Is Natural Family Planning Really Safer than the Birth Control Pill?

May 27, 2010 - PRLog -- The below is from the May/June issue of “Family Foundations,” a publication of the Couple to Couple League.

THEY SAY: At the American Cancer Society web site, a January 2008 article called “Birth Control Pill Use Cuts Ovarian Cancer Risk” analyzes a comprehensive study published in The Lancet. This study found that the longer a woman takes the birth control pill, the lower her risk for ovarian cancer. Why not take the pill if it has preventative effects?

THE FACTS: While the pill may help lower the risk of ovarian cancer, even the authors of this article accept that increased risk of both cervical cancer and breast cancer have been linked to long-term use of the birth control pill, and the evidence of these links is stronger than this article acknowledges.

In an article on the One More Soul web site called “Breast Cancer Risk from the Pill,” Dr. Chris Kahlenborn delves deeper into this connection. He cites a Mayo Clinic meta-analysis indicating that women who took an oral contraceptive before the birth of their first child incurred an increased risk – by as much as 52 percent – of developing pre-menopausal breast cancer. Hormonal contraceptives may decrease the risk of ovarian cancer, but studies indicate that they significantly increase the risk for breast and cervical cancers.

As for the natural methods, there are absolutely no adverse health effects.  

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Sign up for a membership at Couple to Couple League International at www.ccli.org, and receive “Family Foundations.”

Natural Family Planning Classes Taught

The next series of classes in Natural Family Planning in northeast Illinois will begin Friday, June 4, 2010 at 6:30 pm at Holy Cross Church in Batavia, taught by Jill and Dustin Schadt.

To register, and for a list of classes throughout the U.S., go to CCL International at www.ccli.org. Chicago area NFP information is at www.naturalfamilyplanningchicago.com.

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The Couple to Couple League (CCL) is an international, Catholic, non-profit organization dedicated to teaching Natural Family Planning (NFP) to married and engaged couples. This news article is sponsored by the Chicago chapter of CCL International.