Guest guest Posted March 14, 2010 Report Share Posted March 14, 2010 I am uncertain whether I would have much faith in anything other than a randomized control study, when so many randomized control studies have been performed with contradictory results.RESEARCH:Philip C Hannaford, Iversen, Tatiana V Macfarlane, Alison M Elliott, Angus, and J LeeMortality among contraceptive pill users: cohort evidence from Royal College of General Practitioners’ Oral Contraception StudyBMJ 2010;340http://www.bmj.com/cgi/reprint/340/mar11_1/c927?maxtoshow= & hits=10 & RESULTFORMAT=1 & author1=Hannaford & andorexacttitle=and & andorexacttitleabs=and & andorexactfulltext=and & searchid=1 & FIRSTINDEX=0 & sortspec=date & fdate=1/1/1981 & resourcetype=HWCITCheers, Al-- Aalt Pater From: Francesca Skelton <fskelton@...>Subject: [ ] Women on the pill may live longer"support group" < >Received: Friday, March 12, 2010, 5:01 PM By MARIA CHENG (AP) 6 hours agoLONDON ‹ Women who took the birth control pill beginning in the late 1960slived longer than those never on the pill, a new study says.British researchers observed more than 46,000 women for nearly four decadesfrom 1968. They compared the number of deaths in women on the pill to thosewho never took it.In the study, women on the pill generally took it for almost four years.Experts concluded the pill cut women's risk of dying from bowel cancer by 38percent and from any other diseases by about 12 percent.The research was published Friday in the British medical journal, BMJ.Slightly higher death rates were found among women under 30 on the pill, butthat began to be reversed by age 50.Doctors aren't sure exactly why the pill may lower death rates. It containssynthetic hormones to suppress ovulation, which may have some role inpreventing certain diseases.Previous studies have found the pill does not raise the risk of dying. Italso may protect against ovarian and endometrial cancer, but slightlyincrease the chances of breast and cervical cancer. It may also be thatwomen on the pill are somehow healthier than those that aren't.Because the study only observed women on the pill compared with those whoweren't, researchers weren't able to make any hypotheses about cause andeffect."In the longer term, the health benefits of the contraceptive pill outweighany risks," , a gynecologist at the University of Edinburgh,said in a statement. was not connected to the BMJ study.But he said the findings might not be projected to women using moderncontraceptive pills, which may have a different risks than earlier products.The risks may also be higher depending on when women start taking the pilland how long they are on it."Many women, especially those who used the first generation of oralcontraceptives many years ago, are likely to be reassured by our results,"Philip Hannaford of the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, the study's leadresearcher, said in a statement.Hannaford and colleagues said the pill's risks and benefits may varyworldwide, depending on how it is used and each patient's health risks.On the Net:http://www.bmj. com Canada Toolbar : Search from anywhere on the web and bookmark your favourite sites. Download it now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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