, p. 327).
• Pain with inflammation in a leg or hip (chance of a blood clot).
• Severe or repeated pain in the chest (see Heart Problems, p. 325).
• Severe pain in the abdomen.
If one of these problems develops, stop taking the pill and get medical
advice. Avoid pregnancy by using another method, as these problems also make
pregnancy especially dangerous.
Questions and Answers about Birth Control Pills
Some people claim birth
control pills cause cancer.
Is this true?
Can a woman have
children again if she
stops taking the pill?
Is the chance of having
twins or defective children
greater if a woman has
used oral contraceptives?
No! However, if cancer of the breast
or womb already exists, taking the pill
may make the tumor grow faster.
Yes. (Sometimes there is a delay
of 1 or 2 months before she can
become pregnant.)
No. The chances are the same
as for women who have not
taken the pill.
Is it true that a mother’s
It is best to wait until her milk is coming
breasts will dry up if she
in well before starting to take the pills.
starts taking birth control
This usually takes about 3 weeks. After
pills?
that, the pills are perfectly safe for
women who are breastfeeding.
She can also take the ‘mini pill’ (p. 395), which contains so little
hormone that it does not affect the milk, even in the first 3 weeks.
For information on the selection of birth control pills, see pages 394 and 395.